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Factory Production in U.S. Declines on Auto Output (July 15, 12:00 p.m. ET) 

Output at U.S. factories declined in June against a backdrop of persistent supply shortages, particularly at automakers, and soaring materials costs, Bloomberg reported.

The 0.1% decrease followed a 0.9% gain in May, Federal Reserve data showed Thursday. Total industrial production, which also includes mining and utility output, climbed 0.4% in June after a revised 0.7% gain a month earlier.

While robust consumer spending and business investment are keeping factory order books full, production has been restrained by lean supplies of materials, shipping delays and a lack of skilled workers. The latest data show that the Fed’s index of factory output remains below pre-pandemic levels despite a sharp snapback in the economy.

U.S.-Shipped Vaccines Arrive in Haiti (July 15, 10:00 a.m. ET) 

The U.S. on Wednesday delivered 500,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to Haiti, the Caribbean nation reeling from the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise.

President Biden’s administration will send a significant amount of additional vaccine doses to the country soon, according to Bloomberg. U.S. and Haitian scientists, regulatory and legal teams coordinated on the initial shipment.

Jobless Claims Fall to Pandemic Low (July 15, 9:00 a.m. ET) 

Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance fell last week to a fresh pandemic low, Bloomberg reported, indicating that dismissals are easing as business conditions improve and firms look to increase headcounts.

Initial claims in regular state programs decreased by 26,000 to 360,000 in the week ended July 10, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Even so, initial claims remain above pre-pandemic levels and employers continue to point out trouble with finding qualified workers, which could be holding back the pace of the labor market recovery.

U.S. Economy Strengthens Amid Disruptions, Labor Shortages (July 14, 3:30 p.m. ET) 

The pace of the U.S. recovery picked up in the past two months, though reopening the economy from the pandemic created increasing strains in attracting workers and filling orders, Bloomberg reported.

“The U.S. economy strengthened further from late May to early July, displaying moderate to robust growth,” the Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book survey released Wednesday. “Supply-side disruptions became more widespread, including shortages of materials and labor, delivery delays, and low inventories of many consumer goods.”

The report was based on information collected by the Fed’s 12 regional banks through July 2.

Panama Canal Transits Rise (July 14, 12:30 p.m. ET) 

The Panama Canal Authority says vessel transits are rebounding as global trade picks up, Bloomberg reported. Container ships have led the recovery while liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas are among the fastest growing segments for the waterway.

The canal expects to see around 13,000 ship transits this fiscal year, compared to 12,245 last year. Shippers taking goods between the U.S. east coast and Asia remain the canal’s top customers. There have also been fewer cancellations this year than in 2020.

The canal expects to receive 429 million tons of cargo and collect $3.3 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2021, which ends on September 30. That compares to 475 million tons and $3.4 billion in 2020.

More J&J Vaccine Substance Released by FDA (July 13, 3:30 p.m. ET) 

Another batch of the main ingredient for Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine made at a troubled Emergent BioSolutions Inc. facility in Baltimore has been released by the Food and Drug Administration, Bloomberg reported.

The FDA said in a letter Tuesday to J&J that it is waiving manufacturing standards since Emergent was in violation at the time the drug substance was produced. The agency also said the clearance doesn’t mean the Emergent plant has the green light to again make the vaccine ingredient.

Manufacturing problems at Emergent have been a major factor limiting the reach of J&J’s vaccine, which accounts for only a small portion of overall immunizations in the U.S. 

Meat Inflation Soars (July 13, 12:30 p.m. ET) 

An increase in backyard barbecuing collided with a shortage of hogs as U.S. consumer prices for pork jumped in June by the most in 25 years, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

Pork prices climbed 3.8% from a month earlier while beef gained 4%, Bloomberg reported. The elevated meat prices contributed to the biggest overall surge in U.S. consumer prices since 2008.

Food inflation has been on the rise since the coronavirus upended supply chains, with sick workers shutting down meat plants while consumers pivoted away from restaurants to prepare more food at home. The American hog herd hasn’t recovered from culling during the onset of the pandemic. Meanwhile, droughts globally have sent animal-feed prices soaring, and labor shortages at slaughterhouses have also pushed up prices for pork, beef and chicken.

World’s Top Vaccine Maker to Bolster Sputnik Rollout (July 13, 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Russia signed a deal with the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer to boost annual production of Sputnik V shots by 300 million doses in India as the South Asian nation struggles with supplies, Bloomberg reported. The Serum Institute of India Ltd., which is already producing AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine, aims to deliver its first batch of Sputnik V by September.

Warren Seeks Amazon Mask Probe (July 12, 6:00 p.m. ET) 

Senator Elizabeth Warren is urging the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to review her investigation of Amazon Inc. for deceiving search results on the sale of masks authorized by the U.S, Food and Drug Administration, Bloomberg reported.

Finding the masks on Amazon “is a mess, and Amazon seems to be actively misleading customers,” she said on Twitter.

Pandemic Sparks Worst Hunger Since 2005 (July 12, 10:00 a.m. ET) 

As many as 811 million people — more than a 10th of the global population — were undernourished in 2020, the UN said in a report on Monday. The agency said it will now take a “tremendous” effort for the world to fulfill a pledge to end hunger by 2030, and reiterated a call to transform food systems, Bloomberg reported.

The fallout from the pandemic put healthy food further out of reach for many people, and this year’s surge in food prices to the highest in almost a decade is particularly bad news for poorer countries dependent on imports. Conflict, climate change and economic downturns — the major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition — continue to increase in both frequency and intensity, and are occurring more often in combination.

G-20 Finance Chiefs Sound Alarm (July 11, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Global finance chiefs have signaled alarm over threats that could derail a fragile recovery as they concluded a meeting that sought to start reshaping the post-pandemic economic order, Bloomberg reported.

New variants of the coronavirus and an uneven pace of vaccination could undermine a brightening outlook for the world economy, said Group of 20 finance ministers at a weekend gathering hosted by Italy in Venice. They resolved to keep up support for growth to ensure recoveries can continue to take hold.

Top U.S. Steel Maker Roiled by Supply Chain Woes (July 11, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A leading U.S. maker of stainless steel was forced to declare force majeure at its Kentucky mill because it can’t get enough of the industrial gases it needs, Bloomberg reported. One reason is a shortage of trucking — a problem seen across a number of industries.

North American Stainless Inc., which produces the metal that goes into everything from kitchenware to guitars and airplanes, won’t be able to sustain its normal melting operations at the plant in Ghent, the company said in a letter to customers. NAS, a subsidiary of Spain’s Acerinox SA, accounts for about 40% of total stainless steel supplies in the U.S.

Shortages of everything from containers to pallets and bottlenecks at ports have caused delays and pushed up prices for commodities and finished goods as economies recover from the pandemic. Some gasoline stations in parts of the U.S. suffered temporary shortages last month because there weren’t enough tanker-truck drivers to deliver the fuel.

Back-To-School Retailers Poised for Strong Sales (July 8, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The retail industry is poised for its biggest back-to-school shopping season in at least five years, Bloomberg reported, buoyed by parents and students who are primed to snap up gear for the in-person classroom experience after a year of virtual learning.

Spending is expected to reach $32.5 billion, up 16% from 2020 and 17% from 2019, according to a forecast from Deloitte LLP. Retailers are bullish that they can benefit from shoppers’ increased comfort with online shopping, honed during the pandemic, and strong demand for everything from school uniforms to markers.

Deloitte’s survey found that 62% of students were expecting to return to in-person school this fall, while 19% of students said they’d experience a hybrid model. 

U.S. Jobless Claims Edge Up (July 8, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance edged up last week, though remained near a pandemic low, Bloomberg reported.

Initial claims in regular state programs increased by 2,000 to 373,000 in the week ended July 3, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Even with the latest increase, new weekly filings for jobless benefits have more than halved since the beginning of the year as health concerns abate and pent-up demand fuels hiring at businesses like hotels and restaurants.

Economists expect further labor market improvement in the second part of this year, with the unemployment rate forecast to fall below 5% in the fourth quarter.

Aerospace Industry Risks Second Annual Loss (July 8, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The commercial aerospace industry will struggle to make a profit this year despite recent news of big orders for jets and announcements that production rates are rising, according to a new report by consulting firm AlixPartners.

Jetliner manufacturers, parts suppliers and lessors at best will barely break even this year, Bloomberg reported. Pricing pressures, a weakened supply chain and depressed output of wide-body aircraft production are to blame.

The industry posted a loss of $18.4 billion before interest and taxes last year and won’t return to its pre-pandemic peak — a $45.6 billion profit in 2018 — until the latter half of the decade, the firm said.

WHO Urges Cautious Reopenings (July 7, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The World Health Organization urged caution as most regions around the world have seen increasing cases over the last week, Bloomberg reported.

More than two dozen countries have epidemic curves that are almost vertical right now, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead officer on COVID-19.

“The idea that everyone is protected and it’s kumbaya and everything goes back to normal is a very dangerous assumption right now anywhere in the world, and still is in the European environment,” Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said in a Wednesday briefing.

“I would ask governments to be really careful at this moment not to lose the gains we’ve made, to open up very carefully,” Ryan said.

COVID-19 Pushed 22 Million Out of Job Market in Major Economies (July 7, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Labor markets in developed nations have recovered only half of the loss of employment they suffered in the pandemic, with the young and low-skilled hurt most, according to a 400-page study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Paris-based institution found that about 22 million jobs disappeared by the end of 2020 in industrial nations, and said a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels of employment won’t come until the end of next year, Bloomberg reported.

The findings indicate that the coronavirus crisis accelerated a number of trends that started over the past decade, including growing income inequality, a shift toward more technically demanding jobs and fewer secure employment opportunities for lower-skilled workers.

The OECD found a “rapid buildup” of long-term unemployment, with each wave of pandemic restrictions making it increasingly difficult for people to find their way back into the workforce.

Chip Crisis Deepens With Daimler, Jaguar Warnings on Sales (July 6, 11:30 p.m. ET)

Daimler AG and Jaguar Land Rover became the latest carmakers to warn sales will be further crimped by the global semiconductor shortage, Bloomberg reported, with the latter flagging deliveries in the second quarter will be 50% worse than initially thought.

Shares in the British luxury carmaker’s Indian parent Tata Motors Ltd. slid 8.4% Tuesday in Mumbai, their biggest drop in almost three months, while Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, fell 4% in Frankfurt, the biggest loss since October. Jaguar Land Rover’s euro bond due January 2026 fell the most since Dec. 11.

A shortage of automotive chips that began late last year as consumer demand for personal devices soared amid pandemic lockdowns has persisted through 2021, raising concerns of the issue spilling into next year. The dearth is threatening to slash $110 billion in sales from the car industry, consulting firm AlixPartners forecast in May, and has forced auto manufacturers to overhaul the way they get the electronic components that have become critical to contemporary vehicle design.

“The chip shortage is presently very dynamic and difficult to forecast,” JLR said. “We expect some level of shortages will continue through to the end of the year and beyond.”

Indonesia Suffers Oxygen Shortfall (July 6, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Indonesia reported another deadliest day in the coronavirus pandemic as hospitals become overwhelmed and local oxygen supply struggles to keep up with surging demand.

There were 31,189 confirmed cases in the 24 hours through midday Tuesday, with 728 people dying from COVID-19, Bloomberg reported. Southeast Asia’s virus hotspot has breached fresh records in infections and fatalities for three straight days.

Philippine Cities Halt Shots on Supplies (July 5, 9:45 p.m. ET)

Several cities in the Philippine capital region halted their first-dose vaccination programs as supply from the national government runs out, Bloomberg reported.

Makati City, home to the nation’s main financial district, said the scheduled inoculation of frontline workers receiving the vaccine for the first time won’t push through on Tuesday. It also shut several vaccination sites in malls and schools, the city government said on Facebook.

Paranaque, Caloocan and Valenzuela cities have also stopped first-dose vaccinations as they await for additional supplies, while Malabon and Muntinlupa announced they will no longer entertain walk-ins.

Business Sentiment Rises to Record in Canada (July 5, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Business sentiment has risen to record levels as an accelerating vaccine rollout bolsters confidence in the recovery, according to the Bank of Canada.

The Ottawa-based central bank’s latest quarterly survey of executives shows businesses continue to report improving conditions, with positive sentiment more widespread than it was three months ago, Bloomberg reported. Senior managers reported strong sales outlooks, elevated investment intentions, record hiring plans, capacity constraints at all-time highs and rising expectations for inflation and wages.

The central bank also highlighted that there’s evidence of a broadening in the recovery into sectors that have struggled up to now, with the vast majority of firms seeing pandemic-related uncertainty behind them. Not one firm surveyed reported signs of a deterioration in expected demand.

The bank’s composite gauge of business sentiment rose to 4.2 in the second quarter, the highest score in data going back to 2003. That’s up from 3 in the first quarter and as low as negative 6.9 during the height of the pandemic last year.

Lack of Truckers Portends Reopening Shortages (July 5, 10:00 a.m. ET)

A surge in consumer demand as the U.K. emerges from coronavirus restrictions may lead to empty store shelves because of a shortage of truck drivers, The Telegraph reported.

As many as 100,000 roles need to be filled, based on estimates by the Road Haulage Association. Meanwhile, many of the 60,000 Eastern European drivers who support the U.K. haulage industry have either returned home during the pandemic, changed jobs or are finding it hard to come back.

Representatives from supermarket giant Tesco Plc told ministers its suppliers were wasting about 50 tons of food per week due to driver shortages, while dairy group Arla Foods said it hasn’t been able to send orders on time as it’s looking for drivers, according to the report.

Supermarkets have broadly moved to a just-in-time supply-chain model, where branches with limited storage room estimate how much stock they need daily. The margin for error is small.

Retailers’ next challenge is managing their routes as August marks the time when they start filling warehouses with products for Christmas, the report said.

Amazon Says Pandemic Growth Increased Emissions (June 30, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc.’s carbon emissions rose 19% in 2020 due to pandemic-fueled business growth, the company said Wednesday in a 138-page report. While overall emissions increased, Amazon said its “carbon intensity,” a measure of emissions per dollar of sales, decreased by 16% in 2020, in line with its goals. The e-commerce giant reported a similar shift in 2019, Bloomberg reported.

“This year-over-year carbon intensity comparison reflects our early progress to decarbonize our operations as we also continue to grow as a company,” Amazon said in the report. “Nearly half of our carbon intensity improvement is a result of our investments in renewable energy and operational efficiency enhancements.”

The report attributes other reductions in carbon intensity to behavioral changes of customers and workers tied to the pandemic, such as shoppers making fewer trips to Whole Foods Market locations and employees cutting business travel.

World Prepared for ‘Wrong Pandemic’: Covax (June 30, 12:30 p.m. ET)

The world was somewhat prepared for a pandemic before COVID-19 struck, but it anticipated the wrong kind, said Aurelia Nguyen, managing director of the Covax facility for the nonprofit Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

“A lot of the focus had been on influenza,” Nguyen said Wednesday at the Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst virtual event. “We had the machinery in place thanks to seasonal flu vaccines, but we were not prepared for a coronavirus.”

Now that Covid vaccines have been developed, the next step is to get them to countries worldwide — the mission of Covax — and ensure that vaccines are available to poorer nations when the next pandemic inevitably hits, she said.

Online Shift to Cut U.K. Retailer Profits by $11 Billion (June 29, 7:30 p.m. ET)

U.K. retail profits are forecast to shrink by 8 billion pounds ($11 billion) by 2025 as the pandemic accelerates a shift to e-commerce, according to a study by Alvarez & Marsal Inc. and Retail Economics. Stores selling apparel, homeware and electrical goods will experience a “permanent step-change” in consumer behavior, with European shoppers expected to shift about 20% of their spending in these categories to online operators, Bloomberg reported.

“As digital becomes more critical across every stage of the customer journey, retailers face a make-or-break moment to prevent profits from spiraling downwards,” said Erin Brookes, head of Alvarez & Marsal’s European retail practice in London. “There is no going back.”

The warning is a blow to a sector that only began welcoming back customers in April. Online spending surged during the pandemic restrictions and now accounts for almost 30% of total U.K. retail sales.

The volume of online returns is likely to erode profits further, the study argued. It estimated that U.K. consumers aged between 18 and 24 return about 16% of products purchased online, compared with 7.5% for consumers aged 65 years and older.

Not all retailers face major upheaval, however. Furniture and jewelry stores will probably return to pre-pandemic conditions, given the preference for “touch and feel” browsing, according to the report, which was based on an analysis of private and public European retailers as well as a consumer survey conducted in the second half of April.

More Than 3 Billion Doses Administered Globally (June 29, 4:30 p.m. ET)

At least 3.01 billion doses of Covid vaccine have been administered around the world, according to the latest data from Bloomberg, as the pace of the global rollout continues to accelerate.

Of the about 43 million doses now being administered every day, according to Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker, almost half are being performed in China. China’s pace of vaccinations is enough to cover 75% of the population there with a two-dose vaccine in about a month from now, a remarkably rapid rollout that has eclipsed similar efforts in the U.S., the European Union and India.

The pace of the global vaccine effort continues to accelerate. It took 143 days to perform the first billion doses, and another 40 days for the second billion. The third billion doses were performed in 26 days, according to Bloomberg’s data.

Asia Loses Preeminence as Best Place to Be While World Reopens (June 28, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Almost a year and a half into the pandemic, the best and worst places to be in the COVID-19 era are increasingly defined by one thing: normalization. That’s according to Bloomberg’s Covid resilience ranking, which has added new indicators in its June edition reflecting economies’ progress in reopening — flight capacity recovery and vaccinated travel routes.

The addition of the new metrics, and the waning of outbreaks in highly vaccinated places using Messenger RNA vaccines, has meant a new No. 1 in the June Ranking: the U.S.

European nations like Switzerland, France and Spain also jump into the top ten on the same positive trajectory of vaccination plus normalization, with their borders open for summer tourism. Meanwhile, previous top performers on the Ranking that stamped out the virus with aggressive, isolationist measures like New Zealand and Singapore drop, as they struggle to find a path to reopen to the world.

A rich-poor divide has also solidified, as developing nations like India, Argentina and the Philippines rank at the bottom, facing a perfect storm of vaccine inadequacy, the spread of variants and global isolation.

Africa’s Most Virus-Ravaged Nation Runs Out of Vaccines (June 27, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Namibia, which currently has Africa’s most severe coronavirus infection rate, said it will from June 29 halt COVID-19 vaccinations except in cases where people need to complete an inoculation course by taking a second shot, Bloomberg reported. The suspension comes as supplies from Covax, the vaccine-sharing initiative, run out and there are delays to deliveries of vaccines the country has bought itself.

“Our regional vaccine stock level has almost depleted,” the country’s health ministry said in a statement on Saturday. “Available doses for both AstraZeneca and Sinopharm should be reserved for second doses in order to provide our communities required immunity.”

The suspension highlights the plight of some of the world’s poorest nations who are battling a third wave of coronavirus infections with little access to vaccines. India’s own outbreak led it to halt exports, including doses meant for Covax, and many of the world’s richest countries have bought more supplies than they need, leaving few doses for nations in Africa and elsewhere.

Intel CEO Says Chip Shortage to Hit Bottom in Second Half (June 27, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger predicted the shortage of semiconductors that’s hurting industries from automotive to consumer electronics will bottom out in the second half of this year before starting to improve, according to Bloomberg.

“I don’t expect the chip industry is back to a healthy supply-demand situation until ’23,” he said in an interview. “For a variety of industries, I think it’s still getting worse before it gets better.”

The economy’s rebound from the depths of the pandemic has caused a flood of demand for the components that are the heart of all modern electronics. Lockdowns and changes in the way that large chunks of the world’s population work has speeded up a shift to digital systems that has further stretched the semiconductor industry’s ability to keep up with the flood of orders, according to Gelsinger. Intel’s ownership of its factories has left it better placed to keep up with demand than other companies that out-source production, but supply of the other components of computers has fallen short.

Longer term, the chip industry is positioned for a period of growth, Gelsinger predicted. Over the next decade, the increasing uses for chips — including 5G phone systems, electric vehicles and expanded artificial intelligence — will drive strong demand, he said.

U.K. Doesn’t Know If Covid Tests Are Being Used (June 24, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Boris Johnson’s government spent billions of pounds on rapid COVID-19 test kits but has no idea if most of them are being used, the spending watchdog said in its latest report on the U.K.’s pandemic response.

A total of 691 million tests have been sent to homes, workplaces, schools and care settings across England as of May 26 — but the results of only 96 million, or 14%, were reported, the National Audit Office said on Friday.

It means the government, which spent three billion pounds ($4.2 billion) buying about one billion rapid test kits through March, doesn’t know how many of the unregistered tests were used, Bloomberg reported.

The test-and-trace program — which spent 13.5 billion pounds of its 22.2 billion-pound budget in the fiscal year 2020-21, according to the report —- has repeatedly come under fire for failing to deliver on key metrics.

U.S. Propane Prices Skyrocket (June 24, 3:30 p.m. ET)

U.S. propane prices have topped $1 a gallon for the first time seasonally since 2014 as domestic and overseas demand take off, Bloomberg reported. Prices have risen 36% since the start of the year in Mont Belvieu, Texas, the main trading hub for natural gas liquids in the U.S. Output of the fuel has meanwhile stalled alongside oil and natural gas drilling.

“The biggest factor that Covid had on our industry was that the demand lit up,” said D.D. Alexander, President of Global Gas, a national propane distributor. “People started turning up their thermostats in the winter time, they built fire pits, and a lot of people are doing things to make their house more enjoyable.”

Americans stuck at home during the pandemic also embraced grilling more than ever, leading to shortages of tanks and adding to consumption of the fuel. Grill makers are banking on friends and families to continue that trend this summer as social-distancing rules are lifted.

Propane inventories sit at 56.2 million barrels, 15% below the five-year average, according to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration. At the same time, exports stand at 1.18 million barrels a day, which is 53% above the five-year average for June. The situation could put the supply chain in jeopardy, according to Alexander.

JPMorgan Warns Staff on Vaccinations (June 23, 7:30 p.m. ET)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. said it may require employees to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, as Wall Street’s biggest banks ramp up efforts to keep thousands of personnel safe while reopening U.S. workplaces, Bloomberg reported.

The nation’s largest bank is ordering workers to fill out a questionnaire on their vaccination status by the end of this month, Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon and other members of the operating committee wrote in a memo to staff Wednesday. Employees who don’t respond will be contacted by managers until they do.

“We need you to enter this information so that we can properly prepare for and manage returning to the office,” the executives said in the memo. “In the future, we may mandate that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination consistent with legal requirements and medical or religious accommodations.”

NYC to Offer Free At-Home Vaccines (June 23, 12:00 p.m. ET)

New York City will begin offering free at-home vaccinations to anyone who wants one, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The city, faced with full vaccination rates of 27% among Black residents and 35% among Hispanics, has tried education and free giveaways as inducements to increase inoculations among those groups, with limited success. White residents have been fully vaccinated at a rate of 43%, according to city Health Department statistics, highlighting the disparity.

“We’re going to keep innovating in incentivizing people,” de Blasio said in a briefing Wednesday. The program will expand on a homebound campaign that has so far delivered 15,000 shots to people where they live, Bloomberg reported. The city will expand the program with home deliveries to anyone who fills out a form on the city website.

Rich Nations Caused Vaccine Gap (June 23, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Strive Masiyiwa, the telecommunications billionaire tasked with helping the African Union secure vaccines, said the shortage of doses on the continent was a consequence of deliberate action by the world’s richest nations, Bloomberg reported.

While the U.S. has fully vaccinated 45% of its people, the U.K. 47% and the European Union 29%, Africa has had 61.4 million doses delivered for 1.1 billion people. Just 1.1% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

“Those with the resources pushed their way to the front of the queue and took control of their production assets,” Masiyiwa told a virtual summit on vaccine equality and equitable distribution.

German and French Services Boom, Factory Squeeze May Be Easing (June 23, 9:30 a.m. ET)

Europe’s two largest economies reported a boom in service-sector activity in June as the region starts to unlock, and the first signs emerged that supply strains for manufacturers might be starting to ease, according to Bloomberg.

Purchasing managers’ indexes for Germany and France showed private-sector economic activity picking up, with services growth the fastest in years.

While French manufacturing growth slowed to a four-month low as businesses were hit by worsening supply chain difficulties, German factories were able to see light at the end of the tunnel.

“Supply shortages still remain widespread” in Germany, said IHS Markit Associate Director Phil Smith. “But a fall in the number of goods producers reporting longer lead times and rising materials prices are perhaps the first signs that the worst of the disruption has now passed.”

U.S. to Miss Biden Shot Target (June 22, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The White House acknowledged that the U.S. will likely fall short of President Biden’s goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults a first COVID-19 shot by the July 4 holiday.

Jeffrey Zients, the head of the White House COVID-19 response team, said the administration had hit its 70 percent vaccination target among Americans ages 30 and older, and is poised to reach that threshold for those 27 and older by Independence Day, Bloomberg reported. It will take a few extra weeks to hit the 70% mark for everyone 18 and older.

The pace of shots in the U.S. has fallen off by about two-thirds since April, with about 1.1 million doses now administered per day, according to Bloomberg's vaccine tracker. At that rate, it will take another five months for 75% of the population to be vaccinated.

More Moderna Doses for EU (June 22, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The European Commission purchased an additional 150 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, bringing its confirmed order commitment to 460 million doses, according to a statement from the company. Under the terms of the agreement — which includes the ability to buy other COVID-19 vaccine candidates from Moderna’s pipeline — delivery of the company’s updated variant booster candidate will begin in 2022, subject to regulatory approval, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier, European Union Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the bloc had reached a new deal to provide vaccines for 2022 and 2023. The EU will acquire a portfolio of different shots to secure immunity against mutations, she said.

Amazon’s Worker Safety Battle With New York Escalates (June 21, 2:30 p.m. ET)

The legal battle between Amazon.com Inc. and New York Attorney General Letitia James over the company’s COVID-19 precautions for workers has escalated as both sides asked a judge to rule in their favor, Bloomberg reported.

Amazon sued James in February, seeking to block New York from pursuing claims that the company failed to protect employees from the virus in its New York City facilities. In a motion filed Friday, James asked U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn to throw out the federal lawsuit and allow New York to pursue its claims in state court.

“Amazon has repeatedly and persistently failed to comply with its obligation under New York law to institute reasonable and adequate measures to protect its workers from the spread of the virus in its New York City facilities,” James said in the court filing. 

Also Friday, Amazon asked the judge to block New York’s state suit with a ruling that James lacks the legal authority to regulate Amazon’s safety responses to COVID-19 or claims of Amazon’s New York employees that they were retaliated against for protesting their working conditions. Amazon claimed it has spent more than $11.5 billion on Covid-related changes to protect worker safety and ensure customer deliveries. 

The dispute focuses on the supplemental role of states to regulate workplaces in addition to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is the federal agency with primary responsibility for worker health and safety in the U.S.

South Africa Plans to Make Vaccine (June 21, 12:30 p.m. ET)

South Africa is planning to make vaccines locally using messenger RNA, Bloomberg reported. The manufacturing will be conducted by the state-owned Biovac Institute — part of the World Health Organization’s broader vaccine technology-transfer hub in the country.

The WHO is speaking to a number of drugmakers about establishing the hub, though the talks are so far mainly with “smaller companies,” said Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s chief scientist. “We are having discussions with the larger companies with proven mRNA technology,” she added.

Toyota, Softbank, Nomura Offer Shots for Employees (June 20, 8:30 p.m. ET)

Some of Japan’s biggest private employers will offer on-site vaccinations for employees starting Monday, Bloomberg reported. The move is designed as a boost for the country’s slow vaccine rollout and to leverage strong workplace culture in companies where some may spend their entire working lives. Workers’ families are also eligible, as are contractors.

Using Moderna Inc.’s messenger RNA shot, the effort is currently expected to cover about one-tenth of the country’s 126 million residents and hopefully accelerate what is still among the slowest inoculation programs in developed countries, though its pace has picked up markedly since May.

Universities will also be able to administer on-site vaccinations for students, faculty and staff. As of Friday, the government had received 3,479 applications for the program, with doses set to cover 13.7 million people.

Biden Aide Warns Over Covid Origin Study (June 20, 11:30 a.m. ET)

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said China will risk international isolation if it fails to allow a “real” investigation on its territory into the origins of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

Sullivan’s comments follow last week’s call by Group of Seven leaders including President Biden for another probe into how the virus originated. Biden last month ordered the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble” its efforts to determine where the coronavirus came from and to report back in 90 days.

China has rejected the theory that the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the first cases were reported.

Vaccinated Employees Head Back to Offices (June 17, 2:00 p.m. ET)

BlackRock Inc. is adjusting its plans for U.S. employees to return to the office, allowing only fully-vaccinated workers to come back to work starting next month, Bloomberg reported.

The world’s biggest asset manager said that U.S.-based employees who’ve been inoculated can resume in-person work in July and August if they’d like to, according to a memo from the New York-based company. Unvaccinated staffers are not allowed in the office as of then, the memo said.

Meanwhile, Bank of America Corp. expects all of its vaccinated employees to return to the office after Labor Day in early September, and will then focus on developing plans for returning unvaccinated workers to its sites.

More than 70,000 of the firm’s employees have voluntarily disclosed their vaccine status to the bank, Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said in a Bloomberg Television interview Thursday. The firm, which has more than 210,000 employees globally, has already invited those who have received their shots to begin returning.

U.S. Invests in Antiviral Drugs (June 17, 12:30 p.m. ET)

The U.S. will invest $3.2 billion into developing antiviral medicines to combat COVID-19 and other viruses with pandemic potential, the Health and Human Services Department said Thursday.

Dubbed the Antiviral Program for Pandemics, the effort led by U.S. health agencies will support the discovery, development and production of antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and future viral threats, Bloomberg reported. The collaboration, bringing together the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, aims to develop antivirals that could be taken at home soon after someone gets sick.

U.S. Shots to Reach Taiwan Soon (June 17, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Jonathan Fritz, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for China, Mongolia and Taiwan coordination, said shipments may be headed to Taiwan in less than a few weeks, Bloomberg reported. Fritz, testifying to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee panel, said getting the vaccines to Taiwan is a priority, “keeping in mind a number of critical industries including semiconductors, for example, could be affected.”

