The US economy grew by an annualised rate of 5.7% between October and December, official figures have shown. But even with the rebound, GDP shrank by 2.4% across 2009 as a whole.

Japan's exports grew for the first time in 15 months in December 2009, according to the finance ministry. Its exports to China expanded 42.8% to 1.1 trillion yen in the month.

China has said its economy expanded by 8.7% in 2009, exceeding even the government's own initial expectations.

China was fast with its stimulus program...even though the country has been climbing nicely out of recession, the government still plans to spend the full US$600 billion of stimulus money.

"China's exports largely consist of low-value everyday goods like cheap electrical appliances and textiles - but that's a long way from where it wants to be..."

China's exports probably ended a 13-month slide in December, aiding an economic rebound that has so far depended on government stimulus measures and a credit-fueled building boom.

Singapore's economy probably shrank this quarter after six months of growth. Manufacturing output, which accounts for about a quarter of Singapore's economy, fell 8.2% in November from a year earlier.

China's growth may surge to as much as 12% in 2010, thanks to a rebound in exports and domestic spending.

Japan's economy in third-quarter 2009 grew sharply less than initial estimates as cautious companies decided to save, not spend.

South Korea's economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter of 2009, fuelling hopes that Asia's fourth-largest economy is making a solid recovery from the global downturn.

Thailand's economy grew for a second straight quarter as government stimulus spending and an improvement in manufacturing propelled its recovery from recession.

Figures released by the Japanese government show that the country's economy has grown for a second successive quarter.

China's National Bureau of Statistics says the country's latest economic data shows it is well on track to meet its target of 8% growth this year. The statisticians also see evidence in the data that Chinese consumers are starting to make more of a contribution to economic growth here.

Exports hit a one-year high of US$19.8 billion in October 2009, as a recovery in the world's economy boosted demand for Taiwanese-made electronics, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Finance.

The increase in GDP has not translated into jobs yet because of firms' strong tendency to work each employee harder early in a recovery before hiring more of them.

Gross domestic product during the July-September period expanded 2.9% from the second quarter, according to the Bank of Korea. That was the most rapid pace since the first quarter of 2002.

Japan's exports fell by the smallest margin in 10 months in September, showing a deep slump in the world's second-largest economy may be easing.

Figures just published suggest China exceeded its target for economic growth for the first time in 2009 in the third quarter.

Beijing's four-trillion-yuan (US$586 billion) stimulus package, unveiled in November 2008, "has played a very good role in the recovery of the Chinese economy," said Xiong Bilin, a vice director general of the National Development and Reform Commission.

South Korea must diversify its export markets in order to achieve a sustainable expansion of overseas shipments and prepare for the possibility of another global economic crisis, according to a government report.

South Korean exports in September 2009 will probably post their best performance in almost a year and confidence among its exporters has surged to the strongest in almost six years.

Singapore and Thailand have reported steady improvement in August export figures as signs of a gradual global recovery began to emerge.

Yukio Hatoyama on September 16 took office as prime minister and named a cabinet, promising to bring change to the country mired in stagnation after a half-century of virtually uninterrupted, one-party rule.

The South Korean won against the dollar strengthened to a one-month high of 1220.50 in early Asian deals on September 11. On the upside, 1218.3 is seen as the next target level for the Korean currency.

There are worries that an increase in bank lending, which has helped to drive the Chinese market rally, might see a rise in bad loans.

A fortnight after Typhoon Morakot first struck Taiwan on August 6 the storm continued to wreak havoc on the island. Morakot is also doing political damage.

Indonesia has proved to be less exposed to the global recession than many of its neighbours, and its economy expanded by 4.2% on year in the first half of 2009.

Countries must rebalance their economies to make it sustainable, IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard commented. Economies dominated by consumption - such as the US - would have to focus more on exports, while Asia turned more to imports.

The big bounce—GDP plunged by at over 10% (annualized) in the previous two quarters—owes much to stimulus packages in Japan and around the world.

South Korea recorded real GDP growth of 2.3% on quarter in the second quarter of 2009—a stronger performance than the Economist Intelligence Unit expected.

Singapore revised slightly higher its economic growth in the second quarter, but warned US consumption must pick up to sustain the recovery.

The Chinese authorities in July predicted 8% growth for 2009, thanks to a four trillion yuan (US$585 billion) economic stimulus plan. But the global downturn has still put millions of Chinese out of work.

The Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts that Taiwan's real GDP will contract by 6.5% in 2009. The poor economic and financial environment abroad will continue to undermine Taiwan's growth prospects in 2010, when the economy is forecast to expand by just 0.6%.

Beijing now expects China to achieve 8% growth for 2009 as a whole, which compares with a predicted contraction of between 1% and 1.5% in the US. However, the Chinese government warned that some economic challenges remain.

Singapore appears to be emerging from its worst recession on record after the economy expanded at an annualised rate of 20.4% between April and June.

China could be an unexpected laggard to any global recovery, with its economy set to remain sluggish after a long run of bubble-like investment in factories and other fixed assets wears off, some analysts say.

Japan has passed the worst of its current slump and is on course for growth in its next fiscal year, but the recovery of the world's second-largest economy could yet prove vulnerable, Kaoru Yosano, finance minister, has warned. The comment came just before a survey showed that business confidence had risen for the first time in two and a half years.

The economy contracted at a much sharper pace than initially thought and at its fastest rate in more than 50 years in the first three months of 2009, according to official data.

When it comes to economic performance, it's hard to believe that impoverished North Korea could do better than its affluent capitalist neighbor to the south. South Korea's economy is known for its exports of Hyundai cars, LG phones and Samsung semiconductors. Meanwhile, the North Korean economy's export prowess is limited largely to nuclear weapon technology and counterfeit dollars.

Japan's jobless rate rose to its highest level in nearly six years in May as manufacturers continued to cut jobs despite better conditions for the corporate sector here.