DUBAI / Reuters The Saudi stock index may rise as crude oil prices held near a six-month high, while other Gulf markets more susceptible to foreign flows may follow the downtrend in Asian shares. Brent was trading at $56.80 a barrel in Asia, staying near a March high struck on Friday. Petrochemical makers, that account for roughly one-quarter of Saudi …

Bloomberg When the who’s who of the oil trading industry gathered in Singapore last year for the annual Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC), the talk was about a painful year ahead. Of the dozen or so senior oil traders canvassed, all but one expected prices to be capped at about $50 a barrel. A year later, the sentiment has turned …

Bloomberg Unilever agreed to buy a South Korean cosmetics maker for $2.7 billion to gain a stronger foothold in the world’s fourth-largest skincare market, betting that the pop-culture-fuelled appeal of the country’s beauty products will outweigh concerns over tensions. Unilever will buy Carver Korea, maker of AHC skincare products, from shareholders including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bain Capital Private …