April, 2018

• 25 April

  Muslim travellers to spend $157bn by 2020

  

  Dubai / Emirates Business Muslim travellers will spend $157 billion by 2020, driven by millennial travellers and the top outbound market remains Saudi Arabia, which will grow 17 percent over the next three years alone, to reach $27.9 billion. The figures were released during Arabian Travel Market’s Global Halal Tourism Summit 2018, which was held at the Dubai World Trade …

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• 25 April

  Global blockchain spend to hit $9.7bn

  

  Dubai / Emirates Business Blockchain adoption continues to grow across industries world-wide with total spending on blockchain solutions set to grow to $9.7 billion in 2021 according to International Data Corporation (IDC), leading provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, tele-communications, and consumer technology markets. Startups in the nascent blockchain industry are driving this growth …

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• 25 April

  Stocks turn mixed as optimism ‘hijacked’ by rates; dollar rises

  

  Bloomberg US stocks pared losses as investors mulled the impact of rising US bond yields and disappointing earnings. The dollar resumed its rally, climbing to the highest in three months. “The sharp sell-off in rates has hijacked market sentiment,” Mark McCormick, the North American head of foreign-exchange strategy at Toronto-Dominion Bank, wrote in a note to clients. “The 3% level …

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• 25 April

  Metal markets regain strength as aluminum supply becomes steady

  

  Bloomberg After three weeks of intense volatility, metal markets seem to be calming down. Aluminum steadied after a four-day selloff that accelerated after the US decision to ease sanctions against United Co. Rusal. Nickel advanced as the Philippines moved forward with a plan to limit the area of land miners are permitted to exploit. Most other metals were little changed. …

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• 25 April

  Big oil companies still unloved by investors despite better fortunes

  

  Bloomberg For generations of investors, Exxon Mobil Corp. has been a cornerstone of fund managers’ portfolios alongside the biggest names in corporate America. Not so much any more. From leading the S&P 500 Index a decade ago, the company has dropped to the ninth-largest in a top 10 now dominated by technology giants. Its rivals Royal Dutch Shell Plc and …

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• 25 April

  Aramco, Total consider buying Saudi fuel stations

  

  Bloomberg Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and Total SA are weighing jointly buying businesses such as Tas’helat Marketing Co to gain access to networks of retail fuel stations in the Gulf kingdom, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The state-owned company, known as Aramco, and the French oil giant are also looking at a range of options from consolidating …

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• 25 April

  Germany’s $10bn gas bill shows perks of close Russia ties

  

  Bloomberg Are Berlin’s close energy ties with Moscow paying off? Data from Russia’s Federal Customs Service shows they might be after Germany paid less for natural gas from the world’s largest exporter than most other buyers. Only the UK, which produces most of its own gas, had lower import costs among the biggest offtakers, according to the figures obtained by …

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• 25 April

  Permian basin growing into world’s largest oil patch

  

  Bloomberg The Permian shale play is all about setting records. Now, the region may even become the world’s largest oil patch over the next decade. Output in the basin is forecast to reach 3.18 million barrels a day in May, according to the Energy Information Administration. That’s the highest since the agency began compiling records in 2007. By 2023, the …

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• 25 April

  Laundering scandals expose European rift on policing banks

  

  Bloomberg Europe is struggling to agree on how to tackle money laundering in the wake of high-profile scandals in the Baltic region. Latvia, grappling with the aftermath of its third-biggest bank being closed down, is calling for a pan-European approach to fighting dubious financial flows. While it has the support of other small states, it hasn’t convinced Germany, which argues …

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• 25 April

  StanChart top Mena bond sales arranger in a decade

  

  Bloomberg For the first time since 2008, Standard Chartered Plc (StanChart) is topping the list of bond sales arrangers in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). The emerging markets-focussed lender climbed four places from 2017 and has already built up a substantial lead on the competition just four months into the year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. JPMorgan …

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