Sichuan’s earthquake last week has already lead to almost US$10 billion in direct losses. The Shanghai Securities News looks at the effect of the quake on the local economy

Two interesting research reports were eleased early this week; the first, by global communications service provider WPP Group, identifies a core group of China’s prosumers – smart, active and tech-savvy consumers who gain their information from digital media or online and influence mass consumers in terms of lifestyle and brand choices. The secon...