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Bloomberg Billionaires, world leaders and investors are gathered in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting to hobnob and discuss topics ranging from the global economy and harassment, to the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence. Not to mention hear a speech by US President Donald Trump. The second day at Davos saw German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French ...

Bloomberg Chinese conglomerate HNA Group faces rising bond maturities this year even if it’s able to navigate current difficulties in repaying debt to banks. HNA is under mounting pressure as several banks are said to have frozen some unused credit lines to its units after missed payments. That follows a $40-billion-plus buying spree that saw the conglomerate emerge from obscurity ...

Bloomberg JSW Steel Ltd., India’s biggest producer, is interested in snapping up two struggling rivals, Bhushan Steel Ltd. and Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd., as part of an industry-wide wave of consolidation sparked by a new bankruptcy law designed to clear-out distressed assets. The Mumbai-based company will partner with Japan’s JFE Holdings Inc., which holds a 15 percent stake in ...

Bloomberg India is still open to Tesla Inc. setting up operations in the country, even though the electric-car maker has chosen China for its first car assembly plant overseas. “If they are coming, if they are ready to come, we will welcome, we are ready to offer them land and all type of help,” Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said. “Presently ...

Bloomberg To understand why President Donald Trump slapped a global tariff on washing machine imports rather than singling out offending countries, it helps to follow the years-long cat-and-mouse game between US officials and South Korean manufacturers LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics. In 2011, US rival Whirlpool Corp. accused the two Asian companies of dumping machines made in South Korea and ...

Bloomberg The influential Koch political network is urging President Donald Trump to reject a proposal made by the US Chamber of Commerce to increase the federal gas tax to help modernise American roads, bridges and other infrastructure. Last week, the chamber called on Congress and the Trump administration to raise federal fuel taxes by 25 cents a gallon, pass initiatives ...

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund has raised its economic growth forecasts for Saudi Arabia as oil prices rise, though the pace of expansion remains below government estimates. Gross domestic product will likely grow 1.6 percent this year, the IMF said, compared with an earlier forecast of 1.1 percent. The Washington-based lender also revised its 2019 economic growth forecast to 2.2 ...

Bloomberg Oil’s advance slowed after prices hit a new three-year high amid signs that US crude stockpiles increased last week. Futures were little changed in New York after closing at the highest level since December 2014. Industry data signalled inventories rose by 4.76 million barrels last week, which will be the first gain in 10 weeks if confirmed by a ...

KHOBAR / Reuters An advisory council to Saudi Arabia’s government has asked the kingdom’s securities regulator to study the impact of listing Saudi Aramco on the local bourse amid concern that a huge initial public offering could damage the market. The Shura Council’s fiscal committee has also asked the Capital Market Authority (CMA) to make sure that the stock market’s ...

Bloomberg Iceland’s hope of finding oil offshore its coast is fading after China and Norway decided to back out of the island nation’s only remaining exploration license. Cnooc Ltd., China’s state-controlled producer, and Petoro AS, Norway’s state-owned oil company, decided to relinquish their interest in the license, Iceland’s National Energy Authority said in a statement. Their junior partner, Eykon Energy ...