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Italy’s agreement to sign on to China’s Belt and Road Initiative has unnerved European and US leaders who hoped for a united front against Beijing’s geo-economic ambitions. “Endorsing BRI lends legitimacy to China’s predatory approach to investment and will bring no benefits to Italian people,” White House’s National Security Council (NSC) warned via Twitter. While Chinese investment in Europe is ...

You know the situation must be dire if a company’s shares spike after it confirms plans to dilute shareholders. Japan Display Inc., a maker of screens for the iPhone and other gadgets, jumped as much as 14 percent. The catalyst was a brief statement from the company earlier in the day that said it was aiming to reach agreements this ...

Today, around $10 trillion of bonds are trading at negative yields, mainly in Europe and Japan. In the next recession, US interest rates, too, may enter negative territory: Short-term rates are currently running around 2.5 percent, and cuts of between 3 percent and 5 percent are commonly needed to restart economic activity. In markets where rates are even lower or ...

Love is in the air again among the world’s automotive manufacturers. The alliance of Renault SA, Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. aims to restart merger talks in 12 months before moving on to a takeover of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, the Financial Times reported last week. Peugeot-owner PSA Group is also looking to build a partnership with Fiat ...

More than a week after Thailand’s first election in eight years, there’s still little clarity about the nation’s political future. The more frustrating that stalemate becomes, the bigger the incentive for Bangkok businesses to venture overseas. The March 24 polls, it seems, have solved nothing. If holding elections under a new constitution was supposed to lift politics from the streets ...

Where are the unicorns? China’s first batch of candidates for its version of the tech-focused Nasdaq is an uninspiring bunch. Nine companies have been vetted for listing on Shanghai’s Science and Technology Innovation Board, out of 19 that filed applications. They’re also tiny, planning to raise just $1.6 billion combined. That’s a fraction of the $5.4 billion Xiaomi Corp. took ...

Bloomberg US equities extended losses and European shares climbed as investors reassessed the strong rally that started the week. Treasuries resumed their charge higher, while the pound weakened after Britain’s parliament once again failed to reach a consensus on Brexit. The Dow was dragged down by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc after lower pharmacy reimbrusements hurt earnings at the drugstore chain. ...

Bloomberg An abrupt surge in Bitcoin sent the world’s most popular cryptocurrency to the highest level since November, jolting the $160 billion market for digital assets after three months of calm. Traders struggled to pinpoint reasons for the rally, though some noted a flood fresh interest after Bitcoin breached the $4,200 level. The cryptocurrency briefly topped $5,000 and the value ...

Bloomberg The Bank of England (BOE) has been meeting with direct lenders to gauge the industry’s resilience to slowing growth, according to two people familiar with the matter. At least two of the biggest UK private credit funds met separately with members of the central bank’s financial stability unit in the past month, said the people, who asked not to ...

Bloomberg Britain’s pound presents the biggest opportunity within developed-market currencies with a probable break-the-Brexit logjam moment coming soon, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. “We’re coming to a big finish here,” Zach Pandl, Goldman’s co-head of global foreign exchange and emerging market strategy, said on Bloomberg Television after the UK Parliament again rejected all alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May’s ...