Asian markets were lower as investors turned cautious ahead of the G20 meeting in Moscow today, and after weak global economic data. The Nikkei fell as much as 1.9% and the Topix almost 2.5% after the yen strengthened when Russia's finance minister called for more "specific" language opposition currency intervention, and Japanese shares fell further after a report Toshiro Mutu was leading contender for the BoJ governor role, before recovering somewhat. The Kospi and ASX were both down 0.2%. Chinese and Taiwanese markets reopen on Monday. Tullett Prebon has been drawn into the Libor scandal after an individual at the interdealer broker was implicated in conversations about rigging the yen Libor rate, the Financial Times has learnt.The broker is referred to anonymously in documents published by the Financial Services Authority in connection with rate-rigging settlements with both Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS, people familiar with the Libor probes said. Muto leads as BoJ governor: Sources told Reuters Toshiro Muto was the leading candidate for the central bank role. If confirmed, the choice of Muto, 69, would suggest the Bank of Japan would step up its monetary stimulus to reflate the economy but probably refrain from some radical steps advocated by other candidates that could unsettle financial markets and risk heightening tensions with Group of 20 nations. (Reuters) The yen strengthened and Japanese fell after the report. Lehman and creditors want to question London Whale: "Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and its creditors want to question the trader known as the "London Whale" in connection with a lawsuit alleging J.P. Morgan illegally siphoned billions of dollars from the collapsing investment bank in the days before it filed for the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history." Dell planning meetings to assess buyout demands: "Dell is setting up meetings with shareholders to assess their demands for getting its $24.4 billion buyout done and also preparing a public response to critics of the deal, said people with knowledge of the situation." (Bloomberg) Meanwhile the company also made a pre-emptive filing with the SEC offering a justification of how it came to accept an offer of $13.65 a share. Companies usually until closer to a shareholder vote to outline reasons for accepting an offer. (Financial Times) (SEC filing) Airbus dropping lithium-ion batteries from A350s after Boeing incident: Decision to jettison the technology in favour of conventional nickel-cadmium batteries was due to fears that regulatory uncertainty after the Dreamliner incidents could delay the delivery, rather than safety considerations, according to officials familiar with the details. The A350s are expected to begin flying passengers in mid-2014. JPMorgan's Gulati to launch own fund: "JPMorgan's global head of equity proprietary trading is quitting to set up a hedge fund in Switzerland in what will be the first prominent launch of a fund since several bank spinouts floundered last year." Browett returns to UK high street after Apple stint: John Browett, the former head of Dixons and senior executive of Tesco, is returning to the country as chief executive of Monsoon Accessorize three months after abruptly parting company with Apple, where he was in charge of global retail stores. Portugal sees full return to bond markets soon: "I expect we will have full market access in the next few months," João Moreira Rato, chief executive and chairman of IGCP, the Portuguese treasury and government debt agency, told the Financial Times. Centrica to name Weston as head of British Gas. Chris Weston will replace Phil Bentley, who is to step down as managing director following six years at the helm of the gas and electricity supplier. Weston has since 2009 been head of Centrica's Direct Energy business - described as a "mini-Centrica" by some analysts - with responsibility for its customer base of 6m in North America. Einhorn nearly doubled Apple holdings in Q4. Regulatory filings released on Thursday show David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital - which last week sued Apple as part of a campaign to increase returns to investors - raised its holdings in the company by 46% to 1.6m shares, including shares covered by call options. The filings do not cover any trades since the beginning of this year. The crippled Carnival cruise ship has docked in Alabama after four days with little power or plumbing following an engine fire. A company official said it would take up to five hours to remove all 4,200 passengers from the ship. Asda withdraws bolognese after horsemeat DNA tests: The supermarket is removing the product and three other beef-based products from the same supplier. Icahn owns 13% of Herbalife, filings reveal. JGBs are at a seven-month low against major economy peers after unexpected contraction in Q4 data raises expectations of more stimulus. Gillian Tett: Unease over EU's FISH economies replacing Grexit fears. George Soros and Louis Moore Bacon cut their gold ETF holdings; Paulson held. Video: Michael Pettis on China's growth. Panasonic and Sharp enjoy surge in air purifier sales in China. Who's responsible for the CDO rating mess? Prince Alwaleed sells his A380. Asian markets Nikkei 225 down -188.98 (-1.67%) at 11,118 Topix down -16.55 (-1.73%) at 938.33 Hang Seng down -30.05 (-0.13%) at 23,383 US markets S&P 500 up +1.05 (+0.07%) at 1,521 DJIA down -9.52 (-0.07%) at 13,973 Nasdaq up +1.78 (+0.06%) at 3,199 European markets Eurofirst 300 down -2.02 (-0.17%) at 1,164 FTSE100 down -31.75 (-0.50%) at 6,327 CAC 40 down -28.93 (-0.78%) at 3,670 Dax down -80.70 (-1.05%) at 7,631 Currencies €/$ 1.34 (1.34) $/¥ 92.29 (92.85) £/$ 1.55 (1.55) Commodities ($) Brent Crude (ICE) down -0.12 at 117.88 Light Crude (Nymex) up +0.03 at 97.34 100 Oz Gold (Comex) down -1.70 at 1,633 Copper (Comex) unchanged 0.00 at 373.00 10-year government bond yields (%) US 2.00% UK 2.18% Germany 1.63% CDS (closing levels) Markit iTraxx SovX Western Europe -1.47bps at 100.75bp Markit iTraxx Europe -0.97bps at 110.45bp Markit iTraxx Xover -4.26bps at 430.74bp Markit CDX IG -0.1bps at 85.93bp