Hopes for fresh monetary stimulus might be answered this week in Europe, which also begins the week with a resolution to Italy’s two-month political stalemate. In the US, investors will focus on a two-day meeting of Federal Reserve policy makers beginning on Tuesday, before their counterparts at the European Central Bank gather on Thursday. Europe’s Stoxx 600 Index climbed 3.7 …

Infratil, the Wellington-based investor, has re-launched its sale of up to $100 million of June 2022 infrastructure bonds after tweaking its offer document to note the increased regulatory risk posed by the Labour and Green parties’ plans to overhaul the energy market. The firm suspended its offer last Wednesday to allow a re-write of its investment statement and prospectus after …

By Ernest Z. Bower Smoke signals from this week’s Geneva cloister to determine the new leader of the World Trade Organization  revealed results much less surprising than the choice of Pope Francis.  The two Latin Americans, Roberto Azevedo of Brazil and Herminio Blanco of Mexico, are the finalists. What is interesting is what this says about Asia’s support for global trade.  Three …