Bloomberg Australian retailers recorded their best month of sales in nearly a year as consumers splashed out on everything from dining out to clothing, taking advantage of the easing of protracted lockdowns and building momentum in the economy for the final quarter. Sales surged 4.9% in October from a month earlier, when they rose 1.3%, and more than doubled …

  Bloomberg Ralph Lauren Corp is debuting its first digital fashion line in Roblox Corp’s virtual world, becoming the latest apparel maker to try building brand awareness in the metaverse. The company, known best for its polo shirts, is offering a “Winter Escape” experience in the Roblox online universe. Players can enjoy activities such as ice skating while shopping for …

Bloomberg What do Asia’s five best-performing $1 billion-plus equity funds for 2021 have in common? They are all betting big on China’s renewables push. The funds returned at least 40% each by investing in stocks that are part of renewables and electric-vehicle supply chains, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The $3.7 billion China AMC Energy Innovation Equity Fund led …

Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc strategists said there’s little reason to expect a major retreat in US stocks in the months ahead, even as the breadth of the rally that has pushed the S&P 500 index into successive records is getting increasingly narrow. Just five stocks account for 51% of the US benchmark’s returns since April, Goldman’s strategists led by …

Bloomberg Oil set its biggest weekly gain in more than three months as the worst fears over the new virus strain have receded. West Texas Intermediate futures climbed 8.2% this week. Fuel consumption so far escaped any major blows from the omicron variant. Yet confidence is limited. Rallies are still punctuated by selloffs after rising infection rates prompted some governments …

Bloomberg The Group of Seven (G-7) finance ministers will convene virtually on Monday to discuss the recent surge in inflation, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The talks will come against the backdrop of supply-chain snarls that have hampered the world economy, and ministers will also discuss healthcare, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. …

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co is frustrated by the slow pace of federal certification of Boeing Co’s smallest 737 Max jet, an issue that could delay the carrier’s commercial debut of the aircraft late into next year. The concern stems from changes by the US Federal Aviation Administration and lawmakers giving regulators a larger role in the certification, drawing out that …

Bloomberg London’s Heathrow airport said passenger numbers are likely to recover to barely half of pre-Covid levels next year as the pandemic continues to ravage long-haul travel markets. The number of travellers in 2022 is likely to reach 45 million, Heathrow said in a statement. That compares with a record 81 million in 2019, when the hub ranked as Europe’s …

Bloomberg Activist investor Mantle Ridge has nominated a slate of directors to replace the entire board of Dollar Tree Inc and is urging the discount retailer to hire the former chairman of rival Dollar General Corp to a leadership role. The New York-based investment firm said in a regulatory filing that it believes Dollar Tree “will benefit from a refresh …

Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s cargo division said it’s seeking more freighter planes to keep pace with booming global demand and that purchases could include Airbus SE’s new A350F model. Lufthansa Cargo is making the case at group level for adding more single-aisle and wide-body planes, including additional Boeing Co 777F freighters to ply long-haul routes, unit chief Dorothea von Boxberg …