Bloomberg US antitrust officials are investigating potentially anti-competitive practices in the residential real estate brokerage business, with a focus on compensation to brokers and restrictions on their access to listings. The probe was detailed in a civil investigative demand, which is akin to a subpoena, issued by the Justice Department to CoreLogic Inc., which provides real estate data to government ...

Bloomberg German business confidence fell to the weakest in more than four years as the escalation of global trade tensions weighed heavily on outlook. Along with a survey showing manufacturing still contracting and new orders falling, it’s a reminder of the shaky situation Europe’s largest economy is in. Its car industry is in upheaval and industrial giants such as Thyssenkrupp ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of about 1,500 additional US troops and military hardware to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran. The troops will serve “mostly in a protective capacity,” Trump said as he departed the White House for Japan. The president’s decision comes after his administration said it had evidence Iran is threatening possible ...

Bloomberg National Security Advisor John Bolton said the US wants to restart talks with North Korea even while calling the regime’s missile launches this month a violation of United Nations resolutions. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo ahead of a trip to Japan by President Donald Trump, Bolton said the launches on May 4 and May 9 were of close-range and ...

Bloomberg If anyone had any doubts about Narendra Modi’s popularity, India’s masses just put them to rest. His Bharatiya Janata Party swept to another single-party majority, a margin that surprised political watchers who expected him to return with a weakened mandate. A combination of economic populism, Hindu nationalism and air strikes against arch-rival Pakistan earlier this year proved unbeatable. “This ...

Bloomberg At 10:11 am on May 24, a devastated Theresa May walked back in through the black door of Number 10 Downing Street, tears in her eyes. For May, 62, it was the end she had dreaded but could no longer avoid. After three years battling the impossible contradictions of Brexit, she was resigning as UK prime minister, defeated at ...

Bloomberg Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as South Africa’s president on Saturday, marking the official start of his five-year term and setting the stage for the appointment of his new cabinet. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng administered Ramaphosa’s oath of office before a cheering crowd of about 40,000 at the Loftus Versveld rugby stadium in the capital, Pretoria. The 66-year-old Ramaphosa ...

A month ago, I declared that President Donald Trump’s trade war against China looked like it might be winding down. I was wrong. Instead of capitulating in exchange for some agricultural purchases and other minor concessions, Trump is doubling down. He’s raising tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent, and imposing new tariffs ...

Ask any small Indian firm how long it takes to get paid by larger companies, what kind of a runaround they’re given, what devilish excuses they encounter on the way, and you’ll wonder how they remain in business. The answer is simple: They raise cash by borrowing against the value of property. Such advances are tailor-made for the entrepreneur. A ...

Every year, the Federal Reserve conducts a round of stress tests purported to ensure that the banking system can weather a financial crisis. With the latest results coming next month, people are wondering: Will the exercise become less stressful amid President Trump’s deregulatory drive? Judging from the past several years’ results, it already has. The stress tests are far from ...