Bloomberg Renault SA has agreed to buy almost half of Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd.’s unprofitable minibus unit, giving the French carmaker’s light-commercial vehicles a foothold in the world’s largest auto market. The companies agreed to invest a combined 1.5 billion yuan ($221 million) in Shenyang Brilliance Jinbei Automobile Co. in proportion to their stakes, Brilliance said in a statement …

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 …