Pakistan has said that the United Arab Emirates has assured to provide a $1 billion loan, moving the nation closer to a loan deal with the International Monetary Fund to avoid a default.

In a week shortened by a public bank holiday, investors witnessed an uptick in M&A news which may suggest more activity is yet to come. The latest deal on the pipeline came from Blackstone, which agreed to buy Industrial REIT as part of efforts to grow its logistics operations in Europe. Elsewhere in the corporate world, however, the gloom persists with Superdry ditching its full-year guidance after weak start to 2023.

Ether has grabbed the limelight from Bitcoin as cryptocurrencies extend their rebound this year.

The Philippines, one of the world’s top rice buyers, plans to import 330,000 metric tons of rice this year to boost an anticipated decline in its stockpiles.

(Bloomberg) — French inflation eased slightly less than initially estimated in March, reaching 6.7% — instead of 6.6% — after 7.3% in February. While the headline reading of the consumer price index is below record highs as energy prices drop, other components continue to accelerate, pushing up Insee’s measure of underlying inflation to 6.2% — the strongest yet since the creation of the euro. Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau warned earlier this week there’s a risk of entrenched inflation that is potentially persistent.