Bloomberg Oil retreated from the highest close since July 2015 in New York as record US crude inventories offset OPEC production curbs. Futures dropped 0.8 percent. US government data showed stockpiles rose 564,000 barrels to 518.7 million last week, the highest level in weekly data going back to 1982. Still, it was the smallest gain this year and coincided …

  Bloomberg OPEC pumped at will the past two years to defend its turf against rivals. Its recent volte-face has left it contending with additional threats in the world’s biggest oil market. Crude that’s rarely or never-before seen coming to Asia is now sailing from all over the globe to the region, with the door to the market seemingly held …

  Bloomberg In his first blog post since succeeding Rex Tillerson, the new head of Exxon Mobil Corp. focused on climate change, calling for a carbon tax to discourage use of polluting fuels. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods said a revenue-neutral carbon tax “would promote greater energy efficiency and the use of today’s lower-carbon options, avoid further burdening …

  Bloomberg Heads of two of India’s largest drug makers said integration of electronic systems to prevent quality lapses in factories is going slower than expected, as the industry looks to adapt to increased scrutiny from regulators in the developed world that have resulted in sanctions and slowed sales. “This is a much more digital world than where pharma companies …

  Bloomberg Hong Kong’s existing home prices have climbed to a record, fueled by a surge in demand from local buyers and investors despite taxes and mortgage curbs designed to rein in prices. The Centaline Property Centa-City Leading Index, which tracks sales in the secondary market, rose to 147.74 for the week ended February 19, surpassing the previous high of …

  Bloomberg Evidence is mounting that Tokyo’s housing boom is nearing an end. In the Kachidoki area facing Tokyo Bay, home to the city’s hottest market given its proximity to venues for the 2020 Olympic Games, real-estate broker Hayato Jo has a wall full of notices of apartments for sale, with a 20 percent increase in the number of people …

  Bloomberg Iron ore’s having a reality check on rising doubt that the exuberance that lifted prices to the highest since 2014 is entirely rational given the outlook for additional supply, the record stockpiles in China and statements of caution from some of the world’s biggest miners. Futures in China fell on Friday, with Australia’s central bank saying it expected …

  Bloomberg Across America’s orchards and crop fields, a shrinking supply of migrants has already driven pay up faster than in the broader workforce. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy may turbocharge that trend. Wages for US fieldworkers rose 36 percent over the past decade through the conclusion of last year’s harvest in October, compared with 27 percent among non-farm employees, …

  Bloomberg After striking deals in Russian oil and Congolese copper mining, Glencore Plc has set its sights on the US grain-trading industry. The company sold half of its agriculture division to two Canadian pension funds for $3.1 billion last year to fund an aggressive debt-reduction plan. Now, with cash levels rebounding and support from new partners for acquisitions, the …

  Bloomberg The number of wealthy people granted investor visas to live in the UK fell by more than 80 percent last year from the peak in 2014, a sign that luxury home sales in the capital may slump further. While so-called Tier 1 investor visas rose 12 percent in 2016, the total granted was just 215, according to government …