Bloomberg Asian stocks extended gains to an 11-week high as metal producers surged. Japanese equities rose as the yen halted its advance against the greenback ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s first press conference since July. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose for a third day, adding 0.4 percent as of 4:57 p.m. in Hong Kong and set for …

  DUBAI / Reuters Saudi Arabia’s stock market declined for a fourth straight day on on Wednesday after oil prices fell further, but other Gulf bourses largely moved sideways and Dubai held near a 15-month high. The Saudi index pulled back 1.6 percent to 6,895 points, falling below technical support at the mid-December low of 7,002 points. Another straight close …

  Bloomberg Azerbaijan will transfer as much as 7.5 billion manat ($4 billion) of assets from its sovereign wealth fund to the central bank this year, giving it ammunition to defend the manat in the latest effort to break the grip of a currency crisis. The regulator will use the money to ‘ensure macroeconomic stability’ in 2017, according to a …