German industrial output fell for the first time this year — highlighting the sector’s enduring challenges within Europe’s largest economy.

Production decreased 0.4% in March, led by drops in consumer and intermediate goods, and energy, the statistics office said Wednesday. That was still better than the 0.7% decline estimated by economists in a Bloomberg poll .

Women taking Ozempic or similar drugs for diabetes or weight loss are taking to social media to commiserate about an unexpected side effect — "surprise pregnancies," said . There is a Facebook group called " " with over 600 members, plus numerous Reddit and TikTok posts talking about the phenomenon. The new trend of so-called Ozempic babies has given some doctors hope for possible infertility treatment. Still, others are wary of moving forward with so little data on its safety. Reports of an Ozempic baby boom are mainly anecdotal at...

Former President Trump speaks in Davenport, Iowa, on March 13, 2023. Photo: Miriam Alarcon Avila/Bloomberg via Getty Images Former President Trump's hush money trial stems from events purported to have taken place over nearly two decades, well before his entry into politics vaulted him to the presidency. The big picture: The presumptive GOP presidential nominee faces 34 felony counts stemming from allegations he falsified business records to cover up payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who first publicly alleged the two had an affair in 2018. • Trump...

Biden Punishes Drillers With 15-Fold Increase In Permitting Costs, Plans To Block Arctic Oil Extraction One week after the Biden administration slapped new regulations on key power grid components, the Washington Post reports that US oil and gas companies will face a 15-fold increase in costs to drill on federal land, under a new rule released on Friday. Workers operate a drilling rig while plugging an abandoned oil well north of Shelby, Mont. (Adrián Sanchez-Gonzalez for The Washington Post) (Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez/For The Washington Post) Under it, the Interior Department's Bureau...

Kazakhstan halted its longest series of interest-rate cuts in nearly a decade, holding the cost of borrowing as the central bank gauges price pressures at home and in neighboring Russia.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan kept the benchmark rate at 14.75% on Friday after five consecutive reductions. The move matched the forecast of only one economist in a Bloomberg survey , with most expecting a further reduction of 25 basis points.

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union. Western officials worry that Ukraine is nearing a breaking point after the latest Russian missile strikes knocked out the largest power plant in the Kyiv region. While the US doesn’t see signs of an imminent breakthrough by Vladimir Putin’s forces, a dire and mounting shortage of ammunition and manpower along the 1,500-kilometer front and gaps in air defense have officials warning that Ukraine is at its most fragile in more than...

President Joe Biden is on the precipice of moving to shut down new oil drilling activity on millions of acres of Alaskan land, according to Bloomberg. Biden is reportedly days away from finalizing a plan to restrict oil drilling on nearly half of the 23 million acres known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) in the state’s North Slope region, according to Bloomberg. While the move will not imperil ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow Project that Biden greenlit in 2023, energy companies fear that the final plan will make it almost impossible...

Just weeks after losing one of its most powerful female executives, Goldman Sachs has promoted another woman to a top position: Carey Halio, who’s spent more than two decades at the firm, will be taking over as global treasurer. Halio, who will also join the bank’s management committee, has worked at Goldman since 2000, starting out in credit risk. She was named a partner in 2016 and most recently served as chief strategy officer and global head of investor relations. As global treasurer, she’ll work with Goldman’s divisions to manage...