The story about a $400 internet-connected juicer that turned out to be superfluous since a human could simply squeeze juice from its producer’s proprietary packs by hand was destined to go viral and did, with more than 800,000 hits on the Bloomberg website and strong reactions in other publications. It’s evidence of a growing resistance to Silicon Valley-style innovation. ...

  Reuters Two Saudi banks soared on Wednesday after saying they were in initial stages of a merger, helping lift the mood in other lenders while first quarter financial results buoyed the shares of two blue chips in other Gulf countries. On Wednesday Saudi’s Alawwal Bank agreed to start talks with Saudi British Bank (SABB) about a tie-up that could ...

  Bloomberg The dollar rose while US stock futures fluctuated with Treasuries as investors await details of the Trump administration’s tax cut plan that could breathe new life into flagging reflation trades. French election results, strong first-quarter earnings and speculation President Donald Trump’s plan will further boost corporate profits sparked risk appetite this week, sending US equities within striking distance ...