Bloomberg The South African Reserve Bank increased its benchmark interest rate for the first time in more than two years as it sees inflation risks remaining elevated. The Monetary Policy Committee voted to raise the benchmark repurchase rate to 6.75 percent from 6.5 percent. Of the six panel members, half preferred the increase and the rest favored an unchanged stance, …

Bloomberg European Central Bank officials warned that uncertainty and tension over Italy’s expansive budget risk causing damage to the country’s economy in the long-run. “Italy’s current financing conditions are much too tight for a country with weak growth and low inflation,” ECB Chief Economist Peter Praet told Handelsblatt in an interview. Italian central bank Governor Ignazio Visco urged his government …

ABU DHABI / WAM Dana Gas, the Middle East’s leading publicly-listed regional natural gas company, and its partner Crescent Petroleum, have announced achievement of a 30% increase in production capacity at the Khor Mor field in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which the companies jointly operate on behalf of Pearl Petroleum. This increase delivers much-needed gas supply to fuel power …

Bloomberg Oil recovered from a one-year low as industry data showing a drop in US crude inventories allayed some of the concern that a new surplus is amassing in global markets. Futures in New York rose as much as 2.7 percent after plunging more than 6 percent. The American Petroleum Institute was said to report a 1.55 million-barrel drop in …

Bloomberg The US accused China of continuing a state-backed campaign of intellectual property (IP) and technology theft as the World Trade Organization (WTO) said it would establish a dispute panel to rule on the complaint. The new accusations came in a detailed 53-page report released by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s office just 10 days before President Donald Trump is …

Bloomberg US stocks climbed on tech strength, trimming recent losses from the sharp declines across asset classes during Tuesday’s session. Treasuries erased a drop and the dollar fell amid speculation the Federal Reserve may soften its policy stance. All major benchmarks were higher, with the Nasdaq 100 Index leading gainers and erasing more than half of Tuesday’s decline. Retailers and …

Bloomberg The deepest bear market since the financial crisis in developing-nation technology stocks probably has further to run as earnings disappoint and analysts slash their profit estimates. Companies in the MSCI emerging-market tech gauge are missing earnings forecasts for the first time in almost 18 months, based on 12-month rolling data. Combined with deepening trade tensions, that’s leading analysts to …

Bloomberg A Southeast Asian nation that was a bit player in the biofuel market is suddenly buying and selling unprecedented supplies. The US-China trade war may have something to do with it. Malaysia has emerged to displace the US as the biggest supplier of ethanol to China in just two months. It’s also the first time the Southeast Asian country …

Bloomberg Libya’s top oil chief expects Opec and allied producers to exempt the strife-torn North African country from any future cuts in crude output. “The Opec community has understood the difficulties we face— Libya has withheld more than any other country from the global market,” National Oil Corp Chairman Mustafa Sanalla wrote in a phone message. “This should be factored …

Bloomberg Walk into a JC Penney and it’s a sea of red stickers. Almost everything is marked down, from apparel, jewellery and home goods to Christmas decor, bedding and appliances. And it’s not even Black Friday yet. Even for a retailer whose identity is built on promotions and discounts, there’s an urgency to this holiday season. JC Penney Co.’s bonds …