Bloomberg Pessimism is back in vogue in the oil markets, as investors bet sputtering trade talks and swelling US output can kill crude’s rally. Hedge funds lifted bearish bets on West Texas Intermediate crude by 39%, the biggest short-selling surge in more than eight months. Meanwhile, bets on a rally retreated for the second straight week. Crude futures slipped to …
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Oil slips near 5-week low as trade fear offsets supply risk
Bloomberg Oil traded near a five-week low as concern over supply losses from Iran to Russia were offset by high American stockpiles and fears that if US-China trade talks fail it could dent global demand. Futures erased earlier gains to fall as much as 0.5 percent in New York after a 1.4 percent plunge. Russian tankers continue to hold Urals …
Read More »UAE, Uzbekistan activate strategic partnership pact
DUBAI / WAM Joint task forces comprising representatives of the governments of the UAE and Uzbekistan held a four-day series of meetings and workshops to discuss 17 areas of cooperation in modernising government work. The workshops’ agenda falls within the framework of an official visit of a high-level Uzbek government delegation to the UAE, aimed at activating a strategic partnership …
Read More »Bahrain plans first bond since $10 billion lifeline
Bloomberg Bahrain is planning to return to international bond markets this year for first time since the kingdom’s Gulf allies pledged a $10 billion package to help repair its finances and support its currency, according to people familiar with the matter. Government officials are in talks with banks for a possible issuance in the second half of the year and …
Read More »Trade war wiped out $21bn for materials investors in two days
Bloomberg How bad is the trade war for materials investors? How about nearly $21 billion lost in two days. The S&P 500 Materials Index fell about 3.2 percent against the close after President Trump threatened to raise tariffs on billions of dollars of imports from China. The total value lost for the index totalled about $21 billion, according to Bloomberg …
Read More »Investment banks TNI, Arqaam weigh merger
Bloomberg Dubai-based Arqaam Capital Ltd. and Abu Dhabi’s The National Investor are weighing a possible merger, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The investment banks are in talks about a combination that would create an entity with an equity value of about $250 million, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the …
Read More »Saudi Aramco to supply extra crude to hungry Asian buyers
Bloomberg Saudi Arabia is set to supply more crude to oil-starved Asian refiners, and extract a heavy price for it. State-run producer Saudi Aramco will sell additional cargoes to customers in the world’s biggest oil-consuming region for June loading, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The shipments will be on top of those scheduled under long-term crude contracts, …
Read More »UAE, Saudi Arabia accelerating infrastructure development ties
DUBAI / WAM The UAE and Saudi Arabia have reviewed the latest prospects of cooperation in the field of infrastructure development. This came during the five-day meetings held by the joint project teams of the Emirati-Saudi Coordination Council in Riyadh where a summary of the projects charted by the Saudi Ministry of Infrastructure Development, and the efforts of both countries …
Read More »US sends aircraft carrier to Mideast to warn Iran
Bloomberg The US said it’s sending an aircraft carrier strike group and bomber force to Middle East to send an “unmistakable message†to Iranian regime, citing “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings†it suggested were linked to Tehran. “The US is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any …
Read More »Dana Gas profit up 150%
SHARJAH / WAM Dana Gas announced its financial results for the first quarter that ended on March 31, declaring that net profit was up 150% in Q1 2019, reaching $35 million (AED128 million) as compared to $14 million (AED51 million) in Q1 2018. The higher net profit was principally due to an increase in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) production …
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