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Bloomberg Bahrain has enough foreign reserves to maintain its currency’s peg to the US dollar, central bank governor Rasheed Al-Maraj said, as higher oil prices help the island-kingdom ease pressure on its strained public finances. Al-Maraj, speaking in an interview in the capital Manama, said he wasn’t aware of any current talks between Bahrain and its Gulf Arab allies over …

Bloomberg Another darling of the Trump administration is poised to gain from the Iran deal breakup as oil surges: Natural gas exports. With the move to curb Iran’s oil output encouraging more shale drilling, prices for natural gas produced alongside crude in West Texas could crater, falling to zero some days, according to Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. Already, the …

Emirates Business In yet another blow to Qatar and its covert financing to terrorist group aiming to destabilise the region, the Trump administration has called on Doha to stop funding pro-Iranian militias following revelations about the Gulf state’s dealings with terror groups in the Middle East. Securities officials of the United States are concerned about Qatar’s links to a number …

GUANGZHOU / WAM Ali Obaid Ali Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to China, has met with Chen Liangxian, Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province, China, in the presence of Rahma bin Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, UAE Consul-General in Guangzhou, China. During the meeting, they discussed the opportunities available between the two countries in the trade, investment and tourism sectors. Liangxian emphasised his province’s keenness …

Bloomberg Mexico has taken the first steps in the world’s largest annual oil deal, asking Wall Street banks and other traders for quotes to lock-in its income from production through next year, according to people familiar with the matter. The country has been asking counterparties this week for quotes to hedge output, the people said, asking not to be identified …

Bloomberg Oil rose to a three-year high after the US told buyers of Iranian crude they have six months to curb their purchases or face tough penalties. While the full impact of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal is still unclear, the re-imposition of far-reaching sanctions is expected to start reducing shipments from the Middle East’s …

Bloomberg Exxon Mobil Corp. agreed to sell a refinery and three fuel terminals in Italy to Algeria, as the OPEC member seeks to cut fuel imports by refining its own crude. Esso Italiana Srl, a unit of Exxon Mobil in Italy, signed an agreement for the sale of its Augusta refinery in Sicily to Algerian state energy producer Sonatrach, according …

Bloomberg Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s plan to sell its $3.3 billion stake in Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. put a dent in the oil-sands producer’s shares, but there’s a silver lining. The impending sale removes a cloud that had loomed over Canadian Natural since Shell took the shares as part of a $7.25 billion deal last year and signalled it would …

Bloomberg President Donald Trump said the US will withdraw from the landmark 2015 accord to curb Iran’s nuclear program and that he would reinstate financial sanctions on the Islamic Republic, casting the Mideast into a new period of uncertainty. “The fact is this was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never ever been made,” Trump said at the White …

DUBAI / Emirates Business The Middle East and Africa’s largest international trade fair for beauty products, hair, fragrances, and wellbeing opened on Tuesday, with a new record in exhibitor numbers and exhibition space covered in its 23rd edition. Beautyworld Middle East is a magnet for retailers, distributors, and beauty professionals looking for the latest inspirations in beauty and wellbeing. The …