Bloomberg Even for Citigroup Inc., it was big money. The loan operations staff at the New York bank wired $900 million, seemingly on behalf of Revlon Inc., to lenders of the troubled cosmetics giant controlled by billionaire Ron Perelman. It was a mistake for the ages — a “clerical error,” as Citigroup told lenders — that’s now plunged the bank …

Bloomberg The biggest US and European banks added 19,000 people to their payrolls in first half of year as demand for loans and other services surged during the pandemic and planned staff cuts were largely put on hold. Eight of the top 15 firms increased headcount this year through June, while only four reduced it. Three lenders’ staff levels were …

Bloomberg This week’s run-up in US stocks towards their highest levels on record seems an anomaly, considering the political breakdown over a $1 trillion-plus fiscal stimulus package, and it’s spurring concerns from Wall Street to Capitol Hill. Federal Reserve officials and private economists alike have emphasised that a sharp drop-off in government spending imperils a recovery from the historic collapse …

Bloomberg Gold posted its first weekly drop in more than two months after being buffeted by climbing real yields, profit-taking and uncertainty over US-China trade talks. Bullion is ending a week filled with big price fluctuations on a relatively tame note, trading at more than $100 an ounce below last week’s record after dropping the most in seven years. Both …

Bloomberg Oil squeezed out a gain for the second straight week but uncertainty around the US-China trade deal and fears of a resurgent pandemic limited the price rally. Crude futures in New York fell 0.5%, but rise 1.9% for the week. The US and China postponed talks planned for over the weekend that had been aimed at reviewing progress at …

Bloomberg Wind and solar energy doubled its share of the global power mix over the last five years, moving the world closer to a path that would limit the worst effects of global warming. The sources of renewable energy made up nearly 10% of power in most parts of the world in the first half of this year, according to …

Bloomberg Betting on growing demand to finance and support mini power plants, Schneider Electric SE said that it was partnering with investors to launch a new company focussed on microgrids for small and medium-sized US businesses. Investors led by Jeff Ubben’s new sustainable investment firm Inclusive Capital Partners and clean energy-focussed Huck Capital, will back the partnership. Having reliable, sustainable …

Bloomberg Shale explorers parked more drilling rigs in the US this week as stagnant oil prices push the industry to extend a historic retrenchment. The number of active oil rigs in US fields fell by 4 to 172, according to Baker Hughes data. That’s the lowest level of activity since 2005, before the shale boom kicked off. The worst may …

Bloomberg Facebook Inc joined a growing list of developers to publicly criticise Apple Inc over its revenue-sharing policy for in-app purchases, suggesting the iPhone maker’s fee structure is hurting small businesses during a global pandemic. The social network rolled out a paid events feature in 20 countries, offering businesses the ability to charge users for access to live video streams, …

Bloomberg Facebook Inc is beginning to merge the chat function of its Instagram and Messenger services, the Verge reported. The changes are coming with an update of the company’s apps on Apple Inc’s devices as well as Android devices, said the Verge, citing reports from users. Once updated, the Instagram app embeds Messenger functionality, and adds more emojis and features …