There was a moment not long ago when Angela Merkel realized U.S. President Donald Trump had changed everything for Germany. These days, officials there wonder whether the relationship with America has been permanently altered. Even if Trump loses re-election, they say the trust that underpinned the transatlantic friendship for seven decades may be gone for good. —David E. Rovella Here are today’s top stories Rural America was one of the key reasons Trump won the White House in 2016, so it’s probably not a coincidence that China has targeted some of its trade war retaliation on U.S. farm products. Now, Beijing has American soybeans in its crosshairs. China is also considering flexing its muscles in the rare earth department. But it’s not the only country with a supply of those precious metals. Still, Chinese leaders find themselves in a bind: How can they show Trump they won’t be pushed around without wrecking hope for a deal? Wall Street is worried Trump’s trade war won’t end anytime soon. As the U.S. and China clash over everything from trade to tech, some of the biggest names in investing are bracing for a protracted conflict. JPMorgan agreed to pay $5 million to resolve a discrimination claim filed by a male employee who alleged the bank’s parental leave policy was biased against dads. Bing is no longer the laughingstock of the internet world. Sure, it still pales in comparison to Google, but it generates almost three times the advertising revenue of Twitter, Shira Ovide writes in Bloomberg Opinion. What’s Joe Weisenthal thinking about? The Bloomberg news director says that when you hear people talk about the Fed’s success at achieving its dual mandate, the common line is that the Fed’s done great on the employment side, but that it’s still missing on inflation goals. Some are arguing, however, that the Fed hasn’t taken the employment part of its mandate seriously enough. What you’ll need to know tomorrow Pakistan’s rupee may be the world’s biggest loser this month. Russia rejected an Iranian request for a missile defense system. There’s a $4 trillion plan to help homebuyers. It may not work. LaCroix seltzer sales are “effectively in free fall,” this analyst said. Baby boomers played a role in the financial troubles of millennials. Trump is pushing his new Nafta proposal while Democrats waver. Uber just lost $1 billion in one quarter. Sales are up, though. What you’ll want to read tonight in Businessweek For WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the morning of April 11 arrived as most others had over the seven years he’d lived as a refugee in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Granted asylum there in 2012, he was hiding from British authorities for having jumped bail to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape allegations and to the U.S. for publishing secret government documents. Assange had been granted Ecuadorian citizenship and was therefore officially an Ecuadorian sleeping on Ecuadorian soil. Then Ecuador’s president, Lenin Moreno, kicked him out. Like Bloomberg’s Evening Briefing? Subscribe to Bloomberg.com. You’ll get our unmatched global news coverage and two premium daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close, and much, much more. See our limited-time introductory offer. Bloomberg’s The Future of ETFs series returns this June across six European cities. Whether you’re employing active or passive strategies, knowledge of the exchange-traded funds market is vital in today’s uncertain environment. Request an invitation to join us in London, Paris, Zurich, Milan, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam. Download the Bloomberg app: It’s available for iOS and Android. |