Beijing / Bloomberg China, the world’s biggest producer and consumer of gold, started a twice-daily price fixing on Tuesday in an attempt to establish a regional benchmark and bolster its influence in the global market. The Shanghai Gold Exchange set the price at 256.92 yuan a gram ($1,233.85 an ounce) at the 10:30 a.m. session after members of the …

  Sydney / AFP Australian cattle firm S. Kidman and Co. on Tuesday said a Chinese-led consortium was the preferred buyer of most of its stations, with an offer worth US$288.8 million. Kidman, Australia’s biggest private landowner, has attracted keen interest from Chinese firms wanting to secure the sprawling pastoral empire. It said a consortium of Dakang Australia Holdings Pty. …

    Tokyo / Bloomberg Japan’s Norinchukin Bank bought more than $2.9 billion of UK mortgage-backed bonds sold by Cerberus Capital Management, according to people familiar with the matter. The cooperative lender, which serves as the central financial institution for Japanese farmers and fisherman, acquired senior-ranking notes in a 6.1 billion pound deal that priced earlier this month, said the …