In Asia Thursday, China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.5% to 3,321. In Hong Kong and Tokyo, the major indexes fell with the Hang Seng shedding 0.9% to close at 22,643 and the Nikkei losing 1.3% to end the day at 9,549.

In China, shares in energy producers surged as the country plowed itself out from under heavy snow and the national Heating Office was forced to turn household heating on a full two weeks before the normally scheduled date due to extremely low temperatures. The added demand for fuel and electricity sent shares of Changchun Gas and Shaan Xi Provincial Natural Gas soaring to the 10 percent daily limit for a second day in a row. Huaneng Power International (HUNWF) rose 1.8% and oil producing giant PetroChina (PTR) rose 1.1%.

In Hong Kong Wednesday, the Hang Seng index lost 0.3%, ending the day at 22,840. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.6% to close at 3,303, while in Japan, the Nikkei Index fell 0.6% to 9,677.

In Hong Kong, property companies led the decline, as fears that a property bubble pumped up by excessive speculation on the part of mainland Chinese buyers, may be looming. According to the Economist, prices are now just 13% below the astronomical levels they reached in 2008, just before the financial crisis.

Asian shares were mixed Tuesday with China's Shanghai Composite Index inching up 0.2% to 3,283. Major indexes in Hong Kong and Tokyo were down, with Japan's Nikkei losing 0.6% to end the day at 9,730 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng down 0.1% at 22,914.

In Hong Kong, I-Cable Communications (ICABY) surged 21.2% after yesterday's announcement that it will become Hong Kong's exclusive broadcaster of England's Barclays Premier League soccer games. This means big business for I-Cable, which outbid competitor Now TV. The games have run on Now TV since 2007. Broadcasting the Premier League could translate into millions of dollars in advertising that will, no doubt, be directed at male viewers, who are prime consumers of sportswear, beer, electronics and other high-end products. Advertisers will surely be vying for spots, bringing hoards of cash into the network.

In Asia Monday, China's Shanghai Composite Index added 2.7% to close at 3,275 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.7%, ending the day at 9,791. In Japan, the Nikkei Index settled 0.2% higher to close at 9,791.

President Obama's first official visit to China will address a wide range of topics from global warming to the economy, and will also underscore the enormous trade deficit -- while Americans' love affair with cheap Chinese goods has buoyed the Chinese economy, Chinese customers have little need for expensive, American-made products. And as their economy continues to develop, it seems the Chinese can fill their own needs quite handily.

In Hong Kong Friday, the Hang Seng Index added 0.7% to close at 22,554, and the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.5% to end the day at 3,188. Shares fell in Tokyo, sending the Nikkei Index down 0.4% to 9,770.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Hong Kong's economic recovery is fragile. This was emphasized by figures showing a rise in GDP of only 0.4% -- lower than economists had forecast. Meanwhile, the Hang Seng continued its rise with banks registering gains today. Bank of China (BACHY) gained 3.2%, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (IDBCY) rose 1.9% and Standard Chartered (SCBFF) added 2.9%.

Shares in Asia fell Thursday with Japan's Nikkei Index falling 0.7% to close at 9,804, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index falling 1% to end the day at 22,398. In China, the Shanghai Composite slid 0.1% to 3,173 after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the recovery from the economic crisis would be "slow and bumpy."

In Hong Kong, state-owned investment company Citic Pacific (CTPCF) surged 9% after disclosing that as much as two-thirds of the iron ore from its Australian operations will be sold to Chinese mills. Citic has invested $4 billion in Australian projects betting on predictions that China's appetite for iron ore will increase as the country continues to embark on major infrastructure and building projects. Some predict that the nation's economy will grow 10.5% this quarter, and a quick scan of the skyline of any Chinese city sprouting with building cranes is a clear sign of that growth. According to Bloomberg, China could use more iron ore than the total amount ever mined in Australia, and it has to come from somewhere.

In Asia Wednesday, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.6% to close at 22,627. In Japan, the Nikkei Index closed at 9,872, virtually unchanged from yesterday. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index dropped for the first time in nine days, ending the day at 3,175 -- a loss of 0.1%.

In Hong Kong, HSBC Holdings (HBC), the index's most heavily weighted stock, climbed 6% after announcing that its third quarter pre-tax profits were higher than last year, and had exceeded even its own expectations. The bank, which has its headquarters in London, serves more than 100 million customers throughout the world. The bank's CEO plans to relocate to Hong Kong this February, signaling that operations will become more focused on the East.

Berlin is now home to Germany's first eco-friendly brothel, which offers discounts to customers who arrive by bicycle or public transport. Patrons who show a bus or tram ticket, or a bike helmet or padlock key as proof that they didn't drive, receive a 5-euro ($7.50) discount -- dropping the cost of a 30-minute tryst from 50 euros ($75) to 45 euros ($67). This kind of promotion "is something never seen before in this business in Berlin," brothel owner Thomas Goetz tells DailyFinance.

Goetz, who owns Maison d'Envie (House of Desire), hoped the promotion would boost business, which he says has been flaccid since the economic crisis began. Apparently, would-be customers have pared back discretionary spending in all areas, including sex. Goetz and his mother, Regina, who manages the business, bet that an environmentally friendly initiative would do the trick. "We have a problem with parking here, and it's better to come by tram, bicycle or foot," Regina Goetz explains. "And it's better for the environment."

Asian stocks rose Tuesday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index added 0.3%, ending the day at 22,268. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.1% to 3,179 and in Japan, the Nikkei Index closed up 0.6% at 9,871.

Shares in Chinese drug companies soared as the number of reported swine flu cases swelled to nearly 60,000, and the death toll rose to 30. So far 8.7 million Chinese have been vaccinated, according to Agence France Presse, and China's Ministry of Health has ordered that vaccine makers step up production in order to vaccinate even more of the country's enormous population. Henan Taloph Pharmaceutical jumped to its 10% daily limit, Shenzhen Neptunus Bioengineering climbed 6.17% and Hualan Biological Engineering rose 2.0%.

Shares in Asia rose Monday with Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbing 1.7% to end the session at 22,208. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.4% to close at 3,176 and in Japan the Nikkei Index was up 0.2%, ending the day at 9,809.

In Hong Kong, banks led the rise with both Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (IDCBF) and China Construction Bank Corp. (CICHF) moving up 3.1%. As the banking sector remains strong in the territory, China Minsheng Banking Corp. is planning to sell up to $4 billion in an upcoming Hong Kong IPO.