Bloomberg Mercedes-Benz removed a video advertisement from a Chinese social media website, after the clip got swept up in a charged national debate over depictions of Asian-looking features by foreign companies. The video was posted on Mercedes-Benz’s official Weibo account and later removed due to public backlash, the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper said. “The makeup of the female …

  Bloomberg It’s been a bright spot for a New York office market that has been hit hard by the pandemic: Technology companies have continued to sign leases in Manhattan even as employees work remotely. That includes Meta Platforms Inc, formerly known as Facebook, which is betting on offices despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic. While many companies have …

  Bloomberg Tesla Inc raised the prices of two Shanghai-made models for the second time in just over a month amid soaring Chinese demand, the South China Morning Post reported. The carmaker announced on Friday a 3.9% increase in the price of its entry-level Model 3 to 265,652 yuan ($41,795) after subsidies, the paper said. The basic edition of the …

  Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. will make “significant” changes to its flight schedule as Hong Kong further tightens quarantine restrictions for aircrew, dealing another blow to a carrier already reeling as the city’s borders remain largely closed. The airline is tentatively planning to cancel some passenger flights to and from the city through the first quarter of 2022, it …

    Bloomberg Americans flocked to off-price retailers during the holiday period, with visits rising above pre-pandemic levels, according to new data. Foot traffic at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, both owned by TJX Cos., rose 14.7% and 16.2%, respectively, from December 1 to Christmas Day compared with a year earlier, data from analytics firm Placer.ai show. Burlington Stores Inc.’s foot …

  Bloomberg Chinese artificial intelligence giant SenseTime Group Inc jumped on its first day of trading in Hong Kong after a rocky initial public offering that was delayed by concerns over fresh US sanctions. The stock gained as much as 23% in early trading before ending 7.3% higher, the biggest first-day gain since mid-July for any Hong Kong IPO that …

  Bloomberg Stocks were mixed and US futures fluctuated on Thursday in the wake of another Wall Street all-time high on light volumes in the final days of the year. Treasury yields trimmed an advance. The Stoxx Europe 600 gauge was little changed at the open, with technology shares bouncing back to pare some of Wednesday’s drop. Contracts on the …

  Bloomberg Oil held near a one-month high after industry data pointed to another drop in US crude inventories and traders bet the fast-spreading Omicron variant would prove to be less severe than earlier virus waves. West Texas Intermediate was steady near $76 a barrel after gaining 11% over the past five sessions. The American Petroleum Institute reported nationwide crude …

  Bloomberg Talks are underway between the US and China on possible changes to apparent new aircraft-cleaning requirements that prompted a Delta Air Lines Inc flight to turn back to Seattle and that could upend air travel into the Asian nation. The discussions were confirmed on Tuesday by a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. China’s new …

  Bloomberg Apple Inc put Foxconn Technology Group’s factory in southern India on probation following worker protests and an investigation that revealed substandard living conditions. Foxconn, which uses the facility to assemble iPhones among other gadgets, apologized for the lapses in health standards and pledged to revamp its management and operations in the country. The factory, located in Sriperumbudur on …