Bank shares slip in mixed Asia; resource stocks rise

Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:01:07 -0400
Bank shares slip in mixed Asia; resource stocks rise

Asian markets head into the weekend on a mixed note Friday, with financial
stocks sagging after a pullback on Wall Street, while a surge in
commodity prices overnight boosts resource stocks across the region.

ASIA MARKETS: OIL'S CLIMB ABOVE $50 BUOYS ASIAN OIL SHARES

Crude-oil's surge above the $50-a-barrel benchmark brings investors back to
Asian energy stocks, along with expectations the U.S. dollar's weakness may
also feed oil's price gains.

EUROPE MARKETS: STOCKS IN EUROPE EDGE LOWER AS TECHS OFFSET INSURERS

A profit warning from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications helps dent Europe
stocks on Friday as concerns about the health of the global economy continue.

THOMAS KOSTIGEN'S ETHICS MONITOR: WATER IS CRITICAL ISSUE

Sunday is World Water Day. It shouldn't be celebrated, it should be a reminder
of concern for the biggest environmental crisis facing the planet today: water
shortage.