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 …

Bloomberg House of Fraser Ltd. needs a new lifeline after a Chinese retailer pulled its plan to buy a majority stake, leaving the UK department-store chain on the brink of collapse and threatening about 17,000 jobs. Would-be rescuer C.banner International Holdings Ltd. shelved plans to raise funds for the purchase of a 51 percent stake in the British chain, citing …

Bloomberg Taiwan is looking at ways to hit back at foreign airlines that recently caved in to pressure from Beijing to refer to the island as part of China. The transportation ministry is studying countermeasures, according to an official who asked not to be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly. Taipei-based United Daily News reported earlier the …

Bloomberg Danish tourists bound for Cyprus got more room than they’d bargained for as the first second-hand A380 superjumbo began its new life with a trip to the Mediterranean holiday island from Copenhagen. The Airbus SE plane, the world’s biggest passenger jet, was hired by Thomas Cook Group Plc for a four-hour flight to Larnaca, a comparatively short hop for …

Bloomberg BAE Systems Plc earnings fell almost 10 percent in the first half as Europe’s biggest defense company booked hits against its US operations, offsetting gains from major contract wins. Underlying earnings before interest, tax and amortisation dropped to $1.14 billion from 967 million pounds a year earlier, London-based BAE said in a statement. While BAE has won contracts to …