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  The world’s great cities could hold the key to the prosperity of the human race. Yet a comprehensive new study points to a worrying trend: The water they need to grow is getting more expensive, because they’re failing to protect the nature that purifies it. Cities are amazing engines of productivity. As the hubs of our modern societies, they ...

  Many politicians and commentators are calling for a big burst of spending on infrastructure. On his blog, my esteemed Bloomberg View colleague Tyler Cowen raises an interesting question: What is the opportunity cost of government spending — that is, what is the value of the other uses to which the money and resources could be put? To answer this ...

  Bloomberg World stock markets largely retreated on Wednesday, with all eyes on the Federal Reserve as it prepares to offer further clues as to the timing of the next US rate rise. European indices fell back after opening higher, although London’s losses were capped by brighter-than-expected unemployment figures that calmed fears surrounding Brexit’s economic fallout. Tokyo was the only ...

  Reuters Qatar’s main stock index moved little in early trade on Wednesday but other bourses in the Gulf edged lower as oil and global equities retreated. Doha’s index was flat after it rose 2.2 percent on Tuesday on expectations of fund inflows when index compiler FTSE promotes it to emerging market status next month. Qatar Insurance gained a further ...

  Bloomberg Oil halted gains near the highest closing price in five weeks as industry data showed U.S. gasoline stockpiles expanded, keeping supplies at the highest seasonal level in more than two decades. Futures were little changed in New York, having added 12 percent the previous four sessions after Saudi Arabia said it was prepared to act to stabilize markets. ...

  Bloomberg After spending billions of dollars constructing a world-class liquefied natural gas export project in Australia, Santos Ltd. has found itself short of gas. The country’s third-largest energy producer, which isn’t pumping enough of its own gas to feed its Gladstone LNG plant yet, is having to buy expensive local supplies to fill the gap. Meanwhile, prices for the ...

  Bloomberg Nickel’s rally is only just getting started, making the metal an attractive bet for investors, according to Jinchuan Group, China’s biggest producer of the refined metal. Tightening global supplies because of a mining clampdown in the Philippines and rising demand from the stainless steel industry in China will push prices higher even after they climbed 35 percent from ...

  Paris / Bloomberg India urged investors to capitalize on a trillion-dollar opportunity that will emerge over the next 15 years when power consumption is expected to quadruple. Investors should bring advanced technologies and “meticulous planning” to the electricity industry, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday at an India-Japan joint seminar on smart meters in New Delhi. The country ...

  Bloomberg China’s latest attempts at reforming the country’s extensive pipeline network are aimed at lowering prices for end users and boosting gas demand, analysts said Wednesday after the country released draft guidelines. The National Development and Reform Commission proposed setting gas transmission fees for companies rather than for individual pipelines, the country’s top economic planner said in the policy ...

  AFP Philippine food giant Universal Robina Corp said Wednesday it would buy Snack Brands Australia for US$460 million, the latest big deal in a global shopping spree by Filipino firms reflecting the nation’s economic rise. URC said it had sealed an agreement to buy the Australian company — maker of popular local brands including Kettles, Thins, CC’s and Cheezels ...