Bloomberg Total SA is in talks with Myanmar to supply the country’s most populous city, Yangon, with liquefied natural gas. The French energy giant may also build a power plant, according to Xavier Preel, general manager of Total E&P Myanmar. Total, which sold about 11 million tons of LNG last year, is seeking to expand its footprint in downstream activities …

Bloomberg Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak raised the stakes in his efforts to secure the votes of palm oil farmers, announcing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid ahead of an election that could come within months. Farmers who come under the auspices of the Federal Land Development Authority, or Felda, will get cash handouts from the end of August, …

Bloomberg China’s diesel and gasoline exports surged in the first half of the year as a domestic supply glut and slowing demand growth prompted refiners to sell more fuel abroad. Diesel shipments jumped almost 21 percent in the first six months compared to the same period a year ago, averaging about 328,500 barrels a day, according to Bloomberg calculations based …

Bloomberg China’s most popular savings products have become a battleground for the nation’s smaller banks, which are competing for funds in a market that’s drawing increasing scrutiny from national policy makers. Whatever the result, one of the main casualties is set to be the domestic bond market. The accounts known as wealth management products, offering lesser-regulated returns that beat the …

Bloomberg Lenovo Group Ltd.’s Yang Yuanqing asked for patience as he tries to get China’s top PC maker growing once more, but for the first time publicly vowed to step down as chairman and chief executive if he doesn’t deliver on a critical sales goal. Yang, who helped grow Lenovo into the world’s largest PC maker but also orchestrated the …

Bloomberg Japanese trade returned to surplus in June, with both imports and exports continuing the strong growth they have had all year. Exports rose 9.7% from a year earlier (estimate 9.5%). Imports increased 15.5% (estimate 14.4% ). The trade surplus was 439.9 billion yen (estimate +488 billion yen). The nation’s modest economic recovery reflected in the trade data and the …

Bloomberg Software giant SAP SE raised its annual revenue outlook and said it would buy back up to a half billion dollars in stock after reporting a better-than-expected jump in sales, lifted by a revamped version of its flagship software. The German maker of applications that run businesses’ finances, manufacturing and personnel is projecting sales of 23.3 billion euros ($26.8 …

Bloomberg The European Commission and the German cartel office have received information about possible collusion among German automakers and are studying the matter, according to a statement. ‘It is premature at this stage to speculate further,” according to the statement from the commission’s executive arm. “The commission and national competition authorities cooperate closely with each other on such issues in …

Bloomberg Swiss watch exports gained for a third time in four months as Chinese demand strengthened and the UK attracted buyers with its weak currency. Shipments climbed 5.3 percent to 1.7 billion francs ($1.8 billion) in June, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said in a statement that underpinned signs of a rebound from the longest slump on record. …

Bloomberg Elenia Oy’s owners are preparing to kick off a sale that could value Finland’s second-largest power distributor at as much as 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion), restarting a process that was delayed last year, people with knowledge of the matter said. The utility has sent out teasers and senior executives are planning to meet with potential suitors in Asia …