The U.S. on Friday restricted the ability of Venezuela to tap American debt markets for funding, marking a significant escalation in Washington’s economic crackdown against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s cash-strapped government. President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibits institutions in the U.S. from trading new bonds with Mr. Maduro’s government, including through the state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela SA. It doesn’t curb trading of existing Venezuelan bonds in secondary markets and allows short-term trade finance to facilitate oil transactions between Venezuela and the U.S. The actions are aimed at limiting the government’s ability to finance itself, […]