Bloomberg Morton Shen, a manager at a Shanghai-based company, no longer needs to spend more than 17 hours to fly to Madrid after a layover in Amsterdam. A Chinese airline now can whisk him direct to Spain’s capital in about 13 hours for a cheaper fare. “Most travellers would prefer the direct flight as transfers waste too much time,” …

  Bloomberg Lululemon Athletica Inc. plummeted as much as 18 percent in late trading after the yogawear company’s forecast missed estimates, renewing concern that demand for athletic gear is wavering. The company expects earnings of $2.26 to $2.36 a share this year, well below the $2.56 projected by analysts. Its revenue forecast also came in light of predictions. Lululemon’s woes …

  Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. is closing Diapers.com, Soap.com and other sites it purchased for about $545 million in 2011 to eliminate a dogged competitor and gain e-commerce customers. The online retailer said it’s shutting Quidsi, the unit that ran the websites, because it couldn’t make a profit. But e-commerce analysts said Amazon probably intended to eliminate the sites as stand-alone …