U.S. to Buy 200 Million More Doses of Moderna Vaccine (June 16, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. says the U.S. government will buy 200 million more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in a deal that included the potential for buying other Covid candidates in testing, including booster shots.

Under the new deal, the U.S. will pay $3.3 billion to exercise its remaining options to purchase the shots for $16.50 a dose, according to Bloomberg. That price is the same as previous options to purchase Moderna shots already exercised by the government.

The new doses bring the total amount of Moderna vaccine ordered by the government to 500 million doses, of which 217 million doses had already been delivered as of June 14, the company said. Of the new doses, 110 million will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the rest will be delivered in the first quarter of next year.

Pandemic to Last ‘Two Years’ (June 16, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Coronavirus variants will continue to emerge and “we will not be through this pandemic until the whole world has the ability to get vaccinated,” Susan Hopkins, deputy director of Public Health England’s National Infection Service, said at a House of Commons science committee meeting, Bloomberg reported. “And that realistically is two years away.”

India Plans $6.8 Billion Program to Boost Health Infrastructure (June 16, 10:00 a.m. ET)

India is considering offering as much as 500 billion rupees ($6.8 billion) of credit incentives to boost health care infrastructure in the nation hit by the coronavirus pandemic, according to Bloomberg.

The program will allow companies to access funds for ramping up hospital capacity or medical supplies with the government acting as a guarantor, said people familiar with the matter. The focus is likely to be on strengthening COVID-19 related health infrastructure in smaller towns.

The government’s loan guarantees will complement the central bank’s efforts last month to boost credit for health care services and provide fresh lending to vaccine-makers.

Home-Working Boom Risks Loss of 6 Million U.K. Jobs (June 15, 7:30 p.m. ET)

One in five jobs based in the U.K. could be outsourced to other countries due to the pandemic, according to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. The research group warned Wednesday that 5.9 million “anywhere” workers — from graphic designers to software programmers — are at risk, Bloomberg reported.

“If left unaddressed, the outsourcing and offshoring of these roles would have political, economic and social consequences similar to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the 1970s, but on an accelerated time frame,” the group said in a report. The “mass experiment” with remote working means that companies concerned about costs could decide to keep just core staff needed for in-person collaboration and decision making.

The institute called on the government to tackle the threat by improving infrastructure — such as child care and 5G broadband connectivity — and training, particularly in soft skills.

Amazon.com Selling Its Own Covid Test (June 15, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. has started selling its FDA-approved COVID-19 test to the public on AmazonDx.com, Bloomberg reported. That web site was previously available only for the company’s employees.

Palm Oil Output at Risk as Lockdown Worsens Labor Shortage (June 14, 5:30 p.m. ET)

A resurgence of COVID-19 infections in No. 2 palm oil grower Malaysia is set to exacerbate a labor shortage and curb production of the world’s most-consumed cooking oil, according to Bloomberg. The country has shuttered non-essential industries and is expected to prolong a freeze on the recruitment of foreign workers as it battles with a third wave of the pandemic.

“The crux of the issue is the labor shortage. We have lost about 20% to 30% of our potential production because of this,” according to Nageeb Wahab, chief executive at the Malaysian Palm Oil Association, a growers’ group that represents 40% of palm plantations by area. 

More than 70% of the plantation workforce are migrant workers, and the country produces about 26% of the world’s palm oil.

WHO Chief Cites Urgent Need for More Shots (June 14, 1:30 p.m. ET)

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the Group of Seven’s recent pledge of 870 million vaccine doses, but said more shots are needed quickly, Bloomberg reported.

The steep increase in COVID-19 cases in Africa is “especially concerning” because it’s the region with the least access to vaccines, diagnostics and oxygen. That increases the continent’s mortality rate among critically ill patients, despite having fewer reported cases than other regions.

New variants have substantially increased transmissions, “meaning the risks have increased for people not protected,” he said. “Right now the virus is moving faster than the global distribution of vaccines.”

The more transmissible variants also means that curbs may need to be more stringent and applied for longer in areas where vaccination rates remain low, he said.

Judge Dismisses Hospital Workers’ Vaccine Suit (June 13, 3:30 p.m. ET)

A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit brought by employees of a Houston hospital contesting a requirement that staff be vaccinated against COVID-19, Bloomberg reported.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes of Houston dismissed the suit Saturday in a scathing ruling: He said the claim from 117 employees of the Houston Methodist Hospital that the requirement amounted to Nazi-era human experimentation was both irrelevant and offensive.

“Equating the injection requirement to medical experimentation in concentration camps is reprehensible,” Hughes wrote.

G-7 Donation Comes Up Short (June 13, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The Group of Seven fell short on fulfilling a pledge to donate 1 billion additional vaccine doses to developing nations, Bloomberg reported, revealing gaps in the bloc between vaccine haves and have-nots.

The world leaders made the 1-billion-shot pledge Sunday — and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the G-7 collectively would distribute 2.3 billion vaccine doses to developing countries by next year. But Merkel’s larger figure includes a much wider array of contributions already offered, as well as future exports, according to a European official.

The countries also called for “a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened” study into the origins of COVID-19 that would include investigating in China.

U.K. Pledges 100 Million Doses Globally (June 10, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the U.K. will start donating vaccines to countries in need within weeks, with at least 100 million surplus doses set to be distributed in the next year, Bloomberg reported.

Johnson’s announcement comes after President Biden promised to donate half a billion Pfizer Inc. vaccines to 92 lower income countries and the African Union. Group of Seven leaders meeting from Friday in the U.K. are expected to collectively provide a billion extra doses with the aim of inoculating 80% of the world’s adult population and ending the pandemic in 2022.

Biden Sets Date for Shipping Doses Worldwide (June 10, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden announced the U.S. will begin shipping a half-billion donated doses of Pfizer Inc. vaccines to countries in “dire need” in August, Bloomberg reported, making good on a promise to lead the global campaign against the pandemic.

Biden said Thursday the U.S. purchase and donation of Pfizer’s shots would be the largest of any single country so far, and that the vaccines would come “with no strings attached” — veiled criticism of Russia and China, which he’s accused of using vaccines as leverage in their foreign policy.

“We know the tragedy. We also know the path to recovery,” Biden said at Tregenna Castle in St. Ives, U.K. ahead of a Group of Seven summit. “The key to reopening and growing economies is to vaccinate your people.”

Earlier Thursday, U.S. officials said the Biden administration will slash in half its $4 billion commitment to the Covax international vaccine consortium to help pay for the purchase of the Pfizer shots.

J&J Shelf Life Extended by FDA (June 10, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine can be kept in a refrigerator for four and a half months, extending the shot’s shelf life by 50%, Bloomberg reported. As doses languish amid a slowing U.S. immunization campaign, concern has been growing that some shots could spoil before they are used.

U.S. Is Awash With Gasoline in Uneven Rebound (June 9, 4:30 p.m. ET)

American oil refiners eager to boost gasoline production for the summer driving season are leaving the country awash with fuel at a time when the rebound in consumption is still uncertain, Bloomberg reported.

U.S. gasoline stockpiles have jumped to the highest in three-months, while a measure of demand fell to a three-month low, according to a government report published Wednesday. Gasoline stockpiles rose by about 7 million barrels to more than 241 million last week, the highest since late February, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Wednesday.

Markets were swift to account for the change in the supply chain. The premium on a barrel of gasoline over West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell more than 3%. Oil futures also slipped on concerns over the rising fuel inventories and flagging demand.

U.S. to Donate 500 Million Pfizer Doses (June 9, 2:30 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s administration intends to buy 500 million doses of Pfizer Inc.’s coronavirus vaccine to share internationally, as the U.S. turns its attention to combating the pandemic globally, Bloomberg reported.

The government will buy about 200 million doses this year to distribute through the World Health Organization-backed Covax program and about 300 million doses in the first half of next year, said a person familiar with the matter.

The vaccines will go to 92 lower income countries and the African Union, the person said. Biden will announce the plan Thursday in remarks ahead of the Group of Seven summit in the U.K.

Pharmacist Gets 3 Years for Vaccine Tampering (June 8, 3:15 p.m. ET)

A Wisconsin man was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison for tampering with vaccine doses at the hospital where he worked, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

Steven Brandenburg, 46, of Grafton, pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, to two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury. According to court documents, Brandenburg purposefully removed a box of COVID-19 vaccine vials manufactured by Moderna Inc. — which must be stored at specific cold temperatures to remain viable — from a hospital refrigeration unit during two successive overnight shifts in late December 2020, Bloomberg reported.

According to his plea agreement, Brandenburg stated that he was skeptical of vaccines in general, and the Moderna vaccine specifically, and had communicated his beliefs about vaccines to his co-workers.

U.S. Trade Gap Narrows for First Time in 2021 as Exports Jump (June 8, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed for the first time this year in April as the value of goods and services exports climbed and imports fell, Bloomberg reported.

The gap in trade of goods and services narrowed 8.2% to $68.9 billion in April from a revised $75 billion in March, according to Commerce Department data released Tuesday. Exports increased to $205 billion, the most since January 2020, while imports dropped to $273.9 billion.

The data show a pullback in imports after demand from American consumers stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic sent U.S. purchases to repeated records. At the same time, improving economies overseas are beginning to drive demand for U.S. products and services. U.S. shipments of merchandise to foreign customers climbed to the highest on record.

Taiwan Factories Shrug Off Covid as Exports Surge (June 8, 10:00 a.m. ET)

A COVID-19 outbreak, a drought and power outages did little to dent Taiwan’s runaway export growth in May as factories kept running at full capacity to keep up with demand from overseas.

Exports increased 38.6% last month from a year earlier to a record $37.4 billion, according to a statement Tuesday from Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance. Imports rose 40.9% to $31.3 billion while the trade surplus was largely steady at $6.2 billion.

The data show there’s no pullback in sight in the surging demand for Taiwan’s computer chips and other goods, with exports to Europe, South Korea and Southeast Asia all up more than 50% compared to a year earlier, Bloomberg reported. In the longer term, plans to overhaul U.S. infrastructure will benefit Taiwan’s steel, plastics, telecommunications equipment and semiconductor industries, according to the government.

Exports for June are likely to rise between 27% and 31%, the finance ministry’s chief statistician Beatrice Tsai said at a briefing Tuesday.

Airbus Deliveries Speed Up (June 8, 8:30 a.m. ET)

Airbus SE inched closer to a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic after increasing the number of jetliner deliveries to 50 last month.

The European planemaker accelerated production with five more planes handed over than in April, according to Bloomberg. Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said last month he’s planning to lift production of the firm’s best-selling A320 single-aisle jets beyond 2019 levels within two years.

Biden, Johnson to Rally G-7 for Vaccine Push After U.S. Hoarding (June 8, 8:00 a.m. ET)

Joe Biden departs Wednesday for the Group of Seven summit in the U.K., his first overseas trip as president, to discuss how the world’s richest democracies can help the rest of the world snuff out the virus. Both Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson aim to rally the G-7 behind a plan to make more shots available to low-income countries, Bloomberg reported.

While the G-7 countries are sure to agree on the need for more shots, the specifics of what they’ll propose or how it will be funded remains unclear. Johnson has called for a goal of vaccinating the world by the end of 2022, while Biden has said the U.S. would be an “arsenal” of vaccines for the rest of the globe but has so far committed just 25 million doses of the American government’s stockpile.

China in Talks on Vaccine Cooperation (June 7, 9:30 p.m. ET)

China is discussing cooperating to produce COVID-19 vaccines with 10 countries while encouraging vaccine manufacturers to transfer technology to developing countries, Bloomberg reported, citing a state media interview with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Currently, three Chinese vaccine makers have carried out joint production with eight countries, MIIT’s official Mao Junfeng said.

The World Health Organization has called for the boosting of domestic vaccine production in low-income countries so they don’t rely on importing shots from wealthier nations in an emergency.

India to Give Free Vaccines to All Adults (June 7, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced free shots for all adults in an address to the nation, following criticism of his administration’s handling of India’s deadly second virus wave and a botched vaccination roll out.

Modi said all Indians above the age 18 will be vaccinated for free starting June 21, vowing to speed the inoculation drive, Bloomberg reported. His administration will also procure the shots for the states, reversing an earlier policy of asking the provinces to compete for supplies for certain age categories.

The South Asian nation has administered 232 million doses since the beginning of the world’s biggest vaccination drive that began on Jan. 16, with 3.4% now fully immunized. At this pace, it will take another 22 months to cover 75% of the population, according to Bloomberg Vaccination Tracker.

China’s Trade Boom Continues on Strong Global Demand (June 7, 9:00 a.m. ET)

China’s exports continued to surge in May, although at a slower pace than the previous month, fueled by strong global demand as more economies around the world opened up, Bloomberg reported. Imports soared, boosted by rising commodity prices.

Exports grew almost 28% in dollar terms in May from a year earlier, the customs administration said Monday, weaker than forecast and below the pace in April, but still well above historical growth rates. Imports soared 51.1%, the fastest pace since March 2010, leaving a trade surplus of $45.5 billion for the month.

Overseas demand for Chinese goods remained strong as economies from the U.K. to the U.S. emerged from months of lockdown. Exports to emerging markets like India and in Southeast Asia, which have seen a resurgence in COVID-19 outbreaks, also climbed. South Korea’s exports, a bellwether for world trade, surged the most since 1988 in May, a sign that the global recovery is strengthening.

APEC Ministers Agree to Facilitate Vaccine Distribution (June 6, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Ministers responsible for trade in the Asia-Pacific region said they would work to expedite the distribution and flow of vaccines and other essential medical supplies between economies to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

Officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation which includes the U.S., China and Japan said they would “consider removing unnecessary barriers to trade in services, particularly those services that expedite and facilitate the flow of essential goods,” according to a statement. The trade ministers stopped short of making a broad commitment to remove tariffs.

Trade barriers surrounding the import and export of vaccines have been highlighted as one of the key factors inhibiting a wider spread of inoculation in developing countries. The day before the APEC trade ministers meeting, they held a dialogue with Rachel Taulelei, the 2021 chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council, who advocated unrestricted trade of vaccines and essential medical supplies.

The 21-member APEC economies will also discuss measures such as “a temporary waiver of certain intellectual property protections on COVID-19 vaccines,” in the months leading up to the World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference scheduled for late November, according to the statement.

Amazon Defends Failure to Pay Workers for Covid Screening Time (June 6, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Amazon.com Services LLC has no obligation to pay fulfillment center workers for time spent undergoing mandatory COVID-19 screenings, which benefits the public in general, the company said in a motion to dismiss a would-be class action filed in California.

The motion says the required screenings, conducted in accordance with government regulations and guidance — not just for employees but for all visitors — aren’t compensable “work” under the Fair Labor Standards Act because they aren’t primarily for Amazon’s benefit, Bloomberg reported. According to Amazon, the screenings benefit everyone, and its benefit is merely incidental.

Japan to Ship Vaccines to Taiwan (June 3, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Japan is planning later this month to send some of its COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan, which has been struggling to procure its own supplies and blamed China for impeding shipments of the shots.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told parliament Thursday that Taiwan has an urgent need for supplies of the vaccine until July, when its domestic production will be ramped up, Bloomberg reported. The shortage amid rising case numbers in Taiwan has raised fears of a health crisis that could hurt its semiconductor production, which is crucial for global industry.

Global Shots Reach 2 Billion (June 3, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Inoculations against COVID-19 reached 2 billion on Thursday, Bloomberg reported. It took just over six months to reach the milestone.

It will take nine more months to vaccinate 75% of the global population, a threshold that could provide so-called herd immunity.

The virus has stricken almost 172 million people and killed close to 3.7 million since the first cases emerged about 18 months ago.

Biden Addresses Faltering U.S. Vaccine Demand (June 2, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Free child care will be available during vaccine appointments as part of new incentives to reach President Biden’s target of getting 70% of U.S. adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4, according to a statement from the White House.

Other new initiatives include offering shots at Black-owned barber shops and beauty salons as well as private-sector incentives such as free beer from Anheuser-Busch, Bloomberg reported. Biden is calling for a national month of action to get more people vaccinated.

Global Economy Will Be 23 Million Jobs Short Next Year (June 2, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The pandemic will cause a “sustained and pronounced increase in unemployment” with low- and middle-income countries that have lagged behind in vaccinations suffering the biggest blow, according to the International Labor Organization.

The ILO fears not enough jobs will be created to accommodate those who lost employment as a result of COVID-19, plus new labor-market entrants. The global shortfall is estimated to be 75 million this year, and 23 million in 2022, Bloomberg reported.

“Projected employment growth will be too weak to provide sufficient employment opportunities for those who became inactive or unemployed during the pandemic and for younger cohorts entering the labor market,” the ILO said. “Many previously inactive workers will enter the labor force but will not be able to find employment.”

WHO Clears Second Chinese Vaccine for Global Use (June 1, 2:00 p.m. ET)

China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. received long-awaited World Health Organization authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg reported, paving the way for a wider rollout of the controversial shot in countries scrambling for a supply of immunizations. The WHO recommended its use for people aged 18 and older in a two-dose schedule with a spacing of two to four weeks between shots.

The emergency use listing granted to Sinovac’s shot is the second given to a Chinese Covid vaccine, after state-owned Sinopharm Group Co. secured WHO’s nod for emergency use in early May. They will be additional inoculation options for Covax, a program backed by WHO and other global health groups dedicated to ensuring every country has access to vaccines — notably poorer nations that have been shut out as wealthier ones snap up most of the world’s existing supply.

Already cleared for emergency use by the WHO are vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE, AstraZeneca Plc, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc.

Global EV Battery Sales Surge (June 1, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Global electric-vehicle battery sales more than doubled in the first four months of the year — to 65.9 gigawatt-hours from 26.8 gigawatt-hours a year earlier, Bloomberg reported.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.’s sales almost quadrupled to 21.4 GWh, cementing the Chinese company’s position as the world’s biggest EV battery maker with 32.5% of the global market.

“Despite the hit of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the company’s performance has rapidly resumed,” CATL said in a statement. The firm is focused on building “long-term cooperation with international automakers,” it said.

IMF, WHO, World Bank and WTO Heads Call for Vaccine Equity (May 31, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The heads of the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization called for a “stepped-up coordinated strategy, backed by new financing, to vaccinate the world,” in an editorial published in the Washington Post. The call, issued before the G-7 meeting next week, aims to boost vaccinations in developing countries.

SpiceJet Exec Urges India to Open Vaccination to Private Sector (May 31, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Avani Singh, the chief executive officer of SpiceHealth and daughter of SpiceJet Ltd. Chairman Ajay Singh, has called upon India’s government to open up the manufacture and procurement of vaccines to the private sector, saying it’s the only way to ensure the nation’s vast population receives adequate protection from the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

“The government needs to become much more lenient in opening up vaccination to the private sector,” Singh said in an interview last week. “We are obviously moving at a much slower pace with vaccinations than we should be. If they let private players like labs and hospitals procure vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and let private players make Covaxin more aggressively we could significantly ramp up the administration and build up enough immunity to get out of this faster. Not allowing labs and hospitals to procure and facilitate vaccines is a huge untapped potential.”

Although India is one of the world’s biggest vaccine makers, supply locally has run dry amid an expansion of access to everyone aged 18 and above.

Biden Orders New Report on Virus Origin (May 26, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden said he ordered the U.S. intelligence community to “redouble” its effort to determine where the coronavirus came from, after conflicting conclusions about whether its origins are natural or a lab accident, Bloomberg reported.

In a statement Wednesday, Biden said the intelligence community delivered a report to him earlier this month that showed it was divided on the origins of the pandemic. Two “elements” of the community lean toward animals being the source, while one leans toward a lab origin, “each with low or moderate confidence,” Biden said.

“I have now asked the Intelligence Community to redouble their efforts to collect and analyze information that could bring us closer to a definitive conclusion,” Biden said. He said he had asked for a new report in 90 days.

“The United States will also keep working with like-minded partners around the world to press China to participate in a full, transparent, evidence-based international investigation and to provide access to all relevant data and evidence,” he said.

FDA to Curb Vaccine Emergency Authorizations (May 26, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may refuse to grant new emergency use authorizations for vaccines for the remainder of the pandemic, particularly for developers that have not engaged with the agency during the past year, according to Bloomberg. Vaccine makers that have already received early feedback from the agency are more likely to have the appropriate data and information needed for authorization, the agency said late Tuesday.

Vaccine Makers May See $190 Billion in Sales (May 26, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Vaccine manufacturers stand to gain as much as $190 billion in sales this year if they hit production targets, with two Chinese companies accounting for at least a quarter of the revenue, according to Airfinity Ltd. estimates. Production constraints and shortfalls will likely bring the final 2021 sales numbers closer to a range that tops out at $115 billion, Bloomberg reported.

IMF Warns of ‘Ricochet Impact’ of Uneven Global Recovery (May 25, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Emerging-market nations’ struggle to claw out of the pandemic-induced economic crisis can spill over to hurt the developed world, which should be doing all it can to ensure better access to vaccines and a more equitable recovery, the head of the International Monetary Fund says.

Poorer nations are faced with the risk of interest rates increasing while their economies aren’t growing, and may find themselves “really strangled” to service debt, especially if it’s dollar-denominated, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Tuesday in a virtual event, according to Bloomberg.

“That is not only danger for them, it is a danger for global supply chains, it’s a danger for investor confidence — in other words, it has a ricochet impact on advanced economies,” she said. “Closing our eyes to this divergence can harm not only those countries and their people, which is bad enough, but it can harm the global recovery and it can harm investor sentiment in a way that we see to be significant and requiring very close attention.”

Measures taken to stimulate the U.S. economy are, on balance, translating into “good news” for other countries because of the spillover effect of demand, the IMF chief said.

Georgieva said she’s concerned about 2022 and beyond, when even a relatively small increase in interest rates, combined with a possibly stronger dollar, could create problems for corporate and sovereign debt, which was high even before the crisis.

NYC Brings Mobile Vaccine Units to Beaches (May 25, 11:00 a.m. ET)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will bring mobile vaccination units to beaches and parks starting during the Memorial Day weekend and lasting through the summer, including the Rockaways, Coney Island, Central Park and Governors Island, Bloomberg reported. De Blasio said that starting Tuesday there will be a vaccination site in front of Madison Square Garden, which will be offering people getting the shot a chance to win tickets to the next New York Knicks playoff game.

Asia Drops in Resilience Ranking as U.S., Europe Rise (May 25, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The impact of vaccination is causing a reversal of fortunes in Bloomberg’s Covid resilience ranking, a monthly snapshot of the best and worst places to be in the coronavirus era.

Last month’s No. 1 — Singapore — fell in May along with other Asian economies. Taiwan and Japan dropped out of the top 10 amid sluggish inoculation drives and resurgent cases, while some of the world’s fiercest outbreaks held down places in Southeast and South Asia, Bloomberg says.

New Zealand regained the top position, but its vaccine rollout has barely started, leaving it potentially vulnerable.

In contrast, the U.S. and parts of Europe have been steadily climbing up the ranking as outbreaks slowly wane. With vaccine protection growing, they’re restarting travel, scrapping mask mandates and looking to leave COVID-19 behind: The U.K. jumped 7 spots to 11th and the U.S. is No. 13. France, the Czech Republic and Poland saw double-digit increases in their positions.

Second Severe Storm in 10 Days to Hit India (May 24, 10:30 a.m. ET)

India is bracing for a second severe storm in the span of about 10 days, with authorities in the eastern region preparing to evacuate people to safer places at a time when the country is battling the world’s worst outbreak of COVID-19, Bloomberg reported.

Cyclone Yaas, equivalent to a category 3 hurricane, will reach West Bengal and Odisha states on Wednesday, according to the India Meteorological Department. The “very severe” cyclone will bring heavy rains, with the wind speed surging as high as 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, the weather forecaster said.

The latest storm follows a severe cyclone that hit the west coast last week — the worst in over two decades in the western state of Gujarat — killing dozens after a barge sank in the sea. The timing of the storm poses several challenges for already-stressed authorities in the country, which is battling a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The infections, which have strained India’s health system and overwhelmed crematoriums and hospitals, have been spreading to rural areas, where about 70% of the country's 1.3 billion population live.

Federal Home Minister Amit Shah asked the state governments to ensure adequate power backup for hospitals, laboratories, vaccine cold stores and other medical facilities, the ministry said in a statement.

Ports, refineries and plants stayed alert. Indian Oil Corp., the nation’s biggest refiner, stopped unloading crude oil at Paradip in Odisha and asked all ships to move 250 nautical miles away from the path of the cyclone, according to a company spokesman.

U.S., South Korea Announce Vaccine, Semiconductor Partnership (May 22, 10:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced an agreement to deepen cooperation in a range of industries including pharmaceutical companies making COVID-19 vaccines, electric-vehicle batteries and semiconductor producers, Bloomberg reported.

“The importance of this bilateral relationship for both nations cannot be overstated,” Raimondo said. “As we recover from the pandemic, our countries will benefit from deepening that collaboration, particularly in sectors that are critical to the future of our economies.”

South Korea is eager to secure supplies of vaccines that the U.S. has recently allowed to be exported. At the same time, the U.S. has sought help from allies including South Korea to alleviate a semiconductor shortage that’s led to idling of auto plants across North America.

Raimondo on Friday held a roundtable on supply chain issues with South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook. The meeting was attended by more than a dozen executives from companies including Samsung Electronics Co., LG Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Hyundai Motor Group.

Taiwan Seeking U.S. Vaccine Help (May 20, 5:30 p.m. ET)

U.S. help in securing vaccines could protect Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, according to James Lee, the head of Taipei’s cultural and economic office in New York.

While Taiwan’s increasing cases haven’t had an impact yet, “if it lasts too long there could be logistical problems,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We have talked to the Biden administration and we work closely together. We expect them to help.”

The argument may resonate in the U.S. amid concern in government and the business community about a shortage of chips used in everything from mobile phones to automobiles.

Moderna Exports Shots From U.S. (May 20, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. has begun exporting U.S.-produced COVID-19 vaccines to other countries, Bloomberg reported, a key step as U.S. vaccine supply begins to be shipped abroad.

Moderna and Pfizer Inc. have been the backbone of the U.S. vaccination campaign, which is leveling off as domestic demand wanes. Their shipments of their coveted mRNA vaccines could be a turning point for nations that have sought to get any doses they can, including ones that have shown lower efficacy.

Amazon Ends Mask Rule for Vaccinated Workers (May 19, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. says that next week, fully vaccinated staffers in frontline jobs in the U.S. won’t have to wear masks, unless mandated by state or local regulations.

Beginning on Monday, workers who are fully vaccinated and have a copy of their vaccine card won’t have to wear face coverings in the company’s warehouses and other logistics depots, Bloomberg reported.

Amazon, which employs about 1.3 million people, is the second-largest private sector employer in the U.S. behind Walmart Inc. The online retailer instituted its mask requirement in April 2020.

Emergent Failed to Address Production Problems (May 19, 10:30 a.m. ET)

A probe by the U.S. Congress into Emergent BioSolutions Inc. found that the contract manufacturer failed to address deficiencies in vaccine production at its facilities despite warnings following a series of inspections in 2020, Bloomberg reported.

Emergent, which was tasked with manufacturing the underlying drug substance used in the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca Plc COVID-19 vaccines, has faced production setbacks after conflating the active ingredient used in the two vaccines. The error at its Baltimore plant in late February led it to discard 15 million doses worth of an ingredient used in the J&J shot, and has delayed the vaccine maker’s ability to supply the U.S. and world.

Serum Sees Shot Export Delays Until Year-End (May 18, 6:00 p.m. ET)

India’s Serum Institute will prioritize making vaccines for its home country, delaying deliveries to other nations and the World Health Organization-backed Covax initiative until the end of the year, Bloomberg reported. The firm, the largest vaccine manufacturer, is licensed to churn out at least one billion doses of AstraZeneca’s shot.

Taiwan Aims to Keep Chip Production Humming as Covid Spreads (May 18, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Taiwan’s government pledged to try to keep the world supplied with chips even as COVID-19 cases escalate, Bloomberg reported, while anticipating a limited impact from its worst outbreak so far.

U.S. officials and executives have voiced concerns about the world’s dependence on chips from the island, which hosts the highest-end facilities of industry linchpins Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and ASE Technology Holding Co.

Taiwan, which added 240 locally transmitted cases today, has closed schools, curbed social gatherings, and shut many adult entertainment venues, museums and public facilities. Businesses and factories are operating, but the government has required them to allow parents to take time off to care for their children, and to ensure adequate social-distancing and masks.

“In manufacturing, for now it’s still safe, but if the situation gets worse then workers might not be able to work in the factories,” said Rick Lo, Fubon Financial Holding Co.’s chief economist. “The downside risk is increasing and it really depends on how quickly the outbreak is controlled.”

Biden to Send Vaccines Abroad (May 17, 2:30 p.m. ET)

President Biden plans to send an additional 20 million doses of U.S. coronavirus vaccines abroad by the end of June — including, for the first time, shots authorized for domestic use, where supply is beginning to outstrip demand.

Biden will export 20 million doses of vaccines from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. or Johnson & Johnson, on top of 60 million AstraZeneca Plc doses he had already planned to give to other countries, Bloomberg reported.

BioNTech Gets Refrigeration Extension (May 17, 12:30 p.m. ET)

BioNTech on Monday said the European Medicines Agency agreed to extend the time it would allow medical agencies to store the COVID-19 vaccine it makes with Pfizer at refrigeratior temperature to 31 days, longer than the five days it previously gave permission for, Bloomberg reported. The change to the rules will allow for more vaccinations within Europe. The company said U.S. regulators are considering a similar request.

Half of U.K. Firms Foresee Struggles With Debt (May 17, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Over half of U.K. businesses expect to face a cash crunch within a year with recovering earnings failing to keep pace with the weight of debts on balance sheets, according to Bloomberg.

A PwC poll of 400 British executives found 55% anticipating a liquidity shortfall in the next 12 months with a similar number reporting they’d struggled to service debt payments within the past year. More than 60% of firms said they have experienced supply chain disruptions.

There was also gloom on the jobs front. While 67% said they foresee revenue returning to pre-pandemic levels within two years, a quarter of respondents expect to reduce headcount in the next year. A third said they already had, according to the report.

Staff cuts could be even higher, meanwhile, as the U.K. government withdraws a jobs support program just as wage costs are rising, PwC said.

Cyclone Pauses Mumbai Vaccinations (May 16, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Mumbai canceled vaccinations Monday at all public sites after a cyclone warning, the municipality said on Twitter.

