Bloomberg Venezuela’s state-run oil company is preparing to make a $949 million bond payment that’s due October 29, according to reports. Petroleos de Venezuela SA’s (PDVSA) plan to make the coupon and partial principal repayment on the 2020 notes would mark a rare exception for Nicolas Maduro’s government, which has racked up nearly $7 billion in defaulted debt to investors. …

Bloomberg Exxon Mobil Corp. resumed talks with Ghana Oil Co. as the oil supermajor nears a deadline to find a local partner for the exploration of crude at an offshore field, according to people familiar with the matter. Talks between Exxon and the Accra-based gas station operator, known as Goil, for a 5 percent stake in the Deepwater Cape Three …

Bloomberg The sell-off in US stocks picked up steam as mixed corporate earnings and weak housing data fueled anxiety that rising prices will crimp economic growth. Treasuries rallied for a second day on demand for haven assets. The S&P 500 Index extended its October rout to 7 percent, with the intraday low of 2,711 set during the Oct 11 drubbing …