Bloomberg Smartphones have made taking a photo and checking fantasy football scores a breeze, but inputting credit card details on that small screen can still be frustrating enough that many shoppers just give up, costing retailers billions. Now, the world’s biggest card networks — a group that includes Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover Financial Services — have joined forces …

Bloomberg Hostility and discrimination await women daring to encroach upon the male-dominated world of economics and central banking, according to papers presented at a European Central Bank conference. The research shows that the much-celebrated rise of Christine Lagarde — a lawyer and politician, not an economist or central banker — to become the ECB’s first-ever female president is atypical for …

Bloomberg Three words — whatever it takes — defined Mario Draghi’s time as European Central Bank president, but he’s prouder of another number: 11 million jobs. Hardly a public appearance goes by without Draghi mentioning employment growth in the euro zone as a justification for the extraordinary monetary stimulus he’s pushed through since 2011. The focus on jobs might be …

Bloomberg An auction next month of oilfields in Brazil may be the priciest ever held, raising at least $50 billion in licensing fees and compensation, according to people familiar with government estimates. Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc and other energy giants are set to vie for deep-sea deposits that could hold 15 billion barrels of oil, almost twice …

Bloomberg Construction of coal-fired power plants in Southeast Asia has slowed significantly since 2016, with only Indonesia starting any new stations in the first half of this year, according to a report by Global Energy Monitor. The region, which has been targeted as a growth center in coming years for coal-fired power, saw 1,500 megawatts of capacity enter construction in …

Bloomberg US equity-index futures fluctuated along with European stocks on Tuesday as investors weighed a flurry of company results and the odds of the world’s biggest economies agreeing a trade deal in November. Treasuries rose and the pound drifted. S&P 500 futures were little changed after the underlying gauge closed above 3,000 on October 21, less than 1% from a …

Bloomberg As currency traders gird for parliamentary votes on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, their opportunity to win big on the pound is fading fast. The UK Prime Minister was expected to find out whether lawmakers are willing to back his plan, but if they reject it, the risk of a no-deal Brexit that would cause sterling to plummet is now …

Bloomberg Europe’s top aviation regulator expects to take longer to get Boeing Co’s 737 Max back into service than the projected timeline being taken by the US, which would likely push the grounded plane’s return into next year on the continent. European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) chief Patrick Ky met with officials from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to …

Bloomberg Four airlines operating in South Africa were forced to delay flights and ground some planes after inspections were carried out overnight. State-owned South African Airways and Mango were affected as was Comair Ltd, which operates Kulula and British Airways domestically, according to statements. It’s not routine for airlines in South Africa to suffer simultaneous groundings, but it’s not yet …

Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd cut its earnings outlook after passenger traffic fell for a second month as protests that have put intense pressure on the carrier continued to disrupt travel and business in Hong Kong. Second-half financial results will be lower than those of the first half, Hong Kong’s flag airline said in a statement, reversing previous forecasts. Cathay …