Reuters Egypt’s blue chip stock index surged to a record high on Tuesday while Qatar’s market was supported by a potential $44 billion bank merger but other major Gulf bourses were dampened by profit- taking. Cairo’s index jumped 3.4 percent to 12,148 points, exceeding its previous all-time high of 12,039 points reached in April 2008. The index is up …

  London / AFP Global markets struggled on Tuesday as traders mulled the impact of this week’s deadly attacks in Europe before the Christmas and New Year holiday. Frankfurt and London were flat around midday after Monday’s fatal attacks in Germany and Turkey, Paris eked out gains and most Asian indices faltered. At least 12 people were killed and dozens …

  Bloomberg Qatari banks Masraf Al Rayan QSC, Barwa Bank QSC and International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) QSC are in talks on a three-way merger as consolidation accelerates across the Middle East’s banking industry. The potential combination would create the largest sharia-compliant bank in Qatar and the third largest such lender in the Middle East, with assets worth more than 160 …