By Alun John HONG KONG (Reuters) – The euro was heading for its best week since March 2020 and was testing a near three-month high after Thursday’s hawkish shift from the European Central Bank stoked speculation about the pace and timing of rate hikes. Though the ECB kept rates on hold as widely expected, the…
By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. job growth likely slowed sharply in January as COVID-19 infections lashed the nation, disrupting activity at high-contact business, a temporary setback to the labor market recovery that was already reversing at the end of the month. There is even a strong possibility that the economy lost jobs last…
(Reuters) – Southwest Airlines Co will resume alcohol sales on its flights this month after nearly two years, the Texas-based carrier said on Thursday, a pause it extended last year due to a surge in in-flight disruptions by passengers. U.S. airlines during the COVID-19 pandemic had mostly suspended in-flight services on domestic flights to avoid…
By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s economy likely rebounded in the final three months of 2021 as consumption rose during a drop off in COVID-19 cases, a Reuters poll showed, though it could slide back into contraction this quarter after a spike in Omicron variant infections. The poll also showed wholesale prices continued to…
By Kanupriya Kapoor SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asian equity markets fought for a footing on Friday, supported by an Amazon-led bounce in U.S futures, but oil’s rise to a seven-year high kept traders on edge over prospects that interest rates will rise to curb global inflationary pressures. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ticked…
By Ahmad Ghaddar and Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) – After a month in which oil prices surged 15% and geopolitical tensions seethed around the world, OPEC and its allies took a record-quick 16 minutes to decide that they would stick to their previously planned output increase. Apparently, there were no lengthy discussions at Wednesday’s meeting…
By Roslan Khasawneh SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices climbed on Friday, extending sharp gains in the previous session sparked by persistent supply concerns and as frigid weather cascades across the United States, threatening to further disrupt fragile oil supplies. Brent crude was up 16 cents, or 0.2%, to $91.27 a barrel by 0102 GMT, after…
By Danielle Kaye NEW YORK (Reuters) – Amazon pulled the veil off its sprawling advertising business for the first time on Thursday, revealing a business larger than that of Google’s YouTube. Amazon reported ad revenue of $9.7 billion for the fourth quarter, up 32% from last year, and $31 billion for the year. YouTube posted…
By Eva Mathews and Nivedita Balu (Reuters) -Mark Zuckerberg lost $29 billion in net worth on Thursday as Meta Platforms Inc’s stock marked a record one-day plunge, while fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos was set to add $20 billion to his personal valuation after Amazon’s blockbuster earnings. Meta’s stock fell 26%, erasing more than $200 billion…
By Daina Beth Solomon MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -An upstart union supported by international activists on Thursday won an election to represent General Motors workers in central Mexico, opening the door to the prospect of bigger pay rises, inspired by U.S.-backed labor reform. The election was one of the first under the new Mexican law, which…
