Stocks

  Bloomberg The pound tumbled and currency volatility surged on Monday after two polls showed more Britons favor a vote to leave the European Union at a June 23 referendum than those who want to stay. That prompted a money manager 10,500 miles away in Sydney to buy stock-market protection, while a brokerage in Bangkok is advising clients to trim …

  Bloomberg The world is turning upside-down for U.S. equities, with the biggest gains coming from a strategy that has done little of late but deliver losses to investors and taking over market leadership from large technology stocks. With companies from Microsoft Corp. to Apple Inc. floundering, baskets of stocks that are free of capitalization biases — known among traders …

  Bloomberg China’s quest for raw materials for its aluminum smelters and alumina refineries promises to deliver a 15-year boom for exporters of bauxite, according to Rio Tinto Group, which is spending $1.9 billion to raise output. Global demand is already growing rapidly and will outpace the 4 percent-a-year lift London-based Rio forecasts for aluminum in the medium-to-longer term, Alf …

  Bloomberg Naoko Otsuka didn’t think twice about paying the equivalent of $23 for 5 ounces of chocolate. The dark-brown slivers of sweetness weren’t just a treat, the Japanese homemaker said, but an opportunity to learn more about a superfood. The six bars Otsuka bought from a store in Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya shopping district were made by an artisan manufacturer …

  BLOOMBERG Global stocks slid to a six-week low and commodities fell as markets braced for the possibility that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as soon as next month. A gauge of the dollar’s strength stood at a seven-week high. Oil fell as OPEC members agreed to stick to the policy of unfettered production, while European stocks and …

  Bloomberg The Chinese smelters that churn out more than 40 percent of the world’s zinc may cut production for the first time in four years because they can’t get enough raw material, further lifting prices of one of this year’s strongest-performing commodities. Zinc, used for rustproofing steel in everything from auto bodies to suspension bridges, has surged as much …

  BLOOMBERG U.S. stocks joined a slump in global equities, the dollar fell and Treasuries climbed as lackluster manufacturing data from Asia to Europe rekindled worldwide growth concerns and sent the odds for higher interest rates tumbling. The S&P 500 Index fell a second day, paring losses after data showed U.S. manufacturing unexpectedly expanded at a faster pace last month. …

  Bloomberg French wheat fields have been hit by a deluge of rain in the past month, threatening to reduce the quality of grain before farmers start harvesting crops in July. Some areas of France, the European Union’s largest wheat grower, saw as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in May, more than three times the normal amount …

Bloomberg Gold held the first advance in 10 days as investors looked to the release of U.S. data this week including monthly payrolls that’ll shape the thinking of Federal Reserve policy makers on whether to raise interest rates in the months ahead. Bullion for immediate delivery traded at $1,216.18 an ounce by 10:10 a.m. in London from $1,215.32 on Tuesday, …

  BLOOMBERG Bonds fell as the Federal Reserve seems intent to raise interest rates this summer amid signs inflation is picking up, while oil headed for its longest run of monthly gains in five years and stocks in the U.S. were little changed. Treasuries retreated in the first full day of trading since Fed Chair Janet Yellen said late Friday …