Bloomberg The European Central Bank’s first home in Frankfurt — the iconic Eurotower — has been acquired by Fubon Life Insurance Co. It’s the Taiwanese company’s first deal in Germany. The office building, one of the most recognisable towers in the city’s financial district, served as the ECB’s headquarters until 2015 and is regarded as the birthplace of the euro. …

Bloomberg Next year is shaping up to be another tough one for Nomura Holdings Inc’s employees in Europe, with more job losses likely as the Japanese securities firm shifts business away from the region to more profitable centers in Asia and the US. Japan’s biggest investment bank needs to cut staff while finding ways to spur revenue in the region, …

Bloomberg India’s new rules for foreign e-commerce platforms may be designed to protect local companies from Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc., but consumers are likely to suffer the collateral damage. Online marketplaces must treat all vendors equally by providing the same terms, India’s trade ministry said. In practice, this means barring e-commerce companies from forcing a seller to feature products …

Bloomberg Vinci SA is doubling down on budget travel with the $3.7 billion purchase of a controlling stake in Gatwick Airport. London’s second-busiest hub has more than tripled in value since it was bought by Global Infrastructure Partners for about 1.5 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) in 2009, mainly because of the surge in low-cost tourism. The skies looked very different …

Bloomberg Sears Holdings Corp. got another chance at survival after Chairman Eddie Lampert put together a last-minute, last-ditch bid to buy the retailer out of bankruptcy. Lampert persuaded three lenders to finance the $4.4 billion offer, according to a statement from ESL Investments. The plan includes keeping 425 stores open and a $1.3 billion financing commitment, the statement said. Bank …

Bloomberg President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he’d spoken at length with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that “big progress” is being made towards a deal between the world’s largest economies. The agreement will be “very comprehensive” and will cover “all subjects, areas and points of dispute,” the president said in a tweet. Trump’s comment comes as a US …

Bloomberg The US may be exporting natural gas at a record clip, but that hasn’t stopped it from accepting new imports. A tanker with fuel from Nigeria has berthed at the Cove Point import terminal in Maryland, while a second ship with Russian gas is idling outside Boston Harbor. Pipeline constraints, depleted stockpiles and a 98-year-old law barring foreign ships …

Bloomberg If you ever needed convincing there’s money to be made investing in renewable energy companies, just look at the best performer this year on Europe’s main utilities index. As a torrid year for global markets draws to a close, Verbund AG almost tripled in value in 2018 and is beating all of its 27 peers to the top spot …

Bloomberg Chesapeake Energy Corp shares rose the most in two years after board member Archie Dunham, former chief executive of ConocoPhillips’ predecessor company, bought more than $4 million in additional stock. Dunham purchased 2.1 million shares December 21, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, nearly doubling his position this month to over 1 percent of …

Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp. has sold enough cars to put one outside every Japanese home. Now it wants to put robots inside. Well-known for its automated assembly lines, Toyota sees a not-so-far-off future in which robots transcend the factory and become commonplace in homes, helping with chores — and even offering companionship — in an aging society where a quarter …