Bloomberg German business confidence unexpectedly improved, underpinning the Bundesbank’s prediction that economic growth strengthened at the start of the year. The Munich-based Ifo institute’s business climate index rose to 111 in February from a revised 109.9 in January. That compares with a median estimate of 109.6 in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The German economy expanded at the fastest …

  Bloomberg The UK economy grew more than previously estimated in the final three months of 2016 but it may be the last hurrah. Gross domestic product rose 0.7 percent instead of 0.6 percent, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. It followed growth of 0.6 percent in the previous two quarters. Trade and consumer spending provided the biggest …

  French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen unsettled investors with her pledge to pull France out of the euro and re-denominate all French debt in newly minted francs. Polls suggest Le Pen won’t get the chance; she is expected to lose a second-round runoff. Even if polls are correct this time, that doesn’t mean the euro is safe. In fact, …