Japan’s factory output grew the most in six months in November as a recovery in export demand from Asia boosted production in the world’s second-biggest economy.

Wall Street is gearing up for an unpredictable week amid light trading volume, with many market participants on vacation and traders focused on the upcoming new year.

Wireless devices such as Apple’s iPhone are transforming the way we go online, making it possible to look up driving directions, find the nearest coffee shop and update Facebook on the go.

Homes are selling at their fastest clip in nearly three years, the unemployment rate is falling and stocks are up 66 percent since their March lows — the best performance since the 1930s.

Wall Street is likely to make a strong showing in the final week of 2009 as the bulls gear up to toast the first annual advance for U.S. stocks in two years on hopes of more economic stability in 2010.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday struck a defiant note about the country’s controversial exchange rate policy, saying the government would not give into foreign demands to let the yuan rise.

Japanese National Strategy Minister Naoto Kan said on Sunday the country’s economy can avoid a double-dip recession thanks to economic recovery abroad, fiscal stimulus by the government and better market conditions.