Bloomberg Germany’s new defense minister said the country must boost defense spending and overhaul its military equipment, risking a fresh conflict in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s teetering coalition government. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Merkel’s heir-apparent as leader of the Christian Democratic Union, said after her swearing-in that she’ll insist on “reliable and continuous increases,” and that Germany will achieve a NATO-endorsed goal of ...

Bloomberg Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini had everyone worried he would force the collapse of Italy’s government. Now he’s won concessions that have appeased him, at least for the moment. Premier Giuseppe Conte handed Salvini a victory with support for a high-speed Alpine rail link with France, a project the rightist League chief has championed in a long-running clash with ...

Bloomberg US stocks were mixed as investors mulled weak economic data and mixed corporate results, including an unexpected quarterly loss for Boeing. Treasuries advanced along with bonds in Europe. In addition to Boeing, Caterpillar weighed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average after the equipment maker projected earnings at the low end of forecasts. UPS helped to keep the S&P 500 ...