Sales of new US homes rise to second-fastest pace since 2008

  Bloomberg Purchases of new US homes increased in November to the second-fastest pace in almost nine years as the beginning of a spike in mortgage rates persuaded buyers to quickly sign contracts. Sales rose 5.2 percent to a four-month high of a 592,000 annualized pace, Commerce Department data showed. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey was for a ...

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Canada’s economy shrinks on poor factory output

  Bloomberg Canada’s gross domestic product shrank unexpectedly in October as factories suffered their worst month in almost three years, adding to signs the country’s outlook is worsening. Output fell 0.3%, Statistics Canada said in Ottawa. Economists surveyed by Bloomb-erg expected a flat reading, but widespread declines in goods-producing industries contributed to the largest monthly drop since May. Manufacturing output ...

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UK posts worst trade performance in 3 years

  Bloomberg The UK current-account deficit widened in the third quarter as Britain posted its worst trade performance in almost three years. The difference between money coming into the UK and money sent out was 25.5 billion pounds ($31.3 billion), the Office for National Statistics said. That’s equal to 5.2 percent of gross domestic product. The trade deficit widened to ...

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‘Saudi Aramco plans to sell off 49% stake within 10 years’

  Bloomberg Saudi Arabia is planning to sell almost half of Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the world’s largest oil company, al-Eqtisadiah reported. A 49 percent stake will be sold within 10 years, according to the Riyadh-based newspaper, which cites an unidentified senior government official. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in April that an initial public offering is planned ...

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Algeria to boost drilling in 2017 to increase output

  Reuters Algeria’s Sonatrach will drill 290 wells in 2017 in comparison with 265 in 2016, the head of the oil and gas giant’s drilling division said late on Friday. OPEC member Algeria has seen a slow rise in energy output this year after years of energy stagnation, helped in part by increased production at existing fields like Hassi Messaoud ...

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India’s ONGC to spend $1.2bn to buy gas block

  Bloomberg India’s biggest oil and gas producer will pay as much as $1.2 billion to buy a majority stake in a gas field off the country’s east coast, aiming to boost production as the country seeks to cut energy imports. State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd.’s board approved the purchase of an 80 percent stake in Gujarat State ...

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Turkey mulls power price caps amid gas shortage

  Bloomberg Turkey’s Energy Ministry met major power producers to ask them to voluntarily lower electricity market rates or face price caps, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The meeting came after electricity for immediate delivery in the so-called spot market soared to a record on Wednesday as a natural gas shortage coincided with unusually cold weather, ...

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Exxon Norway oil assets to lure Aker BP and Hitec interest

  Bloomberg Billionaire Kjell Inge Rokke’s Aker BP Plc and two private equity-backed companies are in talks to buy stakes in oil fields off Norway from Exxon Mobil Corp. that are valued at about $1 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Aker BP, HitecVision AS and Neptune Oil & Gas Ltd. are bidding for the assets and ...

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China slaps GM with $29mn fine for antitrust violations

  Bloomberg China slapped a $29 million fine on General Motors Co. for antitrust violations, a sign of the growing tensions between the US and the Asian nation. The largest US automaker is accused of setting minimum prices on some models in its SAIC General Motors joint venture. The Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission, which imposed the 201 million ...

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Myanmar farmers reap rewards from 3D printing

  AFP Whizzing across a blue-lit platform with a whirr and a squeak, liquid plastic emanating from its chrome tip, the 3D printer seems a far cry from the muddy, crop-filled fields that fringe Yangon. But in an industrial park south of Myanmar’s commercial hub, the advanced technology is now being used to design bespoke parts that are changing the ...

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