BLOOMBERG Volkswagen AG boosted its five-year investment plan to €180 billion ($193 billion) as Europe’s biggest carmaker intensifies a push to challenge Tesla Inc’s leadership on electric vehicles (EV).  More than two-thirds of the total — €122 billion — will go to software and electric vehicles, the company said. The previous update of VW’s rolling investment saw the carmaker invest …

BLOOMBERG Novartis AG is kicking off the sale of some ophthalmology assets, people with knowledge of the matter said, as it seeks to prune its portfolio and focus on growth areas. The Swiss pharmaceuticals group is working with an adviser to gauge interest in the so-called front-of-eye treatments, the people said. The portfolio includes Xiidra, a drug used to treat …

BLOOMBERG Wheat fluctuated as Russia and Ukraine gave conflicting signals on whether a key grain-export deal had been extended. Wheat futures traded in Chicago fell 0.8%, after earlier gaining as much as 0.6%. Traders are watching to see whether the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allows Ukraine to export crops from three ports, will be renewed when it expires. A …