Bloomberg Japan’s economy will exceed growth forecasts this year, prompting the central bank to tighten monetary policy by mid-year, said Allen Sinai, president of Decision Economics Inc. Sinai said he expects Japan’s economy to grow 2 percent in 2018, and even faster in 2019, perhaps as much as 2.5 percent. “What has snuck up on everybody is the world business ...

Bloomberg Morocco will adopt a more flexible exchange rate from Monday as part of a long-awaited plan aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the North African nation’s economy. Bank Al-Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank, said in a statement it would widen the official band within which the dirham fluctuates to 5 percent, with a maximum daily moves of 2.5 percent above ...

Bloomberg The Philippine central bank is beefing up its data tools to get a better handle on a fast-growing economy, which is starting to flash warning signs because of a rapid buildup of debt. Like central banks across Southeast Asia, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is pushing to capture information from “big data,” drawn from sources such as online search engines, ...

Bloomberg In cavernous jet hangars in and around Mexico City, Interjet has a secret. Four of the Mexican airline’s Sukhoi Superjet 100s—out of a fleet of 22—have been grounded for at least five months because of engine maintenance delays. The Russian-made aircraft, which average just four years old, are now being cannibalised, an industry term for when a plane is ...

Bloomberg The US Supreme Court will consider freeing state and local governments to collect billions of dollars in sales taxes from online retailers, agreeing to revisit a 26-year-old ruling that has made much of the internet a tax-free zone. Heeding calls from traditional retailers and dozens of states, the justices said they’ll hear South Dakota’s contention that the 1992 ruling ...

Bloomberg Investor D.E. Shaw & Co. has built an active stake in US home retailer Lowe’s Cos., according to people familiar with the matter. While D.E. Shaw’s specific plans for the investment couldn’t immediately be learned, the firm does plan to use its holding to agitate for changes at Lowe’s, the people said, asking not to be identified as the ...

Bloomberg A day after embarking on a pay hike, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is taking steps to shake up management at thousands of its stores. The world’s biggest retailer is removing about 3,500 store co-managers, a salaried role that acts as a lieutenant underneath each store manager, according to people familiar with the move. It’s also adding about 1,700 assistant store ...

DUBAI / WAM Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) approved a total budget of AED26.417 billion ($7.2 billion) for 2018, compared to AED24.358 billion in 2017. The 2018 budget incorporates investments in conventional and non-conventional energy sources, adva- nced technologies and innovative projects to realise the vision of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ...

ABU DHABI / WAM The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) participated in the second Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi, held by The Atlantic Council and in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Energy, ADNOC, Mubadala, and Masdar. ENEC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Al Hammadi, addressed participants during the opening of “A New Age for Nuclear Energy” plenary ...

Bloomberg Iraq joined the United Arab Emirates and Oman in calling for OPEC and allied producers to stick with their agreement to cut oil output until the end of the year, despite recent price gains. Output cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and fellow producers have contributed to stability in the oil market, and Iraq supports OPEC’s decision ...