Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings said a European real-estate portfolio may be worth about half previous estimates, as the embattled global retailer reviews the value of its assets following an accounting scandal. Hemisphere International Properties BV has been valued at about 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in a review by CBRE Group Inc., Steinhoff said in a statement. That compared with …

Bloomberg US stocks pared losses, while haven demand eased as investors speculated that the final form of any Chinese tariffs might be less onerous than currently proposed. The S&P 500 Index cut its decline by almost two-thirds as representatives from China and the Trump administration left the door open for a negotiated solution. The proposals wouldn’t take effect for months. …

Reuters Buyers returned to the Saudi Arabian stock market on Wednesday as blue chips attracted interest again after several days of profit-taking that followed FTSE Russell’s decision to upgrade Riyadh to emerging market status. The Saudi index was up 0.9 percent as the energy and banking sectors rose: PetroRabigh climbed 2.0 percent, Saudi Arabian Refineries jumped 3.0 percent and mining …

Bloomberg At least four US pipeline companies have seen their electronic systems for communicating with customers shut down over the last few days, with three confirming it resulted from a cyberattack. Oneok Inc., which operates natural gas pipelines in the Permian Basin in Texas and the Rocky Mountains region, said it disabled its system as a precaution after determining that …

GAZA / Reuters The Palestinians are seeking to sell a 45 percent stake in a gas field off Gaza to help to develop the project, its main stakeholder, the Palestine Investment Fund, said on Wednesday after Royal Dutch Shell announced it had pulled out. Gaza Marine, about 30 km (20 miles) off the Gaza coast, has long been seen as …

LONDON / Reuters Oil hit a two-week low on Wednesday after China said it would impose tariffs on a number of US goods including agricultural products, raising the prospect of a growing trade war that could hurt the global economy. China, the world’s largest importer of raw materials, lashed back at the Trump administration’s plan to levy tariffs on $50 …

MANAMA / Reuters A new discovery off the coast of Bahrain is estimated to contain at least 80 billion barrels of tight oil, the kingdom’s biggest ever find, Bahrain’s oil minister said. Bahrain said it had discovered extensive tight oil and deep gas resources off the west coast of the kingdom. Independent appraisals by US-based oil consultants DeGolyer and MacNaughton …

Reuters Italian energy group Edison, part of French utility EDF, is preparing the sale of its oil and gas unit, the latest power producer to abandon fossil fuels to focus on its retail business, four industry sources said. Edison has selected investment banks Rothschild and Perella Weinberg to organise an auction for the exploration and production division, which could be …

TOKYO / Reuters The Bank of Japan (BOJ) bought the largest amount of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on record in March as the central bank supported a market hit by a rising yen and fears of a global trade war. The central bank, which usually buys ETFs to support the market when shares fall in morning trade, said it bought a …

BRUSSELS / Reuters An early Easter helped drive a pick-up in euro zone inflation in March, keeping the European Central Bank on track with preparations to wind down its huge stimulus programme in coming months. Inflation in the 19 countries sharing the euro was 1.4 percent year-on-year, European Union statistics office Eurostat estimated on Wednesday — in line with market …