Venezuela Oil, Bond Sanctions Eased in US Bet on Free Elections

The US suspended sanctions on Venezuelan oil, gas and gold production after four years and lifted some restrictions on bond trading, expressing confidence that strongman President Nicolas Maduro is ready to take on all challengers in an open election.

In a gesture of goodwill after Maduro’s government entered talks with some members of the opposition, the US Treasury Department said Wednesday it issued a six-month license authorizing transactions involving the oil and gas sector in Venezuela. It also authorized dealings with Minerven, the Venezuelan state-owned gold mining company, and lifted a ban on secondary trading of some Venezuelan sovereign bonds ...