| * Asian Shares extend gains on US data * Taiwan GDP growth falls to 1.5% * Japan manufacturing expands in April
* Vale's narrow escape from Argentina * Unilever to spend $5.4bn to lift India unit stake * Tata eyes coal assets freed by global fracking boom Markets: mostly up Asian Shares extend gains on US data
Asian stocks extended gains as US home sales rose and expectations grew for further stimulus measures from global central banks.
http://on.ft.com/13HNDZY Taiwan GDP growth falls to 1.5%
Taiwan's economic growth rate dropped to just 1.5 per cent year-on-year in the first three months of 2013, down from 3.7 per cent the previous quarter, as the export-oriented economy stumbled under the weight of slowing growth in key trade partners, particularly China and the US.
http://on.ft.com/10oKj1H Japan manufacturing expands in April
Japanese manufacturing activity expanded in April at the fastest pace in just over a year in an encouraging sign that stabilising overseas demand and a weaker yen are helping the economy.
http://on.ft.com/13HNSEy Vale's narrow escape from Argentina
When Dilma Rousseff emerged from a meeting with Argentina's Cristina Kirchner last Thursday, saying that Vale would soon reach an agreement over its $6bn Rio Colorado potash project in the country, some feared the worst.
http://on.ft.com/12LrASd Unilever to spend $5.4bn to lift India unit stake
Unilever Plc (ULVR), the world's second- largest consumer goods company, will spend up to 292.2 billion rupees ($5.4 billion) to boost its stake in its Indian subsidiary as it expands in Asia to offset slower European growth. (Bloomberg)
http://bloom.bg/ZYMjif Tata eyes coal assets freed by global fracking boom
Tata Power Co. (TPWR), India's second- largest generator, is seeking coal assets in the U.S., Canada and Colombia as prices of the fuel drop amid surging shale gas supplies in North America. (Bloomberg)
http://bloom.bg/Zhz4ZV Emerging Markets
MSCI Emerging Market Index up +0.60% at 1,034 Americas
DJIA up +0.72% at 14,819
S&P 500 up +0.72% at 1,594
Bovespa up +1.17% at 54,887 Asia
Nikkei 225 down -0.07% at 13,875
Topix up +0.64% at 1,169
Hang Seng up +0.77% at 22,755
Shanghai Composite down -0.97% at 2,178
MSCI Asia ex-Japan up +1.01% at 552.16
CNX Nifty up +0.64% at 5,942 Currencies
€/$ 1.31 (1.31)
$/¥ 97.91 (97.71) Commodities
Brent Crude (ICE) down -0.16 at 103.65
Light Crude (Nymex) down -0.11 at 94.39
100 Oz Gold (Comex) up +3.70 at 1,471 | 
