Bloomberg The US trade deficit widened in 2018 to a 10- year high of $621 billion, bucking President Donald Trump’s pledges to reduce it, as tax cuts boosted domestic demand for imports while the strong dollar and retaliatory tariffs weighed on exports. The annual deficit in goods and services increased by $68.8 billion, or 12.5 percent, Commerce Department data showed …

Bloomberg After a few years of roughly stable payouts for many of Europe’s energy traders, big bonuses are back for the cream of the crop. The best traders in natural gas to power can look forward to handsome rewards after navigating markets that last year sparked to life with more bullish trends and a good dose of volatility. More people …

Bloomberg The head of Colombia’s state oil company Ecopetrol said he doesn’t see the need for the government to sell another stake in the company — an idea the finance minister supports. The ministry is weighing the sale of an 8.5 percent stake in Ecopetrol, worth about $3.6 billion. CEO Felipe Bayon said such a sale could take as long …