The Bitcoin rate spike, still alive despite bitter divisions in the community that supports the cryptocurrency, has laid bare the biggest problem with Bitcoin: Compared with fiat currencies, it’s painfully inconvenient and expensive to use as a means of payment. Bitcoin is set up to reward users for verifying transactions. Miners who package transactions into “blocks” receive two kinds of …

Bloomberg US stocks fluctuated near all-time highs in light action before the Thanksgiving holiday as traders await the FOMC minutes for clues on the monetary policy. The S&P 500 Index was little changed—after breaching 2,600 for the first time—as US economic data gave mixed signals. Business equipment orders fell for the first time since June, while jobless claims declined the …

Reuters Gulf stock markets mostly rebounded from several days of weakness on Wednesday, encouraged by strong oil prices. Meanwhile, rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran over instability in Lebanon and the conflict in Yemen have increasingly worried investors. But Dubai’s index closed 1.0 percent higher as Emaar Properties rebounded 2.6 percent. GFH Financial, by far the most heavily traded …