Economy Gold traded steady above US$1,700 an ounce on Monday, as a drop in the US unemployment rate did little to dampen the outlook for easy monetary policy, which is expected to be reaffirmed at a Federal Reserve meeting later this week. More from Reuters Brent crude held above US$107 a barrel on Monday, snapping five straight days of losses, as promising data from the world's top two oil consumers revived hopes for growth in demand in a well-supplied market. More from Reuters The Lebanese economy grew by just 1 percent in 2012, a leading bank has said. BlomBank predicted a fall from the 2.1 percent reached in 2010, to just 1 percent, and expected just 1.9 percent growth in 2013. The government has previously forecast slightly higher growth figures. More from Blom Invest Lebanese banks’ Syrian subsidiaries recorded a sharp 69.42% annual drop in net profits
