Bloomberg Pacifica Beauty LLC, a vegan beauty brand, sold a minority stake to private equity firm Brentwood Associates, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The company is valued at about $250 million in the transaction, one of the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. Representatives for Pacifica declined to comment. A spokesperson for …

  Bloomberg European stocks and US index futures rise, and a gauge of global equities pared its biggest monthly drop since March 2020, as investors bet corporate earnings will continue to grow amid aggressive tightening by the Federal Reserve. The Stoxx 600 gauge advanced for a fourth time in five days. Technology shares in Asia and Europe caught up with …

  Bloomberg Infrastructure, rural development and health-care stocks are among analysts’ top picks as India’s government is set to step up spending in a budget aimed at kickstarting investment to boost growth. Construction spending, including on roads and ports, as well as incentives for electric mobility and renewable energy are likely going to be a focus in Finance Minister Nirmala …

  DAMMAM / WAM Dr Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States, has affirmed that the security of the GCC states is indivisible, asserting that the “Arab Gulf Security 3” Exercise is a message of determination and peace, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA). He expressed pride with the level of security coordination …

  Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s plan to sell off stakes in local companies held by its sovereign wealth fund is already paying dividends — it’s set to rake in about $5 billion over three months. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is set to raise $820 million from selling a stake in digital security firm Elm Co. next month after pricing the …

  Bloomberg NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power producer, posted a 25% jump in quarterly profit as demand for electricity soared in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Profits increased to 41.3 billion rupees ($551 million) in the three months through December, compared with 33.2 billion rupees a year ago, the state-run company said in a stock-exchange filing. Profits surpassed an …

  Bloomberg Octopus Energy Ltd. warned record energy prices will result in a 100 million-pound ($134 million) hit to the UK power supplier’s bottom line this financial year, according to a Financial Times report. Soaring wholesale electricity and gas prices have put 25 U.K. utilities out of business in the last six months. A regulatory cap on the amounts suppliers …

  Bloomberg Two years into the pandemic and the airline industry remains on standby for the return of business travelers. Expectations that expense account-wielding road warriors would follow on the heels of leisure travelers have yet to materialize, and the outlook remains hazy with the spread of the latest coronavirus variant. That’s kept carriers’ profits in check and raised questions …

  Bloomberg In the eyes of Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc., consumers are learning to live with the coronavirus pandemic. Both networks said that spending on their cards surged to a record in the final three months of last year, even as the highly contagious Omicron variant disrupted travel and sparked fresh rounds of lockdowns. Spending on Visa’s network soared …

  Bloomberg The Bank of Japan (BOJ) should keep its inflation-targeting stimulus rolling and consider shortening the maturity of its yield target to make its easing framework more sustainable, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, in comments that contrast with global moves to tighten policy. Given that Japan’s underlying inflation momentum remains weak at around 0.5% and is not currently …