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 ...

  After the most recent US inflation report again exceeded expectations, with prices surging 9.1% in the year to June, investors have been wondering whether the Federal Reserve would accelerate its monetary tightening for a second time — raising its policy rate not by the previously indicated 75 basis points, but by a full percentage point. Expectations seem to have ...

  Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co said it’s facing high costs and delays in aircraft deliveries from Boeing Co, tarnishing a quarter in which the carrier topped Wall Street’s profit expectations on rebounding summer travel. The airline will receive 66 jets this year, down sharply from its prior plan for 114 deliveries, Southwest said in a statement. That puts further pressure ...

  Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp is acquiring deep-discounter Spirit Airlines Inc for at least $3.8 billion in cash, clinching a deal less than a day after Spirit called off a planned merger with Frontier Group Holdings Inc. JetBlue will pay $33.50 per share for Spirit, or as much as $34.15 depending on timing, the airlines said in a joint statement. ...

Bloomberg British Airways (BA) parent IAG SA reported a second-quarter profit and said it expects to post positive earnings for the full year as a rebound in travel led by premium leisure bookings more than makes up for capacity curbs tied to the industry’s staffing crisis. IAG had an operating profit of 287 million euros ($293 million) in the three ...

Bloomberg Hermes International’s profitability rose to record levels in the first half as the maker of the $10,000-plus Birkin bag became the luxury industry’s standout performer. The French company’s shares soared as much as 8.5% after it said its recurring operating margin reached a historical high of 42%, up from 41% a year earlier. “This set of results confirms that ...

  Bloomberg An Airbus SE A320 aircraft operated by IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, slid off the runway onto grass while taxiing for takeoff in Jorhat, the carrier said in a statement. The flight to Kolkata was cancelled and the aircraft is being inspected in Jorhat, a city in the northeastern state of Assam. IndiGo, which is operated by InterGlobe Aviation ...

  Bloomberg L’Oreal SA sales climbed as demand for makeup bounced back and the strength of its luxury products offset the negative impact of Covid-19 restrictions in China. Overall sales rose 13% on a comparable basis in the second quarter, the French company said. Analysts expected a gain of 9.7%. The company’s stock rose more than 2% in early trading. ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping ended their call Thursday with plans to hold their first face-to-face summit, but the US and China are unlikely to halt their bickering in the months before the two leaders finally meet. The world’s two largest economies risk a fresh showdown as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi kicks off an Asian tour Friday ...

Bloomberg A US delegation met with senior Taliban officials in Uzbekistan to discuss efforts to unfreeze some $3.5 billion in central bank reserves as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan deteriorates. The US delegation told the militant group and technocrats there was a need to accelerate efforts to unlock the reserves and reiterated the funds should be used to benefit the ...