Cyclone “Tauktae” is set to hit the western coast of India — the country’s industrialized belt with big refineries and ports — prompting authorities already grappling with a deadly second virus wave to start preparations for evacuating citizens, Bloomberg reported. Local authorities in Mumbai have already moved hundreds of COVID-19 patients to other facilities.

Frontline Workers’ Union Criticizes CDC (May 16, 3:30 p.m. ET)

United Food and Commercial Workers, the union that represents more than 1 million food and retail employees, praised the governors of New Jersey and Hawaii for maintaining stricter indoor mask rules.

The union criticized guidance last week from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying fully vaccinated people could mostly stop wearing masks, Bloomberg reported. Union President Marc Perrone said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Hawaii Governor David Ige “are doing the right thing by keeping these life-saving mask mandates in place.”

The union said that 462 frontline workers in the U.S., including in grocery stores and meatpacking plants, have died of COVID-19 and more than 93,000 were infected.

Amazon Sends More Oxygen to India (May 16, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. and Indian renewable energy company Greenko Group are boosting supplies of oxygen concentrators to the country, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. company is working with “sellers on its marketplace to help them bring in about 9,000 oxygen concentrators for customers in India,” it wrote in a blog post. The first batch of 1,000 oxygen concentrators have landed and are available for purchase while the rest are expected in the second half of May.

Amazon to Hire 75,000 Logistics Workers (May 13, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday it’s hiring 75,000 workers for its sprawling North American logistics operation, a sign that the company expects increased demand to outlast the pandemic.

The world’s largest online retailer hired some 500,000 workers last year as it sought to meet a surge in online demand amid the outbreak, Bloomberg reported. With the U.S. economy starting to recover, companies are struggling to find enough workers.

The new hires in the U.S. and Canada will receive $100 if they’re already vaccinated for COVID-19, Amazon said in a blog post. Their average starting pay will be more than $17 an hour, and the company is offering signing bonuses of as much as $1,000.

Amazon employed 1.3 million people at the end of March. Most of those jobs are in the company’s operations group, which stores packages, sorts them and hands them off to delivery contractors.

U.S. Consumer Prices Jump (May 13, 8:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. consumer prices climbed in April by the most since 2009, Bloomberg reported, topping forecasts and intensifying the already-heated debate about how long inflationary pressures will last.

The consumer price index increased 0.8% from the prior month, reflecting gains in nearly every major category and a sign burgeoning demand is giving companies latitude to pass on higher costs. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the so-called core CPI rose 0.9% from March, the most since 1982, according to Labor Department data.

The report offers insight into bubbling price pressures across parts of the economy. Wages have shown signs of picking up, and supply chain challenges have elongated delivery times and driven materials prices higher.

While challenging for producers, swelling consumer demand has also given firms more confidence that they will be able to pass along some of the new costs. If sustained, the production bottlenecks could pose a risk of an acceleration in consumer inflation.

Brazil Running Out of Ingredients for Vaccines (May 12, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Ingredients used to produce AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 shot in Brazil could run out by the end of the week, Bloomberg reported, exacerbating an already precarious mass vaccine campaign that has struggled to ramp up local production.

The Rio de Janeiro-based research institute Fiocruz, which partnered with Astra to produce the shot locally, has enough of the so-called IFA — the active ingredient to make the vaccines — to sustain output until early next week. It may have to halt production if the next batch doesn’t arrive by Saturday, Fiocruz’s Bio-Manguinhos Director Mauricio Zuma said in an interview.

World’s No. 2 Beef Producer Fattens Wages to Lure Workers (May 12, 1:30 p.m. ET)

One of America’s biggest beef producers said the industry is raising salaries in the U.S. to attract more workers, Bloomberg reported.

National Beef, a subsidiary of Brazilian beef producer Marfrig Global Foods SA, sees increasing labor costs continuing into the future, Tim Klein, chief executive officer of the unit said in call with investors Wednesday.

Virus outbreaks have hit workers in meat plants around the globe, especially in North America, forcing plants to shut down or operate at reduced capacity. More workers are failing to show up for their shifts, too.

“Absenteeism has become permanent, prompting meat packers to increase wages to chase workers from other sectors,” Klein said. The company has been able to pass on the additional costs in product prices, as demand has been strong in the U.S.

Russia Delayed Vaccine for Political Reasons, Officials Say (May 11, 2:00 p.m. ET)

European officials believe Russia delayed deliveries of the Sputnik V vaccine to North Macedonia for geopolitical reasons, Bloomberg reported.

The reason why, according to two officials familiar with the matter, is that North Macedonia was one of three western Balkan countries to sign up to a declaration in January and to human rights sanctions in late March over opposition politician Alexey Navalny’s arrest. The Russian vaccine producer denied the allegations.

The official reason provided by Russia to North Macedonia is that postponements were caused by production and demand issues, an official from North Macedonia’s government said. A senior EU diplomat said the move was directly linked to support for the Navalny-related measures. Both spoke on condition of anonymity.

Airbus Readies Suppliers for A320 Ramp Up (May 11, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Airbus SE has told suppliers to be ready for a ramp up in production of its best-selling A320 narrow-body jet series to as many as 53 a month by the end of next year, Bloomberg reported.

The number reflects the top end of a range under consideration and no final decision has been taken, according to people familiar with the matter. Airbus is building 40 A320s a month now and has set out plans to go to 43 in the third quarter and 45 by the end of 2021.

The European planemaker is targeting increased production of its best-selling model even as the latest coronavirus spike hits the burgeoning Indian market and European carriers wait to see whether key leisure routes will reopen in time to avoid another lost summer. The plans for 2022 provide an insight into how quickly demand could rebound as vaccinations are rolled out worldwide and infection rates finally subside.

Sputnik Isn’t Making Enough Second Shots, Mexico Says (May 11, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Mexico’s coronavirus czar said that production delays in Russia are leading to a shortage of the second shots of the Sputnik V vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

The adenovirus used to deliver the second dose of the Sputnik vaccine doesn’t grow as quickly in a lab as the first, the deputy health minister, Hugo Lopez-Gatell, said at a press conference late Monday. That’s led Mexico to consider “Sputnik Light,” a proposal that would use the first dose as the primary vaccine, and the second as a booster as much as six months later, he said.

Russia is denying any manufacturing delays.

U.S. Job Openings Surge (May 11, 10:30 a.m. ET)

U.S. job openings surged in March to a record 8.12 million — the highest in data back to 2000, from an upwardly revised 7.53 million in February, the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, showed Tuesday. 

The number of vacancies exceeded hires by more than 2 million, the largest gap on record and evidence of current hiring challenges, Bloomberg reported. Many employers say they are unable to fill positions because of ongoing fears of catching the coronavirus, child-care responsibilities and generous unemployment benefits.

U.S. Offers States $350 Billion in Aid (May 10, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday began accepting applications from states and municipalities for $350 billion in relief funds, Bloomberg reported, laying out rules to ensure the money quickly flows toward COVID-19 relief and other programs that will support the economy.

The step will trigger the release of money to governments potentially within days, with the funds being a key part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan law signed by President Biden in March. 

Treasury’s guidelines spell out the range of potential uses by governments — such as rehiring workers or supporting industries that were hit hard by COVID-19 — as well as prohibited uses. States and territories can’t use the funds to pay for tax cuts, a provision of the law that has sparked lawsuits from Republican state officials. Recipients are also barred from using aid to fund debt payments, legal settlements, or deposits to rainy-day funds or financial reserves, according to a Treasury fact sheet.

Inflation Brews for U.S. Producers (May 10, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Inflation continues to brew in America’s industrial heartland as growing materials shortages cascade into record-long delivery times and leave manufacturers struggling to keep pace with an energized economy.

As producers attempt to navigate supply-chain pitfalls for the commodities necessary to produce their wares, wage growth is beginning to percolate. A recent Labor Department report showed the largest quarterly increase in worker pay at companies since 2003.

This combination of higher labor and materials costs will probably lead to a bigger pickup in consumer inflation at a time when monetary and fiscal policies are conducive to faster economic growth, Bloomberg reported. Colgate-Palmolive Co., food and beverage maker Mondelez International Inc. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. are among a growing number of companies raising prices.

While Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the central bank views the shortages in materials and supply-chain challenges as temporary, companies are saying the constraints will linger, possibly into 2022.

Fosun Pharma Agrees to Joint Venture With BioNTech (May 9, 10:30 a.m. ET)

A unit of Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co. agreed to establish a joint venture with BioNTech SE for the local production and commercialization of its COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

Under the deal, Fosun Pharmaceutical Industrial will provide a manufacturing facility that has the potential to produce as much as 1 billion doses of the vaccine a year.

EU Hasn’t Renewed Astra Contract (May 9, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The European Union hasn’t renewed its contract for vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc, Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said Sunday on France Inter radio.

“We haven’t renewed the order after June,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

The bloc started legal proceedings against the company over shortfalls last month, Bloomberg reported. Breton also said the region is pushing for the establishment of vaccine factories in Africa, which is just as important as the question of intellectual property protections covering the technology.

“There needs to be working factories in Africa like in Senegal, where there is the Institut Pasteur, and South Africa,” he said. “Patents, OK, but there needs to be industrial infrastructure at the same time.”

EU Tells Biden to Export Vaccines (May 9, 8:00 a.m. ET)

European Union leaders urged U.S. President Biden to lift restrictions on exports of COVID-19 vaccines to address the needs of developing countries before embarking on complex discussions about patent waivers.

At a summit in Porto, Portugal on Friday and Saturday shortly after the U.S. suggested suspending intellectual property rights to boost the supply of Covid shots, German’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s Mario Draghi appealed to the U.S. to follow the EU example and start shipping significant numbers of vaccines, Bloomberg reported.

“I hope that now that large parts of the American society have been vaccinated we will come to a free exchange of components and opening of the market for vaccines,” Merkel told reporters after the meeting.

Amazon Postpones Prime Day Sale in Canada, India (May 6, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. is pausing plans for its annual sale Prime Day in Canada and India due to concerns about COVID-19, the company confirmed on Thursday. The pause won’t affect Prime Day in the U.S., which is scheduled for an undisclosed day in June, according to Bloomberg.

“Based on the increasing impact of COVID-19 in Canada, and the importance we place on protecting the health and safety of our employees and customers, we will pause plans for Prime Day 2021 in Canada,” said the email, sent to Amazon sellers Thursday. The Seattle-based company, in an email, confirmed Prime Day would also be postponed in India.

COVID-19 cases have risen in Canada in recent months amid a slower-than-expected rollout of vaccinations. Less than 3% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, and Ontario, the largest province, has been under an emergency stay-at-home order for weeks. India, which is suffering severe shortages of medical equipment, on Thursday reported 412,262 new virus cases and 3,980 deaths, both daily records.

Merkel Opposes Waiving Patents (May 6, 12:00 p.m. ET)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in against a U.S. proposal to waive intellectual-property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, Bloomberg reported, casting doubt on whether the idea has enough international support to become a reality.

“The limiting factor in the manufacture of vaccines is production capacity and the high quality standards, not the patents,” a government spokeswoman in Berlin said by email. “Protecting intellectual property is the wellspring of innovation and it must remain so.”

Pfizer Raises Production Target (May 6, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Pfizer and BioNTech have capacity to make as many as 3 billion doses of their vaccine this year, more than double the amount the partners had predicted less than six months ago, Bloomberg reported.

The partners will further increase their capacity for 2022, BioNTech said in an e-mailed statement.

The increase is the latest in a series of production target boosts and comes amid increased demand for messenger RNA Covid vaccines around the world.

Canada May Mix Vaccines Amid Supply Crunch (May 5, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Canada is considering allowing patients to receive two different types of vaccines as the country deals with shortages of shots from AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc.

Federal health officials are closely watching a U.K.-based trial in which participants received two kinds of shots. Results are expected in the next month or so, Bloomberg reported.

If adopted, the new protocol would mark another major deviation from original vaccine guidelines. Canada has opted to extend the length of time between mRNA vaccines from the recommended three to four weeks to as long as four months, in order to stretch supplies.

U.S. to Back Waiver of Vaccine IP Protections (May 5, 3:30 p.m. ET)

The U.S. will back a proposal to waive intellectual-property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, Bloomberg reported, joining an effort to increase global supply and access to the life-saving shots as the gap between rich and poor nations widens.

“We are for the waiver at the WTO, we are for what the proponents of the waiver are trying to accomplish, which is better access, more manufacturing capability, more shots in arms,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in an interview on Wednesday.

The Biden administration will now actively take part in negotiations for the text of the waiver at the World Trade Organization and encourage other countries to back it, Tai said.

She acknowledged the talks will take time and “will not be easy,” given the complexity of the issue and the fact that the Geneva-based WTO is a member-driven organization that can only make decisions based on consensus.

Pandemic Delays FDA Plant Inspections (May 5, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Pandemic disruptions severely hampered U.S. regulators’ ability to inspect drug and device makers’ manufacturing plants, delaying at least 68 applications for approval to market new products, according to Bloomberg.

Seven of the delayed applications were mission-critical, meaning they represented a medical advancement, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday, and six of those were for new drugs. The delayed applications were among 600 where the FDA required a factory inspection before approval decisions.

White House to Reallocate Vaccines Based on State Demand (May 4, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s administration told governors Tuesday that it would begin reallocating vaccines that go unclaimed by states — essentially clawing back unwanted doses from places where the pace of shots is lagging in order to steer them elsewhere, Bloomberg reported.

Vaccine uptake has varied significantly by state, but the U.S. has been allocating the supply evenly based on adult populations, regardless of how many doses are being used. The plan will see weekly unclaimed doses essentially repooled for any state to claim, including those with higher demand.

Pfizer Sees Big Potential Ahead for Covid Shot (May 4, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. laid out a plan to turn its COVID-19 vaccine into a long-term business, clinching supply agreements that will yield $26 billion in sales this year while expanding the shot to children and developing new formulations that can combat variants and be stored more easily, Bloomberg reported.

The drugmaker’s revenue forecast was an increase from $15 billion, reflecting the strong demand worldwide for a return to normalcy. Pfizer said it now expects to deliver 1.6 billion doses this year under contracts signed as of mid-April, with half the profits going to its partner in developing the shot, BioNTech SE.

The company will add $500 million to its research and development spending this year to invest in COVID-19 treatments and other vaccines using the cutting-edge messenger RNA technology. That investment comes as CEO Albert Bourla bets COVID-19 will become endemic, requiring people to get regular shots for years to come.

Johnson and Modi Pledge ‘Quantum Leap’ in U.K.-India Ties (May 4, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. and India pledged a “quantum leap” in their relationship and said they aim to double their trade by 2030, following a virtual meeting between Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

Johnson said a “new era” had begun and that Britain would continue to support India as it battles the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Britain has been sending emergency equipment and oxygen to help India tackle a surge in infections.

White House Backs Pfizer Move on Exports (May 3, 3:30 p.m. ET)

The Biden administration will support Pfizer Inc.’s move to begin exporting U.S.-made doses of its coronavirus vaccine, Bloomberg reported, as the White House starts to unleash U.S. production for shot-starved nations abroad.

The governments of Mexico and Canada said last week that they expected to begin receiving doses of Pfizer’s vaccine from the U.S., the first time the company’s U.S.-made shots are known to have been delivered to any buyer other than the American government itself.

Bank of America Says Cyberattacks Have Surged (May 3, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Bank of America Corp. is devoting more resources to fighting cyberattacks after seeing a jump in threats amid the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

The company’s centralized global information-security unit has boosted spending in recent years to about $1 billion annually, according to chief operations and technology officer Cathy Bessant. That’s mostly allocated to staff and technology to bolster cyber defenses. The lender is constantly assessing threats from individuals, groups and governments, and is also scanning the horizon to protect itself against an “Armageddon scenario,” she said.

“Criminals are by definition very crafty, very entrepreneurial — and times of stress produce opportunities,” Bessant told journalists during a virtual briefing Monday. “There’s no question that the rate and pace of attacks, and the nature of attacks, has grown dramatically.”

U.S. Factory Growth Settles Back as Supply Snags Linger (May 3, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Growth at U.S. manufacturers cooled in April as ongoing supply chain issues and materials shortages limited production efforts and enlarged backlogs.

A gauge of factory activity fell to 60.7 from a more than 37-year high of 64.7 a month earlier, according to data from the Institute for Supply Management released Monday. Readings above 50 indicate expansion. The report echoes separate figures showing euro-area manufacturers are also battling soaring materials prices and large numbers of unfilled orders, Bloomberg reported.

Persistent supply challenges are restraining otherwise robust momentum in manufacturing output, leading to record backlogs and driving materials prices higher. Factories and their customers have whittled down inventories to meet sturdy demand, the ISM figures showed.

Purchasing managers “reported that their companies and suppliers continue to struggle to meet increasing rates of demand due to coronavirus impacts limiting availability of parts and materials,” Timothy Fiore, chair of the ISM’s manufacturing business survey committee, said in a statement. “Recent record-long lead times, wide-scale shortages of critical basic materials, rising commodities prices and difficulties in transporting products are continuing to affect all segments of the manufacturing economy,” he said.

All 18 manufacturing industries reported growth. Among those with the largest expansions in April were electrical equipment and appliances, textiles, furniture and machinery.

Moderna Provides Doses for Covax Program (May 3, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. agreed to provide as many as 500 million doses of its shot to the program known as Covax in a boost for the global vaccination effort, but only a small fraction of the shipments are due to arrive this year, Bloomberg reported. Covax has faced funding challenges, delivery delays and other hurdles in a high-stakes campaign to get vaccines to lower-income nations.

U.S. in Talks on Vaccine Tech Waivers (May 2, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Talks starting this week between the U.S. and World Trade Organization over expanding access to vaccines will focus on how to get them “widely distributed, more widely licensed, more widely shared,” according to White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain. “We’re going to have more to say about that in the days to come,” he said.

Trade Representative Katherine Tai is leading the U.S. side, Klain said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “Intellectual property rights is part of the problem, but really, manufacturing is the biggest problem,” he added.

India, South Africa and other countries are seeking a WTO waiver to more ease intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, Bloomberg reported. The U.S. administration is reluctant to let countries force drug makers to turn over proprietary know-how.

Indian Drugmaker Blames Government (May 2, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The head of the world’s largest vaccine maker blamed coming shortages in India on the failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to anticipate a second viral wave, the Financial Times reported. Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of India’s Serum Institute, told the newspaper that a severe vaccine shortage would persist through July.

He said the government “took it easy” after cases declined in January. “Everybody really felt that India had started to turn the tide on the pandemic,” Poonawalla said.

Amazon Expects Pandemic-Fueled Shopping Frenzy to Continue (April 29, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc., which benefited from a surge in online shopping during the pandemic, expects the trend to continue even as consumers get back to work and resume the vestiges of normal life, Bloomberg reported.

This time a year ago, Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos warned investors that the spread of COVID-19 was going to be costly, in new facilities to meet demand from homebound shoppers and precautions to keep its operations running safely. Amazon hired hundreds of thousands of workers and continued to open warehouses at a rate of one every 24 hours.

Quarterly results released on Thursday show those big bets continue to pay off. The pandemic has supercharged the retailer’s business, enabling the Seattle-based company to more profitably deliver packages, cloud-computing services and streamed movies.

First-quarter revenue jumped 44% to $108.5 billion and earnings were a record $15.79 a share, exceeding analysts’ estimates. For the quarter ending in June, Amazon projected sales between $110 billion and $116 billion, also better than Wall Street expected.

Millions of J&J Doses Await Approval (April 29, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. has produced more than 115 million doses worth of drug substance used in the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, according to Bloomberg, 60 million doses of which are in vials and ready to deploy at U.S. regulators’ discretion.

The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based contract manufacturer has been producing the J&J single-shot vaccine since the fourth quarter of 2020, said a person familiar with the matter. The size of the stockpile, which isn’t yet cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for release, hasn’t been previously reported.

U.S. Weighs Local Vaccine Production (April 29, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.S. focus on increasing supply of COVID-19 vaccines for other countries may mean boosting manufacturing at American facilities rather than waiving intellectual-property protections for doses, the White House said.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has yet to make a recommendation to the White House on the waiver proposal, Bloomberg reported. President Biden and his COVID-19 team will then make the ultimate decision on the U.S. waiver position, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

U.K. Secures 60 Million Doses for Boosters (April 28, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. government has secured an extra 60 million doses of the vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE to form part of a booster program, Bloomberg reported.

Scientists at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization are deciding which groups of people should get the booster shot later this year, after they have been given their first two doses.

Blackstone, Amazon Join Race to Help India (April 28, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Companies ranging from India’s biggest conglomerate to global giants like Amazon.com Inc. are stepping in to help ease the country’s Covid crisis.

Reliance Industries Ltd., the Tata group, global drug giants like Gilead Sciences Inc. and technology titans such as Alphabet Inc. are all rushing in supplies and funds, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone Group Inc. Chairman Stephen Schwarzman said his private equity firm is committing $5 million to support India’s relief and vaccination services to “marginalized communities.”

Biden to Send Vaccines to India (April 27, 3:30 p.m. ET)

President Biden said he intends to send vaccines from the U.S. to India as the country battles the worst coronavirus surge in the world, but did not specify timing for a decision or shipments, Bloomberg reported.

Biden said Tuesday that in a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he discussed “when we’ll be able to send actual vaccines to India, which is my intention to do.”

In the meantime, the U.S. is providing aid including the therapeutic drug remdisivir and machinery for vaccine manufacturing, Biden said.

U.S. Bankruptcies Climb (April 27, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Four companies with at least $50 million in liabilities filed for bankruptcy last week, according to data released Tuesday by Bloomberg. A total of 55 have filed through April 26. 

That pace is slower than the 67 filings seen at this point last year, but remains above the ten-year average of about 42.

Last week’s new bankruptcy filings included all-you-can-eat chain Old Country Buffet; Liberty Power Holdings LLC, an electricity retailer hurt by the Texas freeze; and L&L Wings Inc., which sells “beachwear and beach sundry items” at 26 stores in the U.S.

Indian Steel Mills Cut Output to Boost Oxygen Supplies (April 27, 9:00 a.m. ET)

India’s most valuable steelmaker is cutting output to step up supplies of medical-grade oxygen as the country grapples with a devastating shortage of the life-saving gas amid surging coronavirus infections.

JSW Steel Ltd. said Tuesday it is reducing output to augment liquid medical oxygen supply to more than 900 tons a day by April-end, and more than 20,000 tons for the entire month, Bloomberg reported. It joins Steel Authority of India Ltd., which said Monday its Bhilai plant is taking a temporary shutdown to boost oxygen supplies.

The government has restricted the industrial use of liquid oxygen to boost supplies for medical purposes. Steel mills are not on the list of industries excluded from the order.

Other mills, including Tata Steel Ltd. and Jindal Steel & Power Ltd., have also been supplying oxygen for medical purposes in the past few weeks. Factories have also undertaken to reduce liquid oxygen safety stocks to 0.5 days instead of the normal requirement of 3.5 days in their storage tanks.

U.S. Discusses Vaccines With Pfizer, Astra (April 26, 9:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai held virtual meetings on Monday with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and AstraZeneca’s U.S. business head, Ruud Dobber.

The discussion topics included an increase in vaccine production, global health issues and the proposed waiver to certain provisions of the WTO agreement on intellectual property rights, according to USTR readouts of the calls.

The U.S. will begin sharing its entire pipeline of AstraZeneca’s vaccine once it clears federal safety reviews, Bloomberg reported, with as many as 60 million doses expected to be available for export in the coming months. The AstraZeneca vaccine is widely in use around the world but not yet authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Gilead Boosts Remdesivir Supply for India (April 26, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Gilead Sciences Inc. pledged to donate at least 450,000 vials of Remdesivir to the government of India and said it will provide the active pharmaceutical ingredient in the medicine to help scale up production in the country in response to the rapid increase of cases, Bloomberg reported.

The company is also providing its voluntary licensing partners with technical assistance and supporting the addition of new local manufacturing facilities, Gilead said in a statement.

Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease.

EU Sues AstraZeneca for Breaching Contract (April 26, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The EU filed a suit against AstraZeneca for breaching the advanced purchase agreement for vaccine doses, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a tweet.

The company failed to come up with a “reliable strategy” to ensure timely delivery of vaccine doses, Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker told reporters in Brussels. “We want to make sure that there’s a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses the European citizens are entitled to and which have been promised on the basis of this contract,” he said.

U.S. Vaccine Demand Continues to Slow (April 25, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. recorded 3 million vaccine doses on Sunday, another drop suggesting a general in demand, according to Bloomberg. The seven-day average fell to 2.8 million, compared with a record 3.4 million on April 13.

After three months of vaccination across the U.S., a majority of American adults have gotten shots, and the effort will soon shift from mass inoculation to mop-up.

The Biden administration is pursuing a strategy of abundance, which the White House has referred to as an “overwhelm the problem” approach. While vaccines will probably still be shipped widely to sites such as pharmacies and health centers, what’s likely to disappear are lines and scarcity.

U.S. to Send India Vaccine Materials (April 25, 1:30 p.m. ET)

The U.S. will send India raw materials for vaccines and step up financing aid for COVID-19 shot production, Bloomberg reported, joining European countries in helping stem the world’s biggest surge in cases.

Material needed to produce Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made in India, has been sourced and “will immediately be made available for India,” Emily Horne, a spokesperson for U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, said in a statement.

U.S. Considers Sending India Unused Astra Shots (April 25, 1:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s chief medical adviser said the U.S. will consider sending India unused, unapproved doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine to help stem a record-breaking surge in COVID-19 cases there.

“I think that’s going to be something that is up for active consideration,” Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” while cautioning that he didn’t “want to be speaking for policy right now.”

The U.S. stockpile of AstraZeneca shots reached more than 20 million doses earlier this month and has grown since then, Bloomberg reported, prompting persistent calls by doctors to donate the shots to other countries that are way behind the U.S. in their vaccination efforts.

U.K. to Send Medical Equipment to India (April 25, 11:30 a.m. ET)

The U.K. is sending more than 600 pieces of medical kit to India to support the country in its fight against COVID-19, the government announced Sunday. Nine airline container loads of supplies, including 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators, will be sent to the country this week. The first shipment is leaving the U.K. on Monday, arriving in New Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday, Bloomberg reported.

Pfizer, J&J Resist Calls to Loosen Covid Vaccine Rights (April 22, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & Johnson officials on Thursday balked at calls from the global community to waive patent rights in favor of broader immunization, Bloomberg reported.

Intellectual property rights are critical to ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines can be deployed around the world, said Pfizer’s chief patent counsel, Bryan Zielinski. “It would never come out right,” said J&J chief intellectual property counsel Robert DeBerardine. “It wouldn’t taste like Grandma’s cookies.”

U.S. President Biden is facing calls from some lawmakers to back a proposal before the World Trade Organization that seeks a broad waiver of rules on intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines.

WHO Head Calls for Global Vaccine Sharing (April 22, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The head of the World Health Organization called on governments and companies that “control the global supply” to share doses and know-how to increase equitable vaccine distribution.

“Scarcity drives inequity and puts the global recovery at risk,” WHO director general Tedros Ghebreyesus said in a New York Times op-ed. Even with almost 1 billion doses administered, many countries face a crisis of high COVID-19 transmission and intensive care units overflowing with patients and running short on essential supplies such as oxygen, he said.

U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to Pandemic Low (April 22, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Applications for U.S. state unemployment insurance unexpectedly plunged to a pandemic low of 547,000 in the week ended April 17, Labor Department data showed Thursday.

The job market is strengthening as employers look to fill positions that were left empty by restrictions that have now been eased. Growth should speed up even more following a nationwide goal of administering an average of 3 million vaccinations per day. The data follow strong manufacturing, retail sales and other indicators in recent weeks, Bloomberg reported.

EU Readies Legal Action Against Astra (April 22, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The European Union’s executive arm is preparing to start a legal case by the end of the week against AstraZeneca over its failure to deliver its promised number of doses to the bloc, according to Bloomberg. The procedure would take between five and seven weeks and the European Commission has asked capitals to join the process.

Astra delivered just 30 million of its originally committed 120 million doses to the EU in the first quarter. Despite the shortfall, the EU has started to turn the corner in its vaccination campaign, and aims to inoculate 70% of its population by the end of the summer.

Biden Urges Businesses to Vaccinate Workers (April 21, 2:00 p.m. ET) 

U.S. President Biden is calling on employers to use a tax credit to provide paid time off to workers to get vaccinated and for businesses to do more to boost the inoculation effort as U.S. vaccine supply begins to meet demand.

Biden will announce that the U.S. will achieve its goal on Thursday of giving 200 million vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office, while pivoting to a new phase of the campaign by urging businesses to make vaccination as accessible as possible, Bloomberg reported.

Kenya Plans to Build a Fill-Finish Facility (April 21, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Kenya is working on a plan to develop a manufacturing plant that will enable the country to import COVID-19 vaccines in bulk, and fill the vials and distribute them locally, Bloomberg reported.

“We want to create our own vaccine making and distributing capacity. This is not just a health issue, it is also a security issue,” Health Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said in meeting with lawmakers.

Kenya is in talks to buy 10 million doses of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines, with the first shipment expected in June, according to the minister. It has ordered another 7 million doses from Pfizer Inc.; Kagwe said, adding that Pfizer has agreed to use its own supply chain to deliver the vaccines to major distribution points across Kenya.

Kagwe said 2.4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccines, which will be Kenya’s second shipment under the Covax facility, will be delivered at the end of May.

Emergent Plant to Remain on Hold (April 21, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Production at an Emergent BioSolutions Inc. facility in Baltimore will remain on hold, Bloomberg reported, following an inspection that turned up several manufacturing problems.

Emergent is a contract manufacturer that is expected to produce the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, but output there has been paused while officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration scrutinize its operations.

In an inspection report posted on the agency’s website on Wednesday, the FDA found Emergent failed to thoroughly investigate unexplained discrepancies, including the cross-contamination of a vaccine substance batch with vaccine ingredients from another client.

North Dakota, Manitoba in Trucker Vaccine Pact (April 20, 3:00 p.m. ET)

North Dakota and the province of Manitoba have undertaken a joint initiative to vaccinate Canada-based truck drivers transporting goods to and from the U.S., Bloomberg reported. The arrangement was announced by North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who said it was the first such program between a Canadian and American jurisdiction.

