Markets

Procter & Gamble Co on Friday reported an about 5per cent rise in quarterly sales as consumers stocked up on everything from diapers and detergents to toilet rolls amid sweeping lockdowns around the world to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

A gauge of future U.S. economic activity suffered a record decline in March, suggesting the economy could struggle to pull out of a deep slump caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Online e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc is preparing to launch an ultra-fast grocery delivery service in the United Kingdom, trade magazine The Grocer reported on Friday, citing suppliers.

IKEA store owner Ingka Group, the world's biggest furniture retailer, aims to start reopening shops in Europe in May after closures and sliding demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic slashed group sales by 60 per cent, its chief executive said.

SYDNEY: Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways will lay off 286 cabin crew based in the United States and furlough 201 pilots based in Australia and Britain, it said on Friday (Apr 17), as the coronavirus pandemic has virtually halted global travel. The carrier has grounded most of its planes because...

Numerous US and Canadian oil companies have said they are reducing output in 2020, but a Reuters analysis of the announcements so far show that just three companies: Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Occidental Petroleum: account for more than half of the cuts.

Nasdaq Inc has applied with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to offer temporary relief to companies listed on its exchange with stock prices and market values that have fallen below required minimums due to disruptions during the coronavirus crisis.

Investors will be hunting for companies that can rein in costs, preserve cash and avoid amassing big inventories during the coronavirus crisis as Europe Inc. prepares to report the steepest profit fall since the 2008 global financial meltdown.

U.S. airlines are estimated to be sitting on more than US$10 billion in travel vouchers that should have been cash refunds from canceled flights, a group of senators released on Friday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said China's role in the global coronavirus pandemic is likely to force countries to rethink their telecommunications infrastructure, including the adoption of China-based Huawei's 5G networks.