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 ...