As developed economies grapple with a financial crisis, banks in Hong Kong are having enormous difficulty hiring staff, says Standard Chartered's local head Benjamin Hung. It's also helping to speed up the process of the liberalization of the yuan.

Shares of Apple Inc. competitors in Asia are getting a boost from news that Steve Jobs is stepping down, but component suppliers are taking a hit.

In addition to supplying medals to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Rio Tinto will also be sponsors of the Mongolian team, where much of the metals come from.

So much for the pyrotechnic displays we are used to from the Japanese currency when markets go bonkers.

ING Investment Management released its Investor Dashboard Sentiment Index for Asia (outside Japan) this week and found investors’ moods turning dark. They’re more worried today about growth prospects, inflation, return on capital and government policies. The overall sentiment index is down 11% compared to the third quarter of 2010. It’s still in “optimistic” territory, but at the bottom of that range, according to ING. Pranay Gupta, chief investment officer, Asia-Pacific for ING Investment Management recently spoke with the WSJ’s Alex Frangos.

Standard Chartered Group Chairman John Peace is taking a quick break from his summer vacation for work in Hong Kong, but don’t expect any major announcements from the U.K.-based lender.

Tony Fernandes, the boss of budget airline AirAsia Bhd., is set to buy a 51% stake in English Premier League club from Formula One legend Bernie Ecclestone. And Manchester United – one of the most popular teams in Asia–is set to list in Singapore in a deal worth some US$1 billion.

For finance workers in London looking for a change of scenery, going across the pond is still the dream, but Asia is catching up fast.

In Asia on Tuesday analysts said global Android smartphone makers were set to get a lift from the announcement that Google would buy Motorola Mobility Holdings in a cash deal.