Bloomberg Oil halted its slide below $40 a barrel as weekly industry data showed U.S. crude inventories declined, easing a supply glut that’s at the highest seasonal level in at least two decades. Futures added 0.2 percent in New York after slipping 5 percent the previous two sessions. Inventories slid by 1.34 million barrels and gasoline stockpiles fell, the …

  Bloomberg Egyptian officials are holding talks in Cairo with the International Monetary Fund over a loan to help finance the government’s economic program. Egypt is seeking $12 billion over three years. The most-populous Arab country has had a tumultuous relationship with the IMF since the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak, turning down two initial loan accords. Some of …

  Reuters Saudi Arabia’s government is discussing a proposal to take over construction conglomerate Saudi Oger, owned by the family of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, a Lebanese newspaper reported on Wednesday. Oger has been hit hard by a slowdown in the Saudi construction sector due to low oil prices and state spending cuts, and wage payments to thousands …