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Bloomberg Oil set its biggest weekly gain in more than three months as the worst fears over the new virus strain have receded. West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 8.2% this week. Fuel consumption so far escaped any major blows from the omicron variant. Yet confidence is limited. Rallies are still punctuated by selloffs after rising infection rates prompted some governments …

Bloomberg The Group of Seven (G-7) finance ministers will convene virtually on Monday to discuss the recent surge in inflation, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The talks will come against the backdrop of supply-chain snarls that have hampered the world economy, and ministers will also discuss healthcare, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. …

Bloomberg Oil rises after Saudi Arabia boosted the prices of its crude, signalling confidence in the demand outlook despite the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Futures in New York advanced 2.9% to trade near $68 a barrel. The kingdom increased its oil prices for customers in Asia and the US for January, just days after the Opec+ …

Vienna / WAM The Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) signed an $80 million loan agreement with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to finance international trade directly among corporates or through financial intermediaries. The Opec Fund’s support will assist in boosting Afreximbank’s liquidity to grow its loan portfolio as it finances exports and imports in critical sectors such as agriculture, …

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) sees ‘downside risks’ to the global economic rebound it forecast for this year and next, and is concerned that new coronavirus variants may hinder the recovery, its chief economist said. “Most of the overall risks are to the downside,” Gita Gopinath said in a virtual speech to an International Finance Forum conference in Guangzhou …

Bloomberg Oil falls as fears that omicron variant may resist vaccines sent risk assets tumbling. Futures in New York fell as much as 4.9% as part of a broader retreat among commodities and equities as a top drugmaker reiterated warnings that the new strain could withstand existing inoculations. Brent crude also tumbled, with the price structure of the global benchmark …

Bloomberg Oil pared gains in volatile trading after rebounding from one of its biggest daily drops as traders weighed the risks to demand from the omicron variant of Covid-19 and the potential response by Opec and its allies. Futures in New York were up about 3.5% on Monday after earlier rallying as much as 7%. The World Health Organisation warned …

Bloomberg The UK’s booming property market is headed for a slowdown as a squeeze on living standards and rising interest rates sap demand, according to Nationwide Building Society. The average price of a home rises 0.7% in October, the mortgage lender said, even after the ending of a temporary tax cut imposed by the government last year. Economists had expected …

Bloomberg Oil climbed, erasing an earlier loss, as a landmark plan from consumers to tap their strategic oil reserves was less severe than markets expected. Futures in New York wiped out losses to trade above $77 a barrel after Tuesday’s statement from the White House. While the headline size of the US release is large, a significant chunk of the …

Bloomberg Saudi Tadawul Group Holding is seeking to raise as much as AED3.67 billion ($1 billion) after setting the price range for an initial public offering (IPO) at 95 riyals ($25.32) to 105 riyals per share, the company said on Sunday. The Riyadh-based bourse, on which oil giant Saudi Aramco trades, plans to sell a 30% stake, or 36 million …