Bloomberg Bitcoin slipped below $7,000 to its lowest level in three weeks, as seemingly positive sentiment surrounding the largest virtual currency soured over the weekend. The digital token fell as much as 6 percent to trade with a $6,000-handle for the first time since July 17. Last month’s renewed exuberance, which saw it rise by almost a third, appears to …

Bloomberg Iran’s central bank, acting on the eve of US sanctions, scrapped most currency controls introduced this year in a bid to halt a plunge in the rial that has stirred protests against the government of President Hassan Rouhani. Under the measures, the central bank will allow the market to determine the rate of foreign-exchange transactions except the imports of …

Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc posted one of the worst equities-trading revenue performances among global banks in the second quarter amid an overall slump at its markets business. Revenue from stock trading at the Asia-focused bank fell 17 percent to $279 million, according to a company presentation. US banks posted a 14 percent average increase for the period and some of …

Bloomberg Absa Group Ltd. forecast that its return on equity, a measure of profit, will improve slightly this year, helped by the South African lender’s operations in the rest of the continent. While costs will improve by the end of the year, expenses are still likely to grow faster than income, the bank said. Absa, which rebranded from Barclays Africa …

Bloomberg Romania unexpectedly left borrowing costs unchanged, looking past the European Union’s fastest inflation as the economy cools. The National Bank of Romania kept its benchmark interest rate at 2.5 percent on Monday. Three of 18 analysts in a Bloomberg survey predicted the decision, while 15 saw a quarter-point increase. Governor Mugur Isarescu was expected to hold a briefing in …

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. could offer a boost for the burgeoning universe of funds betting on cryptocurrencies. The firm is considering a plan to offer custody for crypto funds, according to people with knowledge of the matter. That means the bank would hold the newfangled securities on behalf of the funds, reducing risk for clients seeking to guard against …

Bloomberg Writedowns of underperforming loans drove Social Finance Inc. (SoFi) to a second-quarter adjusted loss of about $200 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The student-loan refinancer, which has been trying to transform itself into a broader online financial-services company, took a one-time charge on loans originated before the second quarter, one of the people said. The company …

Bloomberg Bright and breezy days are becoming a deeper nightmare for utilities struggling to earn a return on traditional power plants. With wind and solar farms sprouting up in more areas — and their power getting priority to feed into the grid in many places — the amount of electricity being generated is outstripping demand during certain hours of the …

Bloomberg China’s GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd. sank to the lowest level in more than nine years as a deal for the company to sell a controlling stake in its polysilicon unit worth $1.9 billion to Shanghai Electric Group Co. fell apart. Shares of GCL-Poly in Hong Kong fell 7.6 percent to close at HK$0.61, the lowest since March 2009, paring …

Bloomberg The Trump administration will consider partial exemptions from oil sanctions against Iran for some countries as a first wave of non-oil penalties against the Islamic Republic snap back into effect on Tuesday, US officials said. President Donald Trump is still willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at any time, without preconditions, as the US ramps up economic …