Manitoba will identify and coordinate with eligible individuals and work with North Dakota to schedule vaccination appointments for truck drivers during their routine trips to the U.S. over the next six to eight weeks. It is estimated that roughly 2,000 to 4,000 Manitoba drivers will take part in the program.

“With adequate vaccine supplies and all North Dakotans having access to vaccine while Canada is dealing with a vaccine shortage, we want to do our part to ensure essential workers from Canada who are frequently traveling through our state are vaccinated,” Burgum said in a statement. “The timely and effective administration of vaccines is essential for public health and the eventual safe reopening of our shared border.”

House Probing Emergent Contracts (April 20, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. House Democratic Whip James Clyburn said he’s concerned about the track record of Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a manufacturer expected to produce Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine at its Baltimore plant, and has launched an investigation into how the company came to be awarded its federal contracts, Bloomberg reported.

Two House panels, including one that Clyburn chairs, launched an investigation Monday into whether Emergent officials leveraged a relationship with a Trump administration official to profit from federal contracts, and whether the company’s actions impeded the U.S. pandemic response. Clyburn has requested testimony from Emergent executives.

J&J to Restart EU Vaccine Shipments (April 20, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson will restart shipments of its COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union after the bloc’s drug regulator said the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks of a possible link with cases of rare blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency assessment on Tuesday echoed that of the vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc, which has also been linked with the rare clot, Bloomberg reported. In both cases, the regulator said Covid can be fatal and the use of vaccines is crucial to fighting the virus.

Delhi Official Pleads for Oxygen Supplies (April 20, 10:30 a.m. ET)

The chief minister of India’s capital took to Twitter Tuesday to plead for oxygen supplies from the federal government as the country reels under a ferocious second wave of virus infections.

His deputy, Manish Sisodia, said that several hospitals treating critically ill COVID-19 patients had only a few hours of oxygen supplies left.

“We are getting SOS calls from hospitals for oxygen,” Sisodia said on Twitter. The city reported nearly 24,000 new infections Monday, forcing the government to order a lockdown for the next six days. Kejriwal has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact the city is running out of hospital beds, oxygen and crucial drugs as infections continue to surge, Bloomberg reported.

Cadila Looks to Double Vaccine Capacity (April 19, 6:00 p.m. ET) 

Indian drugmaker Cadila Healthcare Ltd., which expects regulatory approval for its vaccine by June, will potentially ramp up capacity to 240 million annual doses as the nation races to contain the world’s fastest-growing coronavirus outbreak, Bloomberg reported.

Cadila is expecting efficacy readings from its last stage of clinical trials in May, Sharvil Patel, the family-run firm’s managing director, said in an interview. If that data is promising, the drugmaker may double its vaccine making capabilities and is banking on a new local factory that will likely be commissioned next month, according to Patel.

Pfizer Makes South Africa Deal After Standoff (April 19, 2:00 p.m. ET) 

Deliveries of Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine to South Africa were delayed by demands from the drugmaker that it determine the guarantees needed to indemnify the company from any negative effects from the shots.

The condition was resisted by the government and Pfizer eventually backed down, agreeing to supply 30 million doses of the vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

Gottlieb Says Logistics Key With J&J Sidelined (April 18, 2:00 p.m. ET) 

“Better logistics” will be key to keeping the U.S. vaccination momentum rolling while the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot remains sidelined, said Scott Gottlieb, former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“The challenge now is that we’re going to have to set up better logistics to try and reach communities we know are hard to reach,” Gottlieb said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” The J&J shot has been seen as an important part of the national strategy because it’s one-and-done and doesn’t need special storage equipment, Bloomberg reported.

Still, he agreed with Biden adviser Anthony Fauci that “the J&J vaccine will be back on the market in a reasonable period of time — hopefully this week.”

J&J Shots May Not Restart Quickly (April 15, 6:00 p.m. ET) 

A hold on the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. could stretch for several weeks, according to the head of an advisory panel that is expected to make a recommendation about whether shots should resume.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is weighing the scientific evidence after reports that six people who received the vaccine subsequently suffered rare blood clots in the brain, Bloomberg reported. Earlier this week, U.S. regulators ordered a temporary halt in use of the shot.

After deciding not to vote on a recommendation on Wednesday, the advisory panel is tentatively scheduled to reconvene on Thursday or Friday of next week, chairman Jose Romero said in a telephone interview.

U.S. Vaccine Surplus Grows (April 15, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Many U.S. states and cities have a growing surplus of COVID-19 vaccines, a sign that in some places demand is slowing before a large percentage of the population has been inoculated, according to an analysis by Bloomberg News.

The data indicate as many as one in three doses are unused in some states. Appointments for shots often go untaken, with few people signing up.

Bloomberg analyzed state and U.S. data from Monday, providing a snapshot of vaccine use before Johnson & Johnson shelved millions of shots pending federal health officials’ investigation into rare cases of blood clots. That pause will likely cause the number of unused shots to fluctuate, but will little change comparisons of states.

Vaccine Production Nears 2 Billion (April 15, 9:30 a.m. ET)

After COVID-19 vaccine production surpassed 1 billion doses this week, the world could produce the next billion in a little more than a month, according to a forecast from Airfinity Ltd., the London-based research company.

At the same time, a delay to Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine could push European Union efforts to vaccinate three-quarters of its population back to December, from the end of September, Bloomberg reported.

EU Vaccine Exports Surpass Internal Rollout (April 14, 2:30 p.m. ET) 

The European Union continues to export more vaccines than it administers, in data highlighting the risk of a backlash against the bloc’s governments amid setbacks that keep threatening to delay its own rollout.

The EU authorized the export of 113.5 million doses to 43 countries between Jan. 31 and April 13, according to a memo circulated to government envoys in Brussels on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported. Around 39.2 million doses were shipped to Japan, 15.2 million to the U.K. and 11.7 million to Canada, according to the document.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said earlier on Wednesday that the EU’s 27 governments have now administered 100 million shots.

Economists Project ‘Spectacular’ U.S. March Retail Report (April 14, 10:30 a.m. ET) 

U.S. retail sales probably swelled in March thanks to faster hiring, the distribution of federal stimulus checks, a steady pace of COVID-19 vaccinations and fewer restrictions on stores across the country.

Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department will show retail receipts surged by 5.8% in March after a 3% decline in February, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. Several forecasters project at least a 10% gain, which would be the largest since May — when the economy began emerging from initial pandemic lockdowns.

“I really think it’s going to be a pretty spectacular report,” Michelle Meyer, head of U.S. economics at Bank of America Corp., who estimates a 11.5% gain. “The question will be what comes next, we can’t repeat these gains, we won’t have stimulus checks every month.”

Personal incomes were boosted during the month by the distribution of $1,400 stimulus checks from the latest federal pandemic aid bill, signed by President Biden on March 11. Further, the labor market added more than 900,000 jobs last month.

Pfizer Ramps Up Production (April 13, 5:00 p.m. ET) 

Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Twitter that the company ramped up production and will be able to deliver 10% more doses to the U.S. by the end of next month than had been previously agreed on.

WHO Urges Pause in Sale of Live Animals (April 13, 3:30 p.m. ET) 

The World Health Organization on Tuesday urged countries to suspend the sale of wild animals at so-called wet markets as an emergency measure, saying 70% of all emerging infectious diseases in humans have wildlife origins, Bloomberg reported. The first outbreak of COVID-19 was linked to a wet market in Wuhan, China.

“Although the specific mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 emergence has not been definitively identified, at some point or over time, interactions may have occurred that allowed for cross- and perhaps multiple-species pathogen transmission,” the United Nations agency said in a report.

The WHO acknowledged the central role traditional markets play in providing food and livelihoods for large populations. However, it said that “banning the sale of the animals can protect people’s health — both those working there and those shopping there.”

Biden Says There Are Enough Doses (April 13, 3:00 p.m. ET) 

Seeking to calm nerves about the J&J pause, President Biden said he “made sure we have 600 million doses of the mRNA — not of either Johnson & Johnson and or AstraZeneca,” a Bloomberg White House correspondent reported. 

“There is enough vaccine that is basically 100% unquestionable for every single solitary American," Biden said. 

J&J Delays Rollout in Europe (April 13, 10:00 a.m. ET) 

Johnson & Johnson decided to delay the rollout of its COVID-19 vaccine in Europe, and the company is reviewing blood clot cases with European health authorities, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier, U.S. health officials recommended a pause in the use of the vaccine. Six women suffered a type of brain blood clot similar to that reported as a rare side effect to the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine. About 6.8 million people in the U.S. have received the J&J shot.

“This announcement will not have a significant impact on our vaccination plan — Johnson & Johnson vaccine makes up less than 5% of the recorded shots in arms in the U.S. to date,” White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said. The U.S. has enough Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to continue the current pace of vaccinations and meet President Biden’s goal, Zients said in a written statement.

South Africa’s medicines regulator, its health minister and researchers are also in talks about whether to pause the rollout of J&J vaccines.

Australia Won’t Buy J&J Vaccine (April 12, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Australia’s federal government confirmed that it won’t purchase Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine, citing similarities of technology in J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines, Bloomberg reported.

The government recently said he won’t set a new target date for all Australians to receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, as health concerns about the AstraZeneca shot and European export restrictions delay the rollout.

The nation’s health authorities also said a second case of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia had been found in a person following the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. This equates to a frequency of one in 350,000.

India Passes Brazil in Cases (April 12, 7:00 p.m. ET)

India overtook Brazil in the number of COVID-19 cases to become the country with the second highest number of cases, trailing only the U.S., Bloomberg reported. India reported almost 13.53 million infections, compared with 13.52 million cases in Brazil. Latin America’s largest economy registered 35,785 cases and 1,480 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The country also granted emergency use approval to Russia’s highly effective Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, making it the third such shot approved by India as it races to contain an escalating health crisis amid a record daily surge in infections.

India has seen more than 170,000 Covid deaths and administered 104.5 million vaccinations so far, according to data from its health ministry.

U.S. Oil Output Nears Levels Not Seen Since Pandemic’s Start (April 12, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The Permian Basin, the U.S.’s most prolific shale patch, will produce crude oil at levels not seen since the start of the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Output in the basin will reach 4.466 million barrels a day in May, the most in a year, and rig counts have touched a one-year high, according to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration. 

By comparison, production peaked at over 13 million barrels a day last year before the global pandemic crushed oil prices, forcing scores of drillers to file for bankruptcy and shutter wells.

EU’s Vaccine Spat With U.K. Boosts Support for Brexit (April 12, 12:00 a.m. ET)

British voters’ attitudes are hardening against the European Union in the wake of the clashes between London and Brussels over coronavirus vaccines that have marked the 100 days since the U.K. completed its divorce from the bloc.

A new Bloomberg poll shows support for Brexit has grown since the historic 2016 referendum, and almost two-thirds of adults believe that being outside the EU helped the U.K.’s vaccination program to succeed.

In the survey of 2,002 people conducted online by JL Partners for Bloomberg, 67% of respondents said the EU has behaved in a “hostile” way toward Britain in the dispute over vaccine supplies. Just 13% said the bloc had acted like an “ally and a friend.”

AstraZeneca Vaccine’s Use Shrinks in Asia (April 11, 11:30 p.m. ET)

Countries across the Asia Pacific are demurring on AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine, or restricting its use, in a move that may delay protection for the region amid concerns that the shot could trigger a rare and potentially deadly blood clotting condition.

After guiding against the vaccine’s use in people under 50 and saying that it didn’t expect shipments from Europe to arrive on time, Australia’s government abandoned a pledge that everyone in the country would receive a first dose by October, Bloomberg reported.

In Hong Kong, officials said they wouldn’t take delivery of the vaccine supply they’ve ordered from the British drugmaker this year, as the city plans to rely on vaccines from BioNTech SE and Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

While South Korea said it would resume inoculations with the AstraZeneca shot this week after a suspension, it’ll limit use to those between 30 and 60 years old.

India Bans Remdesivir Export (April 11, 12:00 p.m. ET)

India has prohibited exports of the drug Remdesivir, used to treat COVID-19, as the country registered a record number of daily new coronavirus cases, Bloomberg reported.

The government took the step amid a sudden spike in demand for the injection, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday, adding that “there is a potential of further increase in this demand in the coming days.”

U.S. AstraZeneca Stockpile Rises to 20 Million Doses (April 8, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. stockpile of the controversial AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has grown to more than 20 million doses, according to Bloomberg, even as the shot looks increasingly unlikely to factor into President Biden’s domestic vaccination campaign.

AstraZeneca has yet to request Food and Drug Administration authorization for the two-dose vaccine, and the company faces safety questions abroad and scrutiny from U.S. regulators who’ve already rebuked it for missteps during clinical trials and partial data releases.

U.S. Vaccine Drive Picks Up Pace (April 8, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. vaccination drive has picked up pace over the last two days after a lull following Easter and the end of Passover, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Another 3.4 million doses were reported on Thursday, bringing the seven-day average to 3.04 million, almost at the record level before the holiday dropoff.

So far, 175 million doses have been given in the U.S. At this pace, it’s estimated to take another 3 months to cover 75% of the population.

EU Has Exported 80 Million Doses (April 8, 12:45 p.m. ET)

The EU has exported more than 80 million vaccine doses since the beginning of February, Bloomberg reported. A total of 112 million doses had been delivered to EU member states as of April 5, according to a memo circulated to diplomats in Brussels.

Japan has overtaken the U.K as the main export destination, getting 17.7 million shots produced in the EU, versus 13.3 million for shipment to Britain. European governments have been under pressure to curb exports as their rollout lags behind vaccination rates in the U.S and the U.K. However, out of the 534 export requests submitted by drugmakers so far, only one has been refused and two are pending, according to the memo dated April 8.

India Seeks to Make More Vaccines (April 8, 12:30 p.m. ET)

India is attempting to boost its capacity to make vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, as new coronavirus cases in the world’s second-most populous nation surged to a record.

Modi made the comments during a meeting with chief ministers to discuss ways to check the rapid rise of infections in the South Asian nation. Some states have said that they are facing a shortage of vaccines, Bloomberg reported.

Biden Expands Program at Health Centers (April 7, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. President Biden will offer COVID-19 vaccine shipments to all of the nation’s community health centers, adding 2,500 delivery sites in a program aimed at closing the racial gap in inoculations.

Another 520 such centers will be eligible to receive vaccine shipments, increasing the total to about 1,470 across the U.S., Bloomberg reported.

Euro-Area Companies Return to Broad Growth (April 7, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Euro-zone companies have returned to broad-based growth for only the second time since the pandemic started, Bloomberg reported, with factories booming and confidence high that vaccinations will soon end the coronavirus crisis.

Germany, Italy, Spain and Ireland all saw business activity rise last month and France halted its contraction, according to IHS Markit’s latest survey of purchasing managers. Those nations, the only ones for which the data provider polls both manufacturing and services companies, account for more than three-quarters of the euro-area economy.

It’s the first time none of the countries had a shrinking private sector since a short-lived rebound in July, before the second wave of the pandemic. Factory output increased in March at the fastest pace in almost 24 years of data collection, and the service sector came close to stabilizing.

U.K. Rolls Out Moderna Shot (April 7, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. began rolling out the Moderna vaccine on Wednesday, around two weeks earlier than expected, bolstering Britain’s COVID-19 immunization program amid concerns over AstraZeneca Plc’s shot and a shortfall of doses this month.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Moderna shot would first be offered in west Wales, Bloomberg reported. It’s the third approved vaccine to be offered in Britain, alongside shots from AstraZeneca and partners Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. The U.K. has ordered 17 million doses of Moderna’s two-shot vaccine, enough for 8.5 million people.

High-End Coffee Beans Are Surging as Deficit Looms (April 6, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Futures for arabica coffee, the type used in lattes and flat whites at cafes like Starbucks Corp., are surging on signs that a global supply deficit is widening.

The world will be short 7.5 million bags for this season’s crop cycle, following an outlook for reduced output in top grower Brazil, Bloomberg reported. Coffee traders including Volcafe, a unit of ED&F Man, and Marex Spectron are seeing even bigger world bean shortfalls coming in October.

Amid the supply struggles, demand for coffee is rising as economies reopen following a year of lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A 1% change in world economic growth can affect demand by almost 1 million bags, each weighing 60 kilograms, according to industry association estimates. 

U.S. Forecasts Highest Summer Fuel Prices Since 2018 (April 6, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Drivers eager to get back on the road more than a year into the pandemic will face the highest summer gasoline prices since 2018, Bloomberg reported.

Prices at the pump will average $2.78 a gallon from April to September in the U.S., more than 30% higher than last summer. While COVID-19 will continue to affect petroleum markets this summer, more vaccinations combined with U.S. fiscal stimulus will support the economic recovery and drive demand growth, the Energy Information Administration said in its annual Summer Fuels Outlook report.

IMF Lifts Global Growth Forecast (April 6, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The International Monetary Fund upgraded its global economic growth forecast for the second time in three months, while warning about widening inequality and a divergence between advanced and lesser-developed economies.

The global economy will expand 6% this year, up from the 5.5% pace estimated in January, the IMF said in its World Economic Outlook published on Tuesday. That would be the most in four decades of data, coming after a 3.3% contraction last year that was the worst peacetime decline since the Great Depression, Bloomberg reported.

The IMF sees advanced economies less affected by the virus this year and beyond, with low-income countries and emerging markets suffering more — a contrast to 2009, when rich nations were hit harder. With U.S. gross domestic product next year forecast to be even bigger than projected before COVID-19, the IMF’s projections show little residual scarring from the pandemic for the world’s No. 1 economy.

Automakers Want Aid for U.S. Chip Production (April 5, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Automakers want a portion of the money Congress approved for addressing the global semiconductor shortage to be reserved for vehicle-grade chips — warning of a potential 1.3 million shortfall in car and light-duty truck production in the U.S. this year, Bloomberg reported.

Congress last year authorized federal spending on research and design initiatives to boost domestic chip production and create a subsidy for domestic manufacturers. But the money still needs to be included in an appropriation measure before it can be doled out.

“Given the importance of chips to current auto production and future automotive innovation, it would be regrettable if none of the funding under the CHIPS for America Act, once appropriated, was used to increase the resiliency of automotive supply chains through the construction of new facilities that produce or have the ability to produce auto-grade chips,” John Bozzella, president and chief executive officer of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said in comments submitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Bozzella’s trade association represents major automakers such as Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Stellantis NV, Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp.

Astra Gets White House Help Finding New Plant (April 5, 4:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s administration is working with AstraZeneca Plc to find new manufacturing capacity in the U.S. after the company agreed to abandon a Baltimore COVID-19 vaccine plant that will focus exclusively on making doses for Johnson & Johnson, Bloomberg reported.

The talks are the latest development after an error at the Emergent BioSolutions Inc. facility — in which ingredients for the two companies’ vaccines were mixed up — led to a batch of 15 million doses worth of drug substance being spoiled.

Global LNG Demand Jumps Most Since 2019 (April 5, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Liquefied natural gas deliveries expanded the most in a year, Bloomberg reported, as Asia and Europe refilled inventories drained over the winter.

Imports jumped 5.8% in March from a year earlier, the biggest increase since March 2020, according to ship-tracking data. Demand for the fuel used in heating and power generation had been steadily growing before COVID-19, as nations shift away from coal-fired power over climate concerns.

Chinese shipments surged more than 30%, and LNG imports into western Europe reached the highest levels since record volumes delivered in December 2019. Supplies from the U.S. made up nearly 30% of shipments. Global exports of the fuel in March rose 4.2% from year-ago levels.

Vaccine Widens to More Poor Countries (April 4, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Coronavirus shots should be rolled out to over 100 countries in the next couple of weeks, from 84 at present, with a shortage of supplies the limiting factor, said one of the leaders of the World Health Organization’s vaccine initiative.

“If we had more doses, we could make these available,” said Seth Berkley, chief executive officer of Gavi Alliance, a public-private partnership that works to provide vaccines for developing countries, according to Bloomberg. 

J&J Takes Over Vaccine Plant (April 4, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson, with help from the Biden administration, is taking over a Baltimore vaccine production facility that was the site of a major manufacturing error last month — and moving production of material for a second company’s shot to minimize risk of another mistake, Bloomberg reported.

J&J announced Saturday that it was “assuming full responsibility regarding the manufacturing of drug substance” at the Emergent BioSolutions Inc. plant. To facilitate that, the Department of Health and Human Services worked with AstraZeneca to move its production out of that plant so it can focus only on J&J, according to an HHS official familiar with the measure.

J&J Production Error Affects 15 Million Doses (March 31, 6:30 p.m. ET)

A manufacturing error at a Baltimore plant affected 15 million doses worth of an ingredient for Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, Bloomberg reported, but the company downplayed the situation and said it met its most recent vaccine delivery target.

In a statement, J&J said a batch of drug substance failed its quality test, but the company expects to deliver another 24 million doses by the end of April.

WTO Sees Rebound for Global Economy, Goods Trade (March 31, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The World Trade Organization raised its projection for growth in global merchandise trade this year to 8% — the biggest increase since 2010, Bloomberg reported. The rebound marks a significant bounce from 2020, when the pandemic saw global trade contract by 5.3%, less than the 9.2% decline estimated in October.

Accelerated vaccinations could return trade to its pre-pandemic trend, but slower roll-outs could result in a 2 percentage-point decrease to the forecast, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told reporters.

U.S. Companies Add Most Jobs Since September (March 31, 11:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. private employers in March added the most jobs in six months, Bloomberg reported, signaling that a pickup in COVID-19 vaccinations and business reopenings are encouraging hiring.

Company payrolls increased by 517,000 during the month and February was revised up to a 176,000 gain, according to ADP Research Institute data released Wednesday. Small- and medium-size businesses showed stronger employment growth this month than large companies.

EU Delivers More Than 100 Million Shots (March 31, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The European Union will have delivered 107 million vaccines by the end of this week, reaching the bloc’s targeted goal for the first three months of the year.

The milestone was a revised goal that had to take into account multiple delays in the deliveries from AstraZeneca Plc, Bloomberg reported.

Biden Extends Small Business Loan Program (March 30, 2:30 p.m. ET)

President Biden on Tuesday signed legislation extending the period small businesses have to apply for forgivable loans to help offset costs of the coronavirus pandemic, hailing it as a “bipartisan accomplishment.”

The legislation will extend the deadline for the Paycheck Protection Program to May 31 from March 31, Bloomberg reported, giving businesses two additional months to apply. The legislation also provides the Small Business Administration an additional 30 days to process loans, in a bid to address longer wait times after the government began more strictly screening applications to prevent fraud.

The SBA says it has approved more than 8.7 million loans valued at over $734 billion. Some $194.5 billion has already been forgiven by the government, according to the agency’s data.

U.S. Consumer Confidence Surges to One-Year High (March 30, 11:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. consumer confidence rose in March to a one-year high as Americans grew more upbeat about the economy and labor market, Bloomberg reported. The Conference Board’s index increased to 109.7 from a revised 90.4 reading in February — the sharpest one-month gain in nearly 18 years.

Households’ outlooks brightened as millions received COVID-19 vaccinations and restrictions on businesses were lifted more broadly. A fresh round of fiscal stimulus also likely helped boost sentiment and is projected to bolster economic activity and the job market in coming months.

The group’s gauge of expectations rose to 109.6, the highest since July 2019, while a measure of sentiment about current conditions rose to a one-year high of 110. The 18.7-point gain from February in the measure of outlook was the largest since May 2009.

BioNTech Raises Target to 2.5 Billion Doses (March 30, 10:00 a.m. ET)

BioNTech and Pfizer raised this year’s production target for their vaccine to as many as 2.5 billion doses, with the German biotech’s chief executive officer predicting a version of the shot that can be stored in refrigerators will be ready within months.

The new target represents an increase of about one quarter from an earlier estimate, Bloomberg reported. BioNTech said it expects 9.8 billion euros ($11.5 billion) in revenue from the supply contracts signed already, which amount to 1.4 billion doses. Revenue expectations include milestone payments from BioNTech’s partners and will rise as more orders are signed, the company said.

Philippines Allow Companies to Import Vaccines (March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he will allow private companies to import vaccines “at will” to boost inoculations amid a global supply crunch and to help speed up the reopening of the economy, Bloomberg reported. Businesses can choose where to source and import vaccines.

The move comes amid the Philippines’ vaccination campaign lagging behind its Southeast Asian neighbors as the country faces a new surge in infections and an economic recession that’s seen persisting into this quarter.

U.S. Wants Private Sector to Lead on Passports (March 29, 3:30 p.m. ET)

White House officials said that the push for vaccine passports should come from the private sector and that the federal government won’t take the lead in creating a centralized document-proving vaccination, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. government “is not viewing its role as the place to create a passport, nor a place to hold the data of citizens,” Andy Slavitt, a White House COVID-19 adviser, said Monday in a briefing.

Biden: 90% Eligible for Shots by April 19 (March 29, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden said Monday that 90% of U.S. adults will be eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine in three weeks, and that his administration will more than double the number of pharmacies where shots are available, as cases begin to rise again.

“Look at what we have done in the last 10 weeks. No other country has come close,” Biden said at the White House. But he urged states that have eased restrictions on masks and other prevention measures to reinstate them: “The war against COVID-19 is far from won.”

Biden made the announcement Monday afternoon at the White House, marking April 19 as a new milestone in the vaccination effort, Bloomberg reported. He also said that nearly all U.S. adults will be able to get a shot within 5 miles of their homes.

Abu Dhabi Looks to Become Pharma Hub (March 29, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Abu Dhabi is looking to transform itself into a pharmaceutical hub, with a goal to help distribute billions of vaccine doses, Abu Dhabi Ports Chairman Falah Mohammed Al Ahbabi said at a virtual event on Monday.

The comments come after the United Arab Emirates, of which Abu Dhabi is the capital, became the first nation in the U.S-allied Gulf to set up a coronavirus vaccine production facility, Bloomberg reported.

China Picks UAE to Produce Shots (March 28, 2:30 p.m. ET)

China is partnering with the United Arab Emirates to make millions of doses of its state-backed Sinopharm vaccine, Bloomberg reported. The deal takes manufacturing of the shot overseas for the first time and deepens Beijing’s influence in the Middle East.

A newly-created joint venture between Sinopharm CNBG and Abu Dhabi-based G42 aims to produce up to 200 million doses annually at a new plant that will become operational this year, the companies said in a statement. Production on a smaller scale has already started at an existing Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries PSCplant with a capacity of 2 million doses per month.

U.K. to Test Arriving Truckers (March 28, 12:00 p.m. ET)

All truckers arriving into England from outside the U.K. will have to take a COVID-19 test within 48 hours, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Twitter. The drivers will then have to take additional tests for each 72 hours they remain. The mandatory testing will help “ensure we keep track of any future coronavirus variants of concern,” he said.

EU Makes Astra Ultimatum (March 28, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The EU will block AstraZeneca exports if the company fails to deliver the doses bought by the region on time, Bloomberg reported.

AstraZeneca has met about 30% of its commitment to deliver 70 million doses to the EU in the second quarter, said Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner in charge of fixing the bloc’s vaccination drive. “As long as AstraZeneca doesn’t make good on its obligations, everything that’s produced on European soil is distributed to Europeans,” he said.

WHO Concerned About Vaccine Crimes (March 27, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The World Health Organization expressed concern over criminal groups exploiting unmet demand for vaccines amid reports about suspicious offers to supply shots, Bloomberg reported. The WHO is also aware of vaccines being diverted and then reintroduced into the supply chain, without the guarantee that the cold chain has been maintained. Other reports include falsified products sold online, especially on the dark web, as well as the reuse of empty vials.

India Restricts Vaccine Exports (March 25, 6:30 p.m. ET)

India is restricting coronavirus vaccine exports, a move that will likely hit the world’s most disadvantaged nations hardest and exacerbate what the World Health Organization’s head this week called a “grotesque” supply chasm between rich and poor countries, Bloomberg reported.

The world’s biggest vaccine exporter, the country is a key supplier to Covax, a program backed by WHO and partners to deploy shots to every corner of the globe, and India’s decision to pare backshipments threatens the group’s plans to inoculate 2 billion people before the end of the year.

Astra Told to Supply EU Doses First (March 25, 6:00 p.m. ET)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said AstraZeneca Plc must meet its commitments for supplying vaccines to the European Union before it will be allowed to export any doses, Bloomberg reported. Von der Leyen spoke at a press conference following a virtual summit with EU leaders.

Global Vaccinations Pass 500 Million (March 25, 5:00 p.m. ET)

More than half a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, less than four months into the rollout of the shots.

So far, the shots have been given in 140 countries around the world. The vast majority have gone to developed nations that secured early doses by the hundreds of millions, and of the doses given so far, 39% of have been administered in the U.S. and the EU. On average, about 12 million doses a day are being administered across the world.

Nations in Africa are beginning to get deliveries of the shots and have started inoculations, but lag behind other countries that got access to vaccines earlier.

Biden Doubles Vaccine Goal (March 25, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden set a goal of administering 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of April, doubling his target for his first 100 days in office, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. is on pace to meet the new goal, Biden said in opening remarks at his first formal news conference on Thursday.

“I know it’s ambitious,” Biden said at the White House. “I believe we can do it.”

Suez Canal Remains Blocked (March 24, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Rescue teams are working to dislodge a giant vessel from the Suez Canal in an effort to get traffic moving again in one of the world’s most important waterways, Bloomberg reported. The Ever Given, a container ship longer than the Eiffel Tower that ran aground in the southern part of the canal in Egypt, is still stuck across the waterway despite efforts to release it with tugs and excavators. 

One port agent said earlier that traffic could resume by tomorrow, but the Suez Canal Authority hasn’t given a timetable.

The incident is a reminder of how much international trade is channeled through so-called chokepoints — geographically constrained waterways that include the Strait of Hormuz and Panama Canal. Dozens of vessels are already gridlocked at Suez and a lengthy halt could further stretch supply chains that have already been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Suez Canal blockage comes at a particularly unhelpful time,” said Greg Knowler, European editor at JOC Group, which is part of IHS Markit Ltd. “Even a two-day delay would further add to the supply chain disruption slowing the delivery of cargo to businesses across the U.K. and Europe.”

EU Tightens Vaccine Export Rules (March 24, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The EU will give itself stronger powers to stop vaccine exports as it seeks to accelerate a sluggish inoculation campaign, Bloomberg reported.

