Can Amazon do to the pharmacy business what it’s done to … well, everything else? Rumor has it they’re thinking about doing just that. They’ve reportedly created a new general manager position to look into such an expansion. In May, when those rumors started floating, Bloomberg’s own Max Nisen explained why they might find the business attractive: CVS Health Corp.’s ...

A little-noticed statement last week could portend the next big battle in China’s effort to control its debt. On August 2, the finance ministry issued directives that state-owned companies improve returns, control risks and make sure that “projects are financially viable before decisions are made.” That the government feels the need to spell out such obvious goals tells you the ...

My Bloomberg View colleague Tyler Cowen has a running series of blog posts bearing the title “Markets in Everything.” Plenty of other economists and writers have picked up the phrase, and with good reason—it’s evocative of a powerful idea that defined much of Western political economy in the later part of the 20th century. The idea is that markets—systems of ...

Bloomberg The risk-off mood that gripped markets last week showed signs of easing, with shares in Europe following Asian equities higher and American stock futures advancing as the prospect of a war between the US and North Korea receded. Havens including gold, Treasuries and the yen fell. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index headed for its first gain in four days, ...

Reuters Shares of the first family-owned business to list in Qatar slumped on Monday as they began trading, while weak earnings at several companies in Dubai weighed on the stock index there. Egypt fell for a fifth straight day. Qatari conglomerate Investment Holding Group tumbled 13 percent from its initial public offer price to 8.70 riyals. Trading volume was about ...

Bloomberg Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. is looking to hire in Saudi Arabia as the lender seeks to benefit from privatisations valued at more than $350 billion over the next five years. “We are planning to start expansion in Saudi Arabia by hiring 20 people,” Elyas Algaseer, the bank’s co-head in the Middle East and North Africa, said in an ...

Bloomberg Gold prices are set to jump to a four-year high of $1,400 an ounce by the end of the year over mounting tensions between North Korea and the US, and surging demand in the world’s biggest consumers, according to the head of precious metals at a Russian investment bank. Bullion could rise to $1,360 within three months before climbing ...

Bloomberg Ghana’s central bank approved a deal that will see Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd. take over the deposits and selected assets of UT Bank Ltd. and Capital Bank Ltd. after the two lenders failed to meet capital requirements. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP will sell the rest of the assets to settle liabilities, Raymond Amanfu, head of banking supervision at Bank of Ghana, ...

Bloomberg If Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, is looking for signs of wage growth, he might find comfort in Finland. After delivering the euro zone’s fastest pace of economic growth in the first quarter, Finnish workers have had enough belt-tightening and are now demanding pay rises they say are only fair given the rebound in exports. ...

Reuters Egyptian financial services group Beltone Financial will launch a $1 billion investment fund in fixed income instruments in September, its chief executive officer told Reuters on Monday. The investment bank aims to raise $150 million to $200 million in the fund’s first phase, Bassem Azzab said in a telephone interview. The fund will seek to attract Gulf and European ...