New York / AFP Bitcoin, a Florida judge says, is not real money. Ironically, that could provide a boost to use of the crypto-currency which has remained in the shadows of the financial system. The July 22 ruling by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Teresa Pooler means that no specific license is needed to buy and sell bitcoins. The judge dismissed …

Washington / AFP The US trade deficit grew more than expected in June as imports jumped and the gap with China continued to widen, government data released showed. The country’s trade deficit with the rest of the world climbed 8.7 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted $44.5 billion. Analysts had only expected a 3.9 percent increase. The figures mark …

Washington / Bloomberg Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said second-quarter profit rose 25 percent as results improved at insurance units. Net income climbed to $5 billion from $4.01 billion a year earlier, the Omaha, Nebraska-based company said in a statement. Operating earnings, which exclude some investment results, were $2,803 a share, missing the average $2,911 estimate of three analysts surveyed …