Rising oil prices may give the European Central Bank (ECB) a rare opportunity to revise upwards its price growth forecasts when it meets on Thursday. Brent and WTI crude oil topped $50 per barrel on Thursday and remained above $49 on Friday. However, overall inflation remains very low and the euro area slipped back into deflation in April, with ...

  Mark Whitehouse Greece and its creditors may have averted a crisis by agreeing on the release of another dose of bailout money, but the deal does little to address a deeper problem: Europeans still don’t want to put their money there. The flow of capital between the rest of the euro area and Greece offers a useful indicator of ...

One of the major issues within New Zealand over the past few months has been the rapidly increasing cost of housing, particularly in the country’s largest city and commercial hub, Auckland. High prices combined with moderate incomes have pushed the city into becoming one of the most expensive places in the world to buy a house. The press have been ...

  Whether through signals from the Group of Seven meeting this week or in the outcome of the latest round of European negotiations on Greece, officials of advanced countries increasingly are acknowledging that the problems facing their economies require a new response to take over from the overlong use of narrow short-term tools. This recognition has been too long in ...

In formally lifting Washington’s embargo on the sale of weapons to Vietnam, U.S. President Barack Obama has affirmed that this action should not be seen as being aimed at any other state. Yet the subtext of Obama’s visit is clear: it is an implicit signaling of U.S. willingness to form a regional balance of power against the People’s Republic of ...

  Kuala Lumpur / Bloomberg AirAsia Bhd. received an offer valued at about $1 billion for its aircraft-leasing business, Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes said, prompting the shares to reach a new 14-month high in Kuala Lumpur trading. Asia’s biggest discount carrier intends to divest the fully-owned unit called Asia Aviation Capital Ltd. at some point, Fernandes said in an ...

  Beijing / Bloomberg Walt Disney Co. said it’s prepared to take action to protect its intellectual property rights after performers dressed as Snow White and Captain America were sighted at Dalian Wanda Group Co.’s new theme park and entertainment complex in China. “We vigorously protect our intellectual property and will take action to address infringement,” the company said in ...

  Philippines / Bloomberg San Miguel Corp. President Ramon Ang gave up his telecom ambitions by agreeing to a $1.5 billion deal that raises money for his energy, infrastructure and other businesses’ expansion. Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Globe Telecom Inc. acquired the telecommunications business of San Miguel Corp. for about 70 billion pesos ($1.5 billion), including debt, according ...

  Shanghai / Bloomberg China’s slowing economy isn’t putting the brakes on tourism. Shanghai Disneyland attracted almost 1 million visitors to its public areas weeks before the $5.5 billion theme park officially opens June 16. And tourism spending is likely to triple by 2020 after industry investment jumped 42 percent last year, the government says. “The Chinese consumer is spending ...

  ALKESH SHARMA / Emirates Business A gateway to the most exciting retail market in the world, the Retail Show Middle East 2016 is all set to open on Tuesday. The two-day event — a platform for innovation, new partnerships, and launch of ground-breaking products — will host exhibitors and attendees from across the Middle East, North Africa, Indian subcontinent, ...