The bloc will demand that countries that receive doses from the EU allow shots to be sent back. It will also consider a nation’s vaccination rate and pandemic situation when deciding whether to green light shipments. The mechanism won’t be automatic, but will be used on a case-by-case basis.

BioNTech Probing Vaccine Batch (March 24, 9:00 a.m. ET)

BioNTech temporarily halted vaccinations in Hong Kong and Macau and initiated an investigation following reports of issues with the primary packaging material for vials in one batch, Bloomberg reported.

The probe includes the handling of the batch at the vaccination centers, throughout the supply chain and during re-packaging, as well as at the time of fill and finish of the batch. At this point, there’s no reason to believe there’s any safety risk for the population, the company said.

J&J Partner Catalent to Make Vaccine (March 23, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Millions more doses of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine are expected to be released after U.S. regulators cleared the way for contract manufacturer Catalent Inc. to help produce them, Bloomberg reported.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a Catalent facility in Bloomington, Indiana, to make the single-dose vaccine’s active ingredient, according to people familiar with the matter. 

EU to Scrap Exemptions of Export Curbs (March 23, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The European Union will abolish a list of more than 90 countries that are currently exempt from requiring vaccine export authorizations and will apply potential restrictions even to those pharmaceutical companies that fulfill their contracts with the bloc, Bloomberg reported.

The European Commission will revise its vaccine export transparency and authorization mechanism. The controversial tool introduced in January aims to help EU governments screen vaccine export requests, with the option to turn them down in certain cases.

WHO’s Tedros Sees ‘Truly Worrying Trends’ (March 23, 12:00 p.m. ET)

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the recent rise in COVID-19 deaths and cases are “truly worrying trends.”

Speaking at a World Trade Organization virtual event, Tedros urged nations to waive intellectual property rights for vaccines as a “mid- to long-term solution” to help developing countries manufacture their own shots, Bloomberg reported.

Citi CEO Bans Zoom on Friday (March 23, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser has barred internal video calls on Fridays in an effort to combat workplace malaise brought on by the pandemic, according to Bloomberg.

Fraser, who replaced Michael Corbat earlier this year, said the final day of the working week shall be known as “Zoom-Free Fridays.”

Chip Shortages Force More Cuts at U.S. Auto Plants (March 22, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Automakers including Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are expanding and extending production cuts at some North American plants as they cope with a worsening global shortage of semiconductors, Bloomberg reported. Recent weather-related disruptions of petrochemical supplies in the southern U.S. and a fire at a chipmaking plant in Japan has exacerbated the shutdowns.

The recent setbacks could further delay an expected second-quarter recovery in output. “Production is shrinking, not increasing, so the balance between supply and demand is only getting worse,” said Takeshi Miyao, an analyst at researcher Carnorama.

EU Leaders Seek to Break Vaccine Deadlock (March 22, 4:30 p.m. ET)

European Union leaders are aiming to break their deadlock with the U.K. over deliveries of AstraZeneca’s vaccine by sharing a Dutch plant’s output, according to diplomats familiar with the matter. The appeal stems from the EU’s view that the drugmaker had double booked its production and that both Brussels and London have valid claims, Bloomberg reported.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he’s “reassured” that the EU is not seeking a vaccine blockade, as government and opposition politicians showed a rare united front on the issue. Both sides were critical of the bloc over reports it plans to restrict exports of vaccines to its former member.

”I’m reassured by talking to EU partners over the last few months that they don’t want to see blockades,” Johnson said in a pooled interview with broadcasters Monday. “That’s very, very important.”

Astra to Seek U.S. Go-Ahead After Reassuring Data (March 22, 12:30 p.m. ET)

AstraZeneca Plc’s coronavirus vaccine fared better than expected in a U.S. clinical trial, providing reassurance about its safety and efficacy as the drugmaker prepares to seek clearance from the Food and Drug Administration.

The shot developed with the University of Oxford was 79% effective in preventing COVID-19, Bloomberg reported. All those immunized were protected from severe disease and death in a study of more than 30,000 volunteers. An independent monitoring board found no safety concerns.

The findings should bolster confidence in the vaccine after confusion over its efficacy and the best dosing regimen slowed take-up. The product is at the center of a supply showdown with the European Union just days after concerns about blood clots prompted a dozen member states to suspend immunizations. Even after the European Medicines Agency declared it safe last Thursday, not all EU countries have resumed vaccinations.

Big Ships Snag Unusual Cargoes as Dry-Bulk Tightens (March 22, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Shipments of timber and grain are being loaded onto a class of ship normally reserved for other cargo as strong demand to move commodities causes dislocations to the supply of vessels, Bloomberg reported.

Logs from Uruguay and grain from Brazil are set to be loaded giant Capesize ships this month or next, according to shipping data from S&P Global Platts. The vessels are normally used to transport coal and iron ore — the industry’s two main cargoes. By contrast, timber typically gets moved on smaller vessels, according to Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd. Chief Executive John Wobensmith.

“It just shows you how tight the overall dry-bulk market is, and it’s only going to get tighter,” Wobensmith said. Elevated freight rates are “not something that is for the next three months, this has got legs going well into 2022 because of the low supply situation.”

Floods Hamper Australia Vaccine Rollout (March 21, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Australia’s vaccine rollout is being hampered by torrential rain and flooding, Bloomberg reported, with thousands of residents in parts of Sydney and along the New South Wales coast evacuated as rivers overflow.

The severe wet weather is expected to intensify into the middle of the week and comes as the government moves into the next phase of its vaccine program amid criticism for poor organization and a slower-than-expected start to the rollout. General practitioners are due to begin inoculating patients from Monday, with about 6 million Australians eligible.

EU Set to Block Astra Vaccine to U.K. (March 21, 5:00 p.m. ET)

European Union officials will probably block future exports of AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine to the U.K., according to an EU official, deepening a post-Brexit conflict that has festered as Europe seeks to get its vaccination drive on track.

Any AstraZeneca vaccines and components produced in the EU are set to be reserved for local use and the EU isn’t responsible for helping the company meet commitments to Britain, said the official, who asked not to be named discussing internal EU deliberations, Bloomberg reported.

U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace earlier Sunday called on the European Commission to honor COVID-19 vaccine contracts.

Microsoft Unveils New Vaccine Tools (March 21, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Microsoft Corp. unveiled new technology to boost government and health care organizations’ vaccine management systems, including scheduling shot appointments and monitoring results, to fix shortcomings weeks after the company’s initial custom-built programs ran aground in a few states, Bloomberg reported.

The Microsoft Vaccine Management product released Friday is made up of features and new apps that the software company said will improve upon and fix the glitches that occurred when its previous effort, the Vaccination Registration and Application System, failed to work properly in New Jersey and Washington D.C. 

The new software uses health care standards for information transfer so data can be exported more quickly to other record systems, such as electronic medical records. It also addresses other issues that hampered the previous option, including requiring users to pre-register before seeking a COVID-19 vaccine appointment and providing a way to proactively handle spikes in demand.

FedEx Signals Strong Outlook (March 18, 4:30 p.m. ET)

FedEx Corp.’s profit rose last quarter on increased prices and e-commerce deliveries and the company signaled strong momentum for the full year as the U.S. economy recovers from the pandemic.

The company said surging package volumes and higher prices offset higher-than-expected expenses from labor costs and poor weather during the three months ended in February, Bloomberg reported. It also provided a bullish forecast for the full year — the first guidance it has issued since suspending its outlook 12 months ago amid uncertainty about the pandemic.

“We expect demand for our unmatched e-commerce and international express solutions to remain very high for the foreseeable future,” Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith said in a statement.

Biden Marks Vaccine Milestone (March 18, 4:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden announced the U.S. on Friday will clinch his goal of administering 100 million COVID-19 vaccine shots in the first 100 days of his presidency, reaching the mark six weeks ahead of time, Bloomberg reported.

“I’m proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days into our administration, we will have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow Americans. That’s weeks ahead of schedule,” Biden said, speaking Thursday at the White House.

The U.S. recorded 2.7 million more doses on Thursday, pushing the cumulative total to 115.7 million shots given, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of data reported on inauguration day, the U.S. had given about 16.5 million doses.

U.S. to Share Astra Doses (March 18, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s administration plans to send about 4 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to neighboring Mexico and Canada, Bloomberg reported. The deal emerged alongside an announcement by Mexico that it will crack down on the flow of migrants across the U.S. border.

The vaccine export plan is under assessment, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, and would see the U.S. send Mexico 2.5 million doses and Canada 1.5 million doses. It would represent the U.S.’s first known exports of domestically produced vaccines.

EU Declares Astra Shot Safe (March 18, 12:30 p.m. ET)

The European Union’s drug regulator said AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe to use, but warned it can’t completely rule out a link between the shot and blood clotting side effects.

At a briefing on Thursday, officials at the European Medicines Agency emphasized repeatedly that the vaccine is “safe and effective,” and the benefits outweigh the risks, Bloomberg reported. The comments followed a review after several European countries suspended Astra shots after a number of cases emerged.

The EMA said there were seven cases of blood clots in multiple vessels, and 18 cases of a type of cerebral vein clotting that’s hard to treat, out of about 20 million inoculations. While describing the cases as “rare,” it’s recommending that a warning is added to the shot to make sure the public is better informed.

Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Bulgaria are among the European nations saying they would resume AstraZeneca’s vaccination, while Norway and Sweden will decide after conducting their own reviews.

EU Threatens U.K. Over Missing Supplies (March 17, 2:00 p.m. ET)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threatened to withhold vaccine exports to the U.K., Bloomberg reported, reopening a dispute with the British government that has dramatically increased tensions between the EU and its former member.

As the European Union struggles to quicken the pace of its stuttering vaccination program, von der Leyen raised the prospect of pulling an emergency trigger in the bloc’s treaty — used previously only during the oil crisis of the 1970s — to allow authorities to effectively seize control of production and distribution.

She said the EU will consider blocking supplies to countries that aren’t reciprocating or that already have high vaccination rates, singling out the U.K. as the No. 1 importer of shots.

“All options are on the table, we are in the crisis of the century,” von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday. “I am not ruling out anything for now because we have to make sure that Europeans are vaccinated as soon as possible.”

CDC Finds Vaccine Inequity in 31 States (March 17, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Vaccination coverage was lower in U.S. counties that have the highest social vulnerability, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday. The CDC measures social vulnerability through an index that accounts for social, economic, racial and ethnic factors, Bloomberg reported.

Equity in access to vaccination hasn’t been achieved nationally, the report suggested. Vaccination disparities were observed in 31 states, according to the overall measure. The largest disparity among counties related to socioeconomic status, with a gap of 2.5 percentage points in vaccination coverage.

Five states stood out for high vaccination coverage in highly vulnerable counties across all or many measures: Alaska, Arizona, Minnesota, Montana and West Virginia. The report highlighted best practices in states with high equity, including early prioritization of minority groups, free transportation to sites and collaborations with community partners and tribal health organizations.

Mexico, Canada Top Biden’s List for Exports (March 17, 11:15 a.m. ET)

Mexico and Canada are at the top of President Biden’s list of countries to eventually receive exports of U.S.-made coronavirus vaccines, according to a U.S. official familiar with the plans.

Biden and administration officials have said the U.S. will not share its vaccines until after it has enough for its own people, Bloomberg reported, leaving timing for any exports unclear.

Ford to Let 30,000 Workers Stay Home (March 17, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Ford Motor Co. told employees they can continue to work from home, allowing more than 30,000 to use the office only when they need to, even after the pandemic is over, Bloomberg reported.

Nationalism Threatens WHO Goal (March 16, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Vaccine nationalism in countries including the U.S. and India is likely to derail efforts by the World Health Organization to deliver 2 billion doses to poorer and middle-income nations by the end of the year, according to the head of the world’s biggest vaccine maker.

Countries are holding tight to their supplies and restricting access to materials needed to make more, said Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India Ltd.

Poonawalla’s comments highlight the continuing challenge of vaccine inequality, Bloomberg reported. Few African nations received a single shipment of shots before March, while more than 20% of the population in countries including Israel, the U.K., Bahrain and the U.S have received at least one shot.

EU Nations Told to Speed Vaccinations (March 16, 2:00 p.m. ET)

European Union countries were warned on Tuesday that the slow pace of vaccinations, as well as moves to block the use of some doses, could put the recovery effort at risk and increase the likelihood of prolonged lockdowns, Bloomberg reported.

The European Commission on Tuesday pushed back against member states’ attempts to dodge any blame over the EU’s lackluster vaccination rollout, which has been plagued by slow regulatory approvals and delivery disruptions by AstraZeneca Plc. The bloc’s health chief, Stella Kyriakides, told EU ministers in a call that out of the 70 million doses delivered to member states so far, only 51 million have been administered.

Russia Condemns U.S. for Pressuring Brazil (March 16, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Russia condemned the U.S. for applying diplomatic pressure on Brazil to reject its Sputnik V vaccine, adding that attempts at political meddling in inoculation campaigns were costing lives, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in its annual report published in January that its Office of Global Affairs sought to persuade Brazil not to allow the Russian vaccine, accusing Moscow of seeking to expand its influence in the Americas to the “detriment of U.S. safety and security.”

Separately, Russia will triple production of Sputnik V in India following a new deal that strengthens Moscow’s pledge to inoculate a 10th of the global population. Gland Pharma Ltd., a Chinese-owned firm, will supply 252 million shots of Sputnik V from the fourth quarter.

U.S. to Export Shots in ‘Reasonable’ Time (March 16, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said the U.S. will be able to start exporting vaccines in a “reasonable period of time.”

“It’s not going to happen next week or next month, but it will happen,” he said.

He cited the country’s contributions to the Covax program, and said the U.S. will be able to give away surplus shots once its population is vaccinated, Bloomberg reported.

U.S. Drivers Burn More Gas (March 15, 6:30 p.m. ET)

U.S. oil demand is bouncing back — and this time it looks like it’s here to stay, according to Bloomberg. Retail gasoline sales rose last week to 1% of year-ago levels, just before regional lockdowns brought fuel consumption to a crawl, Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said on Twitter. Gasoline’s recovery comes on top of a diesel rebound that started last fall as consumers began to rely on home-delivery services like Amazon.com Inc. more than ever. 

With new coronavirus infections falling to a record low last week and vaccination efforts ramping up, this latest demand rebound comes with a lower threat of being set back again by new outbreaks. It could mark a huge turnaround for fuel suppliers that since last spring had struggled with the weakest seasonal consumption in more than 20 years.

Demand “will continue to improve with warmer weather and reopenings and things getting back to normal, coupled with pent-up demand,” said Trisha Curtis, chief executive officer at oil analysts PetroNerds in Denver. “We definitely see some bright spots with vaccine uptake.”

U.K. Leaders Address Astra Concerns (March 15, 11:00 a.m. ET)

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman Jamie Davies said the AstraZeneca vaccine remains “both safe and effective,” and urged everyone to get the shot when asked to do so, Bloomberg reported. Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, echoed those comments.

Meanwhile, Germany joined about a dozen places, including Northern Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland, that have halted use of the product amid reports of serious blood clotting. The country cited the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which oversees vaccine safety, according to a statement from the health ministry on Monday.

EU Nations Face Vaccination Delay Over Astra (March 15, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Limiting the use of the AstraZeneca shot as a precautionary measure could push back EU countries’ efforts to immunize three-quarters of their populations to September instead of August, according to London-based research firm Airfinity Ltd.

Beginning in the second quarter of the year, other shots are expected to take on more of the burden from the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines, which have accounted for most of the injections given so far, Bloomberg reported. Suspensions of the Astra shot now, though, threaten to slow the pace of an already-sluggish rollout, at least in the short term.

Countries Halt AstraZeneca Shots (March 14, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Ireland on Sunday joined a growing list of about a dozen countries moving to suspend AstraZeneca Plc’s shot over concerns about possible side effects from two batches of the vaccines, Bloomberg reported. While Europe’s medicines regulator said there was no indication of any issues, reports of serious blood clotting after inoculation triggered a spate of suspensions stretching as far as Thailand.

The health scare emerged against a backdrop of further supply woes. The drugmaker’s efforts to make up for the European Union shortfall by sourcing shots elsewhere have hit a wall as governments around the world protect their own supplies. The U.S. rebuffed pressure to share doses and is holding on to its AstraZeneca stockpile, even though the shot isn’t yet authorized for use there.

AstraZeneca said it’s continually monitoring the safety of its vaccine, and a “careful” review of all available data of the more than 17 million people shows no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia.

EU Predicts Enough Vaccine Supply (March 14, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Europe’s vaccine production will meet targets as increased supplies from Pfizer offset any shortages in AstraZeneca shots, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Europe 1 radio. Details on a proposed vaccine certificate will be presented on March 17, he said.

French Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said the plan has to be “homogeneous” across the bloc and members must agree on the purpose of the document, Bloomberg reported. France is preparing to move about 100 ICU patients from Paris to other less-hit regions, as authorities seek to avoid emergency units from being overrun.

Biden to Order All Adults Be Eligible for Vaccine by May (March 11, 7:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden will announce that he is directing states to make all U.S. adults eligible for coronavirus vaccinations by May 1 in a prime-time address on Thursday, Bloomberg reported. Biden will say in the speech that if the U.S. can reach its vaccination goals, it will be possible for Americans to gather in small groups to celebrate July 4, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters ahead of the president’s remarks.

Biden has previously said the administration expects to have enough vaccine by the end of May to vaccinate all U.S. adults, though officials have warned that actually administering shots will take more time.

Biden Signs $1.9 Trillion Stimulus (March 11, 2:30 p.m. ET)

President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion pandemic-relief bill into law, Bloomberg reported, capping his first major legislative achievement and allowing aid to flow to tens of millions of individuals, businesses and state and local governments.

Astra Deliveries to EU Cut in Half (March 11, 1:00 p.m. ET)

AstraZeneca Plc will deliver less than half the planned number of COVID-19 vaccines to the European Union in the second quarter after attempts to tap the company’s global supply chain were unsuccessful, Bloomberg reported.

The pharmaceutical giant will deliver about 76 million out of a planned 180 million doses to the bloc in the three-month period through June, according to data based on delivery projections for one member state seen by Bloomberg. The national figures were extrapolated to the EU level based on the European Commission’s methodology for distributing supplies.

Millions of Vaccines in EU Unused (March 11, 10:00 a.m. ET)

More than 11.5 million Covid vaccine doses that have been delivered to European Union countries have not yet been used, according to Bloomberg. The number of shots sent by manufacturers now totals 54.2 million, compared to 46 million a week previously. The data covers the week to March 7.

According to the ECDC, 8.2% of adults have received one shot of the vaccine, an increase from 6.5% over the week, with 3.7% being fully vaccinated, up from 3.1%.

House Sends Stimulus Bill to Biden (March 10, 2:30 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill cleared its final congressional hurdle Wednesday, with the House passing the bill on an 220 to 211 vote, sending it to the president for his signature.

The vote caps a nearly two-month sprint from the time Biden first unveiled his American Rescue Plan through tough negotiations in the Senate to its final approval largely in the form it was first proposed, Bloomberg reported. Biden plans to sign the legislation on Friday.

Europe Exported 34 Million Vaccine Doses (March 10, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The European Union has exported 34 million COVID-19 doses to other countries, a figure that shines a light on a bitter dispute between world leaders over who has access to the bloc’s vaccine production.

With 9.1 million doses, the U.K. was the largest recipient of EU vaccine exports as of March 9, according to a document seen by Bloomberg. Canada was next, receiving 3.9 million and the U.S., the eighth in line, got 954,000.

Against the backdrop of “vaccine nationalism” accusations, climaxing in a spat between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior figures in the EU, the document reveals that the bloc sent about a million shots to Britain in the past week alone. The U.K. hasn’t said whether any doses went the other way.

The issue has become a hot topic as the EU and its governments come under pressure for vaccinating at a far slower pace than either the U.K. or the U.S. The bloc so far has given 9.6 shots per 100 people, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker. That compares with more than 28 doses in the U.S. and almost 36 in the U.K.

Biden to Order 100 Million More J&J Doses (March 10, 9:00 a.m. ET)

President Biden will double the U.S. order of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine — seeking another 100 million doses — bringing the country’s supply to enough for 500 million people, officials familiar with the plan say.

The U.S. had previously ordered 100 million doses, which J&J has said will be delivered before the end of June. The government will finalize the new order in the coming weeks, Bloomberg reported.

BioNTech Sees Boost in Vaccine Production (March 9, 4:30 p.m. ET)

BioNTech could have capacity to make 3 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine with Pfizer next year, making their shot far more widely available around the world.

“In principle, we could further increase manufacturing capacity,” BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

Pfizer and BioNTech have committed to make 2 billion doses of their two-shot vaccine this year. Pfizer promised to ship two-thirds of the U.S.’s 300 million-dose order by the end of May. In the European Union, the partners have promised to ship at least 500 million doses this year, with an option for an additional 100 million doses.

U.S. Vaccine Shipments to Rise Next Week (March 9, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Pfizer and Moderna vaccine shipments to U.S. states, tribes and territories will rise next week to 15.8 million doses, from 15.2 million a week earlier, Bloomberg reported.

Shipments to pharmacies will rise to 2.7 million from 2.4 million a week earlier.

EU and U.K. Spat Over Vaccine Exports (March 9, 1:00 p.m. ET)

European Council President Charles Michel accused the U.K. of blocking exports of COVID-19 vaccines — prompting a vehement denial from the British government, Bloomberg reported.

“The facts do not lie,” he wrote in a newsletter published Tuesday. “The U.K. and the U.S. have imposed an outright ban on the export of vaccines or vaccine components produced on their territory.”

U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab hit back in a letter to Michel, saying the claim is “completely false,” according to a person familiar with the matter. “The U.K. government has not blocked the export of a single COVID-19 vaccine or vaccine components,” Raab wrote. A representative of the EU’s delegation to the U.K. has been summoned to the Foreign Office to discuss the issue further, the person said.

The spat marks an escalation in tensions between the two sides since Britain completed its departure from the bloc in December. Vaccines have become a flashpoint in the relationship as the EU’s program — dogged by delays — has struggled to keep pace with the British. About a third of the U.K. population has received a dose, compared with 6% in the EU.

Boeing Backlog Rises for First Time in 14 Months (March 9, 11:15 a.m. ET)

Boeing Co. reported that it outsold Airbus SE in February and recorded more new jet deals than cancellations for the first time in 14 months, ending a slump that began when the 737 Max was engulfed in crisis after two deadly crashes, according to Bloomberg.

The U.S. planemaker didn’t deliver any 787 Dreamliners for a fourth straight month, however — a reminder that the company still faces a tough slog as it tries to curb deep losses in its all-important commercial aircraft business amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Moms Drop Out of Work Where Kids Learn From Home (March 9, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Women have dropped out of the U.S. workforce at a faster pace in states where most students are learning from home, Bloomberg reported, risking a reversal of decades of gendered advancement.

Before the pandemic, the participation rate of mothers in the labor force was about 18 percentage points lower than fathers’. From 2019 to 2020, the gap widened by 5 points in states offering mostly remote instruction, and shrunk less where traditional school continued, according to a paper slated to publish soon in Gender and Society, a peer-reviewed academic journal.

Algorithms Match Vaccine Seekers With Doses (March 9, 9:00 a.m. ET)

ZocDoc Inc. founder Cyrus Massoumi has been frustrated by the imbalance in U.S. vaccine supply and demand — with providers tossing out doses they can’t use, even as many people desperately seek shots.

The former CEO of the doctor appointment-booking company has launched an online platform to match providers with those willing to be on standby for COVID-19 vaccines. More than 200 sites in 30 states are being connected through the platform, called Dr. B, with half a million Americans requesting to be notified when doses become available nearby, Bloomberg reported.

U.S. Firms in China See Growth (March 8, 7:30 p.m. ET)

American businesses in China see their industries growing this year after the COVID-19 pandemic dented profits in 2020, Bloomberg reported.

Some 81% of the 345 respondents expect industry growth this year and 45% see relations with the U.S. improving, a jump of 15 percentage points from last year, according to a report by the American Chamber of Commerce.

Half said the investment environment is improving and just 12% said it is deteriorating, the lowest proportion since the question was first introduced in the survey in 2012. Only 56% of respondents made profits in 2020, the lowest level since the survey began 23 years ago, with a fifth suffering losses.

“With China leading in economic recovery and the new U.S. administration in place, our members are cautiously optimistic regarding business growth in China,” AmCham China Chairman Greg Gilligan wrote in the report.

Airlines Urge U.S. to Develop Virus Passport (March 8, 7:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. airlines, joined by travel groups and labor, urged the Biden administration to take the lead in developing standards for temporary COVID-19 health credentials that would help reopen global travel by documenting vaccinations and test results, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. “must be a leader” in efforts already underway in other regions to implement such travel passports, groups including Airlines for America said in a letter Monday to Jeffrey Zients, the head of President Biden’s COVID-19 recovery team. It’s essential for the government to partner with carriers and the travel industry “to quickly develop” standards, they said.

Russian Vaccine to Be Made in Italy (March 8, 5:00 p.m. ET)

A Swiss biopharmaceutical company will produce the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine at its Italian facilities, marking the first European production agreement for the Russian shot.

Lugano, Switzerland-based Adienne Pharma & Biotech SA signed an agreement with Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF to manufacture the vaccine at its production site near Milan, Bloomberg reported. Italian regulators must still approve the production but several million doses are expected to be made by the end of the year.

EU’s Von Der Leyen Rips Vaccine Critics (March 8, 11:30 a.m. ET)

The European Commission is “tired of being the scapegoat” for the slow rollout of vaccines, its president, Ursula von der Leyen, said as she continues to face pressure over the EU’s uncertain response to the pandemic.

In a counter-attack against criticism over the European Union’s sluggish COVID-19 vaccination program, von der Leyen refocused blame on manufacturers, notably AstraZeneca Plc, which she said hadn’t stockpiled doses as it started producing in Europe, Bloomberg reported.

India’s Massive Vaccine Program Gets Boost (March 7, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Following a sluggish start, India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive — one of the world’s biggest — has jumped nearly four-fold after the country opened it up to more people and got a crucial public endorsement from the inoculation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Almost 21 million shots have been administered in India so far, up from 5.4 million a month ago, according to data compiled as of Sunday by Bloomberg and Johns Hopkins University. The number of doses per 100 people has also climbed to 1.56 from 0.41. A record 1.6 million Indians received a COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, data show.

After an initially lukewarm response — due in part to the controversial approval of a homegrown vaccine before it had completed clinical trials — the vaccination drive gained some momentum after Modi took the injection on March 1 and urged others to follow suit. India also opened the rollout to all citizens above 60 years of age and those 45 and older with co-morbidities, either for free from a state center or for a fee of as much as 250 rupees ($3.40) at private hospitals.

Some of the biggest companies operating in the country have said they will cover the costs of vaccination for their employees and families, including Accenture Plc, Infosys Ltd. and Reliance Industries Ltd., owned by Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.

EU Nations Have a Third of Q1 Moderna Shots (March 7, 12:30 p.m. ET)

European Union member states have received only about a third of the quarterly target for COVID-19 vaccines produced by Moderna Inc., according to a delivery schedule published on Facebook by Hungarian cabinet minister Gergely Gulyas.

The bloc is slated to receive 10 million of the shots in the January-March period, with deliveries set to accelerate later in the year, Bloomberg reported. That compares with just over 3.4 million distributed so far to member states since the vaccine was approved in January.

The schedule refers to the 160 million doses procured by the EU in November, before a deal last month to buy an additional 150 million shots both this year and next. The EU has been under pressure to speed up a vaccine roll-out that’s lagged several peers, including the U.S. and the U.K.

Russian Shot Could Be Made in Europe (March 7, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Tens of millions of doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine could be produced a month in Europe, says Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive officer of the state-run Russian Direct Investment Fund which backed its development, according to Bloomberg.

“There are many Italian regions which are enthusiastic about having Sputnik, they would also want to produce it,” said Dmitriev, who is in charge of Sputnik’s international roll-out. “We have a partnership in Germany, we’re talking to several French companies.” Production in Italy could start in June, he added.

China’s Exports Surge From 2020 Lockdown (March 7, 10:00 a.m. ET)

China’s exports surged in the first two months of the year, reflecting strong global demand for manufactured goods and with figures partly skewed by the low base in 2020 when the economy was in lockdown, Bloomberg reported.

Exports jumped 60.6% in dollar terms in the January-February period from a year earlier, data from the General Administration of Customs showed Sunday, well above the 40% median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. In February alone, exports more than doubled from last year.

The first two months are normally volatile for China’s economic activity because of the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, which fell in February this year. The figures are even more distorted this time around because of the comparison with 2020, when factories and businesses were shut to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the early part of the year. Exports plunged 17.4% in the first two months of last year.

Even with the favorable base effects, the data shows exports continued to benefit from soaring global demand for medical equipment and work-from-home devices, which has helped to underpin China’s V-shaped recovery from the pandemic since the second half of the year.

Pfizer Plant Cited for Quality Issues (March 4, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The factory that Pfizer Inc. plans to use to boost production of its COVID-19 vaccine for the massive U.S. inoculation effort was cited by federal inspectors last year for repeated quality-control violations, Bloomberg reported.

Food and Drug Administration inspectors visited the McPherson, Kansas, plant at the end of 2019 into January 2020, according to an inspection report obtained by Bloomberg via a Freedom of Information request. They found the drug giant released medications for sale after failing to thoroughly review quality issues that arose in routine testing, the report shows.

Italy Blocks Export of Astra Vaccine (March 4, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Italy has blocked a shipment of the AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine to Australia, using a recently introduced European Union regulation, Bloomberg reported.

The move comes after Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called during an EU summit last week for a tougher approach against companies that don’t respect their delivery commitments. Officials in Brussels and in Rome confirmed the news of the export ban of 250,000 doses of the shots, which was first reported by the Financial Times.

Vaccine Maker Warns of Delays (March 4, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The head of the world’s biggest vaccine maker and the World Health Organization’s chief scientist said manufacturers of coronavirus shots face a global shortage of the raw materials needed to churn out the inoculations.

Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive officer of the Serum Institute of India Ltd. — which is licensed to produce hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Novavax Inc. — told a World Bank panel on Thursday that a U.S. law blocking the export of certain key items, including bags and filters, will likely cause serious bottlenecks, Bloomberg reported.

