Bloomberg Starbucks Corp. illegally fired a Michigan employee because she engaged in union activism and participated in a US labour board proceeding, a National Labour Relations Board judge ruled. The agency judge’s decision requires the coffee chain to offer the worker reinstatement with back pay. It says Starbucks must also hold a meeting with employees as well as representatives …

Bloomberg Semiconductor stocks across the globe retreated on Monday after fresh US curbs on China’s access to American technology added to a disappointing start to the earnings season, stoking concerns that the industry’s downturn is far from over. In China, bellwether Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) falls 4% in Hong Kong, the most in five weeks. Declines were steeper in …

  Bloomberg As recession looms, stock prices slide and sterling sinks, British firms are backing off expansion and instead handing money back to investors by buying back shares like never before. Companies in the FTSE 100 Index are set to repurchase stock worth almost $57 billion this year, significantly above previous peaks, according to financial services firm AJ Bell Ltd. …