chinese stocks

NIVS IntelliMedia Technology Group, whose consumer-electronic products and brands are widely known in China and marketed in some 80 countries, flies under the radar in the U.S. But it's well positioned to cash in on rising consumer spending in China.

As China's economy continues to grow, Chinese companies are flooding the U.S. IPO market. Six of the nine companies scheduled to go public on U.S. exchanges this week hail from China, and one Taiwanese company is also planning its debut.

Shares in Asia slid lower Friday as investors reacted to Chinese government moves to tighten credit and clamp down on inflation. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 0.8% to 22,877, and in China, the Shanghai Composite sank 0.9% to 2,872. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index edged down 0.4% to 10,040.

A building boom -- and the constrained supply of materials due to mandated energy cuts -- sent Chinese cement, metal and building-equipment stocks up Thursday. Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Japanese exporters benefited from improving consumer sentiment and falling unemployment in the U.S.

In Asia on Tuesday, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.1%, China's Shanghai Composite inched down 0.3%. and in Japan, the Nikkei 225 crept up 0.1%. Investors are closely monitoring the U.S. midterm elections, with many predicting that if the Democrats lose their majorities in both the House and the Senate, the dollar will continue to slide.

China's world-famous Shaolin monks are joining forces with state-owned China Travel Service to promote travel to their 1,500-year-old monastery. The new company will raise as much as 1 billion yuan ($146.4 million) in a share listing.