Bloomberg A rout in commodities deepened as the threat of a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies intensified, hitting markets from steelmakers to soybeans. As the tit-for-tat trade dispute between the US and China stepped up, a Bloomberg gauge of commodities fell to the lowest since early April, with agriculture being the worst hit. Almost all raw materials …

Bloomberg Harsher Federal Reserve stress tests this year won’t stop US banks from increasing their payouts to shareholders. As the annual review gets underway this week, the 25 largest lenders are gearing up to announce dividends and buybacks totaling roughly $30 billion more than last year, representing a 25 percent increase, according to analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. JPMorgan Chase …

Bloomberg Economists are increasingly questioning whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates in the coming months. Less than 55 percent of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg expect a hike in August, down from 60 percent in a similar poll in May. BOE officials are gathering this week for their June policy meeting, the minutes of which have the potential …