Bloomberg A majority of bondholders accepted Mexico’s offer to buy back $1.8 billion in debt used to fund the construction of an international airport that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said he’ll cancel. There was “overwhelming” acceptance by bondholders, said Mexico’s Finance Ministry. The acceptance by bondholders will allow the government to avoid a mandatory repayment of all $6 …

Bloomberg Johnson & Johnson paid a steep price this year for claims that its celebrated baby powder was contaminated with asbestos. Problem is, 2019 could be even worse. A jury ordered the company in July to pay $4.69 billion to 22 women who blamed the talc-based product for causing their ovarian cancer. The prospect of similar judgments helped erase $45 …

Bloomberg / Agencies Saudi Arabia plans to tender or award six water-related projects in 2019 as it pushes ahead with a privatisation programme. The cabinet has approved the tendering of seven desalination and wastewater projects. One was awarded this week, three are in various stages of tender process and three more will be offered to investors next year, the government’s …

RIYADH / WAM The official spokesman for the coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen, Col. Turki Al-Malki has renewed coalition states’ support for the UN resolution regard-ing the Sweden Agreement on Yemen. The Saudi Press Agency quoted Al Malki as saying at a press conference on Tuesday that the UNSC resolution ensures the territorial integrity of Yemen in line with …

Bloomberg China last month imported two tankers of US liquefied natural gas, nudging open a doorway that had been closed shut for a month at a time when America is rapidly expanding its ability to export the heating fuel. The three operating US terminals soaked up more than 5.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas from American shale basins, the …

Bloomberg The Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid into a bear market, as a global equity rout continued unabated in the last week of the year, with renewed turmoil in Washington rattling investors. The yen and Japanese bonds rose. The Japanese benchmark fell 5 percent on Tuesday, widening its drop to 21 percent from its October 2 peak, taking its cue …

Bloomberg Mounting political risks from Washington are adding to reasons for traders to be bearish about the dollar as the market hurtles towards the end of 2018. Most forecasters were already predicting that the greenback, which this month touched its strongest level in a year and a half, would be in for a rougher time in 2019. Much of that …

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on the Federal Reserve, commenting publicly on the central bank for the first time following last week’s interest-rate hike and reports he has discussed firing Chairman Jerome Powell. “The only problem our economy has is the Fed. They don’t have a feel for the Market, they don’t understand necessary Trade Wars or …

Bloomberg Currency strategists are convinced that 2019 will be the year of the euro. Money managers and traders aren’t buying it. Morgan Stanley, Credit Agricole SA and Toronto Dominion Bank are all calling for the common currency to surge next year as investors shift focus away from an overvalued dollar. That’s not a view shared by Janus Henderson Group Plc …

Bloomberg Wells Fargo cut estimates for stocks next year on concern the Federal Reserve is making a policy mistake that will throttle economic growth. Chris Harvey, head of equity strategy at the bank, cut his year-end target for the S&P 500 Index to 2,665 from 3,079. While new forecast represents a 10 percent gain from current levels, he replaced Michael …