Bloomberg Indian shares eked out gains ahead of holidays as crude oil resumed its decline, reducing the cost of the nation’s biggest import, and as profits at top 50 companies mostly matched or exceeded analyst estimates. The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex climbed 0.1 percent to 34,991.91 at the 3:30 pm close in Mumbai after fluctuating at least 10 times between …

Bloomberg Africa is finally seeing the benefits from the recovery in cru-de prices as companies ramp up drilling from Algeria to Namibia. The rigs are returning and wildcatters are getting excited again after a years-long hiatus during the oil-price slump. From majors like Total SA to independents like Tullow Oil Plc, companies are snapping up exploration rights and doing deals. …

Bloomberg The world’s biggest public energy company doesn’t worry about size when it comes to potential deal-making. The driver of any acquisition for Exxon Mobil Corp. isn’t the scope of the target, it’s whether the company finds more value in it than the market does, Darren Woods, chief executive officer of the Irving, Texas-based firm, said at the New Economy …