Bloomberg US equity futures and European stocks drifted on Wednesday as investors digested a flurry of corporate news amid a lull in trade-war headlines. Bonds were mixed and the pound weakened. Contracts on the three main American equity benchmarks pointed to a directionless open a day after the S&P 500 Index closed just one index point higher at a new …

Bloomberg FedEx Corp plunged after cutting its profit forecast for the second straight quarter, as weak international demand hurt sales and the courier ramped up investment to handle soaring e-commerce deliveries. The results for the company’s fiscal second quarter were “breathtakingly bad,” with weakness in both the ground-delivery unit and air-cargo business, said Deutsche Bank AG analyst Amit Mehrotra. Adjusted …

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s airlines face the prospect of further job cuts and even bankruptcies as anti-Beijing protests continue to deter tourists from the city, adding to the pressure on an industry already facing headwinds globally. Six months of anti-Beijing demonstrations have sent passenger traffic tumbling in Hong Kong, producing a cascade of profit warnings, flight cancellations and cost cuts at …

Bloomberg American retailers remodel thousands of stores each year, but the process is rarely smooth. Now imagine the headaches for Walmart Inc., which overhauls 500 locations annually on its own. “Things always come up that you can’t plan for,” according to Tara Barnes, a store manager in Allen, Texas, whose location went through a refurbishment this summer. In the past …

Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co. won’t schedule any flights on Boeing Co.’s 737 Max jets until April 13 — more than a month later than previously planned — further clouding the outlook for the best-selling aircraft that’s grounded globally after two fatal crashes. The airline, the biggest operator of the single-aisle jet, is extending the timeline from March 6 because of …

Bloomberg For US airlines, the phrase “Made in America” comes with a whole new financial imperative thanks to the trade fight between the Trump administration and Europe. In October, the White House levied a 10% tariff on European-built aircraft as part of a broader conflict over aviation industry subsidies. The move followed a World Trade Organisation ruling that EU assistance …

Bloomberg Beyond Meat Inc. is pushing further past its plant-based beef into poultry, and Chief Executive Officer Ethan Brown says that product line will finally get more attention in 2020. “You’ll see some exciting things from us in the poultry space in 2020,” Brown said in an interview with Bloomberg TV about his inclusion on this year’s Bloomberg 50 list. …

DHAHRAN / AGENCIES Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Saudi Aramco, has completed, through its subsidiary Aramco Overseas Company, the acquisition of 17 percent of Hyundai Oilbank from Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, for approximately $1.2 billion. The completion follows receipt of all necessary regulatory consents and approvals. According to a statement issued by the company, the investment in South Korea’s Hyundai Oilbank …

Bloomberg Boeing Co.’s production halt for the 737 Max is likely to be little more than a temporary headwind for the US economy — especially now that the expansion is on firmer footing compared with other times since the aircraft was grounded in early 2019. The company’s decision to temporarily suspend production starting next month comes as the world’s largest …

Bloomberg China will provide retaliatory tariff waivers to buyers of US farm products on a more regular basis after the countries reached a phase one trade deal, according to people familiar with the situation. Waivers had previously been given in tranches but they’ll now be handed out more frequently. The move will make it less punitive for Chinese firms to …