Bloomberg Kashagan, a vast oil field in the Caspian Sea, sent its first crude for export after about 16 years in development and more than $50 billion of investments. The venture loaded 26,500 metric tons of crude for export into the country’s pipelines, Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry said in an e-mailed statement Friday. Of that, 7,700 tons was sent to …

Bloomberg Egypt has appointed Citigroup Inc. as financial adviser to help with a potential sale of its stake in Arab African International Bank, according to people familiar with the matter. Central bank authorities are still determining the size of the holding they want to sell and whether to pursue an initial public offering or a sale to a third party, …

  AP North Dakota’s oil production dropped below 1 million barrels per day for the first time in more than two years, officials said Thursday — yet another reminder that the drilling boom is over in the country’s No. 2 oil state due to the slump in world oil prices. The state produced an average of 981,039 barrels of oil …

  Bloomberg Hundreds of Jordanians took to streets of Amman to protest a $10 billion gas deal recently reached between Natural Electric Power Co. of Jordan and partners in Israel’s Leviathan field. The demonstrators carried banners stating “Israeli gas is an occupation” and “To our government, you do not represent us,” while some wore red T-shirts with the slogan “Enemy …

  Bloomberg Don’t expect a major ramp-up of oil production in Oklahoma’s hot new shale plays any time soon, even as companies invest billions of dollars in the region, said Newfield Exploration Co.’s chief executive officer. Producers need more exploration time and a higher oil price before they can begin accelerating drilling in the Scoop and Stack oil formation, Lee …

  Beijing / Bloomberg A merger of Sinochem Group and China National Chemical Corp. would create a new oil-refining challenger to established state-run behemoths that dominate the country’s fuel-making business. The prospective tie-up, combining two companies with assets of more than $100 billion, would create the largest oil refiner behind China Petrochemical Corp. and China National Petroleum Corp., according to …

  Beijing / AFP One of the disinflationary pressures that’s gripped the global economy for the past five years is abating. China’s factory gate prices — falling since the start of 2012 — turned positive in September, squeaking out an increase of 0.1 percent from a year earlier. Given China’s status as factory to the world, that means prices of …

  Bloomberg Essar Group, controlled by India’s billionaire Ruia brothers, signed binding agreements to sell a combined 98 percent stake in its refinery unit to Russian energy giant Rosneft PJSC and a consortium of Trafigura and United Capital Partners. The Indian conglomerate agreed to sell 49 percent each of Essar Oil Ltd. to Rosneft and the consortium for an enterprise …

  BLOOMBERG Steinhoff International Holdings NV agreed to buy Fantastic Holdings Ltd. of Australia for A$361.4 million ($275 million) as the South African retailer seeks to expand its footprint in the southern hemisphere. The company offered A$3.50 a share in cash, a 43 percent premium to Thursday’s closing share price, Fantastic Holdings said in a statement on Friday. The deal …

  Bloomberg It turns out Masayoshi Son isn’t ready to retire after all. Just a year ago, SoftBank Group Corp.’s founder looked poised to fulfill his long-stated plan of stepping aside in his 60’s. He had a global telecom empire, track record of spectacularly successful investments and a bright young successor. Instead, the 59-year-old edged aside his heir apparent, cut …