SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian shares snoozed near 18-month highs on Friday as trade thinned in the run-up to Christmas and investors seemed content to digest the chunky gains already made so far this month.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices remained atop three-month peaks on Thursday, extending a robust streak that began a week ago, as thawing trade relations between the United States and China supported global markets.

Kochi: Natural rubber prices have risen 9 per cent year on year in the peak tapping period of December, even as consumption of natural rubber remains muted.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares pulled back from a one-and-a-half year peak on Thursday as investors took some money off the table ahead of holiday trade and looked to fresh data on the state of the global economy.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The New Zealand dollar bounced from a one-week low on Thursday after the country’s third quarter economic growth came in stronger than expected while greenback traders awaited a vote to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Confidence among Asian businesses rebounded sharply this quarter to hit an 18-month high with firms reporting a pickup in sales, though most are holding off on hiring as trade war uncertainty weighs, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey found.