KIEV / Reuters Ukraine’s central bank left its main interest rate at 17 percent, as expected, but warned that an improving outlook for inflation could be undermined if the International Monetary Fund delays in disbursing loans. Over the past six months, the bank has kept monetary policy tight to curb stubbornly high inflation linked to higher food and oil prices …

Bloomberg Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena is slowly turning a corner after last year’s 8 billion euro ($10 billion) bailout, its chief executive said, flagging an increase in both lending and client funding. Italy’s fourth-largest lender, laid low by mismanagement and a large bad loan pile, has long been Rome’s biggest banking headache and is now 68 percent …

HAMBURG / Reuters Emirates will commit to purchasing options for 16 Airbus A380 jets from a previously announced $16 billion order that handed a lifeline to the slow-selling jet, the airline’s president said. The Middle East airline placed a provisional order for 20 of the double-decker superjumbos in January, which it has since finalised, with an option for 16 more. …

Bloomberg Temasek Holdings Pte is studying potential investments in Swissport Group and Gategroup Holding AG, both owned by HNA Group Co., as it considers deals with the indebted Chinese conglomerate, people with knowledge of the matter said. Temasek, which inked a partnership with the Chinese group, is exploring buying stakes in a number of HNA affiliates that are complementary to …

Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV raised 3.75 billion rand ($313 million) from the sale of shares in the embattled retailer’s African operations to further shore up its balance sheet following an accounting scandal late last year. The move follows similar disposals of stock in South Africa’s KAP Industrial Holdings Ltd. and investment holdings company PSG Group Ltd. The total generated …

Egypt / Emirates Business As part of its route expansion strategy, Air Arabia Egypt launched a new route linking Sohag in Egypt to Kuwait. The new flights operate three times a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, departing from Sohag International Airport (HMB) at 2340 hours and arriving in Kuwait International Airport (KWI) at 0305 hours the following day. The …

LONDON / Reuters Struggling British flooring retailer Carpetright said it would seek creditor approval for a restructuring plan to close 92 stores and reduce rents at 113 of its sites, resulting in about 300 job losses. Shares in Carpetright, which has in recent months issued a series of profit warnings because of weak UK retail spending and what it calls …

NEW DELHI / Reuters Global oil supply remains a concern amid OPEC and Russian-led output reductions, with production falling from mature oilfields while demand growth remains strong, the International Energy Agency’s Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Wednesday. This was despite forecasts of rising oil output from non-OPEC producers, led by the United States, which is expected to be able …

Bloomberg Oil surged to a two-week high in New York as President Donald Trump told Russia in a tweet to “get ready” for US missiles to be fired at Syria. Futures in New York rose as much as 1.3 percent after climbing the most in eight months. President Donald Trump has intensified preparations for a response to a suspected chemical …

Bloomberg The world’s first small-scale nuclear power reactor may be just eight years away. NuScale Power LLC, which is leading global efforts to build a so-called small modular reactor, is seeking as much as $120 million in equity investment to accelerate design of a matching power generator. The company has already spent more than $700 million, and has “hundreds of …