ZURICH (Reuters) -Siemens missed profit forecasts in its latest quarter, the German engineering company reported on Thursday, noting weakening demand in several markets including China.

(Reuters) -Illumina Inc cut annual profit forecast, in a sign that a funding crunch among its biotech and pharmaceutical clients is expected to weigh on sales for its genetic testing tools and diagnostics products.

Siemens is seeing a "normalisation in demand", particularly in China, the German engineering group said on Thursday as it reported third quarter profit which missed forecasts.

Illumina Inc lowered annual profit forecast on Wednesday, signaling weak demand for its sequencing and diagnostic services, sending the life sciences firm's shares down 7.5% after the bell.

HONG KONG (Reuters) -News that big developer Country Garden was not able to make $22 million in bond payments is an alarm call for China's government that more private property companies are close to a tipping point if financial support doesn’t materialise soon.

China's new yuan loans are expected to fall sharply in July from June after record lending in the first half, a Reuters poll showed, but they could still exceed the year-earlier amount as the central bank seeks to underpin the economy amid a faltering recovery.