Bloomberg Airbnb Inc isn’t building an airline. It’s not going to start a generic flight booking platform. In fact, years after promising to get into the aviation business, Airbnb still hasn’t “settled on exactly” what it’s doing in air travel, Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky said in a statement. But the startup is hiring a former top airline executive to …

Bloomberg African online retailer Jumia is planning an initial public offering in New York this year that could value the business at about $1.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Jumia’s largest shareholder MTN Group Ltd. is planning to raise as much as $600 million from selling its shares through the IPO, said one of the people, who …

VATICAN / WAM His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, reflected on his Journey to the United Arab Emirates, at his General Audience on Wednesday. The journey to the UAE “wrote a new page in the history of dialogue between Christianity and Islam,” His Holiness the Pope said, affirming that the visit underlined the commitment to “promote peace …

Bloomberg Oil steadied below $54 a barrel as signs of weakening economic growth from Europe to the US and a reported increase in American crude stockpiles were offset by supply curbs from Opec and its allies. Futures in New York fell as much as 1.5 percent before paring losses. Growth concerns were fueled by a drop in German factory orders, …

Bloomberg The world’s biggest oil companies are pumping out cash like crude’s at $100 a barrel again, and investors love it. Exxon Mobil Corp, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Chevron Corp and BP Plc smashed analysts’ earnings estimates for the fourth quarter, giving investors assurance that their dividends and buybacks are secure even with oil trading near $60. Those companies together …

Bloomberg London notched up 16.2 billion pounds ($21 billion) of investment in commercial real estate last year, beating out Manhattan for the top spot globally despite mounting anxiety about Brexit. In fact, the pound’s 13 percent decline against the dollar since Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union, together with enduring demand from tenants for office space, have proven …

Bloomberg US equity futures and European stocks edged up on Wednesday as investors digested the latest earnings from corporate heavyweights. The dollar stayed higher as delayed data showed America’s trade deficit narrowed, while Treasury yields ticked lower. Contracts on the Nasdaq index advanced and those on the Dow Jones and S&P 500 gauges eked out small gains after General Motors …

Bloomberg India stocks gained on optimism that the nation’s central bank may abandon its hawkish view on interest rates, in a decision due on Thursday. The S&P BSE Sensex advanced for a fifth session, climbing 1 percent to 36,975.23 in Mumbai, its highest level since September. The NSE Nifty 50 Index also added 1.2 percent to reclaim the 11,000 mark, …

Bloomberg The Philippine stock market flirted with a bull market run on Wednesday, before ending the day lower. Still, the benchmark recovered a remarkable 18% in just three months, and investors say positive earnings results will further spur gains. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index climbed as much as 1.8 percent in Manila, before it fizzled, dipping below the 8,212.59 level …

Bloomberg Major US banks shaved about $21 billion from their tax bills last year — almost double the IRS’s annual budget — as the industry benefited more than many others from the Republican tax overhaul. By year-end, most of the nation’s largest lenders met or exceeded their initial predictions for tax savings. On average, the banks saw their effective tax …