Reuters Saudi Arabia’s stock market rose on Sunday after King Salman announced a package of handouts for Saudi citizens to compensate for rising living costs, while Qatar was the strongest market in the region ahead of dividend announcements. The Saudi index gained 0.6 percent. Shares in most retail sector firms, which could benefit from the package’s boost to consumer spending …

Bloomberg The US central bank should take its time before raising interest rates again to avoid inverting the yield curve and because inflation is still low, said Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick Harker. In remarks during the annual meeting of the American Economic Association in Philadelphia, Harker also revealed a dovish rate call for 2018: two hikes instead …

Bloomberg China’s foreign-exchange reserves posted an 11th straight monthly increase, capping a year of recovery amid tighter capital controls, a stronger yuan and resilient economic growth. The reserves climbed $20.7 billion to $3.14 trillion in December, according to a People’s Bank of China statement on Sunday, compared with a $3.13 trillion median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. That brought the …