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OPEC output jumps to 2017 high as Nigeria, Libya pump more

LONDON­­­­ / Reuters OPEC oil output has risen in June by 280,000 barrels per day (bpd) to a 2017 high, a Reuters survey found, as a further recovery in supply from the two member countries exempt from a production-cutting deal offset strong compliance by their peers. High compliance by Gulf producers Saudi Arabia and Kuwait helped keep OPEC’s adherence with ...

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Oil producers’ cost cutting swept away by new price decline

Bloomberg Oil companies have spent three years slashing spending and firing workers to protect profits, only to find their hard work blown away as prices entered another bear market. The MSCI World Energy Sector Index is heading for a second consecutive quarter of declines, mirroring the drop in crude. The 90 companies that make up the index, including giants like ...

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Rebirth of Canadian oil sands from fire stymied by slump

Bloomberg In the heart of Canada’s biggest oil province, life is slowly returning to normal in Fort McMurray, Alberta. After a fire last year destroyed entire neighborhoods in the town and halted about a million barrels of daily production, green leaves are beginning to bud on charred trees and new construction is replacing homes that were burned to the ground. ...

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Trump demands ‘fair shake’ for US carmakers in South Korea

Bloomberg South Korea must give US automakers “a fair shake” to sell more cars there and stop exporting “dumped steel,” President Donald Trump told his counterpart Moon Jae-in during talks at the White House. After meeting with Moon, Trump emphasized he’ll press for changes to the current free-trade agreement to reduce the US trade deficit with South Korea. He told ...

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Hitachi seeks consulting assets overseas to add jobs

Bloomberg Hitachi Ltd. is looking to buy consulting and system engineering companies overseas to help add as many 6,000 workers to boost sales of products ranging from trains to construction machinery. The Tokyo-based company has set aside as much as 800 billion yen ($7 billion) for acquisitions over the next two years, Chief Financial Officer Mitsuaki Nishiyama said in an ...

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China factory momentum gains in June on back of trade rebound

Bloomberg China’s official factory gauge concluded the first half of the year on a robust note, the latest evidence of stable momentum that gives policy makers room to continue defusing financial risks. The manufacturing purchasing managers index increased to 51.7 in June, beating all estimates compiled by a Bloomberg survey of economists, and the 51.2 reading in May. The non-manufacturing ...

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China hidden debt risks flare as trading halt fuels worries

Bloomberg China’s hidden debt risks are back in the spotlight this week. A chemical maker in the eastern province of Shandong had trading of its bonds suspended amid uncertainty over its operating performance. That triggered a slump in the dollar bonds of a neighboring company that had guaranteed the other’s debt. China’s privately held firms have relied on extending such ...

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India’s cash ban helped this money manager beat 99% of peers

Bloomberg For India bull Robert Marshall-Lee, stock valuations near the highest level in almost a decade are no deterrence. The London-based money manager, who oversees 2.6 billion pounds ($3.4 billion) for Newton Investment Management, has stepped up allocations for Mumbai-listed equities to 31 percent, compared with their 9 percent weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. He expects the rally ...

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UK saving ratio falls to record low as squeeze takes toll

Bloomberg The pressure on consumers from the soaring cost of living was laid bare as Britain published its most complete picture of the economy in the first three months of the year. Britons saved a smaller proportion of their incomes than at any time on record and household incomes adjusted for inflation fell for a third straight quarter, the longest ...

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Auto-debt risk reaches Europe as leases create a used-car glut

Bloomberg A shift in how Europeans finance their cars is threatening to expose bondholders in the region to the same risk that’s been building in the US for decades. Buyers of notes backed by auto debt are increasingly vulnerable to drops in used-vehicle prices because more and more drivers in Europe are leasing cars and trading them in for new ...

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