Bloomberg Billionaire Beny Steinmetz’s mining company may be asked to pay as much as $1.2 billion to former partner Vale SA after choosing not to attend an arbitration hearing in London in a dispute over one of the world’s richest mineral assets, two people with knowledge of the case said. The decision by Steinmetz’s BSG Resources Ltd. to back out …

Bloomberg The UK may find itself in a rare position of becoming a net impo- rter of wheat this season. Imports have exceeded demand in recent months, and if that continues the nation could finish the season that ends in June as a net buyer, according to the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board. That’s only happened three times in the …

Bloomberg Aston Martin may consider an initial public offering as early as next year as the British maker of James Bond’s cars seeks to capitalize on the success of Ferrari NV’s listing to lure investors, people familiar with the matter said. The century-old carmaker, whose owners include Investindustrial SpA, could list in London, said the people, who asked not to …

Bloomberg It’s been a year since US rules went into effect enabling anyone — not just the ultra-wealthy — to buy a slice of a startup. Turns out, few are interested. Investors sprinkled about $38 million across 142 companies since May 2016 when Title III of the JOBS Act allowed equity crowdfunding for non-accredited investors, according to data from industry …

As President Trump embarks on his first overseas trip, he’s embracing the same defiant strategy adopted over a generation ago by an embattled predecessor, Richard Nixon. As scandal talks grow at home, Trump is licking his wounds, spurning his critics, and looking for approval from foreign leaders who admire him for being a tough guy. Trump’s combative early-morning tweets on …

Unlike Hong Kong’s stock-trading links with Shanghai and Shenzhen, the bond connect between the former British colony and China may not be as slow to gain traction. The People’s Bank of China and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority this week unveiled plans to establish a mutual access program between the mainland and Hong Kong bond markets. Details on timing have …

President Donald Trump has frequently denounced the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), promising either to renegotiate it with extreme prejudice or terminate it altogether. On Thursday his administration served official notice that he is serious, notifying Congress that it intends to start negotiations with Canada and Mexico in 90 days. So Nafta is as good as doomed? Maybe not. …

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s election manifesto combines traditionally socialist rhetoric with a lack of specific spending promises. With it, May is making a play for center-left voters the way Tony Blair once made a play for center-right ones; she’s joining a European trend — a kind of hybrid right-left is emerging as traditional political divisions are erased. “Conservatism is …

In the cutthroat race for consumer dollars, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has pulled ahead. Shares in the world’s largest retailer rose 2% on Thursday after it reported an eye-popping 63% year-over-year increase in the latest quarter in US online sales, along with its eleventh straight quarter of year-over-year sales growth at established stores. It’s been a decades-long journey, but it seems …

The Industrial Revolution was probably the most important thing that has ever happened in human history. In the space of a few centuries, much of the human race, which had long hovered on the brink of starvation, was suddenly lifted into relative security through the power of new technology. But why did this amazing explosion happen? There are many theories, …