Shortened BRIC Summit Pledges to Boost Trade in Local Currency

Brazil, Russia, India and China pledged to study ways to use their currencies, instead of the U.S. dollar, in local trade at a heads-of-state summit of the four biggest emerging economies.

The so-called BRIC summit taking place in Brasilia ended a day earlier than scheduled after Chinese President Hu Jintao decided to return home early because of an earthquake in the western province of Qinghai that killed at least 760 people and displaced another 100,000.