KUALA LUMPUR: China said it was willing to study a plan to connect Malaysia’s $10-billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) to other China-backed railway projects in Laos and Thailand, potentially expanding Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative across Southeast Asia.

LONDON, June 19 (KUNA) -- Inflation has hit the Bank of England's target for the first time in almost three years.

HONG KONG, China: Asian equities rallied Tuesday, tracking another tech-driven record on Wall Street, while investors awaited fresh US economic data to get a better handle on the outlook for inflation.

European shares advanced on Tuesday after posting steep declines last week, buoyed by gains in banks stocks, with focus now on more data and commentary from central banks’ officials to gauge their monetary policy path.

Wall Street stocks edged higher early Tuesday as traders weighed a lackluster US retail sales report and awaited a Senate appearance from the Boeing CEO.

ABU DHABI, June 18 (KUNA) -- United Arab Emirates (UAE) made a notable leap in the 2024 World Competitiveness report, advancing three positions to 7th place worldwide, ahead of Norway, Iceland, Japan, Canada and Finland.

HONG KONG, China: Asian markets fell Monday to extend last week’s losses, with traders trying to assess the Federal Reserve’s plans for interest rates, while the euro was weighed by political uncertainty as France prepared for a snap parliamentary election.

LONDON, June 17 (KUNA) -- The UK's main stock market retook its crown as Europe's most valuable for the first time in nearly two years, data shows BBC reported.

KUWAIT:  Kuwait crude oil edged 78 cents higher during Wednesday’s trading sessions to reach USD 85.01 per barrel compared with USD 84.23 pb the day before, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said Thursday.