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Bloomberg The backlash against shale drilling in earthquake-prone regions — a thorn in the side of US energy companies for the past decade — reached China this week after a series of temblors killed two people and reduced homes to rubble. China’s biggest oil and gas producer halted drilling in an area of the country’s shale hub after three quakes …

Bloomberg Global stocks dropped on Tuesday as the rush of optimism over US-China trade talks from earlier in the week faded. The pound rallied as UK Prime Minister Theresa May promised a vote to delay Brexit if her proposed deal fails. S&P 500 Index futures slid and European stocks edged lower after US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of …

Bloomberg Indian stocks and the rupee bounced off the day’s lows as investors assessed the impact of the rising tensions between India and Pakistan against the backdrop of falling oil prices and buoyant emerging markets. The S&P BSE Sensex tumbled as much as 1.4 percent and the rupee lost 0.5 percent in reaction to an air strike on a terrorist …

Bloomberg Federal Reserve policy makers see 2019 marking the end of their balance sheet run-off, but not necessarily their interest-rate increases. Minutes of the central bank’s January 29-30 policy meeting released showed “almost all participants” agreeing it best to halt roll-offs this year, a move that should be welcomed by investors worried the balance sheet draw-down is hurting the economy. …

Bloomberg Roberto Campos Neto needs no introduction in financial markets, but his thoughts on how the central bank could boost Brazil’s recovery have remained a mystery. While the money-making talents of the former Santander treasurer are well known, the Senate confirmation hearing should finally reveal what the nominee for the central bank’s presidency thinks about interest rates, inflation, and Brazil’s …

Bloomberg The European Union’s highest court overturned Latvia’s suspension of central bank Governor Ilmars Rimsevics as part of a bribery probe that’s shaken the Baltic nation. In a victory for the European Central Bank, the EU Court of Justice on Tuesday said Latvia last year illegally prohibited the ECB Governing Council member from performing his role as central bank governor. …

Bloomberg The Bank of England stepped up its defenses against a disruptive Brexit, offering lenders extra liquidity provisions over the period covering the UK’s withdrawal. The BOE will hold Indexed Long-Term Repo operations on a weekly instead of monthly basis between March 12 and the end of April — the time surrounding the planned exit date. The approach, designed to …

Bloomberg The doyen of Australian interest-rate forecasters has shifted ground and now predicts the Reserve Bank will cut twice to counter slower growth and higher unemployment. Bill Evans’s announcement that he expects the RBA to reduce the cash rate by a quarter-percentage point in August and November came less than an hour after employment data showed strong hiring in January. …

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co., battered by more than a week of flight delays and cancellations from a rash of aircraft maintenance issues, said its investigation has identified a small group of union mechanics that are orchestrating an effort to slow operations. The airline called on the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association to comply with its legal obligation and “take immediate action …

Bloomberg It would take a brave private equity investor to pounce on a UK retailer like Walmart Inc.’s Asda only five weeks before Brexit. KKR & Co. has teamed up with former Asda Chief Executive Officer Tony De Nunzio for early-stage considerations of a bid for the UK supermarket chain, according to a person familiar with the matter. The buyout …