Bloomberg While the US government shutdown is keeping investors in the dark about broader retail trends over the holidays, Adobe Analytics confirmed that online sales posted rapid growth during the period. E-commerce sales jumped 16.5 percent from a year earlier to a total of $126 billion as consumers loaded up on products such as the Nintendo Switch, laptops, streaming devices, …

Bloomberg Zuji, an Asian online travel booking site, is no longer operational after failing to renew licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore and an air ticketing system terminated its services. Zuji’s business permits expired on January 9 and the firm hasn’t applied for fresh ones, Hong Kong’s Travel Agents Registry said in an email, while Singapore Tourism Board said that …

Bloomberg Aviation regulators plan to recall thousands of inspectors furloughed by the partial government shutdown so they can resume performing air-safety checks and routine activities including clearing planes for airlines to add to their fleets. The Department of Transportation issued a revised shutdown plan saying it will bring more than 3,100 aviation-safety specialists back onto the job as of January …

Abu Dhabi / WAM Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco), an ent- ity of the Department of Energy, Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday signed an agr-eement with the ISLE Group to be the first official member of the Technology Approval Group (TAG) in the UAE. TAG, launched in the UK 15 years ago, is a forum that brings together water …

DUBAI / Emirates Business Consumer confidence in the UAE rebounded in the fourth quarter of 2018, as residents absorbed the impact of VAT and high expenses incurred over the summer. That’s according to the consumer confidence tracker Q4 2018 from yallacompare, the Middle East’s leading comparison site for financial products. During the fourth quarter of 2018, the tracker polled more …

Bloomberg Oil rose amid estimates of another decline in US crude inventories and signs that China is stepping up efforts to combat an economic slowdown. Futures in New York climbed as much as 3 percent after sinking during the past two sessions. American stockpiles probably fell for the sixth time in seven weeks, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts …

Dubai / WAM The Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Mattar Al Tayer, met with India’s Consul-General in Dubai Vipul, and explored means of boosting cooperation and exchanging expertise between RTA and Indian entities operating in the field of railways, roads and transport. During the meeting, the two parties also …

Bloomberg Technology shares pushed major indexes higher after China ratcheted up stimulus measures to combat slowing growth. Treasuries and the dollar advanced. The S&P 500 rose for the first time in three sessions as senior Chinese officials vowed to cut taxes to boost the economy, lifting technology companies battered by concerns about the rising impact of the US-China trade war. …

Bloomberg China’s yuan is shrugging off poor economic data to head for its strongest level in six months, but the gains are coming so fast they’re casting uncertainty over the rally’s longevity. The currency rose as much as 0.42 percent to 6.7383 per dollar on Tuesday, in line for its highest close since July. It has rallied 1.8 percent this …

Bloomberg Indian stocks rose, joining peers across Asia, as inflation in December eased to an 18-month low, increasing the odds that the central bank may reduce rates helping revive demand and lower the cost of borrowing for companies. The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 1.3 percent to 36,318.33 at the close in Mumbai, snapping three sessions of decline and clocking its …