While Aung San Suu Kyi’s inauguration as Myanmar’s state councilor early last month was largely academic, it certainly wasn’t short on significance. With the globally revered democracy icon vowing to be “above the president” anyway, the international community is now queuing up to engage with the once pariah state. But though Suu Kyi’s ‘brand’ has the power to attract ...

  BLOOMBERG Saudi Arabian stock investors showed they care more about the price of oil than what New York-based Moody’s Investors Service Inc. thinks about the kingdom’s debt dynamics. A day after Moody’s became the latest company to reduce the nation’s credit rating, the Tadawul All Share Index added as much as 0.8 percent before closing little changed. Saudi Arabian ...

  Bloomberg To understand just how volatile Brazil’s stock market is, take a closer look at this year’s winners and losers. Last year’s reigning stocks — pulpmakers Suzano Papel & Celulose, Klabin SA and Fibria Celulose SA — are among the worst performers on the Ibovespa index this year. But 2015’s big dud — Metalurgica Gerdau SA — posted Brazil’s ...

  BLOOMBERG Brazilian stocks fell on Friday, keeping the Ibovespa benchmark on course for its first monthly drop since January. If history is any guide, that shouldn’t surprise investors. Brazilian stocks have fallen every May this decade, adding weight to the old adage “sell in May and go away.” The Ibovespa declined 2.7 percent to 51,804.31 at the close of ...

  Bloomberg Obamacare is under legal attack again, and in the health-care industry it’s hospitals that have the most to lose. A federal judge ruled on Thursday that subsidies for patients’ out-of-pocket costs may be illegal in President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law. Those subsidies are a key part of the law that helped millions of Americans afford health care. ...

  AP The global luxury housing market lost some of its sheen last year as financial markets became unsettled and many wealthy buyers began to look for less expensive homes. “The return of realism,” is how Dan Conn, chief executive of Christie’s International Real Estate, described the high-end market that stretches from San Francisco to Singapore. Sales in a sector ...

  Bloomberg Most business travellers are at the mercy of their employer’s travel policies when it comes to where to stay. But once you get to your hotel, you’ll need to impress a different power broker to make your visit as comfortable as you can: the front-desk agent. With a few keyboard taps, these often-forgotten employees can control whether you ...

  Berlin, Germany / AFP Try looking for a free wi-fi connection in the cafe down the street in Germany and, more likely than not, there isn’t one. Forget about looking for open connections in parks or at key monuments. They just don’t exist. In an age when almost everyone carries a smartphone, the absence of such free hotspots can ...

  Las Vegas, UNITED STATES / AFP The possible future of transit zipped along a short track in the desert outside Las Vegas on Wednesday before sliding to a stop in a bed of sand, sending up a tan wave. Hyperloop One, a start-up hoping to revolutionize transport systems, held its first public test of engine components being designed to rocket pods ...

  Washington / AP Self-driving cars are expected to usher in a new era of mobility, safety and convenience. The problem, say transportation researchers, is that people will use them too much. Experts foresee robot cars chauffeuring children to school, dance class and baseball practice. The disabled and elderly will have new mobility. Commuters will be able to work, sleep, eat ...