Topic 1:

Stocks in the United States, Europe, China and Japan all plunged on Thursday as investors fretted over the US Federal Reserve's plan to begin reducing its stimulus later this year if the economy strengthens. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday said the central bank's policy of buying $85 billion in bonds per month could start to wind down this year if the economy is strong enough and could finish in mid-2014.

Xishuaicheng: Is the Federal Reserve's move a signal the US economy is stabilizing? The dollar's value is on a rising trend and I expect the price of gold to drop.

Shell: When the Fed sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.