Bloomberg China’s army of commodities investors has racked up an unprecedented volume of bets on steel futures, raising the prospect of a sharp retreat if market conditions weaken. Open interest on the Shanghai Futures Exchange’s steel reinforcement bar contract surged to a record 2.82 million lots, according to bourse data, with each lot representing 10 metric tons of metal. That’s …

Bloomberg Xiaomi Corp. has acquired a swathe of patents from Nokia Oyj, making its latest acquisition of technology to drive a global expansion. The Chinese smartphone maker is getting its hands on a trove of intellectual property from the Finnish company that once led the world in phone sales before Apple Inc. ushered in the smartphone era. The deal expands …

Bloomberg BT Group Plc was accused of dragging its feet for years as competitors using its network demanded the former UK phone monopoly run more fiber-optic lines to homes and businesses. Now BT’s wholesale division has seen the benefits of installing the faster connections, and is trying to coax its rivals into helping out. Under a regulatory compromise reached in …