Bloomberg Blue jeans are having a moment. At least that’s what J Crew Group Inc is hoping as it considers bringing its Madewell business to the public markets in the wake of rival Levi Strauss & Co’s own $623 million offering. Madewell, the denim focussed starlet of the J Crew family, could go public as soon as the second half …

Emirates Business The Abu Dhabi Smart Solutions and Services Authority (ADSSSA) announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to establish a ‘cloud centre of excellence’ that will aim to build its capacity for the delivery of cloud services and platforms, as well as upskill the emirate’s public sector workforce. This partnership is aligned with ADSSSA’s strategy …

Bloomberg Oil optimists pushed bullish wagers to a six-month high as the rally in prices continued. Money managers raised optimistic wagers on Brent crude for a fifth straight week while closing out pessimistic bets by the most since January as turmoil in major oil-producing nations heightened supply concerns. Short-selling bets on the global benchmark plunged by 18 percent, according to …

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned governments not to rock the boat with trade wars and other disruptions at a time when the global economy is already sailing through choppy waters. “We see downside risk and that means one has to be very careful,” IMF First Deputy Managing Director David Lipton told Bloomberg Television. “With trade tensions, not knowing …

Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin kept his options open on whether to extend Russia’s joint oil-production cuts with Opec beyond June, saying he wanted to continue cooperation with the group but also highlighting the many uncertainties in the market. Russia is comfortable with current oil prices, which rose to a four-month high above $70 a barrel in London, Putin said at …

Bloomberg Seplat Petroleum Development Co. and Nigeria’s state oil company will raise $700 million for a joint gas project scheduled to start production next year as the government steps up plans to reduce the country’s reliance on oil. The project, known as Assa North-Ohaji South, is one of seven to boost gas production and infrastructure development in the West African …

Bloomberg California drivers are facing the prospect of paying $4 a gallon at the pump for the first time in five years after its refineries were hit by a series of breakdowns. Pump prices in the most populace US state have gained 12 cents in the past week to average $3.71 a gallon, according to AAA. That’s about three times …

Bloomberg Efforts to fight money laundering across the Nordic and Baltic states took a more aggressive turn. Estonia’s state prosecutor is expanding an investigation into Danske Bank A/S to include Swedbank AB of Sweden. Meanwhile, the accounting firms Ernst & Young and KPMG were both reported to the police in Denmark amid allegations they failed to respond to red flags …

Bloomberg Two of the ECB Governing Council’s leading members gave a tentative welcome to the review of the institution’s negative rate policy announced this week by President Mario Draghi. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, both Chief Economist Peter Praet and Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann signaled they were open to the rethink, though they stopped short of …

Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. have long been locked in a fierce race to serve US consumers. One is pulling ahead. JPMorgan now generates $2 billion more in revenue from its consumer banking unit than its rival, after trailing Wells Fargo by almost $1 billion just two years ago. Jamie Dimon’s New York firm has …