Chinese firms are set to become a major trading force in the global liquefied natural gas market in coming years, thanks to liberalisations at home and recently signed long term contracts for record amounts of LNG from US suppliers.

Exxon Mobil is injecting new cash into oil trading in Europe after a retreat on its ambitious expansion plans last year, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

The European Union is set to allocate a fund of $21.5 million to help accelerate climate-smart and inclusive infrastructure investments in Bangladesh and five other South Asian countries.

British consumer goods group Unilever on Thursday logged a rising net profit in 2021 but warned that soaring inflation will likely ramp up costs again this year.

The eurozone economy will grow less than expected this year, the European Commission said on Thursday, as energy prices and supply chain problems jack up inflation and delay a more sustained recovery from the pandemic.

Oil slipped to about $91 a barrel on Tuesday before a resumption of indirect talks between the United States and Iran, which could revive an international nuclear agreement and allow more oil exports from the OPEC producer.

Volkswagen does not expect the global shortage of semiconductors to end this year although it should further ease slightly in the second half, a board member was quoted as saying by industry magazine Automobilwoche.

Britain’s competition regulator said on Friday it had fined Facebook-owner Meta 1.5 million pounds ($2 million) over fresh issues regarding its purchase of Giphy, a sanction that the US firm said it would accept.

Unnerved by the sabre-rattling between Russia and the West over Ukraine, traders are scouring global markets for investments that could provide them with protection against losses in case the conflict escalates.

The price of permits in the European Union’s carbon market closed at a record high above 96 euros on Friday, with analysts expecting the symbolic 100 euro level could soon be breached.

Britain on Friday ordered Facebook parent Meta to pay another £1.5 million for breaching regulatory rules over its acquisition of animated graphics startup Giphy.

The window for technology companies to list their shares is closing. Falling stocks have depressed valuations and made investors pickier about new listings. Private firms will have to reluctantly consider Plan B.

Two top Bank of England officials stressed on Friday the need for restraint on pay rises, drawing an icy reaction from unions and government, a day after the BoE sought to head off inflation running at a 30-year high by raising interest rates again.

Opec+ will likely stick to existing policies of moderate output increases on Wednesday, five sources from the producers’ group said even as it expects demand to rise to new peaks this year and as oil prices trade near their highest since 2014.

Euro zone inflation rose to a new record high last month, defying expectations for a big drop and adding to already copious doubts that price pressures are as benign and temporary as the European Central Bank still expects.

Hybrid car sales reached a milestone in Europe last year as they grabbed the same market share as diesel vehicles, while electric models gained more ground, industry data showed on Wednesday.

Volvo Car Group’s sales fell 20.2 per cent in January under pressure from the global component shortage, though demand for its products remained strong, the automaker said on Wednesday.

The eurozone economy posted robust growth last year, official data showed Monday, but fallout from the Omicron variant and an energy crunch have raised doubts about the bloc’s ability to sustain the pace.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan repeated his unorthodox economic policy on Saturday, saying interest rates would be lowered further and inflation would fall as a result, days before inflation data for January is announced, adding the country’s economic woes would pass.

High global natural gas prices are breaking a two-year logjam of new US liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects with at least three of the multibillion-dollar proposals likely achieving enough supply contracts to start construction this year, said developers and industry experts.