Bloomberg Brazil slashed its benchmark interest rate in a surprisingly aggressive move, as policy makers ratcheted up their efforts to jumpstart the country’s shrinking economy. The central bank board, led by President Ilan Goldfajn, unanimously voted on Wednesday to lower the benchmark Selic rate by three quarters of a point to 13 percent — a move that was predicted …

  Bloomberg UK tech companies raised more capital than any other European country in 2016, while SoftBank Group Corp.’s acquisition of ARM helped Britain achieve a record year for tech deals, according to a survey conducted by the UK capital’s promotional company, London & Partners. The report, which was based on data compiled by research firm PitchBook Data, showed that …

  Bloomberg Richemont and Swatch Group AG shares surged on optimism the Swiss watch industry may be bottoming out. Richemont advanced as much as 9.4 percent to a one-year high after a gain in sales of timepieces at the Cartier maker’s own stores signaled that wholesale orders may stop declining. The Geneva-based luxury-goods maker also said sales to retailers are …