After a massive capex splurge on its semiconductor division over the last three years, Toshiba is radically cutting back its chip investments over the coming year.

China's exports in April were down 22.6% from a year ago, the sixth successive month of decline. But other data released on Tuesday suggest that Chinese government efforts to stimulate the economy are pushing up investment levels in the country.

UK government funding is needed as the credit crunch threatens a generation of small high-tech companies, a business investment group has warned. The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts said the UK could lose its global standing in areas such as healthcare and biotechnology.

China has unveiled plans to establish a US$10 billion investment fund for south-east Asian countries. It also offered credit of US$15 billion to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) which comprises of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Qualcomm is looking at South Korean wireless and healthcare technology firms for possible investment, Chairman and CEO Paul Jacobs told Reuters on Wednesday.

If there's one mind-set prospective investors in emerging markets should have this year—or perhaps the next two years—it's aggressive patience. Yes, these markets are volatile and highly correlated to the US and other developed markets at the moment, but over time the fundamentals, especially growth rates above those of the developed world, in these countries will reassert themselves.

Asian stocks have fallen, taking their lead from weaker US stocks, which have hit a fresh 12-year low.

Warren Buffett, long revered for his investment prowess, has admitted that even he made some "dumb" mistakes during the past year. Berkshire's profits fell 62% in 2008--the worst performance in its 44 years.

In the fourth quarter of 2008, venture capitalists raised only US$3.37 billion, down a staggering 71% from the year-ago quarter, according to a January 20 release by Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. This is the smallest amount of money raised since the second quarter of 2004. The size of the average fund and the number of funds able to scare up capital is also rapidly shrinking.

Former United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) chairman Robert Tsao and former vice chairman John Hsuan were found not guilty by the Taiwan High Court yesterday of illegal investments in a Chinese company.

No. 4 Pc maker Lenovo has confirmed speculation that it is talks towards a possible investment or acquisition. Lenovo did not reveal details of any third party, but media reports in Brazil have identified the country's largest PC maker Positivo Informatica as a potential target.

Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain said the global economy is in a deep slowdown and will not recover quickly, and the environment recalls 1929, the advent of the Great Depression. "Although things are starting to improve, this is going to be a long process," he said.

AMD plans to announce Tuesday that it will split into two companies - one focused on designing microprocessors and the other on manufacturing them. Two Abu Dhabi investment firms will inject at least US$6 billion into the two firms, mostly to finance a new chip factory that AMD planned to build near Albany, NY, and to upgrade one of the company's existing plants in Dresden, Germany.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is scheduled to announce relaxation of the existing restrictions on investments by local enterprises in China in July, including the exclusion of the acquisition of Chinese enterprises from the calculation of their Chinese investment value, said Yiin Chii-min, economics minister yesterday (June 23).