March, 2018

• 19 March

  Merkel looks to LNG industry to cut Germany’s dependence on Russia

  

  Bloomberg Angela Merkel’s government is seeking to build a liquefied natural gas industry in Germany basically from scratch to reduce the nation’s dependence on supplies arriving by pipeline from Russia and Norway. With gas reservoirs depleting from the UK to the Netherlands, Germany is becoming increasingly reliant on Russia for its energy needs at a time when political tensions are ...

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• 19 March

  Oil halts gains as US explorers resume drilling binge

  

  Bloomberg Oil halted gains as US explorers resumed their drilling binge, raising concerns over whether output cuts by OPEC and its allies will be enough to clear a glut despite a pledge from Russia that it’s committed to the curbs. Futures in New York fell 0.2 percent after data showed American producers added oil rigs for the seventh time in ...

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• 19 March

  Iraq’s SOMO chief sees oil prices stable in 2018

  

  BAGHDAD / Reuters The head of Iraq’s state-oil marketer SOMO said that he expected oil prices to remain at current levels for the whole of 2018. “I expect oil prices to stay stable at their current levels at least until the end of 2018,” SOMO chief Alaa al-Yasiri told reporters at a SOMO event in Baghdad. “Oil price stability depends ...

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• 19 March

  Congo grants Total extension to oil-exploration license

  Bloomberg The Democratic Republic of Congo granted Total SA a one-year extension to a license allowing it to explore for oil along the Ugandan border. Total must meet objectives including developing a drilling program before the new permit expires January 26, 2019, Oil Minister Aime Ngoy Mukena said in a written response to questions. The company is also expected to ...

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• 19 March

  Signs of revival turn lender bullish on India’s villages

  

  Bloomberg The recovery in India’s rural economy is likely to curb bad loans and boost profit at financial companies that specialise in credit to the country’s villages, according to one of the biggest such lenders. Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd., which offers loans for equipment and vehicles in 330,000 of India’s roughly 600,000 villages, is seeing business growing and ...

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• 19 March

  China home prices rise in fewest cities in 5 months

  

  Bloomberg China’s home prices rose in the fewest cities in five months in February, as the government’s almost two-year campaign to curb property speculation started to bite. New-home prices, excluding government-subsidised housing, gained in 44 of 70 cities tracked, compared with 52 in January, the National Bureau of Statistics said. Prices fell in 16 cities from the previous month and ...

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• 19 March

  Toys ‘R’ Us eyes China funds in $1bn Asian sale

  

  Bloomberg Toys ‘R’ Us Inc.’s creditors are pushing for a better deal for the Asian business. The unprofitable company, currently aiming to wind down its US operations, has asked for non-binding bids for its growing Asian unit by early April, according to people familiar with the matter. Toys ‘R’ Us is working with Lazard Ltd. on the sale process, seeking ...

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• 19 March

  Swire Properties signs deal with WeWork in Hong Kong

  Bloomberg Swire Properties Ltd. has signed an agreement with WeWork Cos. to lease four floors providing about 55,000 square feet in a commercial tower in Taikoo Shing, the first deal between the co-working space provider and a major listed Hong Kong developer. Swire didn’t disclose the rent to be paid by WeWork, but said it would pay the going market ...

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• 19 March

  Foodpanda, Uber take meal apps battle to Bangkok

  

  Bloomberg Bangkok’s famed love affair with food is spilling over to meal-delivery apps, a fledgling sector that Delivery Hero AG’s Foodpanda projects will surge in 2018 as competition intensifies. Foodpanda, Line Corp.’s Line Man and Uber Technologies Inc.’s Uber Eats are using promotions, such as free delivery or discounts, to woo customers in a sector they see as underdeveloped compared ...

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• 19 March

  Quek’s JV buys condo site for S$980mn in Singapore

  Bloomberg Billionaire Quek Leng Chan’s GuocoLand Ltd. and its joint venture partners are buying Pacific Mansion near Singapore’s business district for S$980 million ($743 million), the biggest purchase of a residential site for redevelopment in more than a decade. The price is also the highest in the current so-called en-bloc cycle, and only surpassed by the S$1.3 billion sale of ...

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