asia and europe

The world’s central banks intensified their liquidity injections as news of gridlock in Washington led investors to send stocks down in Asia and Europe.

Jewelry retailer Tiffany says second-quarter profit doubled, beating Wall Street expectations as sales rose by double-digit percentages in Asia and Europe.

Pessimism about financial firms and the broader economy outweighed recent positive sentiment generated by lower commodity prices.

Japan's exports rose more than expected in January as shipments to Asia and Europe cushioned soft exports to the United States.

The trade deficit of 79.3 billion yen ($734 million) was the biggest since the 394.4 billion yen in January 2006, the government said.