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

Bloomberg Phuket in Thailand is on lockdown, with most transportation to the island banned, in the latest effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the usually popular tourist destination. The order will last for at least one month, according to Phuket Governor Pakkapong Taweepat. Boats, cars and trucks providing essential goods and services are exempted. Restricting access ...

Bloomberg Liquefied natural gas (LNG) traders are following the latest trend in the oil market by storing huge amounts of the commodity on tankers, hoping prices will rise before the ship docks. But while crude can sit for months or even years in a tank, super-chilled LNG tends to evaporate even in the specialised vessels that handle it. That limits ...

Bloomberg Energy secretary Dan Brouillette told oil industry representatives that he expected a Saudi-Russia deal on crude production cuts within days. Brouillette’s comments came during a conference call with a broad swath of oil industry representatives, after President Donald Trump met with top executives from Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp, Phillips 66 and other companies. The discussion was described by ...

Bloomberg Some of the biggest mining and energy companies are scrambling to respond to tightening controls on movement inside Australia — the biggest exporter of iron ore and liquefied natural gas — by temporarily rehousing employees and their families thousands of miles from home. About 800 so-called fly-in fly-out (FIFO) mining workers have been relocated to Western Australia for potentially ...

Bloomberg TC Energy Corp sold US dollar-denominated bonds just as the company’s new loonie notes rally in their trading debut. The pipeline operator’s C$2 billion ($1.4 billion) 3.8% debt due 2027 is quoted at a spread of about 300 basis points over Canadian government bonds after pricing on April 1 at 325 basis points, according to Bloomberg Valuation bid prices. ...

Bloomberg Athabasca Oil Corp fully suspended its Hangingstone oil sands operation to combat low oil prices and uncertainty surrounding coronavirus. The move comes shortly after Athabasca said in March it would curtail production at Hangingstone by about 50% to maximise corporate funds flow and liquidity. Calls have been mounting for Canadian producers to cut production in light of rock-bottom domestic ...

Bloomberg South African wind energy producers questioned the legality of a decision by the state power utility to curtail purchases of their output, amid low demand caused by a nationwide lockdown to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) said Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd’s decision to invoke force majeure in its contracts with the independent ...

Bloomberg Germany’s efforts to limit the economic damage from a prolonged coronavirus shutdown are gathering steam, as aid applications pour in and officials seek a path to restart all-important auto production. Under a government program aimed to providing strapped businesses with financial liquidity, 2,500 companies have requested a total of 10.6 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in aid, according to state ...

Bloomberg The global economic slowdown is causing the biggest drop in food prices since 2015 as demand shrinks for everything from dairy to sugar. The FAO Food Price Index, a global gauge of prices, dropped 4.3% in March, the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organisation said. That’s the steepest decline since August 2015. Food costs fell as government restrictions on ...

Bloomberg UK house prices were climbing at the fastest pace in more than two years before the coronavirus pandemic almost brought the market to a standstill, according to Nationwide Building Society. Values rose 3% from a year earlier in March, and gained 0.8% from February alone, the mortgage lender said. The sample period excludes recent disruption caused by UK’s restrict- ...