Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has had its oversubscribed initial public offering and a big first-day pop. But if recent tech IPO history is any indication, longer-term investors are headed for a big disappointment. I’ve written before why I think Snap’s not worth its valuation ($23.8 billion at the IPO price of $17, $28.3 billion at the time …
Read More »Saudi, Russia offer united front on crude supply cuts
Bloomberg Saudi Arabia and Russia, the architects of an oil production cut that has stabilized prices, presented a united front on compliance just as rising US inventories have sparked doubts about the OPEC and non-OPEC deal. Khalid Al-Falih, the Saudi energy minister, acknowledged that global crude inventories aren’t draining as quickly as he expected, opening the door for an …
Read More »ADM, Almarai among firms eyeing Saudi grains agency asset sale
Reuters A partnership of US agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co and Saudi foods group Almarai is among potential bidders for Saudi Grains Organisation’s milling operations, the kingdom’s sole supplier, sources aware of the matter said. Italian wheat supplier Casillo Group and a partnership of Turkey’s TAV Group, a construction and airports conglomerate, and Saudi Arabia’s Al Rajhi Holding …
Read More »Cairo eyes return to pre-uprising tourist numbers
Reuters The number of tourists visiting Egypt this year could come close to levels seen before its 2011 uprising, encouraged by investments in airport security and a cheaper Egyptian pound, the country’s tourism minister said. Egypt’s tourism industry, a crucial source of hard currency, has suffered in the years of turmoil that followed the mass protests, as well as …
Read More »Egyptians protest over concerns of bread subsidy cuts
Reuters Hundreds of Egyptians protested around the country, blocking roads and surrounding government offices, after a change to the way bread rations are managed raised fears that the government was cutting food subsidies by the back door. Bread subsidies are an explosive issue in Egypt, where more than 70 million people receive state rations. Core inflation in the country …
Read More »Modi litmus test in state vote key to top Asia stocks, rupee
Bloomberg Indian stocks are leading gains in Asia this year, the rupee has recouped almost all its losses since Donald Trump’s US election win and foreigners have pumped $2.4 billion into the country’s bonds and equities. As investors wait for the results of one of Narendra Modi’s biggest electoral tests since he came to power in 2014, there’s a …
Read More »Pricey Pak stocks have room to run
Bloomberg Pakistani tycoon Arif Habib said Asia’s best stock market rally in the past year may extend a further 20 percent led by banks, fertilizer and energy compa- nies, rejecting concerns that the market has been supported by speculators. As industries and the economy grow, Habib, the Karachi-born financier who has seen his fortune swell after his start as …
Read More »China ‘shipping news’ good for iron miners, mills
Bloomberg Record cargoes of iron ore coming into China and fewer boatloads of steel going out signal a boon for miners including BHP Billiton Ltd., Rio Tinto Group and Vale SA, as well as welcome news for rival metal producers like Europe’s ArcelorMittal. Purchases of ore rose 13 percent to 83.5 million metric tons in February, an all-time high …
Read More »El Nino arriving too late to hurt India’s monsoon
Bloomberg India’s monsoon may escape the effects of a possible El Nino event that can bring dry weather to the world’s top cotton grower and second-biggest wheat and sugar producer. “Mostly it may not have any impact on rains†because the El Nino probably won’t develop until later this year, said D.S. Pai, head of the long-range forecasting division …
Read More »China’s rebounding producer prices a window to cut capacity
Bloomberg The tailwind from surging factory prices is strengthening corporate profits and supporting growth, opening a window for China to deepen cuts in excess industrial capacity without inflicting too much damage on the broader economy. The catch: that window may not stay open for long. That’s because factory prices — forecast to have increased 7.7 percent in February from …
Read More »
The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.