Apple Inc and Google-parent Alphabet Inc have each managed to make copious sets of obscene amounts of money in any environment — pandemic or not. But the paths for the two technology behemoths may start to diverge later this year. Both companies reported blowout numbers that far exceeded Wall Street expectations. Apple posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.30, compared ...

Just when we thought we were almost done, Covid-19 cases are surging. The world may have one of the most effective vaccines ever developed, but not everyone is taking it and so we remain susceptible to the delta variant. Not surprisingly, this has renewed calls to bring back a response that makes some feel safe and under control: mask mandates. ...

An agreement reached by US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will allow for the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, enabling Russia to transport natural gas directly to western Europe. The deal accomplishes Biden’s goal of improving relations with Germany, but little else. Nord Stream 2 remains a misguided project that will weaken German leadership and ...

In response to the delta variant of Covid-19, the US is extending its travel ban on citizens from the European Union and China. Meanwhile, it is still possible to enter the US from Indonesia, which is arguably the current global centre of the pandemic. In contrast, life seems to be orderly in most parts of China, and some European countries ...

Bloomberg The UK government is set to allow visitors from the US and the European Union to travel to England without needing to quarantine on arrival if they have been fully vaccinated. The plan will allow American visitors, along with travelers from most EU countries, to enter the UK on the same basis as Britons who have received two Covid ...

Bloomberg Billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is planning on having 70 aircraft within four years for a new airline he wants to set up in India on optimism more people will travel by air. Jhunjhunwala, who is considering investing $35 million and would own 40% of the carrier, expects to get a no-objection certificate from India’s aviation ministry in the next ...

Bloomberg A bumpy recovery among global airlines has given an unexpected early boost to one corner of the market: demand for aircraft paint. It’s come roaring back as production of new jets rises and pandemic-idled old ones change operators. At Akzo Nobel NV, the world’s biggest supplier of plane coatings, sales across the product range were back to pre-pandemic levels ...

Bloomberg Air Canada boosted the size of its refinancing after taking advantage of strong demand for the biggest high-yield corporate bond in Canadian dollars and upsizing the loan portion. The aggregate loan and bond transactions will likely total $5.7 billion, up from $5.35 billion initially planned last week, according to people familiar with the matter. Canada’s biggest airline increased the ...

Bloomberg Walmart Inc is investing $1 billion over the next five years to remove all costs related to its employee college tuition program, in an effort to boost enrollment. The nation’s biggest private employer said as of August 16 the so-called Live Better U program will remove the $1 a day cost for about 1.5 million employees, who are eligible ...

Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp has yet to start New York-London service and already has been forced to trim the schedule as travel restrictions hobble demand. “We’ve all been very frustrated the corridor hasn’t opened,” Chief Executive Robin Hayes said. “There’s no reason not to open it. It’s not data driven.” The carrier will fly its once-daily route between New York’s ...