Doha / Emirates Business There was a lull in the otherwise buoyant real estate market in January as owners held on to their properties due to weak demand and reduced prices, says a real estate market expert. “So potential buyers weren’t willing to offer the old, higher rates, and that was why the value of property deals in January was …

Doha / Emirates Business Qatar banks’ credit to real estate sector jumped 27.36 percent to QR125bn in 2015, compared to QR95bn reported a year ago. Qatar Central Bank’s (QCB) preliminary estimates for the fourth quarter of 2015 showed the credit distribution to the sector hit at QR114bn during the third quarter of 2015. The banks’ total domestic credit rose to …

SYDNEY / Bloomberg Sydney dwelling values climbed for the second consecutive month, clawing back some of the losses from the end of 2015, according to CoreLogic Inc. Home values in the nation’s largest city increased 0.5 percent in February, the research firm said in a statement on Tuesday. Notwithstanding the increase, Sydney home values are still down 0.2 percent in …

NEW YORK / Bloomberg The U.S. is a nation divided — divided between zip codes where economic times are good and zip codes where they really aren’t. This map was compiled by the Economic Innovation Group, a new Washington think tank with Silicon Valley backing. It’s based on a variety of economic indicators, most for the years 2010 to 2014, …

Emirates Business When people think of travelling to Kenya, they think of scenic sights and wildlife not found anywhere else in the world. Kenya offers a range of stunning accommodation options, including family based hotels, luxurious lodges and also something a little bit different. Take the opportunity to experience some of the more unusual options, whether it involves eating breakfast …

Bloomberg Your phone knows more about you than you think. It knows where you’ve been and who you were with, the birthday gift you bought your mother and who you plan to vote for. From pre-installed apps that count your steps to saved passwords for banking accounts and social media, smartphones have evolved from devices that make calls into digital …

NEW YORK / Bloomberg If the U.S. enters a recession this year, it may end up a lot like a boring conversation at a cocktail party: painfully long and shallow. The world’s largest economy has a host of strengths, from well-capitalized banks to financially-stable households, which should help limit the depth of a downturn should one happen. Yet with interest …

Rio De Janeiro /Bloomberg A letter from the prosecutor-general’s office made public on Monday confirms that the federal task force in charge of Brazil’s sweeping corruption probe known as Carwash has been investigating former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva since late last year. The federal task force is probing Lula’s involvement during his time as president with construction companies …

Buenos Aires / Bloomberg Argentina’s deal to put a bitter 15-year creditor saga behind it won’t come cheap. The country agreed to terms with bondholders led by hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer over unpaid debts from its record $95 billion default in 2001. The settlement, which will let Argentina regain access to overseas bond markets, is the biggest, and arguably …

Bloomberg Mexico’s state-owned oil company is taking deepwater development off its plate for now. Driven to rip $5.5 billion out of its budget this year to cope with a lengthening market downturn, it makes sense that Petroleos Mexicanos would look first to its riskiest and most expensive operations. The company reported its 13th quarterly loss, bringing its total losses for …