Bloomberg A regulatory spring-clean that’s cut the number of Ghanaian banks by almost a third is strengthening the industry, brightening prospects for lending growth and easing the pain of unpaid debts. The expanding economy is also helping lenders put behind them years of challenges weighing on the West African nation — including daily power outages, poor banking regulation and an …

Bloomberg Weaker global growth and trade protectionism could start to gnaw on company investment in the euro area, according to the European Central Bank (ECB). “Increasing uncertainties at the global level constitute a downside risk to the outlook, particularly for business investment,” according to an article to be published in the ECB’s bulletin. Malin Andersson and Benjamin Mosk argue there’s …

Dubai / Emirates Business Mergermarket, the leading provider of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) data and intelligence, has released research showing that in 2018 the Mena region experienced a significant spike in deal value, reaching $26.76 billion, compared with $15.86 billion in 2017 — an increase of 68.7%. The significant growth in deal value was driven by increased deal-making in the …

Dubai / Emirates Business Emirates NBD Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) released January data for the UAE non-oil private sector. The survey, compiled by IHS Markit, contains original data collected from a monthly survey of business conditions in the industry. Khatija Haque, Head of Mena Research at Emirates NBD, said: “The Emirates NBD Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the UAE rebounded …

Bloomberg Oil held gains near a two-month high after data showed US production growth slowing at a time when Opec cuts and American sanctions on Venezuela have already eased concerns over a supply glut. Futures in New York rose as much 0.9 percent to reach the highest intraday level since November 21, after adding 2.7 percent. Opec’s crude output fell …

TOKYO / WAM Japan imported from the United Arab Emirates 22.778 million barrels of crude oil in December 2018, data released by the Agency of Energy and Natural Resource in Tokyo showed. This accounts for 24.5% of Japan’s total crude imports, the agency that belong to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said. Saudi Arabia provided 39.437 million barrels, …

Bloomberg US stocks rose for a fourth day, with technology shares leading the advance as investors awaited fresh catalysts after digesting solid American economic data and inconclusive trade talks in Washington. The S&P 500 overcame morning weakness to push higher, while Nvidia, Adobe, Microsoft and Apple led the Nasdaq indexes to solid advances. Alphabet reports earnings after the closing bell. …

Bloomberg India’s benchmark equity index rose to its highest level since September in a late surge helped by gains in a handful of large-cap stocks, as investors digested the the government’s last federal budget before the national ballot. The S&P BSE Sensex rose 0.3 percent to 36,582.74 in Mumbai after falling as much as 0.7 percent in early trade. The …

Bloomberg Australian investors just got the final piece of a 13-month inquiry into rampant misconduct at nation’s biggest banks and financial firms that could set the tone for country’s stocks this week. The report on financial companies was released after the stock market closed on Monday and recommended against a structural separation. The S&P/ASX 200 Finance Index, whose companies account …

Bloomberg For the thousands of energy traders, utility executives and analysts descending on Essen and the E-world fair in Germany this week the impact of a relatively mild winter on the power and gas markets will be a main topic of conversation. The warmer-than-usual temperatures for most of the heating season so far, along with concern about climate change, is …