Bloomberg Three deadly air crashes that have killed 170 passengers in the past 4 1/2 weeks may indicate that 2017, the safest-ever year for aviation, represented a statistical blip. A total of five fare-paying customers lost their lives in just two crashes on planes of 14 seats or more in the whole of 2017, and there were no passenger fatalities …

DUBAI / Reuters Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking to just float oil giant Saudi Aramco locally as plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on an international exchange such as London or New York hang in the balance, sources close to the process said. The kingdom is counting on being awarded emerging market status by index complier MSCI in June …

Bloomberg US stocks pared earlier gains as a decline in oil and technology shares offset speculation that the Federal Reserve won’t be forced to accelerate the pace of rate hikes. Personnel moves in the White House may also be giving traders pause. The S&P 500 Index rose above 2,800 for the first time since early February before retreating. An inflation …

Bloomberg Fears of inflation and the possibility of a global trade war have rattled financial markets recently, sending cash flooding into exchange-traded funds that stand to benefit and out of those that likely will be hurt. Investors poured a record $334 million into the Vanguard Materials ETF, ticker VAW. At the same time, they pulled $96 million from the Vanguard …

Bloomberg The 22 billion-euro ($27.1 billion) deal that’s shaking up the world of German utilities also has a very British dimension. EON SE’s acquisition of Innogy SE will combine the two UK business they own, shrinking the country’s Big Six utilities to five at a time when both the government and main opposition party are pressing for lower bills. It …

Bloomberg South Africa delayed signing agreements for renewable-energy projects worth 56 billion rand ($4.7 billion), after a court postponed a ruling on a labor union application to block the deals. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa and Transform RSA applied for an interdict to prevent state-owned utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. from signing 27 power purchase agreements that …

DUBAI / Reuters Saudi International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) said on Tuesday it was planning to resume proposed merger talks with Sahara Petrochemical in a deal that could create a 14.7 billion riyals ($3.9 bln) chemicals company. The two companies called off a planned merger in 2014, citing an inadequate regulatory framework in the kingdom for the collapse. Sipchem said on …

Bloomberg A US appeals court ruled against New York’s bid to block a pipeline that will shuttle natural gas to a $900 million power plant under construction there, setting a potential precedent for other battles over gas conduits. The court sided with federal energy regulators’ ruling that New York waived its right to act on the pipeline by failing make …

Bloomberg Turning Canada’s heavy oil sands into a more marketable kind of crude is making a comeback, or rather half a comeback. Alberta’s government’s C$1 billion dollar pledge ($780 million) will help support the construction of smaller and cheaper varieties of upgraders. The so-called partial upgraders would process the sticky oil just enough so that it can flow freely through …

Bloomberg China is giving its central bank the power to write the rules for the financial sector, as part of a swee-ping overhaul aimed at closing regulatory loopholes and curbing risk in the $43 trillion banking and insurance industries. The China Banking Regulatory Commission and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission will be mer-ged in the biggest industry overhaul since 2003. …