Investors have been enthusiastic about the potential of online marketplace lenders in recent years, but the industry has hit some significant roadblocks. LendingClub’s stock has fallen almost 60 percent this year. Prosper Marketplace cut about 28 percent of its staff in May. Regulators are starting to circle. The question now is whether these technology-based firms will continue to lose …

  Who does a better job of managing money, Republicans or Democrats? Thanks to a new study, we finally have at least a partial answer. The paper, by Marian Moszoro and Michael Bykhovsky, uses Federal Election Commission data to identify equity fund managers by their political contributions. If the managers at a fund gave to only one of the two …

  Bloomberg Australian retail sales limped through June, saved only by a blast of winter weather that forced shoppers to stock up on warmer clothing and compounded by mid-year discounts. A more realistic reading of the month came in the food section, which showed even alcohol sales actually fell in June. While households got a rate cut in May, adding …