Bloomberg Confidence among German companies unexpectedly improved in March, providing a glimmer of hope for the European economy. Ifo’s closely-watched index rose to 99.6, beating forecasts for a reading of 98.5, and a gauge of executives’ expectations also rose. The improvement helps to dispel some of the gloom after a survey showed German manufacturing in its deepest slump in more ...

Bloomberg Americans bought 524,000 small, starter pickup trucks last year—about 1,400 a day—but not one of them had removable doors. In a few weeks, that small but noteworthy gap in the market will be filled by the Jeep Gladiator, an all-new rig that represents Fiat-Chrysler’s initial bid to buccaneer its way back into one of the industry’s hottest segments. The ...

Bloomberg AT&T Inc. resolved its contract dispute with Viacom Inc., staving off a blackout that would have kept its millions of pay-TV customers from seeing cable channels such as Nickelodeon and MTV. The deal reached “brings AT&T customers more choice and improved value for Viacom content,” according to a joint statement that provided few other details. The companies’ contract, which ...