Asia's IT services market, led by India, is poised to expand at an average annual pace of 10.5 percent to reach 55.9 billion dollars by 2011, an industry research firm said on Tuesday.

Demand for IT services in the region, excluding Japan, was estimated to be worth 37.5 billion dollars in 2007, according to the findings of a report by Springboard Research, an IT market research firm. .

Putting money on the housing market

BETTING exchange Cantor Spreadfair said there has been a shift in house-price sentiment over the last few weeks. Despite a melt-down in the majority of world markets, a higher level of activity on the betting exchange has seen prices for the housing market rise. .

MARKET TALK: ICE Coffee Sags But May Holds $1.30/Lb

0949 EDT [Dow Jones] - ICE May arabica coffee is down 175 points at $1.3080 a pound but staying in Thursday's range, with July off 170 points. "We're consolidating around $1.30 in May and roasters and managed money have buying below that level," a New York desk manager says. "I don't expect a precipitous sell off here. Volume is light and half of it's spread related." Coffee options launched on ICE's electronic platform Friday, "but I'm not even sure how to get them up on the screen yet," the manager says. Options also remain in the New York pit, where brokers will continue to pursue more complied strategies that screen technology can't handle. World 2007-08 coffee production is seen at 141.87 million bags, up 15% from last season, with arabica and robusta output both higher, Fortis Bank says Friday.

HOW TO INVEST ANY MONEY YOU HAVE LEFT OVER

ANOTHER day, more bad news for the stock market. That's been the pattern.

Yesterday it was a surprisingly bad drop in sales of durable goods, plus speculation that giant bank Citigroup might have a frighteningly big loss this quarter.

On Tuesday, the gloom was caused by a collapse in consumer confidence and news that home prices were sliding quickly.

Tomorrow it'll be something else. The day after that, thankfully, will be Saturday - so maybe nothing bad will happen.

It's all enough to make an investor turn tail and run.

But what if you still have some money left after paying the outrageous price of gasoline and filling your bags with overpriced groceries at the supermarket?

What if you still have the nerve to invest in something - anything - even though your house didn't turn out to be the deal you thought it was?

Normally I'd call folks on Wall Street for advice on investing in this environment, but I already know what they'd say - buy stocks and hold them for the long term.