With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world.

Hu Silent on Yuan; Troubled U.S. Banks May Get Chinese Bailout; SEC Sanctions Doubled in Last Fiscal Year; October PPI Gains; Playboy CFO Quits Amid Talk of Buyout; U.S. Home Builders Still Discouraged; GM Could Lay Off Up to 10,000 European Workers; Costco Stops Coke Product Orders Over Price Dispute

• As expected, U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday (Tuesday) in a summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao urged Chinese policymakers to let the yuan appreciate. "I was pleased to note the Chinese commitment made in past statements to move toward a more market-oriented exchange rate over time," President Obama said as he stood next to Hu, who avoided the topic in his speech and instead spoke of the need to keep in close contact on "macroeconomic and financial policies and continue to consult, on an equal footing, to properly resolve and address economic and trade frictions."

• Chinese and U.S. regulators may reach a pact that would encourage financial institutions in China to invest in troubled small- and medium-sized U.S. banks, Reuters reported, citing bankers briefed on the plan. Two senior bankers said U.S. officials, investment bankers, and financial advisers invited them to look at several potential investments in mostly troubled U.S. banks. Bankers in China complained of the difficulty in setting up branches or investing in banks in the United States, thanks in part to U.S. regulators' strict supervision and approval process for financial deals. More than 100 U.S. banks have failed this year, most of them small- to medium-sized.

• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has opened more inquiries, brought claims faster and doubled sanctions in the latest fiscal year, it said yesterday (Tuesday). Fines and orders to forfeit illegal profits rose to $2.4 billion in the 12 months ended Sept. 30, compared to $1.03 billion in the previous year. New inquiries jumped 6% to 944, the SEC said in its 2009 Performance and Accountability Report.

• The Producer Price Index (PPI) for finished goods gained 0.3% in October, the Labor Department said yesterday (Tuesday). That follows a 0.6% decline in September and a 1.7% increase in August. So far this year, prices have increased in six of the first 10 months. Core prices, which exclude energy and food products, fell 0.6% last month after a 0.1% drop in September. Energy and food prices both gained 1.6% after declines in September of 2.4% and 0.1%, respectively.

• Playboy Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: PLA) Chief Financial Officer Linda Havard will resign after the end of the year as speculation that the company will be sold continues to circulate. Separately, Golden Gate Capital LP denied any involvement in talks to buy Playboy, which saw its stock fall 14.23% to close at $4.10 yesterday (Tuesday). Reuters reported last week the adult entertainment company was trying to sell itself for $300 million.

• U.S. homebuilders remained discouraged as the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) sentiment index held steady at 17 in November. A reading of 17 shows that roughly one in six builders think the market is good or fair. Before the housing bubble burst, the index had never been below 20 in its 24-year history; it's now been lower than 20 for 19 straight months and under the breakeven point of 50 for 43 consecutive months.

• General Motors Co. could cut up to 10,000 jobs in an effort to restructure its European operations, and it may finalize the deal within three weeks, Nick Reilly, interim head of its business there said yesterday (Tuesday) at a news conference. The automaker must reduce its production across the continent by between 20% and 25% as part of a $4.9 billion (3.3 billion euros) restructuring plan.

• Costco Wholesale Co. (Nasdaq: COST), one of the largest wholesale club retailers in the United States, said it will not order more products made by The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) due to a price squabble, The Associated Press reported, citing a message on Costco's Web site. "Costco is committed to carrying name brand merchandise at the best possible prices," the message read. "At this time, Coca-Cola has not provided Costco with competitive pricing so that we may pass along the value our members deserve." A Costco executive confirmed the news but would not comment further. The dispute is not expected to last long, The AP reported.