Bloomberg Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Ltd. posted its fastest profit growth since September 2014 as margins and asset quality improved, but flagged challenging times ahead as the trade war with the US intensifies. Net income at the world’s largest lender by assets rose 5.8 percent to 81.6 billion yuan ($11.9 billion) in the quarter ended June from …

Bloomberg The offshore yuan headed for its biggest gain in a week, after China set the daily reference rate for the onshore currency stronger than expected, stoking bets the government wants to stabilise the exchange rate. The Chinese currency rose 0.23 percent to 6.8517 per dollar in Hong Kong, while the onshore rate gained 0.11 percent. The yuan’s fixing was …

Bloomberg The next few months are going to be fun for pound traders. Sterling’s volatility left political pundits scratching their heads last week, as European Union Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier’s promise to offer the UK an unprecedented partnership sent the currency soaring more than 1 percent even though he had said it before. With both sides warning of the risk …