Soumya Swaminathan from the WHO added that there were shortfalls of vials, glass, plastic and stoppers required by those companies.

Novartis Signs Vaccine Pact With CureVac (March 4, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Novartis AG agreed to produce CureVac NV’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Bloomberg reported, in a deal that will boost the potential supply of the shot by as much as 250 million doses over the course of this year and next.

The Swiss pharmaceutical giant could make as many as 50 million doses this year and 200 million doses in 2022, the partners said in a statement. Once the final agreement is signed, Novartis plans to start production in the second quarter and ship the first deliveries to CureVac this summer.

U.K. to Fast-Track Approval of Modified Shots (March 4, 8:45 a.m. ET)

U.K. health regulators said authorized COVID-19 vaccines that are modified for new variants of the disease will be fast-tracked through the approval system.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency issued guidance — in step with partners in Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland — that will reduce the time taken for the new vaccines to be ready for use, Bloomberg reported.

Vaccine manufacturers will need to provide robust evidence that the modified vaccine produces an immune response, but time-consuming clinical trials won’t be needed. Instead a small trial will be used to assess the main adverse effects which could take a few weeks rather than months.

EMA to Start Review for Sputnik V Vaccine (March 4, 8:15 a.m. ET)

The European Medicines Agency said it has started a rolling review of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to test compliance with safety and quality standards, Bloomberg reported, the first major step in gaining approval for use in the European Union.

“The rolling review will continue until enough evidence is available for formal marketing authorization application,” the agency said in a statement Thursday. “While EMA cannot predict the overall timeline, it should take less time than normal to evaluate an eventual application because of the work done during the rolling review.”

The review doesn’t mean the vaccine will be included in the EU’s vaccine portfolio. “There are currently no talks ongoing” for an advance purchase agreement, Commission spokesman Eric Mamer told journalists in Brussels.

U.S. Vaccination Pace Hits 2 Million a Day (March 3, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. is administering an average of 2.01 million doses a day, the first time it has crossed that threshold, according to the latest analysis from the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

A surge in make-up doses that were temporarily delayed during the winter storms last month, combined with increasing U.S. vaccine supply, has pushed the seven-day average of doses administered above the 2 million mark.

In total, 80.5 million doses have been given in the U.S., with 1.91 million reported on Wednesday. At least 52.9 million people have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Gasoline Heads Toward $3 (March 3, 4:30 p.m. ET)

A record plunge in gasoline stockpiles last week is threatening to raise pump prices across America above $3 a gallon for the first time in six years, Bloomberg reported.

Inventories fell by 13.6 million barrels — the most in weekly data that goes back to 1990 — after a deep freeze paralyzed much of the Gulf Coast refining sector, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Demand for the fuel meanwhile rose by the most since May.

Even before the cold blast crimped gasoline production, restraint from OPEC and the U.S. shale patch had sent crude futures — and in turn fuel prices — skyrocketing. The higher costs are hitting just as demand is rebounding with states lifting pandemic restrictions and coronavirus vaccines becoming more widely available.

If more gasoline supplies aren’t added to the market soon, prices at the pump could average $3 a gallon this summer for the first time since 2014. The national average was at $2.74 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA.

Fake Vaccines Seized in South Africa (March 3, 11:00 a.m. ET)

South African authorities said they’d seized about 2,400 doses of fake coronavirus vaccines after following up on a global alert issued by Interpol warning that criminal networks were trying to cash in on the inoculation rollout, Bloomberg reported. The bogus shots were found at a warehouse in Germiston, near Johannesburg, and three Chinese nationals and a Zambian national were arrested, the police said in a statement.

U.K. to Hike Business Tax (March 3, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Rishi Sunak extended emergency tax cuts to help the country mired in a third national lockdown, Bloomberg reported, making clear that safeguarding jobs is his priority in the short term. He said he’s adding another 65 billion pounds ($90.7 billion) of pandemic support to help the country recover this year and next.

But Sunak sketched out a plan to start plugging the deficit, with an increase in corporation tax to 25% from the current 19%, taking effect in 2023.

Biden Sees ‘Back to Normal’ in a Year (March 2, 5:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden said he hopes the U.S. would be back to normal “by this time next year,” Bloomberg reported, but said he’d been cautioned not to provide a specific date “because we don’t know for sure.”

He announced that Merck & Co. will help make Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot coronavirus vaccine — a collaboration between rivals aimed at ramping up the pace of inoculations that will help provide enough supply for every adult in the U.S. by the end of May.

Biden also called for state and local governments to prioritize teachers for vaccinations, as he pushes for schools to reopen safely with full-time classroom instruction.

U.S. States Get Boost in Vaccine Shipments (March 2, 1:30 p.m. ET)

U.S. states will see a boost in COVID-19 vaccine shipments next week, on top of an initial burst of the recently authorized Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

President Biden’s administration will allocate 15.2 million doses next week for shipment to states, up from 14.5 million allocated this week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday after the administration held its regular call with governors.

The government also announced that 2.8 million J&J shots were sent to states, marking the first time they’ve shown how they’ll divide an initial tranche of the newly authorized shot. The U.S. received a stockpile of 3.9 million J&J doses. Psaki’s statement suggests the remainder, about 1.1 million, will be sent to pharmacies and community health centers.

Global Cargo Traffic Jam Could Last Into 2022 (March 2, 12:30 p.m. ET)

A cargo traffic jam on the world’s roads, seas and air corridors could easily continue into next year, continuing to increase shipping costs, according to the head of one of the biggest U.S. freight brokers.

“The domestic freight markets are extremely dislocated and the global air-freight and ocean markets have tremendous amounts of constraints around them,” said Bob Biesterfeld, chief executive officer of C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. “We could be standing up a pretty strong freight market throughout 2021, if not into 2022.”

The company projects an adjusted operating margin of 40% for its North America Surface Transportation unit this year, improved from about 33% last year, Bloomberg reported.

Annual contracts for long-haul trucking will probably rise in the low-double-digit percentages this year, driven by spot rates that have jumped 35% from a year ago, Biesterfeld said. Air-freight prices have almost doubled from a year ago, but maritime rates have surged the most. The cost of shipping a 40-foot container from Hong Kong to Los Angeles has nearly quadrupled in the last year.

Taiwan Factories Face Worst Delays on Record (March 2, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Factories in Taiwan faced the longest delays on record in securing raw materials and components in February as they worked overtime to keep up with surging demand from clients overseas, Bloomberg reported.

Manufacturers cited low stock levels at suppliers, a shortage of freight containers and delayed shipping schedules as main reasons for the biggest delays since records began nearly 17 years ago, according to a report by IHS Markit Tuesday. This comes as the Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 60.4 last month, the highest level since April 2010, fueled by improved demand from China, Europe and the U.S.

“If this persists, it could limit production capabilities and delay the delivery of products to clients,” IHS said.

J&J Looks for Partners to Boost Supply (March 1, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson is looking for manufacturing partnerships to increase supply of its COVID-19 vaccine that was cleared Saturday by U.S. regulators, Bloomberg reported.

J&J will deliver 3.9 million doses of its one-shot vaccine within the next 24 to 48 hours, said CEO Alex Gorsky. The company wants to speed up its timeline of supplying enough vaccines to immunize 20 million Americans by the end of the month and a total of 100 million by the end of June, he said.

Google Prepares for Remote Work Future (March 1, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Google is updating its productivity software to better meet the needs of frontline and remote workers, Bloomberg reported. A version of the company’s Workspace offering will be tailored specifically for frontline workers, such as retail and health-care employees, and will let organizations better communicate and collaborate with employees through their mobile phones.

Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, will also integrate with Google’s digital voice assistant and gain features to let employees set and enforce unique working hours. 

The internet giant is trying to make its line of productivity tools, including Gmail, Meet videoconferencing and Docs word processing, essential to businesses that have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Javier Soltero, vice president and general manager of Workspace, said Google was trying to embrace the “messiness” of work life during the pandemic. 

“It will never be the same again, but we should use that as an opportunity rather than try to recreate 2018 or 2019,” he added.

U.S. Manufacturing Expands Most in Three Years (March 1, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A gauge of U.S. factory activity increased in February to 60.8 from 58.7 a month earlier — the fastest expansion in three years, according to Institute for Supply Management data released Monday. 

While household and business demand is off to a solid start to the year amid lean inventories, producers are struggling with rising costs for raw materials, labor force disruptions and higher shipping rates, Bloomberg reported. The ISM’s measure of prices paid for inputs climbed nearly 4 points in February to 86, the highest since July 2008.

Orders, production and factory employment measures all expanded at faster paces last month, highlighting robust and resilience in manufacturing that’s helping power the economy. At the same time, a measure of unfilled orders surged to the highest level in nearly 17 years while another gauge showed delivery times were the second-longest since 1979.

“Labor-market difficulties at panelists’ companies and their suppliers continued to restrict manufacturing-economy expansion and will remain the primary headwind to production growth until employment levels and factory operations can return to normal across the entire supply chain,” said Timothy Fiore, chair of ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee.

The group’s gauge of order backlogs advanced to 64 last month, the highest since April 2004.

CDC Head Signs Off on J&J Shot Approval (Feb. 28, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky formally recommended that adults 18 and older should receive Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg reported. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices earlier in the day voted unanimously to recommend the one-shot vaccine.

Walensky’s sign-off means that J&J’s vaccine can now be administered. The company said in a statement it planned to ship 100 million doses in the first half of the year, giving the U.S. its third approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Fauci Warns Against Vaccine Shopping (Feb. 28, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Anthony Fauci pushed back against any tendency to shop around or wait for a preferred vaccine among the three that are now approved for use in the U.S., Bloomberg reported.

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was asked about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was found to be highly effective at preventing severe COVID-19, but has a lower efficacy rate than the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. vaccines — raising concerns that some people may opt to wait rather than being vaccinated with it.

“We’ve got to get away from that chain of thought,” Fauci said.

Microsoft Vows to Fix Vaccination Software (Feb. 28, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Widely-used Microsoft Corp. vaccine scheduling software that has run into difficulties in states like Iowa and New Jersey is being blamed for problems that left some residents of the nation’s capital unable to book appointments, Bloomberg reported.

After three straight days of issues with the District of Columbia’s online vaccination registration, the Redmond, Washington-based technology company released a statement along with the city government acknowledging “that our efforts have fallen short” and vowing to address the problems.

U.S. Vaccines on Track After Storms (Feb. 28, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. set records over the last two days for vaccinations, the drive now recovered after extreme winter weather paralyzed parts of the nation, according Bloomberg's vaccine tracker. On Saturday, 2.4 million doses were administered, and on Friday, 2.2 million. Before the storms, doses peaked at 2 million a day on Feb. 12 and 13, the tracker shows.

In total, 72.8 million doses have been given in the U.S., with an average over the last week at 1.65 million a day.

U.S. Expands Unemployment Insurance Eligibility (Feb. 25, 6:00 p.m. ET)

New guidance issued by the U.S. Labor Department on Thursday expanded eligibility for jobless benefits, Bloomberg reported, including to those who were previously denied because they refused to return to work or accept a job due to an unsafe environment related to contracting COVID-19.

The extension also applies to people who have had their hours cut and those working in schools without a contract.

The change has the potential to boost already-high unemployment claims. The pandemic has left millions of Americans out of work, and while vaccinations have begun, it will likely take months before all workers who wish to be vaccinated have an opportunity to get the shot.

Biden Sees Fast Rollout of J&J Vaccine (Feb. 25, 4:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden said the federal government will distribute Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine as fast as the company can produce it, if the shot is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. That approval is expected as early as Friday, Bloomberg reported.

“If the FDA approves the use of this new vaccine, we have a plan to roll it out as quickly as Johnson & Johnson can make it,” Biden said Thursday at an event to celebrate the injection of 50 million doses of vaccines since he took office.

Astra CEO Defends Vaccine Delivery (Feb. 25, 12:30 p.m. ET)

AstraZeneca Plc’s Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot sought to deflect blame for a shortfall in COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to Europe this year, while reassuring lawmakers that his company is working to meet targets for the second quarter.

Speaking remotely to a European Parliament hearing, Soriot said his company would deliver 40 million doses to the European Union in the first quarter, with the volume set to rise in the coming months, Bloomberg reported. Soriot said employees are working around the clock to increase the amount of vaccines extracted in production, but that perfecting the process takes time and isn’t without setbacks.

Biden Directs Staff to Address Chip Shortages (Feb. 24, 6:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden said he’s directing his administration to address shortfalls in semiconductor production that have idled production at some auto plants as he signed an order to review U.S. supply chains, Bloomberg reported.

“We need to make sure that supply chains are secure and reliable,” Biden said Wednesday at the White House. “I’m directing senior officials in my administration to work with industrial leaders to identify solutions to this semiconductor shortfall.”

Biden acknowledged the problem won’t be solved immediately. The issue has taken on urgency with a global chip shortage that’s threatening to harm U.S. growth just as Biden seeks to rebuild an economy battered by the coronavirus. Some automakers are cutting workers’ hours due to the shortfall and unions are raising alarm about the prospect of layoffs.

Biden’s executive order seeks to end the country’s reliance on China and other adversaries for crucial goods. The administration’s 100-day review will cover chips along with large-capacity batteries, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals and strategic materials like rare earths.

Moderna Has Plan of Attack for Variants (Feb. 24, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. is planning to study multiple approaches to vaccine booster shots that could protect against emerging coronavirus variants, while gearing up to produce more doses of its shots this year and next.

Moderna said it had completed manufacturing doses of a new version of the vaccine modified to target the South Africa strain, and shipped it to researchers for clinical study, Bloomberg reported. In addition, the company is testing a third dose of its existing vaccine in a clinical study, and plans to test a booster that will combine the South Africa-specific vaccine and its existing shot.

U.S. Beef Plant Will Pay Workers to Get Vaccinated (Feb. 24, 2:00 p.m. ET)

A Colorado beef plant that was the site of a deadly coronavirus outbreak will soon distribute thousands of vaccine doses, Bloomberg reported.

JBS USA’s facility in Greeley will offer vaccines for members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 and nonunion JBS workers on March 5-6, according to a statement from the union. The plant will be shut on those days and workers choosing to be vaccinated will receive four hours of pay and $100, the company said.

Workers getting sick at the Greeley plant prompted its temporary shutdown in April. Eventually, 415 workers at the facility tested positive and six died, according to data compiled by the Food and Environment Reporting Network.

J&J Shot Found Safe, Effective, by FDA Staff (Feb. 24, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is safe and effective, FDA staff said before a review by external advisers. If cleared for use, it would be the first single-dose shot available.

The vaccine was 72% effective in a U.S. clinical trial, FDA staff wrote in a document summarizing the company’s trial data. Agency officials prepared the document ahead of a meeting Friday where external advisers will make a non-binding recommendation as to whether the vaccine should be authorized.

Biden Shelves Mask Shipments (Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Biden will announce a program to send cloth masks to disadvantaged U.S. communities while shelving for now a proposal to send masks to every American, according to Bloomberg.

Sunak to Spend Billions Saving U.K. Jobs (Feb. 23, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K.’s finance minister Rishi Sunak is set to spend billions of pounds in extra support for the economy over the next four months, Bloomberg reported. The chancellor of the exchequer will set out the details in his March 3 budget after Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined a plan for reopening the U.K. economy that keeps some businesses closed until at least June 21. Sunak on Tuesday suggested support will extend beyond the end of lockdown measures as he seeks to spur economic recovery.

“At the budget next week I will set out the next stage of our plan for jobs, and the support we’ll provide through the remainder of the pandemic and our recovery,” the chancellor said in an e-mailed statement. “I know how incredibly tough the past year has been for everyone.”

Chip Shortage to Hit Ford, GM Earnings (Feb. 23, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The global semiconductor shortage exacerbated by the pandemic will slash earnings at General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. by about one-third this year as supply constraints hamper production and profits, Bloomberg reported.

The chip shortage will materially erode margins and could lower expected earnings by as much as $2 billion for GM and $2.5 billion for Ford.

Astra Cuts 2Q Delivery to EU by Half (Feb. 23, 3:00 p.m. ET)

AstraZeneca is expected to deliver about half the COVID-19 vaccines it had committed to supply the European Union in the second quarter, according to Reuters. The company told EU officials it would deliver fewer than 90 million doses, compared with a commitment of 180 million. It also plans to deliver about 40 million doses in the first quarter, down from a previous commitment of 90 million.

The shortfall wouldn’t impact the EU’s target of vaccinating 70% of the adult population by the end of summer, said a person familiar with the matter.

U.S. Looks for a Surge in Vaccine Supply (Feb. 23, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson said it will be ready next month to ship 20 million doses of its one-shot vaccine, adding to a coming surge in vaccine availability in the U.S., according to Bloomberg analysis of drugmaker promises.

Along with vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., which both require two doses, the delivery targets through next month will be enough to fully vaccinate 130 million Americans.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee scheduled a meeting for Sunday and Monday regarding J&J’s application for emergency use of its vaccine candidate. An authorization could swiftly follow the meeting.

Moderna Gets Positive Feedback on Dose Shift (Feb. 22, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. has received positive feedback from U.S. regulators on a proposal to expand the number of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in each vial, Bloomberg reported, a move that could help expand supplies.

In prepared testimony for a Congressional hearing on Tuesday, Moderna said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could allow it to put as many as 15 doses of its COVID-19 shot into each vial. Currently, its vials hold 10 doses.

Perdue Farms Offers Vaccines to U.S. Poultry Workers (Feb. 22, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Perdue Farms Inc., the fourth-biggest U.S. poultry producer, has made 700 vaccine doses available in three states as part of its goal to offer it to all workers for free, Bloomberg reported.

The company first partnered with a healthcare provider in Maryland to distribute the vaccine to 300 workers earlier this month and was now making it available to its employees in California and Virginia.

Food plants, which were an early hot spot in the American coronavirus outbreak that started roughly a year ago, are in the early phases of administering vaccines to workers. JBS USA said on Feb. 12 it had given the vaccine to about 700 workers at an Illinois pork plant in what was the biggest vaccination effort to date at a red-meat plant.

FDA Outlines Faster Path for Variant Shots (Feb. 22, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says drugmakers won’t have to perform giant efficacy trials for new vaccines or booster shots developed to combat new variants of the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported.

A determination of effectiveness for new vaccines against variants should be based on so-called immunogenicity studies, in which researchers give vaccines to people and then conduct lab tests to measure the immune response the vaccine produces in their blood, the agency said. These tests, similar to what is done for annual flu shots, are far simpler to conduct than the massive efficacy studies needed for clearance of the initial vaccines.

Biden Gives Small Firms Exclusive Access to Paycheck Program (Feb. 22, 10:00 a.m. ET)

President Biden said his administration is seeking to help small businesses by giving them exclusive access to the Paycheck Protection Program for two weeks, Bloomberg reported. From Feb. 24 through March 9, only businesses with fewer than 20 employees will be able to apply for relief through the program, which provides loans to pay workers.

“Small businesses are the engines of our economic progress,” Biden said Monday at the White House. “They’re getting crushed.” He said 400,000 small businesses have closed during the pandemic and “millions more are hanging by a thread.”

Biden’s stimulus plan, which has run into opposition from GOP lawmakers who say it costs too much, would provide $50 billion to help the hardest hit small businesses after the paycheck program expires.

U.K. Plans Business Tax Hike to Pay for Covid (Feb. 21, 11:30 a.m. ET)

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will announce plans to increase the current 19% corporation tax by at least 1 percentage point when he delivers his budget next month, Bloomberg reported. Sunak will also outline plans for successive increases in the years through to the next general election, with the rate likely to reach as much as 23%.

The Chancellor has spent about 300 billion pounds ($420 billion) on various programs to keep businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. With the U.K.’s vaccination program motoring ahead, attention is turning to how to repay the glut of borrowing. The government expects to have vaccinated all adults by the end of July.

Vaccine Delays to Be Quickly Reversed (Feb. 21, 10:30 a.m. ET)

The backlog of vaccinations from last week’s severe weather should be mopped up by midweek, according to top U.S. infectious diseases specialist Anthony Fauci.

Fauci spoke as the U.S. stands on the verge of 500,000 deaths, Bloomberg reported. That level will probably be reached Sunday or Monday.

“It’s something that is stunning when you look at the numbers, almost unbelievable,” Fauci said. “People will be talking about this decades and decades and decades from now.”

Second-Shot Crunch Leaves Many Without Full Immunizations (Feb. 20, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Almost a month after U.S. vaccination campaigns ramped up to give COVID-19 shots to more than a million people a day, their second doses are coming due, straining state rollouts and leaving some without complete immunizations, Bloomberg reported.

In Texas alone, almost 6,000 people were overdue for their second shots in early February. Washington state officials said earlier this week that some mass vaccination clinics would only deliver follow-up doses. And a Michigan hospital system canceled last-dose appointments for the past week after its supply was reduced.

“For the first six weeks of this program or so, we were only giving first shots, and now we have to kind of pay the piper,” said Eric Toner, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Novavax to Supply 1 Billion Doses to Poorer Countries (Feb. 18, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Novavax Inc. will supply 1.1 billion doses of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine to Covax, a global alliance many low and middle-income countries are relying on to protect their populations from the virus, Bloomberg reported.

The Covax Facility is an effort led by the World Health Organization, The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Novavax and Gavi haven’t yet finalized the advanced purchase agreement for supply of the two-shot regimen.

Covax is aiming to deliver two billion doses in 2021, said Seth Berkley, chief executive officer of Gavi.

Weather Forces L.A. to Shut Vaccine Sites (Feb. 18, 6:15 p.m. ET)

Los Angeles shut down vaccine distribution on Friday at some of its largest sites, including Dodger Stadium, due to supply shortages, Bloomberg reported. Approximately 12,500 residents were to receive an email or text message telling them of the delay.

Winter storms in the central part of the country are causing the shortages, said Mayor Eric Garcetti. It is the second time this month the city has shut distribution sites due to supply curtailments. America’s second-largest city is trying to administer second doses to the elderly and health-care workers before moving on to other high-priority groups such as teachers and food service workers.

Biden to Pledge $4 Billion to Vaccines for Poorer Nations (Feb. 18, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. will contribute as much as $4 billion to Covax, the global effort to fund vaccinations in lower-income countries, but doesn’t plan on shipping any of its own vaccines abroad until the nation’s own demand has been met, Bloomberg reported.

President Biden will announce during a Group of Seven call on Friday that the U.S. will commit $2 billion immediately to the program and pledge another $2 billion with conditions designed to spur contributions from other countries, said officials familiar with the matter.

Mexico Warns Against Counterfeit Pfizer Vaccine (Feb. 18, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Mexico issued a warning on the alleged illegal application of Pfizer’s vaccine in the state of Nuevo Leon, according to health agency Cofepris.

The vaccine has not been authorized for sale to the private sector, so any substance acquired through an intermediary is false, Bloomberg reported.

A U.S. Vaccine Surge Is Coming (Feb. 18, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. vaccine supply is poised to double in the coming weeks and months, according to an analysis by Bloomberg, allowing a broad expansion of doses administered across the country.

Currently, the U.S. is administering 1.6 million doses a day, constrained by the recent supply of about 10 million to 15 million doses a week. But COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers and U.S. officials have accelerated their production timelines and signaled that the spigots are about to open, providing hundreds of millions of doses to match the growing capacity to immunize people at pharmacies and mass-vaccination sites.

A review of drugmakers’ public statements and their supply deals suggests that the number of vaccines delivered should rise to almost 20 million a week in March, more than 25 million a week in April and May, and over 30 million a week June. By summer, it would be enough to give 4.5 million shots a day.

NYC Loses Vaccine Supply Because of Weather (Feb. 18, 11:00 a.m. ET)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said snowstorms and bad weather resulted in the loss of several days of vaccine supply, as well as the delayed opening of two vaccination sites, Bloomberg reported. He said 30,000 to 35,000 appointments had to be held back and that initial deliveries of this week’s doses may not start until Saturday or Sunday.

Usually the city receives deliveries on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, de Blasio said. Officials said vaccine sites remain open today and that appointments for people getting their second shots won’t be impacted, but that in many cases it has had to stop scheduling new appointments. The city has administered 1.4 million vaccinations since it began its inoculation drive in December.

To decrease the disparities among New Yorkers getting the vaccine, de Blasio said the city has sent out 250 canvassers to the hardest-hit communities and public housing sites to help people sign up.

AstraZeneca’s Vaccines Go Unused as Mutants Spread (Feb. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Fewer than one-tenth of AstraZeneca Plc’s doses delivered to Germany have been administered in the initial days of the roll-out, and some French health workers are pushing to get shots from Moderna Inc., Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE instead, according to Bloomberg. Workers say they’re concerned about side effects.

Their reluctance comes just weeks after a clash over whether EU countries would get their fair share of AstraZeneca’s shipments as deliveries slowed.

The EU vaccine campaign is already far behind that of the U.S. and U.K., and catching up will be impossible in the near term unless people are willing to take the 300 million shots the bloc ordered from AstraZeneca. Media reports about unexpectedly strong side effects prompted Health Minister Jens Spahn to say Wednesday that the immunization is “safe and effective” and that he wouldn’t hesitate to get it himself. Meanwhile, the more contagious mutant virus that originated in the U.K. is spreading, making up more than one-fifth of new cases in Germany.

U.S. Retail Sales Show Sharp Advance (Feb. 17, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. retail sales surged in January by the most in seven months, Bloomberg reported, beating all estimates and suggesting fresh stimulus checks helped spur a rebound in household demand following a weak fourth quarter.

The value of overall sales increased 5.3% from the prior month after a 1% decline in December, Commerce Department figures showed Wednesday. It was the first monthly gain since September and all major categories showed sharp advances.

A surge in COVID-19 cases curbed spending at year-end, but since then, virus cases have ebbed and states have started to ease some restrictions on businesses and activity. The ability to shop and eat out, paired with the latest round of $600 stimulus payments, helped drive spending in the month across a variety of categories.

WTO Chief Urges Nations to End Export Restrictions (Feb. 17, 1:00 p.m. ET)

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged the European Union and all other WTO members to end export restrictions on vaccines and other medical goods needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is the only way we can get a freer flow of goods and get them to countries that don’t have access,” Okonjo-Iweala told Bloomberg in a phone interview late Tuesday.

Last month, the EU announced new requirements to force drug companies to obtain prior authorization before sending shots manufactured in the EU to other countries.

The move, which was aimed at addressing the slow rollout of vaccines across Europe, quickly sparked condemnation from the World Health Organization and EU trading partners that feared a wider spiral into protectionism.

Essential Workers Go on Strike (Feb. 17, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Fast-food workers across the U.S. are on strike demanding a $15 minimum wage as a proposal in the coronavirus relief package to raise the federal minimum wage stalls in congress, the Guardian reported.

The workers at McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s, joined by home care and nursing home workers, took action as the Biden administration is attempting to push through an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25, in what would be the first increase since 2009.

Based on a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution, 47% of essential workers are in occupations where the median wage is currently less than $15 an hour. Raising it to $15 an hour would increase pay for 32 million workers in the U.S., including 59% of workers with a total family income below the poverty line. 

Chinese New Year Compounds Shipping Delays (Feb. 17, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The Chinese New Year is exacerbating COVID-19-related shipping delays outbound China, according to a report by shipping technology firm Ocean Insights. The average delay for containers in January was more than five days — up from one day in January 2020. 

The report points to internal travel restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities, requiring domestic travelers to quarantine for 14 days after traveling, as a new bottleneck for global shipping and supply chains.

Many truckers have opted to go home for New Year — making them subject to mandatory quarantines and unable to drive. In some regions, up to 95% of truckers will be unavailable, with the worst-hit regions in the south. These conditions will choke factory-port connectivity starting in about two weeks, with inventory backups lasting for months. 

“The shipping lines have said that the backlog of cargo will be cleared after Chinese New Year, and that will likely occur as the levels of deliveries from factories drop off, but supply chains may take several more months to return to some semblance of normality as inventory, now trapped further up the supply chain will need to be cleared,” said Ocean Insights’ Chief Operations Officer Josh Brazil.

Storms Stall U.S.’s Vaccine Campaign (Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m. ET)

The storms that blanketed much of the U.S. in snow and ice paralyzed the vaccination campaign just as it had finally quickened, with communities unclear when the next doses will arrive and appointments canceled by the thousands, according to Bloomberg.

Power outages created a temporary crisis in Houston when a backup generator failed and threatened to spoil more than 8,000 doses of the Moderna Inc. vaccine. Rice University and other Houston institutions used the vaccines to inoculate students to prevent the drug from going to waste. 

The poor weather was expected to hamper air hubs for FedEx Corp. in Memphis, Tennessee, and United Parcel Service Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky, both major players in transporting the vaccines. FedEx said it wasn’t aware of any spoilage within its transportation network. While the severe weather is limiting its ability to pick up and deliver in some cities, vaccine deliveries are getting priority status, said spokeswoman Bonny Harrison on Tuesday.

Accounts from state officials — including some that saw little snowfall — suggest the storm will slow the pandemic recovery by at least a few days in Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, Florida and Colorado. Some counties are pushing back second doses by two weeks.

U.S. Boosts Weekly Vaccine Supply (Feb. 16, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. vaccine supply is increasing to 13.5 million doses per week, up from 11 million, and the number of shots distributed through pharmacies will double, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

Two million doses will be delivered to pharmacies this week — up from 1 million, Bloomberg reported. The pharmacy program began Feb. 11.

CDC Advisers Weigh Delaying Second Doses (Feb. 16, 11:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. public health advisers are weighing recommendations for extending the interval between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines, a potential strategy for quickly getting protection to more people amid the spread of new variants, Bloomberg reported.

Health officials have rejected a dose-stretching policy adopted by the U.K. that allows up to 12 weeks between shots. Most drugmakers have concurred, saying that policies should follow the protocols used in the shots’ testing, in which the intervals were set at three or four weeks.

Governors Seek Changes in U.S. Vaccine Reporting (Feb. 15, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. government needs to better coordinate its federally run vaccine programs with state officials, and differentiate how many doses are being deployed by the programs when it reports on the results, the National Governors Association urged Monday.

In an open letter to President Biden, the governors said the federal government administers three separate programs that the states have no control over and little visibility on, Bloomberg reported. Meanwhile, some states are allocating vaccine doses to the same pharmacies as well as the Federally Qualified Health Centers.

