Asian Markets

Last week, we compared the prices of staple foods at mainstream chain supermarkets and small international groceries, and the small independents frequently had the better deals. But where those little markets really shine is on their prices for spices.

Saving money gets a tasty twist at international grocery stores, where your favorite foods often come with much smaller price tags. And with food costs on the rise, what a better time to explore than right now.

Japan's market took yet another beating today when Goldman Sachs lowered its growth forecast for the country's annual gross domestic product. Goldman had previously estimated growth of 1.3%, but has dropped that number down to 0.7% in light of the recent disasters and a slowdown across the country as power cuts and rolling black outs hamper business of all kinds.

In Asia Monday Japan's Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.6% to 9,479 and in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index lost 0.4% to close at 23,068, China's Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2% to end the day at 2,984.

Debates are raging over whether Japan needs charitable financial help to recover, but one way money has been flowing into the country is in the form of foreign purchases of Japanese stocks as investors snap up hammered shares.

More bad news in Japan sparked profit taking today. Radioactive iodine has seeped into Tokyo's drinking water and new reports show that the surrounding seawater is also radioactive, which could lead to a ban on seafood if it doesn't dissipate. Today another series of earthquakes rocked Japan, including a 6.6 magnitude tremble.

Markets in Hong Kong and China climbed Monday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.7% to 22,685 and China's Shanghai Composite Index inched up 0.1% to end the day at 2,909. Japanese markets were closed today, taking a much-needed break to honor the vernal equinox marking the beginning of spring.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Index advanced 2.7% on Friday, ending a turbulent week at 9,207. In Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index inched up 0.1% to 22,300 and in China the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.3% to close at 2,907.

Japan's markets got a slight reprieve today as the yen slipped a bit after hitting a record high yesterday. While the lower value helped exporters recover from severe losses earlier in the trading session, the country has a long way to go before confidence in its economy's resilience is restored.

Japanese shares plummeted in the aftermath of what Prime Minister Naoto Kan describes as Japan's worst disaster since 1945. The Nikkei 225 Index plunged 6.2%, wiping out this year's gains and hitting its lowest level in four months.