China’s tighter social restrictions to fight its latest Covid-19 outbreak, now in its fourth week and involving more than a dozen cities, are hitting the services sector especially travel and hospitality in the world’s second-largest economy.

US cyber security giant NortonLifeLock is to buy Czech rival Avast for over $8 billion to create a leading consumer business, the pair announced Wednesday after the pandemic fuelled online activity.

Volvo Cars, owned by China’s Geely Holding, will temporarily stop production at its Swedish plant in Gothenburg due to the shortage of semiconductor chips, it said on Wednesday.

China’s vehicle sales slid in July for a third consecutive month, hit hard by flooding in some areas of the country, Covid-19 outbreaks in other areas and the global shortage of semiconductors. 

Oil prices rose more than $1 on Tuesday, recouping some of the losses in the previous session, as rise of demand in Europe and the United States outweighed concerns over a rise of Covid cases in Asian countries.

Once brimming with combat boots, flak jackets and other war paraphernalia, the smugglers’ markets in Pakistan are being forced to rethink their business model as foreign troops exit Afghanistan and contraband dries up.

The US Senate has set a Tuesday vote on passage of a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that is one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities, and then will immediately begin to debate a more far-reaching $3.5 trillion bill.

US electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc sold 32,968 China-made vehicles in July, including 24,347 for export, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said on Tuesday.

InterContinental  Hotels Group on Tuesday announced a return to first-half profits as  vaccination rollouts and the lifting of lockdowns boosted travel demand.

Companies should not rely on governments to reach agreement at a global summit on climate change this year, but rather take more action themselves, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters said on Tuesday.

A mass corporate switch in Europe to holding virtual annual shareholder meetings or AGMs has picked up pace this year, raising concern among investors that some companies will try to ditch the physical version permanently.

From wellness workshops to dinner with a celebrity chef and flights to nowhere, Asia’s big international airlines are working hard to keep their most lucrative customers engaged as the pandemic-related travel halt stretches beyond 18 months. 

Risks don’t come much longer term than climate change, so you might expect sovereign wealth funds to be all over it, as investment giants with decades in their sights. 

Private equity firms are rethinking their strategies in China as a widening regulatory crackdown on some of the country’s hottest sectors forces investors to scout for bets in other industries that they hope will be less vulnerable to sudden policy changes.

Oil prices fell more than 3 per cent on Monday, extending last week’s steep losses on the back of a rising US dollar and concerns that new coronavirus-related restrictions in Asia, especially China, could halt a global recovery in fuel demand.

China’s factory gate inflation in July rose at a faster clip from the previous month and exceeded market expectations, adding to strains on an economy losing recovery momentum as businesses struggle with high raw material costs. 

Under pressure from businesses and public sectors facing a worker shortage that policymakers fear will fuel inflation, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is due to unveil plans this week to reopen the country’s borders.

JPMorgan Chase & Co employees in the United States will be required to wear masks in public indoor settings and in common areas within its offices regardless of their vaccination status, the bank told staff in a memo on Friday. 

The US Senate voted to advance a $1 trillion infrastructure package on Saturday but remained on a slow path toward passage with two Republicans openly opposing behind-the-scenes efforts to wrap up work on one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities. 

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said on Sunday it has suspended several staff following an employee’s allegations on the company’s intranet that she was sexually assaulted by her boss and a client.