DUBAI / Reuters OPEC is monitoring unrest in Iran as well as Venezuela’s economic crisis, but the group will only boost output if there are significant and sustained production disruptions from those countries, a senior OPEC source from a major Middle Eastern oil producer said. Venezuela’s economic troubles have hit the country’s oil out-put, which is at near 30-year lows, ...

DUBAI / Reuters SOCO International, an oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the London Stock Exchange, said on Monday it was evaluating a merger with Middle East oil and gas firm Kuwait Energy. A merger would provide a way for the Kuwaiti company to go public after it failed last year to complete an IPO of its ...

Bloomberg Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and some of the kingdom’s biggest companies said they’ll pay Saudi staff more money, matching a royal order that extended handouts to government workers to ease public discontent over rising prices. Aramco, preparing for what could be the world’s largest initial public offering, will pay “eligible employees” an extra 1,000 riyals ($267) a month for ...

Bloomberg Oil rose after drilling activity in the US eased, adding to signs the global crude surplus is abating. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 0.5 percent, following a 1.7 percent increase last week, when they hit a three-year high. Rigs drilling for crude fell by five to 742 in the seven days ended January 5, according to Baker Hughes data. ...

SINGAPORE/ Reuters Profits for Asia’s oil refiners dropped to their lowest since May last year as rising supplies dragged down regional fuel prices at the same time that global crude oil prices have climbed to two-year highs, data on Thomson Reuters Eikon showed. Margins at a typical complex refinery in Singapore fell to $5.93 a barrel, the lowest since May ...

Bloomberg Retailer United Electronics Co., the second-best performing Saudi Arabian stock of 2017, is looking to increased demand for televisions before this year’s soccer World Cup, expanded consumer credit and rising online sales to counter any slowdown caused by the start of value-added tax. The company, known as eXtra, plans to open new stores in 2018 as it seeks to ...

Bloomberg Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk A/S made its largest takeover offer ever, an unsolicited 2.6 billion-euro ($3.1 billion) bid for Belgium’s Ablynx NV, to beef up its lesser known blood-disorder unit and rekindle growth. The offer for Ablynx signals a higher appetite for deals at the world’s biggest maker of diabetes medicines. After taking the reins, CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen ...

Bloomberg The latest signs are in that British households are coming under increasing pressure from surging inflation. Consumers curbed their spending for the first time in five years in 2017, according to a survey from Visa, while a squeeze on incomes was flagged by Halifax as a contributing factor to a decline in house prices in December 2017. The reports ...

Bloomberg German factory orders fell in November 2017 as demand for investment goods dropped, though the Economy Ministry said the trend remains upward. Orders, adjusted for seasonal swings and inflation, slid 0.4 percent after a revised 0.7 percent gain in October, the ministry said on Monday. While the decrease snapped three month of gains, the number is typically volatile and ...

Bloomberg Uber Technologies Inc.’s rivals are stepping up the battle for ride-sharing dominance in Europe, with local startups raising funds and global adversaries increasing contact with local regulators as they seek to gain a toehold in the region. Taxify OU is looking to raise $50 million in the first quarter to fund expansion plans, according to a person familiar with ...