BEIJING / AP Sidestepping recent disputes over Taiwan and regional security, China said on Thursday that “important progress” has been made in its relationship with the US under President Barack Obama and the two countries should move forward as partners rather than competitors. Asked to sum up relations under Obama, who leaves office Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying recalled …

  DUBAI / Reuters Egypt’s blue-chip stock index tumbled on Thursday after Reuters reported that authorities were considering temporarily reintroducing a stamp duty on stock market transactions, while Saudi Arabia was supported by quarterly corporate earnings. The index dropped 3.7 percent, its largest single-day decline since June 2016. Local traders were heavy net sellers after a Finance Ministry source, speaking …

  Bloomberg For some China investors, the outlook for bonds is becoming a compelling reason to buy stocks. December’s debt selloff, the biggest in six years, may just be the start as policy makers crack down on speculative trading, according to HFT Investment Management Co. With the Shanghai Composite Index one and a half years on from its own bubble …