The International Monetary Fund lifted its forecasts for economic growth in the United Arab Emirates because of expectations that oil production and state spending will rise. SEE MORE Brent crude oil prices rose to their highest since November 2014 on Monday ahead of U.S. sanctions against Iran, the third-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), that kick in next month. SEE MORE China has canceled a security meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis that had been planned for October, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday, days after a top Chinese official said there was no reason to panic over tensions between the countries. SEE MORE With $250bn in US trade tariffs now in place and $110bn from China, we are starting to see some early casualties in this trade war. SEE MORE The broad sentiment in the natural rubber market remained muted in the month of August due to a number of factors, including high levels of inventory in China. SEE MORE