That can be confusing to the general public and, potentially, cause redundancy and inefficiency, the letter said. “As usual, some pharmacies and FQHCs are better suited for the task than others,” the governors wrote in the letter. “Following the performance data on these entities is essential.”

WHO Clears Astra Vaccine for Emergency Use (Feb. 15, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The World Health Organization cleared AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, adding its official approval to a shot that’s expected to speed up inoculations in developing countries, Bloomberg reported.

The WHO validated two versions of the vaccine, produced with SK Bioscience Co. of South Korea and the Serum Institute of India.

The formal approval follows a recommendation by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization to allow the vaccine to be administered to all adults over 18. That guidance differs from the approach taken by some European Union countries that have restricted its use in the elderly, citing insufficient trial data.

EU to Fast-Track Approval for Adapted Vaccine (Feb. 15, 9:00 a.m. ET)

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides announced fast-track approval procedures for coronavirus vaccines that need to be adapted to protect against COVID-19 mutations, Bloomberg reported.

“We have now decided that a vaccine that has been reworked by the manufacturer on the basis of the previous vaccine to combat new mutations no longer has to go through the entire approval process,” Kyriakides said.

Biden Says Deals Clinched for 200 Million More Doses (Feb. 11, 6:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden announced that the U.S. has finished deals for 100 million additional vaccine doses each from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., and that the companies would deliver new and existing orders quicker than projected, Bloomberg reported.

While the orders had been previously announced, the delivery dates for the additional vaccine doses were moved up to the end of July, Biden said in remarks Thursday at the National Institutes of Health. Delivery of a previously ordered batch was also sped up, to the end of May from the end of June.

“We’ve now purchased enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all Americans,” Biden said.

Amazon Hires Founders of Testing Startup (Feb. 11, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. has hired several employees of a COVID-19 testing startup as part of efforts to curb outbreaks among its workers, Bloomberg reported. Caspr Biotech’s cofounders, Chief Executive Officer Franco Goytia and Chief Strategy Officer Carla Gimenez, joined Amazon in December and are working on a project codenamed Artemis. It’s unclear whether Amazon acquired Caspr Biotech.

In a shareholder letter in April, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos said the company had begun building a lab to test employees for COVID-19.

At about the same time, in Sunnyvale, California, the headquarters of Amazon’s Lab126 hardware group, the company was setting up a prototype lab, and seeking microbiologists and researchers, as well as a lawyer to oversee the legal aspects of the laboratory initiative.

“We are not sure how far we will get in the relevant timeframe,” Bezos wrote. “But we think it’s worth trying, and we stand ready to share anything we learn.”

Since then, Amazon has hired dozens of lab technicians to staff laboratories in Hebron, Kentucky, near an Amazon air cargo hub, and Manchester, England. The company has also shipped tests conducted at its facilities to third-party labs, including the University of Washington. Amazon said this month it was testing about 700 workers an hour.

Fauci Predicts Vaccines Open to Everyone by April (Feb. 11, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Anthony Fauci predicted an increasing supply of vaccines will allow for “much more of a mass vaccination approach” in the U.S. by April, allowing anyone who wants a shot to get one, Bloomberg reported.

“I would imagine by the time we get to April that will be what I would call for better wording, open season,” the nation’s top infectious disease doctor said on NBC’s “Today Show.” “Namely virtually everybody and anybody in any category could start to get vaccinated.”

He cautioned however that it would take several more months logistically to meet demand.

He also said that the spread of coronavirus variants is “sobering” but said the “uplifting news” is that the current vaccines appear effective on the rapidly spreading variant first found in the U.K.

Demand High as Pharmacies Offer Vaccine (Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Nearly 20,000 COVID-19 vaccine appointments at CVS Health Corp. stores in New Jersey were booked within an hour Thursday as a national pharmacy expansion rolled out, Bloomberg reported.

About 1 million shots are available at nearly two dozen pharmacy chains across the country through a federal program that started Thursday. CVS, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Rite Aid Corp. are among participating companies. The initiative will boost the number of doses that are available to the general public.

CVS will receive about 250,000 doses divided across 11 states, the company said. In New Jersey, that means 19,900 are available at CVS stores throughout the state. Each participating Rite Aid store will initially receive 100 doses of Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, the company said. Rite Aid will administer shots in five states and two cities.

Merck May Make Covid Shots for Rivals (Feb. 10, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Merck & Co. is in talks with governments, public-health authorities and companies to potentially help with manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines already authorized, Bloomberg reported.

The discussions mean Merck could play an even larger role in responding to the pandemic, beyond its current effort in advancing two potential COVID-19 therapies, according to Merck.

Helping manufacture COVID-19 vaccines could also allow the Kenilworth, New Jersey-based company to remain involved in the global vaccination drive. Last month, Merck scrapped its two vaccine programs after disappointing results in clinical trials.

Teva in Talks to Make Vaccines (Feb. 10, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. is in talks with COVID-19 vaccine makers about helping to produce and distribute shots, Bloomberg reported.

The generic drug giant is offering to dedicate its manufacturing capacity in the U.S., Europe and beyond to aid with mass-immunization efforts geared at combating the pandemic, Chief Executive Officer Kare Schultz said Wednesday.

Astra Shot Backed by WHO for All Adults (Feb. 10, 11:30 a.m. ET)

A World Health Organization panel recommended AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine for all adults over 18, Bloomberg reported, paving the way to speed up inoculations in developing countries.

The recommendation may encourage more countries to use the vaccine broadly, after some European Union members advised against giving it to the elderly, citing insufficient trial data. The shot’s effect in older people is expected to be the same as for younger recipients, said Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of the WHO expert panel, in a briefing.

The move is good news for developing countries, many of which are waiting to administer their first shots as wealthier countries have already inoculated millions of residents. AstraZeneca, which developed the vaccine with the University of Oxford, has pledged significant supplies to Covax, a facility that aims to distribute vaccines equitably around the world.

U.K.-EU Relations ‘More Than Bumpy’ (Feb. 9, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. government said its relations with the European Union have been “problematic” since Brexit, following disputes over issues including vaccines, trade and Northern Ireland, Bloomberg reported.

“It’s been more than bumpy in the last six weeks,” David Frost, the U.K. representative for Brexit and International Policy, told a parliamentary committee Tuesday. “I hope we’ll get over this. It is going to require a different spirit, probably, from the EU.”

Frost, who negotiated the free-trade agreement with the EU on Britain’s behalf, identified the EU’s criticism of the U.K.’s approach to its vaccine roll-out, border hold-ups, and the accreditation of diplomatic missions as issues that have arisen so far in 2021.

U.S. Announces Boost in Vaccine Shipments, New Sites (Feb. 9, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s administration will boost weekly vaccine shipments to states to 11 million from 10.5 million and launch a vaccination program through community health centers in every state and territory, White House adviser Jeff Zients said Tuesday.

The administration will begin shipping doses to the centers as soon as next week, Bloomberg reported. That will include a total of one million doses — enough for 500,000 full vaccinations — as the program ramps up in coming weeks, Zients said at a briefing. The timeline for those shipments wasn’t immediately clear.

The community centers are a crucial way to get doses to hard-to-reach communities. “Equity is our north star here,” said Marcella Nunez-Smith, who serves as chair of Biden’s COVID-19 health equity task force. “This effort that focuses on direct allocation to community health centers really is about connecting with those hard-to-reach populations across the country.”

The program will begin with 250 health centers, Nunez-Smith said. As vaccines become more available, shipments will go to all 1,400 centers nationwide, she said.

Boeing Scores First Monthly Delivery Win Over Airbus (Feb. 9, 11:30 a.m. ET)

Boeing Co. logged more monthly deliveries than Airbus SE for the first time in two years, Bloomberg reported, as the 737 Max began its recovery from a lengthy grounding.

Last month’s handovers of 26 jetliners included 21 of the best-selling Max, Boeing said. The company’s only orders were the final four sales of its 747-8 freighter, to Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc., which will close out the jumbo jet’s half-century-long production run.

Airbus recorded no sales and delivered 21 planes in January, a traditionally slow month for the aircraft manufacturers. The European company’s tally included 16 of the A321neo, which competes head-on with the Max in the lucrative narrow-body sector.

The rivals are scrapping for deals and searching for signs that the COVID-19 pandemic is easing after a historic collapse in international air travel. Wide-body jets such as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 have been hit particularly hard.

U.S. Job Openings Unexpectedly Increase (Feb. 9, 10:30 a.m. ET)

U.S. job openings unexpectedly rose in December, led by increases in business services and retail trade, signaling that companies were looking to add workers as the nation starts getting vaccinated against the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported.

The number of available positions increased to 6.65 million during the month from a revised 6.57 million in November, Labor Department data showed Tuesday. 

Areas that showed fewer openings included accommodation and food services, construction and non-durable goods manufacturing.

Walgreens, Uber Partner on Rides to Shots (Feb. 9, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. formed a partnership to offer free rides to vaccine appointments, the companies announced Tuesday.

Uber will pilot free rides in U.S. cities including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso, Bloomberg reported. People will receive an email to schedule a ride after they register for immunizations on the Walgreens website. The companies said they will also work with the National Urban League to address vaccine hesitancy.

U.K.-EU Freight Trade Back to 90% of Normal (Feb. 8, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Freight traffic through the Port of Dover is running at 90% of usual levels — better than had been feared amid new Brexit red tape and another round of social restrictions to contain the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported.

The port’s figures are higher than a U.K. government estimate of 82%, which was provided in response to claims from the Road Haulage Association that truck cargoes to the European Union were down 68% last month compared to a year earlier.

Votes on Biden-Package Measures Start Tuesday (Feb. 8, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The first committee votes on elements of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package begin on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported. Biden’s proposed minimum-wage hike is likely to be trimmed back by lawmakers, according to analysis from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. highlighting the political challenges of the push.

The House Education and Labor Committee, with jurisdiction over school reopening funds, workplace safety standards and any minimum wage increase, tentatively set Tuesday for its vote. Biden said in a CBS interview Friday a wage increase “apparently” wouldn’t be part of the package due to Senate rules. Goldman analysts said a standalone bill phasing in an increase to $10 to $11 an hour is “more politically realistic” than Biden’s $15 proposal.

S. Africa Halts AstraZeneca, Seeks J&J Vaccines (Feb. 8, 9:00 a.m. ET)

South Africa will temporarily halt the rollout of AstraZeneca’s vaccine and accelerate its supply of shots from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer after a trial showed the shot had limited efficacy against a new variant of the virus, Bloomberg reported.

South Africa is in talks with Johnson & Johnson to buy an additional 20 million doses of the company’s vaccine and has been offered supplies of Russia’s Sputnik V shot.

Biden Says Immunity Unlikely Before End of Summer (Feb. 7, 5:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden said it’s unlikely the U.S. will reach herd immunity for the coronavirus before the end of the summer due to a shortfall in vaccine availability, Bloomberg reported.

“The idea that this can be done and we can get to herd immunity much before the end of this summer is very difficult,” Biden said in an interview with CBS News that aired on Sunday.

In the U.S., logistical delays and vaccine shortages have meant only a small fraction of the population has received shots since two different vaccines became available in December.

South Africa to Speed Up Use of J&J Shot (Feb. 7, 3:00 p.m. ET)

South Africa plans to fast-track the rollout of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine after it showed more efficacy against a new variant that’s prevalent in more than 90% of new cases in the country, according to Glenda Gray, president of the South African Medical Research Council.

The move comes after trial data released Sunday showed that a shot developed by AstraZeneca Plc has limited efficacy against the mutation, Bloomberg reported. Even though South Africa received its first vaccines this month with the arrival of AstraZeneca's product, its use should temporarily be suspended, Barry Schoub, chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vaccines, said Sunday in an online briefing.

New Vaccine in Works to Fight South Africa Variant (Feb. 7, 12:30 p.m. ET)

Vaccine developers said they are working on a new shot to combat the South African strain of coronavirus after early data suggested AstraZeneca Plc’s product has limited efficacy against mild disease caused by the variant, Bloomberg reported.

There isn’t yet enough information from research to show whether the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is effective at preventing severe COVID-19 cases, hospitalization and deaths, the company said in a statement.

Sarah Gilbert, leading the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine program, said work was already under way to adapt the vaccine to deal specifically with the South African variant. The new shot is “very likely” to be available by autumn, she said.

Study Predicts U.S. Spread of U.K. Variant (Feb. 7, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A new study warns of “further surges” in the U.S. as the coronavirus variant first found in the U.K. likely becomes the dominant strain.

The B.1.1.7 variant is 35-40% more transmissible, the study says, and “will likely become the dominant variant in many U.S. states by March, 2021, leading to further surges of COVID-19 in the country, unless urgent mitigation efforts are immediately implemented.”

The study was carried out by a team of virologists in the U.S. in association with the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. It echoed the same warning last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the variant’s rapid spread, Bloomberg reported. The variant has been found in at least 30 U.S. states.

‘Return to Normal’ to Take 7.4 Years at Today's Vaccine Rates (Feb. 4, 4:00 p.m. ET)

At the current vaccination pace, it will take the world as a whole 7.4 years to “return to normal” — or reach a 75% coverage target, according to Bloomberg.

U.S. science officials such as Anthony Fauci have suggested it will take 70% to 85% coverage of the population for things to return to normal. Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker shows that some countries are making far more rapid progress than others. 

Israel, the country with the highest vaccination rate in the world, is headed for 75% coverage in just 2 months. The U.S. will get there just in time to ring in the 2022 New Year (though North Dakota could get there six months sooner than Texas). 

Bloomberg’s calculator provides a snapshot in time, designed to put today’s vaccination rates into perspective. It uses the most recent rolling average of vaccinations, which means that as vaccination numbers pick up, the time needed to hit the 75% threshold will fall.

Vaccines From Nursing Homes Boost Supply in States (Feb. 4, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Dozens of U.S. states are releasing thousands of COVID-19 vaccines left over from a federal initiative for nursing homes, increasing supply for other eligible people like essential workers and seniors, Bloomberg reported.

Illinois will use about 97,000 doses earmarked for nursing homes to vaccinate people 65 and older, teachers and other members eligible under phase 1B. Thirty-two states and cities are transferring extra doses from the federal program, said Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

BOE Sees Rapid U.K. Rebound Following Vaccine Push (Feb. 4, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The Bank of England said the U.K. economy is heading for a rapid pickup in light of a bold vaccination effort, Bloomberg reported.

Despite lowering its outlook for the year, the central bank sounded an optimistic note on its hopes of a powerful rebound. Officials also kept monetary stimulus in place and agreed as a contingency that banks should prepare for the possibility of negative interest rates.

The pound rose and gilts fell after the release of the BOE’s decision and forecasts, which showed growth in 2021 of 5%, following a slump of twice that magnitude last year.

School Testing Experiment Hits Snarls (Feb. 4, 8:00 a.m. ET)

A pilot project in which rapid COVID-19 tests were used in an effort to safely reopen some U.S. schools has encountered administrative and logistical hurdles, according to Bloomberg.

Through a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Rockefeller Foundation, the project received about 140,000 quick-turnaround Covid tests from Abbott Laboratories.

Even with access to testing from the outset, however, schools needed additional resources like staffing to perform the tests. While they found support in their communities for testing, they also encountered resistance from parents and students.

American Airlines Jobs Warning (Feb. 3, 7:15 p.m. ET)

American Airlines Group Inc. told 13,000 employees they could be laid off, many for the second time in six months, saying a much-anticipated summer travel rebound isn’t materializing, Bloomberg reported.

The warning came less than a week after United Airlines Holdings Inc. notified 14,000 employees that their jobs may again be in danger. With vaccination campaigns still in the early stages, domestic airline passengers are at less than 40% of 2019 levels. Foreign travel is at only about 15%, the International Air Transport Association said.

At the end of 2020 “we fully believed that we would be looking at a summer schedule where we’d fly all of our airplanes and need the full strength of our team,” American’s CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom said in an email. “Regrettably, that is no longer the case.”

U.S. House Passes Budget (Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET)

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget that helps clear the path for a fast-tracking of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan, Bloomberg reported. The Senate plans to pass an identical version of the budget later this week.

The House vote followed action by the Senate to consider a similar budget resolution — beginning a process that would let Democrats proceed with the stimulus without Republican votes. Still, the president told reporters before an Oval Office meeting with Democratic senators that he thought some Republicans would support his package.

Biden signaled he wasn’t willing to reduce the standard $1,400 stimulus checks, which phase out based on income totals, according to participants on his call with House Democrats. Top party members are however considering ways to reduce the number of households that qualify for the checks.

Winter Weather Hampers U.S. Vaccinations (Feb. 3, 4:30 p.m. ET)

The rush to vaccinate U.S. residents was bogged down this week, as snow blanketed the Northeast and appointments for shots were missed or canceled.

The U.S. administered 868,000 doses Monday, 33% fewer than the seven-day rolling average of 1.3 million that day. Northeast states showed steep declines in daily rates, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. In Maryland, for instance, daily doses were 65% less than the state’s daily seven-day rolling average on Sunday and 58% less on Monday.

Africa to Start Receiving Covax Shots (Feb. 3, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Covax, the global program that strives to ensure equitable access to coronavirus vaccines, has allocated millions of doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s shots to African countries and aims for its first deliveries by the end of the month, Bloomberg reported.

Nigeria, the most populous nation on the continent, stands to receive 16 million doses, while Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in line for 9 million and 7 million doses respectively, according to an interim distribution forecast. Other African countries will get a smaller number of vaccines.

U.S. Looks to Prevent Supply Shortages (Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m. ET)

U.S. President Biden will order a government-wide review of critical supply chains in an effort to reduce U.S. reliance on countries such as China for essential medical supplies and minerals, according to Bloomberg.

The administration’s goal is to protect government and private sector supply chains to prevent future shortages and limit other countries’ ability to exert leverage over the U.S., according to an administration official.

U.K., EU in Irish Border Spat Over Vaccine (Feb. 2, 6:00 p.m. ET)

U.K. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove condemned the European Union’s threat to impose border checks on Northern Ireland, warning that it had provoked anger on all sides of the political divide, Bloomberg reported.

Faced with a shortage of vaccines, the EU threatened on Friday to limit exports from the bloc by imposing border controls. It retreated within hours, after the plan emerged and drew condemnation from both unionists and nationalists as well as the Irish government.

Astra Shot Shows 82% Efficacy With 3-Month Gap (Feb. 2, 1:00 p.m. ET)

AstraZeneca Plc’s COVID-19 vaccine showed 82.4% effectiveness with a three-month gap between two shots, according to a new study that bolsters the U.K.’s controversial decision to adopt the extended dosing interval.

The vaccine also may significantly reduce transmission of the virus, according to analysis of trial data by the University of Oxford, Bloomberg reported. Swabs taken from volunteers in the U.K. arm of the trial showed a 67% reduction in transmission after the first dose, the report showed.

U.S. to Test Direct Delivery to Drugstores (Feb. 2, 12:30 p.m. ET)

President Biden’s administration will test a program to provide vaccines directly to pharmacies, Bloomberg reported.

Biden’s team will ship roughly 1 million doses per week directly to pharmacies as a trial run, and the program will expand as vaccine supply allows.

China Helps Serbia Get Ahead on Vaccines (Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic puts his country’s status as continental Europe’s frontrunner in getting vaccines into people down to one thing, Bloomberg reported: looking east as well as west.

The Balkan country may look like an unlikely success story as the neighboring European Union gets mired in a fiasco over vaccinations. Yet Serbia’s history of balancing its geopolitical interests is paying off at a critical time.

U.S. Reaches Pandemic Milestone (Feb. 1, 5:30 p.m. ET)

More Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine than have tested positive for the virus, an early but hopeful milestone in the race to end the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

As of Monday afternoon, 26.5 million Americans had received one or both doses of the current vaccines, according to data gathered by the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Since the first U.S. patient tested positive outside of Seattle a year ago, 26.2 million people in the country have tested positive for the disease, and 441,000 have died.

EU Official Confident Drugmakers Will Deliver (Feb. 1, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The chief European Union negotiator for the EU’s agreements securing a total of around 2.3 billion vaccine doses for member countries says the drugmakers will meet their delivery pledges, Bloomberg reported.

“These are companies that have started the production, they are ramping up production — we have found that there were a few glitches — but let me say I have full confidence that they will deliver according to schedule,” Sandra Gallina told a European Parliament committee on Monday in Brussels. “They have committed to that.”

Gallina is director-general for health in the European Commission, the 27-nation EU’s executive arm.

Bayer to Help CureVac Produce Vaccine (Feb. 1, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Bayer AG agreed to produce CureVac NV’s experimental coronavirus vaccine to help speed up the roll out of a promising shot that’s in advanced clinical tests.

The move extends Bayer’s current pact with CureVac beyond simply helping with regulatory clearances and global distribution, Bloomberg reported. It follows commitments from fellow European pharma giants Sanofi and Novartis AG to put their manufacturing capacities behind scaling up Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s COVID-19 injection.

U.K. Meets Vaccine Milestone (Jan. 31, 8:30 p.m. ET)

The U.K. is set to confirm that residents at every eligible care home in England have been offered a COVID-19 vaccine, even as a dispute over exports from Europe raises concern over supplies, Bloomberg reported.

Jabs have been offered to eligible residents of more than 10,000 homes where possible, official figures are set to show later Monday. The announcement comes after reassurances yesterday by International Trade Secretary Liz Truss that the nation’s supply of vaccines is secure and the country will stick to its rollout timetable.

EU Says AstraZeneca to Deliver Millions More Doses (Jan. 31, 2:00 p.m. ET)

AstraZeneca Plc will deliver 9 million additional vaccine doses to the European Union in the first quarter of this year, Bloomberg reported.

The company will start deliveries one week earlier than scheduled and expand its manufacturing capacity in Europe, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The extra doses will bring the total to 40 million for the first quarter.

AstraZeneca previously said that issues at a plant in Belgium meant deliveries this quarter would be less than half of what was initially planned. The relatively slow start of the EU’s immunization drive led to a messy political dispute last week over European export restrictions on vaccines.

NYC Vaccine Data Show Race Disparity (Jan. 31, 1:00 p.m. ET)

New York City broke down its COVID-19 vaccination data by ethnicity for the first time, with the mayor underscoring a “profound problem” with racial inequality, Bloomberg reported.

White residents made up nearly half of the people who have received at least one dose, despite consisting of only a third of the population. Latinos, 29% of the city, only accounted for 15% of those vaccinated. The lowest ratio was among Blacks — even though they make up almost a quarter of the city’s population, they only accounted for 11% of those vaccinated.

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo said Black New Yorkers are most hesitant to take vaccines, partly out of distrust.

Dubai to Distribute 2 Billion Doses Globally (Jan. 31, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Some of the biggest companies in Dubai formed an alliance to move 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines around the globe this year.

Emirates Airline, ports operator DP World Plc and Dubai Airports have teamed up to speed up the distribution of inoculations through the Gulf trade and tourism center, Bloomberg reported.

The move “will particularly focus on emerging markets, where populations have been hard hit by the pandemic, and pharmaceutical transport and logistics are challenging,” the government’s media office said.

J&J Vaccine Supply to Start at 2 Million Doses (Jan. 28, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson initially will deliver about 2 million doses of its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine when it receives emergency-use authorization in the U.S., according to a Government Accountability Office report. A spokesman for J&J said in an email that the company expects to supply 100 million doses to the U.S. government in the first half of the year, Bloomberg reported. J&J should report clinical-trial data on the experimental shot’s efficacy by early next week, Chief Financial Officer Joseph Wolk said on Jan. 26.

Pandemic Adds $19.5 Trillion to Global Debt (Jan. 28, 3:00 p.m. ET)

In the battle against COVID-19, governments around the globe are on the cusp of becoming more indebted than at any point in modern history, surpassing even World War II, according to Bloomberg.

The borrowing binge has come with a hefty price tag — $19.5 trillion last year alone, the Institute of International Finance estimates. 

EU Ramps Up Vaccine Battle (Jan. 28, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The European Union is poised to tighten rules on the export of COVID-19 vaccines, risking a major escalation in the global battle to secure access to the life-saving shots, Bloomberg reported.

With EU governments under fire over the shortfall in deliveries from drugmakers including AstraZeneca Plc, the EU’s executive arm will on Friday require companies seeking to ship the inoculations outside the bloc to obtain prior authorization.

European Council President Charles Michel has also raised the prospect of effectively seizing control of vaccine production if those measures fail to get the program back on track, a European official said.

U.K. Offers Help as EU Faces Shortage (Jan. 28, 8:00 a.m. ET)

Britain signaled it may provide assistance to the European Union as the bloc weighs options to safeguard COVID-19 vaccine supplies amid a severe disruption from AstraZeneca Plc.

The potential U.K. offer comes after the EU failed to convince the drugmaker at a meeting Wednesday to divert doses from Britain to make up for a production glitch in the continent, Bloomberg reported.

“We will want to talk to and with our friends in Europe to see how we can help,” U.K. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said Thursday on ITV. “But the really important thing is to make sure our own vaccination program proceeds precisely as planned,” he added.

The comments came as German Health Minister Jens Spahn issued a dire warning, predicting “at least another 10 tough weeks” of shortages. Failure to resolve the issue would mean the EU receives millions less shots than it was expecting in the months ahead.

EU Fails to Fix AstraZeneca Dispute on U.K. Supply (Jan. 27, 4:30 p.m. ET)

The European Union failed on Wednesday to resolve its row with AstraZeneca Plc over vaccine supplies, raising the risk of additional delays to the bloc’s sluggish inoculation campaign, Bloomberg reported.

“We regret the continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule and request a clear plan from AstraZeneca for the fast delivery of the quantity of vaccines that we reserved for the first quarter,” EU health chief Stella Kyriakides said after a virtual meeting with Astra’s chief executive. “We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens.”

The bloc accuses Astra of using European funding intended for the development of manufacturing capacity to ramp up production in its U.K. plants, and now prioritizing British deliveries.

Over 6 Million Added to Food Stamp Rolls (Jan. 27, 4:00 p.m. ET)

More than 6 million Americans went on food stamps between February and September of last year, according to Bloomberg. By September, a total of more than 42.9 million Americans were on food stamps, up from just under 36.9 million in February, according to monthly data released Wednesday on the program, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The Trump administration had stopped issuing monthly updates after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released figures for April, with the department citing technical problems with the data.

South Africa’s First Vaccines to Arrive Amid Criticism (Jan. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET)

South Africa’s first vaccines will arrive in the country on Feb. 1, signaling the start of an inoculation program that has been criticized for its tardiness, Bloomberg reported.

The first million of 1.5 million doses of the shot developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford and produced by the Serum Institute of India Ltd. have been cleared by South African regulators for use, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said. They will be ready for distribution 10 to 14 days later, he said. The campaign will prioritize 1.25 million health workers.

The announcement comes amid widespread criticism of the government’s failure to sign bilateral agreements with drugmakers in 2020. The government clinched the deal with Serum this month and is pursuing other talks as the World Health Organization-backed Covax program will only supply enough vaccines for 10% of South Africa’s 60 million people this year.

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have also applied for registration of their vaccines in South Africa, according to a presentation by the health products regulator at the same press conference.

U.S. Needs 500 Million Doses (Jan. 27, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. needs 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to fully inoculate everyone 16 and older, according to Andy Slavitt, the Biden administration’s deputy coordinator for pandemic response.

Slavitt, who spoke Wednesday at the first news briefing of the administration’s COVID-19 task force, said that estimate assumes a two-dose regimen and reflects only the vaccines that are currently on the market, Bloomberg reported.

“We are not counting on things that are not in existence today,” he said. Trial results for Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine are expected within days and could change the calculus dramatically, if authorized for emergency use.

Biden Pushes for Bigger Vaccine Supply (Jan. 26, 5:30 p.m. ET)

The Biden administration said it intends to order 100 million more doses each of Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc.’s vaccines, and at least temporarily speed up shipments to states to about 10 million doses a week, Bloomberg reported.

The new purchases would increase total U.S. orders for the two approved vaccines by 50%, to about 600 million shots, according to a senior administration official. Delivering 10 million doses to states would represent about a 16% increase from the current weekly pace, though the higher pace may only last three weeks.

EMA Chief Sees Pfizer Supply Boost in April (Jan. 26, 1:30 p.m. ET)

European Medicines Agency Executive Director Emer Cooke signaled Pfizer Inc. is gearing up to increase deliveries to EU countries of its COVID-19 vaccine developed with BioNTech SE with production at more sites.

“With respect to the Pfizer vaccine, they have already submitted a protocol to include additional sites and we expect those to come through during February-March and to have an impact on supply at the start of the second quarter,” Cooke told a European Parliament committee on Tuesday.

The potential increase in supply will be welcomed by the EU amid a slower rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot as a result of the renovation of a factory in Belgium, Bloomberg reported. The production disruption affected vaccine deliveries to all member countries last week, an EU official said at the time.

Pfizer to Expedite U.S. Dose Delivery (Jan. 26, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Pfizer will be able to supply the U.S. with 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses two months sooner than previously expected, according to Bloomberg.

Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said Tuesday that the drugmaker and its partner, BioNTech SE, will be able to deliver more doses to the U.S. and European Union before the end of the second quarter due to a change in the vaccine’s label that allows health-care providers to extract an additional dose from each vial.

Drug Industry’s COVID-19 Push Didn’t Extend to Other Viruses (Jan. 26, 9:00 a.m. ET)

As drugmakers mounted an unprecedented response to COVID-19 last year, they ignored other viruses that mostly affect poorer countries, Bloomberg reported. The pipeline of potential drugs and vaccines against the new coronavirus went from zero to 63 projects through June 2020, according to the Access to Medicine Foundation.

Meanwhile, none of the companies was working on 10 of 16 other emerging infectious diseases flagged by the World Health Organization as a risk of pandemic or serious epidemic.

Biden Sees Shots Widely Available by Spring (Jan. 25, 7:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden says he anticipates that vaccines will be available to anyone in the nation by spring — a target requiring an increase in the current pace of inoculations.

The U.S. is currently administering about 1.2 million shots per day, data compiled by Bloomberg show, and Biden said Monday he expects that will soon reach 1.5 million doses. He said the administration has “commitments from some of the producers that they will in fact produce more vaccine,” though didn’t say which companies.

EU Demands Transparency on Vaccine Delays (Jan. 25, 6:00 p.m. ET)

European Union regulators proposed requiring drugmakers to flag exports of coronavirus vaccines in advance as the bloc seeks to step up inoculations amid growing anger about delivery delays by AstraZeneca Plc, Bloomberg reported.

