No more free lunch is the big change under way in oil market

Bloomberg For years, investors have played Popeye to the energy industry’s Wimpy, the cartoon character famous for his “I’ll gladly pay you for a hamburger today” motto. In return for the promise of future profits, they’ve funded loss-making energy producers and explorers through a generous mix of loans, bonds and equity. That may be changing, according to a chorus of ...

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Congo halts Sicomines copper exports, orders local refining

Bloomberg The Democratic Republic of Congo ordered Sinohydro Corp. and China Railway Construction Corp.’s local mining venture to stop exporting unprocessed copper and cobalt and refine all its metals within the country. Sicomines must ship “only high-value products” as the government looks to “ensure the prompt repayment” of the country’s continuing $6 billion minerals-for-infrastructure deal with China, Mines Minister Martin ...

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Temasek’s Vertex raises $210mn for Southeast Asian deals

Bloomberg Vertex Ventures, the venture capital arm of Temasek Holdings Pte, has completed its biggest fundraising for Southeast Asian and Indian technology deals. The Singapore-based firm closed its third Southeast Asian fund at $210 million, a record in the region that exceeded its target of $150 million. The money will be used for early stage investments, aiming to repeat its ...

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Mystery over weak Indonesia spending stumps policy makers

Bloomberg Almost 4 million new jobs, rising wages and eight interest-rate cuts in Indonesia should have been enough to spur consumers into action in the world’s fourth most populous nation. Instead, an increasing number of people are keeping a tight grip on their purse strings and putting their money in the bank, leaving policy makers and economists perplexed. “All the ...

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Indian jewellers’ shares up as gold season looms

Bloomberg Shares of jewellers climbed in India after the government withdrew an order that brought the industry under anti money-laundering legislation, a move that comes just as gold buying improves before the Hindu festival of Diwali, the peak season for demand. Jewellers were included in the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act in August, increasing compliance requirements. Buyers have been shying away ...

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Farms to factories, India faces a drop in demand

Bloomberg Consumption was India’s big story. Its 1.3 billion population was expected to guzzle everything from iron to iPhones, driving global growth and cheering investors such as Apple Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. For a while everything seemed smooth. Indians were the world’s most confident consumers and the $2 trillion economy was the fastest-growing big market. Then, last November, ...

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‘Brexit mustn’t shut door on unskilled EU workers’

Bloomberg ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Christmas shopping may get more hectic and crops might go unharvested unless the UK government ensures access to unskilled migrant labour after the UK leaves the European Union, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) warned. The government must make it easy for workers from the EU currently living in the UK to secure settled status and establish an immigration ...

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GE’s Flannery signals sweeping makeover

Bloomberg General Electric Co.’s new boss has barely uttered a word in public during his first two months on the job. But he’s already sending signals that his tenure could bring one of the most sweeping makeovers in the company’s 125-year history. Chief Executive Officer John Flannery is seeking deep cost reductions, weighing portfolio changes and reshaping management from top ...

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Accor hotel offers $930mn for Mantra

Bloomberg Accor SA, Europe’s biggest hotel operator, offered to buy Australia’s Mantra Group Ltd. in a deal valuing the hotel and resort company at $930 million. The French company offered A$3.96 per share in cash for Mantra and was given access to its books, the target said in a statement on Monday. Mantra shares jumped by a record 18 percent ...

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Donald Trump pours millions into money-losing Scottish golf course

Bloomberg From the 300-plus crystal chandeliers to the gold-plated taps in the bathrooms, Donald Trump has transformed a hotel overlooking one of the world’s most legendary golf courses into an eponymous glittering palace. Members gathering for their tee times say they love many of the changes at the Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland, but they doubt the president will ever ...

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