DUBAI / Reuters Saudi Arabia’s stock market rose sharply on Thursday as banks rallied after the kingdom’s mammoth international bond sale, which could help to unclog liquidity bottlenecks in the economy. Egypt bounced as investors bought into recent dips. The Saudi index gained 2.3 percent in sharply higher turnover as all but one of the banks advanced, with Samba …

  London / AFP Stock markets in Europe trod higher on Thursday ahead of an eagerly-awaited monetary policy decision by the European Central Bank. Frankfurt and Paris both rose 0.2 percent ahead of the interest rate call due at 1145 GMT, while London flatlined on news of steady retail sales for September. ECB chief Mario Draghi is likely to prep …

  Bloomberg Qatar is considering investing in the $100 billion global technology fund formed by SoftBank Group Corp. and Saudi Arabia, according to people familiar with the matter. SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son has visited Doha and other parts of the Gulf region in recent months to discuss investments with global investors, one of the people said, asking not to be …