Hiroshi Mikitani, founder of Japanese e-commerce empire Rakuten Group Inc, is keeping investors on hold while his own fortune declines. Once ranked the 25th richest person in Asia, Mikitani no longer even features in the top 140, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. It’s not hard to see why: Rakuten shares are trading near levels last seen in 2010 as ...

  By early next year, the US government will likely run out of money to pay for Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments. Although President Joe Biden has requested an additional $22 billion from Congress, Republicans are in no mood to continue splurging on the pandemic — not least because so much relief money has already been misspent. Shifting more costs ...

  It’s a deal which until recently was hard to imagine. Buying Albertsons Cos triggers major antitrust risks for any of its obvious industry suitors. But on Friday the US grocery chain agreed to be acquired by larger rival Kroger Co at a $25 billion enterprise value, with the duo outlining a seemingly cunning plan to assuage the competition authorities. ...