Bloomberg Three major unions have quit the board of the nation’s oldest consumer advocacy organisation, claiming funding from Amazon.com Inc has compromised the group’s progressive mission. In separate letters last month, the presidents of the United Food & Commercial Workers, the Communications Workers of America and the United Auto Workers wrote that their groups were resigning immediately from their roles …

Bloomberg The UK government lowered the cost of Covid tests provided by the National Health Service for international travel following criticism from the competition watchdog and the tourism industry. The cost of tests will be reduced to 68 pounds ($94.30) from 88 pounds for one test and to 136 pounds from 170 pounds for two, the UK’s Department for Health …

Bloomberg TUI AG stopped burning cash as holiday bookings surged following European government moves to relax travel restrictions. The world’s biggest tour operator reported cash inflows during the three months through June of 320 million euros ($376 million), excluding financing costs, the first time it’s recorded a positive number since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s after revenue surged …

Bloomberg It’s been two decades since Wall Street analysts were this upbeat. About 56% of all recommendations on S&P 500 firms are listed as buys, the most since 2002. It’s one more data point that shows the extent of the euphoria sweeping markets after a blockbuster earnings season. While analysts are historically a bullish bunch, they’re turning even more optimistic …

Bloomberg The total market value of cryptocurrencies rose above $2 trillion again as Bitcoin continued to climb and the likes of Cardano, XRP and Dogecoin advanced as well. Crypto’s market value rose to $2.06 trillion, according to CoinGecko, which tracks more than 8,800 coins. Bitcoin reached as high as $48,152, the highest level since May 16, as it showed staying …

Bloomberg One of Europe’s riskiest bond bets is turning into a telltale sign of how much faith investors have in the central bank’s ability to engineer a smooth recovery out of the pandemic. Italian benchmark yields are near a six-month low and the government is so flush with cash that it canceled last week’s debt auction. The market is beginning …

ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE has strongly condemned the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militias’ systematic attempts to attack civilians and civilian objects in Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia, with an explosive drone, which was intercepted by the Coalition Forces. In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), the UAE reiterated that these systematic terror attacks …

Bloomberg Oil dipped, trimming a weekly advance, as the fast-spreading delta variant continues to cloud the short-term demand outlook. Futures closed nearly 1% lower in New York, narrowing a weekly gain to 0.2%. The latest Covid-19 wave is leading to tighter curbs on movement across the globe, though there are mixed assessments on its impact. The International Energy Agency (IEA) …

Bloomberg Initial public offerings are coming thick and fast in mainland China, with Shanghai set to host the world’s two biggest listings this year as domestic investors look past the government’s regulatory crackdown. It’s a different story in Hong Kong, a global center for IPOs that’s seen only one offering so far this month. International investors who use the financial …

VIENNA / WAM The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has announced the signing of a $70.5 million loan agreement with Jordan to help mitigate the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic by providing social safety net programmes and stimulus packages that aim to retain workers across various economic sectors and create new jobs. According to OFID’s statement, the Fund …