Antitrust decision today: The Cairo Economic Court is due to deliver today a decision on an appeal by pharma distributors of an antitrust fine. Among the appellants is EGX-listed IbnsinaPharma.

Egyptian university students in Sudan should return home and continue their studies here, Egyptian Rep. Mohamed el-Ghoul said yesterday as he tabled a motion in the House to draw attention to Sudan’s suspension of classes across the country. The move in late December came as the government tried to keep students out of ongoing protests against the government of Omar Al-Bashir.

How long can the current emerging markets run last? We’re not in a “classic EM rally,” but emerging markets are off to a great start this year after a punishing 2018. The rest of this year is “unlikely to be plain sailing,” but Fidelity portfolio manager Paul Greer writes for the FT’s Beyond Brics column that “with the USD and US real yields likely to have both peaked in this cycle, we feel positive EM investor returns will be sustainable for the coming months.”

How global trade tensions play out are among the keys to the outlook for emerging markets. So with that in mind, we have two stories worthy of your attention this morning:

US and Chinese negotiators made (some) progress during trade talks in Beijing, the WSJ reports. Officials said that the “bare-bones” of a framework is now in place less than two weeks before the US slaps yet more tariffs on Chinese exports. Negotiations are due to continue in Washington next week ahead of the 1 March deadline (we should note that Trump has floated the idea of extending the deadline should negotiations progress). Assuming an agreement can be reached, The Donald and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would finalize it at a summit.

Meanwhile, another trade war is brewing: The EU has threatened a “swift and adequate” reply if Trump imposes punitive tariffs on European car imports, the FT reports. Trump is mulling action after receiving a US Commerce Department investigation into whether European car imports constitute a threat to national security. The probe’s findings haven’t been disclosed.

Our friends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are making headlines everywhere.

• Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pledged USD 20 bn to Pakistan on the first leg of his Asian tour.

• Saudi has denied MbS is plotting a GBP 3.8 bn takeover bid for Manchester United, Bloomberg says.
• The British are having a tougher time delivering weapons to the kingdom, FT notes.

Meanwhile, Qatar and the United States have inked a pact to rule the world: A natural gas pact between Qatar and Exxon Mobil could allow the two to “dominate the growth of [global LNG] markets over the next two decades,” the Financial Times suggests, writing that from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico, supplies can reach markets in Asia, Latin America and Europe.”

Speaking of countries with which we have fraught relations: Did you know that Godiva chocolate and McVitie’s biscuits are owned by a Turkish conglomerate? So sayeth Bloomberg in a report the company is now looking to streamline its portfolio, which also includes mining and brick businesses.

The Aswan International Festival of Arts and Culture kicked off on Sunday. Nearly two dozen folk bands from 13 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe will perform.The event runs until Friday. Read about it here.

Look tonight for the largest, brightest supermoon we’ll see until 2026. The supermoon will be most pronounced in Africa, Europe and Asia. The phenomenon is known as a ‘snow moon’ in those countries in which fluffy white stuff falls from the sky, CNN tells us.