The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.

Bloomberg The dollar’s status as the world’s most popular funding currency is stronger than ever, helping to push the greenback lower even in the face of bullish drivers such as the US tax overhaul and higher short-term bond yields. A buoyant global economy is encouraging borrowing in dollars by overseas corporations and governments, overwhelming the domestic forces, according to Morgan …

Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. spent much of 2017 trying to dig out of several consumer banking scandals. By one measure, it’s making progress. Complaints lodged against the lender with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through Dec 15 dropped 18% from the same period of 2016, the steepest decline among major banks, federal figures show. Still, it remained first among …

Bloomberg For Greece, 2018 is a crucial year. The key question in the months ahead for what was once the epicenter of the European credit crisis is: Will it turn the corner and wean itself of external aid like Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus — something the Greek government wants? Or, will the current bailout program, which ends August 20, be …

Bloomberg The price war in the American grocery aisle is getting more intense. And believe it or not, the reason isn’t Amazon.com Inc. Amazon’s debut as a brick-and-mortar grocery chain in 2017 sent tremors through the supermarket industry, with Kroger Co. and other established players losing billions in market value. But with its plans for Whole Foods developing slowly, Amazon …

Bloomberg Airbus SE is discussing a large plane order from China during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit this weekend, according to people familiar with the plans. The size of the order is in flux, while talks are focussed on Airbus’s A320 single-aisle and A330 and A350 wide-body jets, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing the …

Bloomberg After strong international tourist arrivals in 2017, Airports of Thailand Pcl surpassed Spain’s Aena SA as the world’s most-valuable airport services company. Powered by a 75 percent gain since May 1, the operator of Thailand’s main international airports also passed the 1 trillion baht ($31 billion) market capitalisation mark, joining only state-controlled energy company PTT Pcl above that milestone. …

Bloomberg Counter Brands LLC, parent company of skin-care and cosmetics seller Beautycounter, raised about $65 million in new funding as it seeks to expand, according to a person familiar with the matter. The financing round was led by Mousse Partners and included earlier investor TPG Growth, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the details are private. …

Bloomberg The US agency overseeing aviation safety loses its chief at midnight with no replacement in sight—days after President Donald Trump took credit in a tweet for the airlines’ safest year on record. Federal Aviation Administration head Michael Huerta, who rose unexpectedly to lead the agency in 2011 after the sudden departure of his predecessor, will step down at the …

Bloomberg King Salman ordered extra pay for Saudi government workers and soldiers this year after the implementation of value-added taxation and a surge in fuel prices stirred grumbling among citizens. Royal orders issued early on Saturday restored an annual pay raise for Saudi civil servants, suspended as part of attempts to rein in a hefty public-sector wage bill. The king …

Bloomberg Oil had its strongest opening week for any year since 2013 as refiners and exporters whittled away at crude inventories tucked away in US storage tanks. Futures rose 1.7 percent this week in New York. The pull on oil stockpiles in the world’s biggest economy accelerated to 7.42 million barrels last week, a level last seen in early August. …