The New York Times ran an article over the weekend about efforts by utility companies to fight the spread of rooftop-solar power: Rooftop solar panel growth has come to a shuddering stop this year, with a projected decline in new installations of 2 percent. Since 2013, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, Maine and Indiana have decided to phase out programs that spurred …

It’s easy to poke fun at Britain’s government dysfunction. But there’s at least one policy area where it’s having a sophisticated debate with global implications: how to regulate ‘gig economy’ companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Deliveroo so they don’t exploit workers or skimp on taxes. Working out new rules for companies that use smartphones to connect buyers and …

I am giving you permission: You can safely ignore Amazon’s Prime Day, the annual fake shopping holiday Jeff Bezos invented two years ago. True to form, Amazon released a crush of mostly useless statistics about the “success” of its invented holiday. Prime Day 2017 was the “biggest global shopping event in Amazon history”. Prime Day couldn’t even be contained by …

Bloomberg Stock markets in the Gulf were mixed on Sunday with the global uptrend in equities pushing Dubai’s index up to test technical resistance but weak corporate earnings hurting Oman. The Dubai index gained 1.0 percent in modest trading volume to close on its April peak of 3,573 points. Eight of the 10 most heavily traded stocks rose, with the …

Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping said the central bank will play a stronger role in defending against risks, calling for more work on safeguarding the financial system and modernizing its regulatory framework. China will set up a Financial Stability Development Committee under the State Council, Xi said at a twice-a-decade National Financial Work Conference held July 14-15, state media reported …

Bloomberg Wells Fargo & Co. is no longer releasing the customer account figures it started disclosing after a scandal in September erupted over employees creating fake accounts to reach sales goals. Wells Fargo had been reporting 19 measures of client activity monthly, including the number of retail bank customers opening and closing checking accounts or applying for credit cards. Just …

Bloomberg Banco Santander SA, Spain’s biggest lender, bought minority stakes in three financial-technology firms as Chairman Ana Botin makes machine learning a hallmark of her growth plan. Santander InnoVentures is investing in Pixoneye and Curve, both based in the U.K., and Gridspace, located in the U.S., according to a statement. Terms weren’t disclosed. The acquisitions bring the number of fintech …

Bloomberg Barclays Plc is in talks with Irish regulators to expand operations in Dublin as it activates plans to preserve access to European Union markets, as Brexit negotiations drag on with no financial-services deal in sight. CEOr Jes Staley and Helen Keelan, chairman of Barclays Bank Ireland, met country’s PM Leo Varadkar in Dublin. Barclays said that while it ‘remains …

Bloomberg As Sweden weighs the pros and cons of joining Europe’s banking union, the Nordic country says Italy’s decision to involve taxpayers isn’t encouraging. After months of deliberations, Italy said in June it will tap state coffers to pay for the wind-down of Banca Popolare di Vicenza SpA and Veneto Banca SpA. Italy is also using a provision in Europe’s …

Bloomberg Sprint Corp. Chairman Masayoshi Son held talks with billionaires Warren Buffett and John Malone about investing in the wireless company, according to a person familiar with the matter. Buffett is considering an infusion of $10 billion to $20 billion, while Malone would put in additional funding, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. Part …