Bloomberg President Donald Trump defended his use of tariffs that have inflamed tensions with China and Europe, telling an audience of diehard supporters that playing hardball on trade is “my thing.” “We have really rebuilt China, and it’s time that we rebuild our own country now,” Trump said during about an hour of free-wheeling remarks at a rally outside Columbus, …

Bloomberg The Trump administration’s plan to relax fuel-economy and vehicle pollution standards could be a boon to US oil producers who’ve quietly lobbied for the measure. The proposal would translate into an additional 500,000 barrels of US oil demand per day by the early 2030s, about 2 to 3 percent of projected consumption, according to government calculations. “It’s a increase …

Bloomberg Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal has invested 1 billion riyals ($267 million) into music streaming company Deezer, his first deal since being detained last year in a government crackdown on corruption. The prince’s Kingdom Holding Co. investment vehicle and his media company Rotana Group have bought new shares in Deezer, according to a statement from Alwaleed’s office. Deezer …

Bloomberg New York regulators declined to renew an air permit for a controversial 680-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in New York state, effectively shutting it down just before it was poised to go into service. The Department of Environmental Conservation denied the renewal application. The agency said the owner Competitive Power Ventures Inc. did not have a Title V Clean …

Bloomberg A $42 billion merger to create what would become the world’s largest gas producer is facing an unexpected hurdle from the US antitrust regulator that could derail the deal. The Federal Trade Commission indicated it wants Germany’s Linde AG and Praxair Inc. to sell more assets before it approves their deal, Linde said in a statement to the markets. …

Bloomberg With Japan regaining its place as the second-biggest stock market amid growing trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, investors expect the nation’s equities to garner more attention. Japanese shares were worth $6.15 trillion compared with just under $6 trillion for Chinese equities, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The markets swapped position behind the US for the …

Bloomberg The ailing pound may need a dose of positive UK data to help it recover from a losing run against the dollar. Traders will watch data due this week in the hope that evidence of a strong economy will help boost the currency. Sterling dropped below $1.30 for the first time in seven weeks as investors looked past the …

Bloomberg Credit Agricole SA’s investment bank and retail business are both benefiting from the thirst for credit. Financing revenue jumped 17 percent in the second quarter after the bank provided advice and arranged debt financing on large deals including Altran Technologies SA’s takeover of Aricent Inc., helping the investment bank beat estimates. The bank’s French LCL retail business also did …

Bloomberg American International Group Inc. fell 2.7 percent after second-quarter earnings came in below estimates as a restructuring expense hurt results. Profit in the period fell from a year earlier as private equity and hedge fund performance weakened, the New York-based insurer said in a statement. Net investment income, which declined 12 percent to $3.1 billion, is on target for …

Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. disclosed another round of lapses and potential scandals in a quarterly report, saying it faces a US inquiry into its purchase of low-income housing credits and conceding it may have unnecessarily foreclosed on about 400 homeowners. Government agencies are examining how Wells Fargo negotiated and purchased “certain federal low-income housing tax credits in connection with …