TOP STORIES 
 
EUROPEAN CONFIDENCE FIRMS DESPITE POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY 

Businesses and consumers across the European Union became more optimistic about their prospects in May, shrugging off concerns about a rise in nationalism and threats to the integrity of the bloc.

OPEC EXPECTED TO KEEP OUTPUT STEADY AS OIL REBALANCES 

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is unlikely to take any coordinated action on crude-oil output at its meeting Thursday as the group sees signs of success with its hands-off approach of the past 18 months.

GLOBAL STOCKS UP SLIGHTLY 

Stocks in Europe and Asia rose slightly and the dollar edged higher on Monday as investors considered the prospect of a U.S. interest rate rise in the coming months.

FRANCE NOTCHES UP ROBUST ECONOMIC GROWTH 

French economic growth accelerated faster than initially estimated in the first quarter, helped by sharp rises in consumer spending and investment, in another signal of more robust activity across Europe.

ASR NEDERLAND IPO COULD VALUE INSURER AT $3 BILLION 

The Dutch state is selling a stake of up to 40% in ASR Nederland via an initial public offering that could value the insurer at $3 billion to $3.7 billion.

FED'S BULLARD TO HOLD OFF JUDGMENT FOR NOW ON RATE INCREASES 

U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said he would like to reserve judgment for now on interest rate increases and digest more data before making a decision next month.

DUTCH, BELGIAN POSTAL SERVICES HOLD UNSUCCESSFUL MERGER TALKS 

Dutch postal service PostNL said it and its Belgian counterpart Bpost held merger negotiations that ended without an agreement.

BAYER INVITES ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TO DISCUSS MONSANTO 

Bayer CEO Werner Baumann has invited environmental groups to talk with the company about its desire to acquire U.S. competitor Monsanto.

FORMER ZURICH INSURANCE CEO MARTIN SENN COMMITS SUICIDE 

Martin Senn, the former CEO of Zurich Insurance who left the company in December, has killed himself, marking the second suicide among the insurer's top management ranks in the past few years.

CHINA FIXES YUAN AT MORE THAN FIVE-YEAR LOW 

China's central bank set the daily yuan-fixing against the dollar at its weakest level since February 2011, after hawkish comments from Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen.

JAPAN RETAIL SALES FALL IN APRIL 

Japanese retail sales fell in April on the back of falling fuel prices and lower sales of household electronics.

MIZUHO CHIEF WARNS OF JAPAN DOWNGRADE IF ABE DELAYS TAX INCREASE 

Yasuhiro Sato said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision needs to come with an explanation of how the government plans to cut its deficit.

YELLEN SAYS FED COULD RAISE RATES 'IN COMING MONTHS' 

Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen said a rate increase would be appropriate "probably in the coming months" if the economy and labor market continue to strengthen.

NOBLE GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE ALIREZA RESIGNS 

Embattled commodities trader Noble Group announced the resignation of its chief executive and the planned sale of its prized North America energy solutions business.

SUNCOR STARTS TO BRING CANADIAN OIL SANDS BACK ONLINE 

Suncor Energy Inc. said Sunday it has begun a "staged restart" of operations near the fire-ravaged community of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

NEW DROWNINGS HIGHLIGHT PERILS OF MIGRANT ROUTE 

About 700 people are thought to have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean in the past few days, further highlighting the perils of the world's deadliest migration route.

IRAN CANCELS PARTICIPATION IN HAJJ PILGRIMAGE 

Iran canceled its participation in this year's holy pilgrimage to Mecca, blaming rival Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions between the two regional powerhouses.

DP WORLD AGREES TO MANAGE SOMALILAND PORT FOR 30 YEARS 

Dubai's DP World has agreed to manage the Somaliland Port of Berbera for 30 years, according to a person who has seen the concession agreement. The global ports operator gains an alternative hub to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

INDIA'S ECONOMY LIKELY GREW 7.4% LAST QUARTER, ANALYSTS SAY 

India's gross domestic product likely expanded more than 7% in the three months ended March 31, thanks to continued strength in services industries.

 
 
 
  ======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES ======= 
 
 
Economy Week Ahead 
GLOBAL ECONOMY WEEK AHEAD: CHINESE MANUFACTURING, ECB MEETING, U.S. JOBS 
 

Though shortened by holidays in the U.S. and U.K., this week will help set the stage for whether the global economy is heading into a summer of strength or doldrums, with Chinese manufacturing data, a European Central Bank meeting and the U.S. jobs report on the schedule.

 
Abreast of the Market 
FUELING OIL'S PUSH TO $50: FEAR IS BACK 
 

Oil-supply outages are at their highest level in more than a decade, even as spare capacity dwindles. That is bolstering the "fear premium" that has helped push crude prices to $50 a barrel.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 30, 2016 17:21 ET (21:21 GMT)

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