Tokyo / AfP Tokyo shares rose in early trading on Thursday as a weaker yen provided support to exporters following a positive lead from Wall Street as oil prices rebounded from steep falls. US stocks pushed higher on Wednesday as crude prices stabilised, with both US and Brent closing modestly higher following Tuesday’s slump of more than four percent. Higher …

Washington / AP Americans stepped back from buying new homes in January, as purchases plunged sharply in western states where prices are typically higher. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that new-home sales fell 9.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 494,000. Most of the decline stemmed for a 32.1 drop in sales in the West. Sales …

VANCOUVER / Bloomberg Three times a week Neil Valsangkar escapes Canada’s most expensive real estate market by paying C$100 ($73) for a 20 minute float plane ride to his Vancouver office from his home across the Salish Sea. The 50 kilometer (31 mile) aerial commute allows the father of three to live in Nanaimo, British Columbia where homes cost about …