Bloomberg Praxair Inc.’s plan to buy German industrial-gas maker Linde AG edged closer to collapse for a second time after Linde’s works council signaled strong opposition to the $34 billion deal and a government minister questioned its value. A deal with Praxair will lead to significant job losses, and the combined company will be run from headquarters in the …

  Bloomberg US stocks rose for just the second time in nine sessions, as financial shares rebounded from a six-week low after a spike in consumer confidence rekindled optimism in the strength of the American economy. Treasuries slipped and the dollar edged higher. Banks slammed by concern Donald Trump would have trouble getting regulatory roll-backs through Congress rallied on Tuesday …

  HONG KONG / AP Asian stocks were uneven on Wednesday as investors weighed strong US economic reports against uncertainty as Britain readies a formal request to leave the European Union. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index was practically unchanged at 19,208.10 and South Korea’s Kospi rose less than 0.1 percent to 2,164.32. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.4 percent to …