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Bloomberg This year is looking a little brighter for Asia’s emerging-market assets amid prospects of a less aggressive Federal Reserve. But US-China trade war saga and its impact on growth will keep traders on their toes. That’s according to 14 strategists, traders and investors surveyed by Bloomberg. Malaysia’s ringgit was their favourite of eight regional currencies as the nation’s central ...

Bloomberg Indonesia is seeking new avenues to deploy a part of its $8 billion Hajj funds. But there’s a catch — potential suitors need to be Shariah compliant. The government agency managing the Hajj fund in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country has accumulated 111 trillion rupiah ($7.9 billion) as the waiting list to make the holy pilgrimage for applicants stretches ...

Bloomberg Eka Tjipta Widjaja, who became a coconut and palm-oil trader at the age of 15 before building a multi-billion dollar empire with businesses spanning paper and pulp to financial services, has died. Widjaja, 98, passed away at his home in Jakarta on Saturday, said Gandi Sulistiyanto, a managing director at Sinar Mas Group. The founder of Sinar Mas was ...

Bloomberg After posting the best quarter in four years, Indian bonds are pitted against a familiar foe: likely record debt sales by the government to finance populist measures before national elections due by May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration may announce plans to borrow 6.4 trillion rupees ($90 billion) for the next fiscal year in its budget, according to the ...

Bloomberg Oil explorers expanded drilling in US fields for the first time this year as rising crude prices buoyed optimism. The number of rigs targeting oil in the country rose by 10 this week to 862, according to data released by oilfield-services provider Baker Hughes. The hike only partially reversed the worst setback for American exploration in almost three years. ...

Bloomberg A no-deal Brexit could create yet another headache for the European Union as it prepares to hand dozens of UK-based companies a tax bill that is expected to top $1.5 billion. With just over two months left until Britain’s scheduled departure date of March 29, time is running out for the European Commission to order the UK to recoup ...

Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said it was “possible” the ride-hailing giant would look for outside investors for its self-driving car unit, but isn’t currently searching for backers. The company’s pouring large, undisclosed sums of money into its Advanced Technologies Group, which includes the company’s self-driving car research as well as plans to build VTOL (vertical ...

Bloomberg Swedish unemployment rose for a second month in December as job seekers flocked to the labour market at the tail-end of a long economic expansion. The seasonally-adjusted rate rose to 6.4 percent, up from a revised 6.2 percent in November, Statistics Sweden said. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected a rate of 6.2 percent in December. Swedish unemployment remains ...

Bloomberg Strong US demand and a tight job market have given companies a chance to raise prices coming into this year, and they’re testing the waters gingerly. From consumer goods and airlines to railroads, businesses made attempts to recover higher costs including rising pay for workers, or simply lifted prices to try to boost profit margins amid healthy sales, according ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) financed 129 development projects in the education sector with a total value of AED2.5 billion. Benefitting 14 developing countries, these projects have contributed to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The fund’s steadfast commitment to supporting developing countries in achieving their development priorities through building capabilities and ...