 | | | | U.S. company earnings growth is slowing after a bumper start to the year, and the reality of an escalating trade war between two of the world's largest economies is starting to weigh on companies ranging from Caterpillar Inc to Ford Motor Co . | | | | | | When the world's business elite gathered last year for Saudi Arabia's top investment forum, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dazzled them with plans to build a $500 billion mega-city. | | | | | | Saudi Arabia's crown prince trumpeted on Tuesday a conference that has drawn investment deals worth $50 billion despite a boycott over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, declaring the event as "great - more people more money". | | | | | | SoftBank Group Corp Chief Executive Masayoshi Son, whose $93 billion Vision Fund drew nearly half its money from Saudi Arabia, canceled a speaking engagement at the kingdom's investment conference this week, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. | | | | | | Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it would continue to meet customer demand for crude despite looming U.S. sanctions that are expected to reduce oil exports from Iran. | | | | | | Oil giant Saudi Aramco will sign 15 deals worth more than $30 billion, said Saudi state-owned TV Ekhbariya. | | | | | | U.S. stocks cut their losses late on Tuesday and the Nasdaq briefly turned higher as investors bought back beaten-down shares, though worries about company earnings outlooks kept a lid on the market. | | | | | | A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a lawsuit by a group of former child slaves accusing the U.S. unit of Nestle SA , the world's largest food maker, and Cargill Co [CARG.UL] of perpetuating child slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms. | | | | | | Caterpillar Inc tried on Tuesday to ease mounting concerns about China and global demand after it affirmed its 2018 profit estimate, a move that investors feared signaled a cap in earnings growth and sparked a sell-off in its shares. | | | | | | Wall Street indexes were down on Tuesday though they pulled back from the day's lows after investors fled to safety on worries about a global slowdown in growth while oil tumbled and pressure mounted on Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. | | | | | |
