Bloomberg Daimler AG maintained the profitability of its Mercedes-Benz Cars unit in the second quarter even as it spent money to introduce a new version of the E-Class sedan, a model it said will help boost returns the rest of the year. Adjusted for special items, the return on sales was 10 percent at the division, which includes the …

  Bloomberg The U.K. economy may be heading for its first recession since 2009, with economists slashing their forecasts in the wake of the Brexit vote and now seeing two quarters of contraction this year. While the 0.1% decline in gross domestic product anticipated in each of the third and fourth quarters is modest, it will mark the end of …

  Bloomberg French executives brushed aside concerns about the U.K. vote to leave the European Union, reporting improving confidence in the first major survey of business sentiment since the British referendum. Business sentiment rose two points to 102 in July, while sentiment among manufacturing executives climbed one point to 103, national statistics office Insee said Thursday. The increase suggests that …