Tokyo / AFP Japan has posted its first factory output expansion in three months, official data showed, offering some rare good news after a string of weak figures threw cold water on recovery hopes. The upbeat figures — a 3.7 percent rise on-month in January — comes as investors look for clues about the state of the world’s number three ...

Kuala Lumpur / Bloomberg Low-cost carriers AirAsia Bhd. and AirAsia X Bhd. surged in Kuala Lumpur trading after cheaper fuel and a weaker ringgit helped the airlines return to profit in the fourth quarter. Long-haul carrier AirAsia X rose 11 percent to 25.5 sen, after advancing as much as 13 percent, its largest gain on record. AirAsia, Southeast Asia’s biggest ...

TRENTON / AP The average cost for a year’s supply of a prescription drug doubled in just seven years to more than $11,000 — about three-quarters of the average annual Social Security benefit. That’s according to the latest study of price trends for widely-used drugs conducted by AARP, the senior citizens advocacy group. It finds prices for existing drugs, driven ...