Bloomberg France’s private-sector economy shrank for the first time in four months in June, with manufacturing slumping the most in more than a year. A composite Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 49.4 from 50.9 in May, London-based Markit Economics said on Thursday. That’s below the 50-point mark that divides expansion from contraction. A gauge for manufacturing dropped to 47.9, …

  Bloomberg The euro will strengthen this year no matter which way the U.K. votes in Thursday’s referendum on its European Union membership, according to one of the most accurate forecasters of the currency. A record current-account surplus and rising inflation-adjusted bond yields will limit any declines in the shared currency to $1.10, said Daisuke Karakama, chief market economist at …

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG’s typically close-knit owners publicly split for the first time over the diesel crisis after the German state of Lower Saxony withheld support for two executives under investigation for their role in the scandal. Volkswagen’s second-largest shareholder abstained from what is typically a ceremonial vote at the annual meeting, declining to back former CEO Martin Winterkorn and …