Even as the world braces for recession, the big consumer groups, including Coca-Cola Co, Nestle SA and Unilever Plc, beat expectations and raised their sales guidance this earnings season. It seems many shoppers were prepared to pay more for their products. Yet this optimism flew in the face of an earlier warning about the sector: Walmart Inc, a bellwether ...

For the big internet companies that make their living from selling advertising, these are troubled times. As happens in any kind of economic slowdown, businesses cut ad spending quickly. For Amazon.com Inc, though, whose e-commerce business is getting hammered, advertising is proving to be a bright spot. Well, relatively speaking. Just as it did for Amazon’s rivals in digital advertising, ...

  Jack Ma may be blunt — his harsh criticism of China’s state-dominated banking system cost him a $34 billion blockbuster initial public offering in 2020. But he is not stupid. The billionaire plans to cede control of Ant Group Co, a fintech affiliate of his e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, the Wall Street Journal reported. He currently controls ...