* India car sales confirm sharp contraction * China trade data raise accuracy worries * Telefónica considers listing Colombia arm * BHP prepares for 'moderated' China growth * Samsung Office Searched by Police in OLED Technology Leak Probe * Malaysian general elections set for 5 May * Cargo piles up as two-week Hong Kong port strike drags on * Seoul on alert as N Korea moves missiles * Petrobras in venture talks with Batista * Slovenia rules out bailout * Brazil group eyes IPO despite poor market * Vienna and Warsaw bourses hold deal talks Markets: mainly up India car sales confirm sharp contraction
A sharp reversal in India's once-booming car market has been confirmed as industry data showed sales in Asia's third-largest economy contracted last year for the first time in at least a decade, with only a modest return to growth projected in the coming 12 months.
http://on.ft.com/16PYVeE China trade data raise accuracy worries
China's latest trade figures showed a sharp decline in export growth combined with a strong rebound in imports in March, but volatility and discrepancies in the data have raised concerns about their accuracy.
http://on.ft.com/XrfI6V Telefónica considers listing Colombia arm
Telefónica, the Spanish telecoms operator, is considering spinning off part of its Colombian business in a listing as it seeks to cut debt and avoid selling stakes in its other Latin American crown jewels.
http://on.ft.com/10RCHHD BHP prepares for 'moderated' China growth
BHP Billiton, the world's biggest resources company by market value, has promised more cost-cutting as it forecast a slowing in China's annual economic growth rate towards 6 per cent.
http://on.ft.com/16PYmBM Samsung Office Searched by Police in OLED Technology Leak Probe
South Korean police searched the offices of Samsung Electronics's display-making unit yesterday in connection with an investigation into alleged technology theft.
http://bloom.bg/152TUTV Malaysian general elections set for 5 May
A general election will be held in Malaysia on 5 May, the Election Commission said, in what is seen as a major test for Prime Minister Najib Razak's ruling coalition.
http://bbc.in/ZDrHSw Cargo piles up as two-week Hong Kong port strike drags on
Striking dock workers at a port operator backed by Hong Kong's richest man Li Ka-shing failed to reach a deal for higher pay on Wednesday, prolonging a dispute that could cost the city its position as the world's third-largest container port.
http://reut.rs/10TxNea Seoul on alert as N Korea moves missiles
South Korea has raised its surveillance of North Korea after the reclusive state moved one or more long-range missiles in readiness for a possible launch, Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.
http://on.ft.com/Yi6GL6 Petrobras in venture talks with Batista
Petrobras said on Tuesday it was exploring possible business ventures with companies controlled by Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista, raising the prospect of a bailout of the troubled oil and infrastructure group.
http://on.ft.com/ZCcj8O Slovenia rules out bailout
Slovenia insisted on Tuesday that it could avoid an international bailout as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warned Ljubljana to tackle more rapidly a "severe banking crisis" whose costs it might have underestimated.
http://on.ft.com/ZLKpAe Brazil group eyes IPO despite poor market
Brazilian cement group Votorantim Cimentos has become the latest to join a queue of companies looking to launch initial public offerings in spite of a poorly performing market.
http://on.ft.com/10RgaJh Vienna and Warsaw bourses hold deal talks
The Vienna Stock Exchange and its Warsaw rival are in talks which could lead to a co-operation agreement or a merger, a move that would unite the two principal equities trading hubs in central and eastern Europe.
http://on.ft.com/Yi7AY4 Emerging Markets
MSCI Emerging Market Index up +0.67% at 1,023 Europe
FTSE up +0.75% at 6,361
RTS up +1.11% at 1,456
Warsaw Wig up +1.10% at 45,216
FTSE 300 Eurotop up +0.95% at 1,176 Americas
DJIA up +0.41% at 14,673
S&P 500 up +0.35% at 1,569
Bovespa up +1.49% at 55,912 Asia
Nikkei 225 up +0.73% at 13,288
Topix up +1.72% at 1,121
Hang Seng up +0.75% at 22,035
Shanghai Composite up +0.02% at 2,226
MSCI Asia ex-Japan up +0.79% at 464.34
S&P CNX Nifty Index up +1.16% at 5,559 Currencies
€/$ 1.31 (1.31)
$/¥ 99.39 (99.02) Commodities
Brent Crude (ICE) down -0.30 at 105.93
Light Crude (Nymex) down -0.17 at 94.03
100 Oz Gold (Comex) down -5.10 at 1,581 | 
