News

SINGAPORE/ Reuters Profits for Asia’s oil refiners dropped to their lowest since May last year as rising supplies dragged down regional fuel prices at the same time that global crude oil prices have climbed to two-year highs, data on Thomson Reuters Eikon showed. Margins at a typical complex refinery in Singapore fell to $5.93 a barrel, the lowest since May ...

Bloomberg Retailer United Electronics Co., the second-best performing Saudi Arabian stock of 2017, is looking to increased demand for televisions before this year’s soccer World Cup, expanded consumer credit and rising online sales to counter any slowdown caused by the start of value-added tax. The company, known as eXtra, plans to open new stores in 2018 as it seeks to ...

Bloomberg Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk A/S made its largest takeover offer ever, an unsolicited 2.6 billion-euro ($3.1 billion) bid for Belgium’s Ablynx NV, to beef up its lesser known blood-disorder unit and rekindle growth. The offer for Ablynx signals a higher appetite for deals at the world’s biggest maker of diabetes medicines. After taking the reins, CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen ...

Bloomberg The latest signs are in that British households are coming under increasing pressure from surging inflation. Consumers curbed their spending for the first time in five years in 2017, according to a survey from Visa, while a squeeze on incomes was flagged by Halifax as a contributing factor to a decline in house prices in December 2017. The reports ...

Bloomberg German factory orders fell in November 2017 as demand for investment goods dropped, though the Economy Ministry said the trend remains upward. Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, slid 0.4 percent after a revised 0.7 percent gain in October, the ministry said on Monday. While the decrease snapped three month of gains, the number is typically volatile and ...

Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc.’s rivals are stepping up the battle for ride-sharing dominance in Europe, with local startups raising funds and global adversaries increasing contact with local regulators as they seek to gain a toehold in the region. Taxify OU is looking to raise $50 million in the first quarter to fund expansion plans, according to a person familiar with ...

DUBAI / WAM Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, received the outgoing Azerbaijani Consul-General, Parvez Ismayilzada, along with Alnoor Aleef, Azerbaijan’s Commercial Representative. Musabih thanked Zada for his dedicated service in Dubai. The meeting agenda included discussions on cooperation, trade growth opportunities and the exchange of customs experiences between Dubai and Azerbaijan. Musabih highlighted that trade with Azerbaijan has ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM The market capitalisation of foreign shares traded on UAE stock markets amounted to AED101 billion by the end of 2017, according to official statistics which showed that non-Arab foreigners secured the largest gains after their market value increased by around AED3.6 billion by the end of December. The last month of 2017 witnessed regular profit booking ...

Reuters A package of handouts to Saudi Arabian citizens to compensate them for cost of living increases will cost the government about 50 billion riyals ($13.3 billion) this year, the information minister was quoted as saying on Sunday. “The allocation of 50 billion riyals for this decree indicates the leadership’s concern for the people’s comfort and quality of living,” Minister ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired on Sunday the first Cabinet session of the new year and highlighted the importance of choosing the year 2018 to be the ‘Year of Zayed’. The session was held at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, ...