Bloomberg US coal use plunged more than 13% in 2019, the most in 65 years, as power plants shut down across the country. That’s poised to happen again this year. Total consumption slumped to 596 million tons in 2019 from 688 million tons in the prior year, according to the US Energy Information Administration. This year, the figure is expected ...

Bloomberg Italy’s stimulus plans to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak won’t be factored in when assessing the country’s compliance with the European Union’s fiscal rules, the bloc’s executive arm said. In a letter to the government in Rome, the European Commission’s top economic officials approved the recently announced spending plans, saying such one-off measures won’t be considered ...

Bloomberg Germany will expand government loans and guarantees if demand and supply disruptions intensify because of the spread of the coronavirus. While offerings such as bridge loans and credit guarantees are currently sufficient, the authorities are prepared to make more funds available and expand programs if factory closures become more widespread, the economy ministry said, a day before the ruling ...