The proposed “transparency mechanism” for vaccine exports comes after the European Commission expressed “deep dissatisfaction” with a disclosure by Astra that planned deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine would face delays. The EU’s executive arm says that this would mean significantly fewer deliveries of the jab this quarter than what was foreseen in the advance purchase agreement struck between the two sides last summer.

“We want clarity on transactions and full transparency concerning the export of vaccines from the EU,” European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told reporters on Monday in Brussels. “All companies producing vaccines against COVID-19 in the EU will have to provide early notification whenever they want to export vaccines to third countries.”

The proposals, due to be discussed by EU governments, come amid political alarm about hurdles to the rollout of coronavirus vaccines by drugmakers that also include Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. The EU lags behind the U.S. and the U.K. in terms of doses administered as a share of its population.

UN Chief Warns on Vaccine Inequity (Jan. 25, 4:00 p.m. ET)

If the rich world doesn’t act urgently to help developing countries get their populations vaccinated, more virus mutations could render the current shots ineffective, says United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“If we believe it’s possible to vaccinate the Global North and forget about the Global South, if we let the virus spread like wildfire in the Global South, it will mutate,” Guterres told the Davos Agenda event on Monday, as reported by Bloomberg. “And when it mutates, it will come back in a way that vaccines will no longer be relevant.”

Guterres said that many developed countries have bought more vaccines than they need and should put “those that will not be necessary at the disposal of developing countries.” He added that licensing should be made available for developing countries like Brazil and India, which have a “huge capacity of generics,” in order to scale up production of vaccines.

Global Crisis Damage Reaches 255 Million Jobs (Jan. 25, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The world economy won’t be able to fully repair last year’s damage to employment in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the equivalent of 255 million jobs, according to the International Labour Organization.

Even under the most optimistic assumptions, working hours will still be lower compared to pre-crisis levels, the ILO said in a report on Monday. Under the organization’s baseline scenario, the global economy will end this year with the equivalent of 90 million fewer full-time jobs than before the outbreak, Bloomberg reported.

“The signs of recovery we see are encouraging, but they are fragile and highly uncertain,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. “We must remember that no country or group can recover alone.”

The damage done by the pandemic in 2020 is historically unprecedented, and about four times greater than during the 2009 financial crisis, the ILO said.

Still, losses in the third quarter were less dramatic than previously estimated, following a strong economic rebound. The fourth-quarter reduction in working hours of 4.6% — equivalent to 130 million full-time jobs — was also lower than a prior prediction.

In a pessimistic scenario, where vaccination progress is slow and the impact of the pandemic prolonged, labor-market losses will remain at that level in 2021.

Third of Staff May Work From Home Permanently (Jan. 25, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The pandemic has probably boosted remote working permanently, according to Deloitte’s annual Readiness Report, which suggests a third of employees will work from home even after restrictions end. The survey of more than 2,000 managers and public-sector business leaders worldwide highlights how investments that allow home-working will be increasingly important, Bloomberg reported. Just 22% of respondents said their organizations had the technologies they needed before the pandemic, 42% said they developed them out of necessity during the crisis.

Germany Fears Cyberattacks on Vaccination Centers (Jan. 24, 2:30 p.m. ET)

The government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of possible attacks by opponents of vaccinations or coronavirus skeptics on vaccine facilities.

Due to “great media attention as well as the high dynamics and emotion” surrounding the topic, there is the threat of physical or cyberattacks on vaccination centers, transportation companies and producers, the German Interior Ministry said in a paper seen by Bloomberg.

Airbus Plant in Germany Hit by Outbreak (Jan. 24, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Some 500 Airbus SE workers in Hamburg are self-isolating after 21 of them tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, Bloomberg reported, citing a city health department spokesman. Airbus is reviewing the impact on production. 

The plant, which cranks out most of the A320 aircraft, has about 12,000 employees.

U.S. to Boost Surveillance of Virus Variants (Jan. 24, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. government, including the Pentagon, is stepping up surveillance of coronavirus variants to monitor their impact on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, Bloomberg reported.

“We are now scaling up both our surveillance of these and our study of these,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. The agency is working with others, including the Defense Department and the Food and Drug Administration, to monitor the variants.

Slow Vaccine Rollouts Delay World’s Economic Recovery (Jan. 24, 8:00 a.m. ET)

The world economy is facing a tougher start to 2021 than expected as coronavirus infections surge and it takes time to roll out vaccinations, Bloomberg reported. While global growth is still on course to rebound quickly from the recession of last year at some point, it may take longer to ignite and not be as healthy as previously forecast. 

The World Bank already this month trimmed its prediction to 4% in 2021 and the International Monetary Fund will this week update its own outlook.

Double-dip recessions are now expected in Japan, the euro area and U.K. as restrictions to curb the virus’s spread are enforced. Record cases in the U.S. are dragging on retail spending and hiring, prompting President Joe Biden’s new administration to seek an extra $1.9 trillion worth of fiscal stimulus.

Only China has managed a V-shaped recovery after containing the disease early, but even there consumers remain wary with Beijing partly locked down.

JBS to Give Bonus to Workers for Getting Vaccine (Jan. 21, 5:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. employees of Brazilian-owned meatpacker JBS SA and its subsidiary, Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., will get a $100 bonus if they opt for the COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg reported. The biggest meat producer in the world is hoping the bonus will lead to a high percentage of its 66,000-strong workforce being vaccinated, which will mean fewer outbreaks and disruptions in production.

“We have high expectations that at least three states will start massive vaccinations by early February,” Andre Nogueira, chief executive officer of JBS USA, said in an interview. “What we are doing and we’ve been doing this for several weeks is education, educating team members, communicating to team members. The union is helping us with this communication: why it’s important, why it’s safe, in several languages.”

The company’s internal surveys showed that 60% to 90% of employees were willing to receive the vaccine. With the bonus, however, that number should be closer to 90%, even as some skip it for religious reasons, Nogueira said.

Biden Unveils National Strategy (Jan. 21, 3:00 p.m. ET)

President Biden announced a series of executive actions aimed at overhauling the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak, which has already claimed more than 400,000 lives in the U.S. He repeated his warning that the crisis will worsen before it improves, and that the U.S. will experience a “dark winter,” Bloomberg reported.

“We’ll move Heaven and Earth to get more people vaccinated for free,” Biden said Thursday at the White House. But he warned: “The brutal truth is it’s going to take months before we can get the majority of Americans vaccinated.”

He also encouraged Americans to begin more frequently wearing a mask, saying the simple precaution over the next 99 days could save 50,000 lives through April.

American Airlines Seeks Buyers for Onboard Wines (Jan. 21, 12:30 p.m. ET)

American Airlines Group Inc. is trying to sell some of the wine it’s not pouring on flights by offering bottles for home delivery, Bloomberg reported. Wine usage on its jetliners has tumbled 80% amid the unprecedented travel collapse caused by the pandemic, American said in an email.

The carrier hasn’t been selling alcohol in its coach cabins during the pandemic as part of an effort to limit contact between passengers and flight attendants. In addition, sales of premium seats across the industry have been hammered by a plunge in business travel.

Under the program, customers can select from collections of mixed wines, build a custom box or purchase a monthly $99.99 subscription for three wines, including delivery, American said.

Pfizer Says It’s Willing to Sell Vaccine to States (Jan. 21, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. is open to selling doses of its COVID-19 vaccine directly to states trying to boost their supplies, pending approval from the federal government, said a company spokesman in an email to Bloomberg News.

The drugmaker is willing to collaborate with the federal government “on a distribution model that gives as many Americans as possible access to our vaccine as quickly as possible.”

Amazon Offers Help With Vaccinations (Jan. 20, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. is offering to help the Biden administration accelerate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, including to its own employees, Bloomberg reported.

In a letter dated Wednesday, Dave Clark, the incoming chief executive officer of Amazon’s retail unit, reiterated a request Amazon made to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month asking that the company’s more than 800,000 U.S. front-line workers receive vaccines at the “earliest appropriate time.”

Clark said Amazon has a contract with an occupational health provider to administer vaccines at its facilities. “We are prepared to move quickly once vaccines are available,” he wrote.

“Additionally, we are prepared to leverage our operations, information technology and communications capabilities and expertise to assist your administration’s vaccination efforts,” Clark went on. “Our scale allows us to make a meaningful impact immediately” in the fight against the disease, he wrote.

Some Moderna Shipments Replaced (Jan. 20, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Some shipments of Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine are being replaced after they became too cold in transit, Bloomberg reported.

Pharmaceutical distributor McKesson Corp., which is distributing Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., learned Monday that some of the deliveries it sent Sunday were too cold upon arrival. The company attributed the issue to gel packs used in shipping the shots getting too cold.

NYC Delays Vaccinations After Shortage (Jan. 20, 10:30 a.m. ET)

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city is rescheduling 23,000 vaccine appointments because of a supply shortage, Bloomberg reported. The mayor cited Moderna Inc. specifically, saying the drug manufacturer and its distributor told the city the 103,000 doses it was expected to receive Tuesday will be delayed by a number of days. About half of that supply was intended to be given as second doses.

New York still plans to hit its goal of 1 million vaccinations by the end of the month. “We can do it if we get the vaccine,” de Blasio said.

Moderna didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

U.K. Plans Extension of Job-Support Measures (Jan. 20, 9:30 a.m. ET)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is drawing up plans to extend support for jobs in the months ahead as the pandemic lockdown continues to damage businesses and threaten a surge in unemployment, according to Bloomberg.

The government’s flagship 60 billion-pound ($82 billion) furlough program, paying as much as 80% of workers’ wages, is due to expire at the end of April but Sunak is weighing various options to support jobs into the summer, said people familiar with the matter.

Biden to Join Covax Vaccine Initiative (Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m. ET)

The administration of President-elect Joe Biden plans to join the Covax vaccine initiative that President Trump declined to take part in, Bloomberg reported.

“The combination of rejoining, taking part in Covax and looking at how we can help make sure the vaccine is equitably distributed is something we’re going to take on,” said Antony Blinken, nominee to be secretary of state. He added that he sees global risks rising as the pandemic continues to spread.

The U.S. has distributed about 35.8 million COVID-19 vaccines, according to a statement from Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.

Biden, who is to be inaugurated on Wednesday, has pledged to deliver 100 million doses in his first 100 days.

India to Ship Vaccines to South Asian Nations (Jan. 19, 12:00 p.m. ET)

India will begin shipping coronavirus vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles from Jan. 20, Bloomberg reported. The vaccines will be sent as grant assistance and will cover health-care providers, front-line workers and the most vulnerable in the South Asian nations, the Indian foreign ministry said.

India is waiting for regulatory clearances from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius to send out vaccines, it said.

Europe’s Firms Face $720 Billion Gap to Fund Recovery (Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m. ET)

The European Union needs to find new ways to recapitalize businesses so that the hole on corporate balance sheets doesn’t derail the recovery, Bloomberg reported.

Companies face an equity shortfall of as much as 600 billion euros ($724 billion), as existing government programs and private funding won’t suffice to fully cover the roughly 1 trillion euros that businesses need to replace losses suffered during coronavirus restrictions, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe said in a report.

Authorities including the European Central Bank and the European Commission have warned about corporate vulnerabilities after businesses were driven to bank loans and bond issuances to survive. Industry groups have called on politicians to help viable firms clean up their balance sheets to enable future investments.

Cuomo Seeks to Buy Vaccines Directly (Jan. 18, 12:30 p.m. ET)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he asked Pfizer Inc. if the state could buy vaccines directly from the company because the U.S. government has failed to increase supply, Bloomberg reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded eligibility to more than 7 million New Yorkers but hasn’t increased — and in some cases decreased — the supply to states, Cuomo said Monday at a press conference. New York state will receive 250,000 doses this week, 50,000 fewer than last week. At that rate, it would take seven months to inoculate those eligible, he said.

No state has ever purchased vaccines directly from the producer, but “my job is to pursue every avenue,” the governor said.

EU to Push for Vaccinating 70% of Population (Jan. 18, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The European Union’s executive arm will urge member states to set a target for vaccinating at least 70% of the bloc’s population by this summer, according to a draft of the latest pandemic response recommendations due to be released Tuesday.

The European Commission will also vow to agree with member states by the end of this month on a protocol for vaccination certificates, according to the draft of the document seen by Bloomberg.

Fauci Says Biden’s 100 Million Doses ‘Doable’ in 100 Days (Jan. 17, 11:30 a.m. ET)

President-elect Joe Biden’s promise of delivering 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in 100 days is “absolutely a doable thing,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he expects Biden not to hesitate to “use whatever mechanisms we can” to speed the production and distribution of the shots, Bloomberg reported.

“The feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear, there’s no doubt about it,” Fauci said.

China to Donate 500,000 Doses to Philippines (Jan. 17, 10:00 a.m. ET)

China will donate 500,000 coronavirus vaccine doses to the Philippines and vowed to accelerate infrastructure investment in the Southeast Asian nation as ties between the two improve, Bloomberg reported.

The pledge was made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday during meetings with Filipino counterpart Teodoro Locsin and President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila, according to statements from Duterte’s office and the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs.

“The recovery of nations sits on the back of stronger economies,” Duterte said. “China plays a very key role in reviving our region’s economy. Let us do all we can to revive economic activities between the Philippines and China.”

Biden Seeks $1.9 Trillion for Relief Bill (Jan. 14, 5:30 p.m. ET)

President-elect Joe Biden will ask Congress for $1.9 trillion to fund immediate relief for the pandemic-wracked U.S. economy, a package that risks swift Republican opposition over big-ticket spending on Democratic priorities including aid to state and local governments, Bloomberg reported.

The proposal unveiled Thursday will be followed in coming weeks by a second, broader jobs and economic recovery plan that will include money for longer-term development goals such as infrastructure and climate change, a senior incoming Biden administration official told reporters.

The pandemic aid bill — spanning $400 billion for COVID-19 management, more than $1 trillion in direct relief spending and $440 billion for communities and businesses — comes in at more than double the bipartisan bill approved last month, and only slightly below the March 2020 Cares Act. The bigger size, and inclusion of Democratic priorities such as a minimum-wage hike, sets a challenge for Biden to bring Republicans aboard.

EU May Secure 50 Million More Moderna Doses at a Premium (Jan. 14, 12:30 p.m. ET)

The European Union may secure an extra 50 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna Inc. as the bloc seeks to accelerate inoculations, according to people familiar with the matter.

The deal being arranged by the European Commission would bring to 210 million the total number of vaccine doses from Moderna for EU countries, Bloomberg reported, with the additional supply costing 33% more than the 160 million doses covered by the original accord.

India to Supply 20 Million Doses to Neighbors (Jan. 14, 10:00 a.m. ET)

India, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of inoculations, plans to offer 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to its neighbors as it draws up a policy to supply vials to countries across the globe, Bloomberg reported.

An Indian state-run company will buy vaccines from the Serum Institute of India Ltd. and Bharat Biotech International Ltd. for supplying to Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Seychelles and Mauritius, said people with knowledge of the matter, asking not to be identified as the plan is still under discussion. Some supplies may be free and treated as aid, they added.

U.S. Diesel Stockpiles Swell (Jan. 13, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The world’s appetite for U.S. diesel is falling, leaving stockpiles of the fuel at their highest level since early October, Bloomberg reported. The increased supply, combined with swelling inventory of gasoline, threatens to stifle the oil industry recovery that began with the arrival of vaccines last month.

U.S. exports of diesel, mostly to Latin America, last week fell 518,000 barrels a day to 714,000 for the lowest level since September 2017, data from the Energy Information Administration show. The drop is the equivalent of well more than one fewer full cargo going out each day, with that fuel staying in storage instead.

Before the pandemic, the U.S. Gulf Coast had been emerging as a factory floor for diesel to supply Mexico, Brazil and European buyers, but that effort last year was interrupted by dramatic slips in demand worldwide. To worsen the glut, diesel stocks rose this year as jet fuel was added to diesel supplies during the travel slump. And more diesel is flowing to the U.S. from Europe.

As a result, U.S. stockpiles last week rose to 163 million barrels, the highest since Oct. 9, EIA data show. The shift is most dramatic on the West Coast. 

J&J Sees Decision on Vaccine Clearance in March (Jan. 13, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson’s highly anticipated single-dose COVID-19 vaccine may not be authorized for use until March, Bloomberg reported, weeks later than U.S. officials have suggested.

Operation Warp Speed officials have said they believe that the shot could receive emergency clearance from U.S. regulators as soon as the middle of next month. But that timeline may be aggressive, based on the drugmaker’s expectations for when it will have reliable data in hand demonstrating the one-shot vaccine’s efficacy.

J&J will first have its chance to analyze late-stage data in the last week of January or the first week of February, Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels said. From that point, the company will need one to two weeks to analyze the data and prepare documents for regulators in the U.S. and elsewhere, he said.

Astra to Boost Vaccine Deliveries for U.K. Effort (Jan. 13, 9:30 a.m. ET)

AstraZeneca pledged to deliver 2 million doses a week of its coronavirus vaccine for the U.K. before mid-February as it ramps up production to help fuel the country’s immunization campaign, Bloomberg reported.

“It does need to become a national priority to ensure that we have the right capacity and capability for vaccine manufacturing onshore here,” Tom Keith-Roach, president of Astra’s U.K. operations, said at a hearing at the House of Commons.

The U.K. reported a further 1,564 deaths within 28 days of a positive test on Wednesday, the most since the pandemic began, as England enters week two of its third coronavirus lockdown.

Southeast Asia’s Largest Rollout Begins (Jan. 12, 10:00 p.m. ET)

Indonesia has kicked off what is set to be Southeast Asia’s largest inoculation program against COVID-19, Bloomberg reported. President Joko Widodo received the first jab in a televised ceremony, to be followed by some social media influencers and religious leaders in a bid to build public trust in the vaccine.

Indonesia becomes a test case for the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. shots, being the first country to administer CoronaVac for mass vaccination outside of China. Questions have been raised about the Chinese vaccine’s efficacy rate amid scarce research data and varying levels of effectiveness reported in clinical trials in Brazil and Turkey.

Indonesia is facing the mammoth task of inoculating 181.5 million people, two-thirds of its population, across the world’s largest archipelago. It will prioritize 1.5 million health workers and 17.4 million public officers in the first round to be held until April, with other segments of the population subsequently receiving the jab through to March 2022, according to the government.

Biden Aims for Cross-Party Virus Deal (Jan. 12, 7:30 p.m. ET)

President-elect Joe Biden will seek a deal with Republicans on another round of COVID-19 relief, rather than attempting to ram a package through without their support, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The approach could mean a smaller initial package that features some priorities favored by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Bloomberg reported. The idea is to forgo using a special budget process that would remove the need to get the support of at least 10 Republicans in the Senate, which will be split 50-50 and under Democratic control only thanks to the vice president’s vote.

South Korea Jobless Rate at 10-Year High (Jan. 12, 6:30 p.m. ET)

South Korea’s jobless rate hit a 10-year high in December as the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak forced businesses to slash hiring, Bloomberg reported. The unemployment rate jumped to 4.6% last month, the highest since January 2010, the statistical office reported. Economists had forecast a reading unchanged from November’s 4.1%.

Cyber Attackers Leaked EU Vaccine Data (Jan. 12, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Hackers posted confidential documents regarding COVID-19 medicines and vaccines on the internet after a data breach late last year at the European Medicines Agency, according to Bloomberg.

Timelines related to evaluating and approving COVID-19 medicines and vaccines haven’t been affected, the EMA said in a statement on Tuesday. The agency said it remains fully functional and that law enforcement authorities are taking action on the breach.

India Kicks Off Race to Vaccinate (Jan. 12, 10:00 a.m. ET)

India has kicked off one of the world’s biggest inoculation programs, which will be a crucial test of how quickly developing countries with limited health and transportation infrastructure can protect their populations, Bloomberg reported. Refrigerated trucks and private planes, accompanied by police officers, fanned out from the western city of Pune on Tuesday to around 60 different locations as medical workers are on standby to start vaccinations this weekend.

Japan’s Emergency Expansion to Cover 60% of Economy (Jan. 12, 7:00 a.m. ET)

Japan is set to expand the area under the coronavirus state of emergency beyond the Tokyo region, encompassing the country’s three largest economic hubs as a surge in virus cases continues to grow, Bloomberg reported.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will announce the expansion of the emergency area to seven additional prefectures later on Wednesday, according to media reports. He is set to speak at a press conference at 7 p.m. Together with Tokyo and three nearby prefectures that came under a state of emergency less than a week ago, the areas will represent more than half the nation’s economy.

U.S. Coffee Chains Face Two-Year Recovery (Jan. 11, 4:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. coffee chains will take two years to fully recover from an $11.5-billion sales plunge that wiped out a quarter of their market last year, according to market researcher Allegra Group.

The U.S. branded coffee chain segment saw sales plunge 24% to $36 billion in the past 12 months predominantly due to COVID-19 disruptions, Bloomberg reported. The industry will return to pre-pandemic sales by 2023, Allegra said, adding that 65% of surveyed U.S. industry leaders say trading conditions will improve during the next 12 months.

Operators reporting losses due to COVID-19 estimate the cost is approximately $32,500 per store per month. Still, some suburban and rural locations saw sales upswings as customers shopped locally.

Store closures compelled many major American chains including Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, which control 65% of the U.S. market, as well as Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc. and boutique operators including Bluestone Lane and Intelligencia to accelerate the roll-out of mobile ordering, curbside pick-up and e-commerce platforms, the report said.

Vaccination to Be ‘Chaotic’ for Weeks, Rite Aid Says (Jan. 11, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Rolling out COVID-19 vaccines nationally will be “pretty chaotic for the next few weeks” as providers navigate a myriad of rules that vary across states and counties, Rite Aid Corp. Chief Executive Officer Heyward Donigan said Monday.

Rite Aid has administered more than 5,000 COVID-19 shots as it works with local leaders, Bloomberg reported. Donigan anticipates pharmacies’ role will ramp up sooner than planned with states trying to provide vaccinations more quickly. 

The vaccination campaign so far has proved more complex than coronavirus testing, he said. Vials filled with Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s formula boast five and sometimes six doses, and Moderna Inc.’s includes enough to give 10 shots — which means if a vial is opened to vaccinate one person, the pharmacist needs to find other eligible people to vaccinate before the vial expires within hours. This can create a logistical hurdle and an ethical dilemma.

“We would all agree that we don’t want doses going unused in this particular dynamic,” Donigan says, “But it is extremely complicated to figure out how to find the right people, the most vulnerable, in that moment, in that day, without having things go to waste.”

Pfizer, BioNTech Boost Vaccine Target (Jan. 11, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Pfizer and BioNTech raised their COVID-19 vaccine production target for this year to 2 billion shots, Bloomberg reported.

The partners have already committed more than half that capacity, BioNTech said in a presentation filed on Monday. A new production site in Marburg, Germany, expected to become operational by the end of February will be able to make as many as 750 million doses per year.

Gottlieb Says Big-Box Stores Could Help Vaccine Distribution (Jan. 10, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Big-box stores should be on the table to improve access and speed up distribution of vaccines, said former Food and Drug Administration chief Scott Gottlieb. “We need to take an all-of-the-above approach and push it out through different channels, including the big-box stores, including federal sites that the Biden administration is talking about setting up. We need to try everything right now to create multiple distribution points.”

Gottlieb, who sits on the board of Pfizer Inc., said supply isn’t as much of an issue as distribution right now, but in two or three weeks it could become a greater concern, Bloomberg reported. He noted that with roughly 40 million vaccines available around the country and about 50 million Americans over the age of 65, there’s currently enough supply to vaccinate senior citizens “more aggressively” if more varied distribution points are opened.

“A lot of senior citizens aren’t going to want to go to a stadium to get an inoculation,” Gottlieb said. “They’re going to want to go to a local pharmacy or a doctor’s office.”

U.K. on Course for Vaccine Target (Jan. 10, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the U.K. is on course to meet its coronavirus vaccine target, but warned the surge in cases has left the state-run National Health Service in a “very, very serious situation,” Bloomberg reported.

More than 200,000 people are being vaccinated every day, including one-third of the over-80s regarded as the group most vulnerable to the disease. Hancock said mass vaccination centers are opening to accelerate the rollout.

Toyota Says Chip Shortage Impacting Output (Jan. 10, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Toyota Motor Corp. is cutting production of its full-size pickup truck made in Texas due to a global shortage of semiconductors that has impacted many of the world’s largest automakers, Bloomberg reported.

The Japanese company expects to trim output of its Tundra model manufactured in San Antonio by 40% this month as a result of limited chip supplies, a spokesman for Toyota’s U.S. operations said.

“Thus far only Tundra is impacted in North America,” said spokesman Scott Vazin.

Toyota is the latest car manufacturer to slash output after chipmakers re-assigned production capacity amid auto factory shutdowns last spring and were surprised by a sharp rebound in car demand later in the year. The cutbacks come as many automakers have been ramping up production to replenish low inventories of popular models such as sport utility vehicles and trucks.

Funding Extended for Tests in At-Risk Areas (Jan. 7, 4:00 p.m. ET)

An additional $550 million funding extension announced Thursday means thousands of COVID-19 testing sites in vulnerable U.S. areas will continue to operate into April, Bloomberg reported.

The program primarily provides testing sites in areas with “moderate-to-high social vulnerability” according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The effort began in spring 2020. It is run through retail pharmacy chains, including CVS Health Corp., Rite-Aid and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc.

Minority Businesses Get First Bid on New PPP Loans (Jan. 7, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Community lenders serving minority and women-owned businesses will have exclusive access to a new pot of Paycheck Protection Program loans for at least two days when the next round of money becomes available, according to new rules from the Small Businesses Administration.

The SBA didn’t say when that next round of lending would open. The guidance says the SBA will put its focus on ensuring that under-served businesses can tap the latest round of funding, including matching loan inquiries to small lenders, dedicating hours to assisting small PPP participants and getting more community development financial institutions to sign up as PPP lenders.

The guidance seeks to address several criticisms of the first rounds of PPP funding: largely that small, vulnerable businesses were unable to get assistance because larger businesses claimed the funds before small firms could get to it, Bloomberg reported. The program had previously encouraged banks to give priority to big loans over small ones.

Walgreens Warns of Disruptions Amid Vaccine Rollout (Jan. 7, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. says its drugstores are withstanding the coronavirus pandemic, though it warned of possible hurdles ahead with renewed lockdowns and surging virus cases, Bloomberg reported.

The company may face “short-term disruption from continued and new restrictions and lockdowns as communities continue to struggle to contain the spread of the virus while vaccination programs take place,” Chief Executive Officer Stefano Pessina said on a call with analysts.

Chief Financial Officer James Kehoe called potential lockdowns “a cloud in the future.” He and Pessina said the company is better at managing restrictions than last spring thanks to boosting its online shopping and delivery offerings.

U.S. Services Gauge Strengthened in December (Jan. 7, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Growth at U.S. service providers unexpectedly accelerated in December as gains in business activity and new orders helped offset a decline in a measure of employment, Bloomberg reported.

The Institute for Supply Management’s services index rose to 57.2 during the month from 55.9 in November, according to data released Thursday. The December figure exceeded all economists’ forecasts in a Bloomberg survey which had a median projection of 54.5. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

The pickup in growth at companies that make up the biggest part of the economy is surprising given the increase in coronavirus cases and tighter business restrictions in some states. At the same time, the employment gauge contracted for the first time in four months, showing the ongoing drag in the job market from the pandemic.

“Respondents’ comments are mixed about business conditions and the economy,” Anthony Nieves, chair of the ISM’s Business Survey Committee, said in a statement. “Various local- and state-level COVID-19 shutdowns continue to negatively impact companies and industries.”

Fourteen service industries reported growth in December, led by management companies and support services, wholesalers, retailers and health care providers. The accommodation and food services industry, along with the entertainment and recreation sector, contracted.

The ISM’s employment measure fell to 48.2 after showing growth the previous three months. Figures Wednesday showed payrolls at service providers declined in December, led by retail and hospitality firms. The government’s jobs report on Friday is projected to show payrolls increased 50,000 last month, the weakest since the employment rebound began in May.

Months of No Work Show Risks (Jan. 6, 4:00 p.m. ET)

A seven-year high of nearly 4 million Americans have been out of work for at least 27 weeks — the threshold for what’s considered long-term unemployment, according to Bloomberg.

Some Federal Reserve officials at the central bank’s December meeting noted the difficult path ahead for the increasing ranks of long-term unemployed, according to minutes released Wednesday. Policy makers were concerned that virus resurgences in the coming months could weigh on the labor market, causing it to lag other measures of economic growth.

“It is a big deal already because we’re seeing over a third of the unemployed have now been long-term unemployed,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “That’s going to be continuing to rise.”

Prolonged unemployment harms physical and mental well-being, traps workers in poverty and increases family stress, according to studies. The longer the spell of joblessness, the more difficult it becomes for workers to get reemployed, earn higher wages and prevent skills atrophy.

States Urged to Widen Vaccination Pool (Jan. 6, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Top U.S. health officials encouraged states to start vaccinating people more widely, acknowledging that the immunization rollout has been slower than anticipated and opening the spigot for a broader range of Americans to begin getting shots, Bloomberg reported.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar during a call with reporters Wednesday blamed the introduction of COVID-19 shots around the holidays and overly detailed state plans for hindering the vaccination campaign. He urged governors to vaccinate more seniors and other high-risk populations to prevent shots from sitting in freezers.

About 5.2 million doses from Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. have been administered in the U.S. since mid-December, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News. That represents a fraction of the number of doses distributed so far.

FDA Resists Pressure to Tweak Vaccines to Stretch Supply (Jan. 6, 11:30 a.m. ET)

The top U.S. drug regulator is resisting calls to tinker with how COVID-19 vaccines are administered in the face of pressure worldwide to experiment with dosing regimens to speed up inoculation efforts, Bloomberg reported. The Food and Drug Administration’s leadership has pledged “to make decisions based on data and science.”

On Wednesday, the FDA’s stand drew strong support from Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, who said any changes in how the shots are given without more data on the effects could prove harmful. “Let’s not make stuff up,” he said during a Washington Post event.

Extending the length of time between shots, or cutting doses by half, hasn’t been studied in clinical trials and could put “public health at risk,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and Peter Marks, director of the agency’s office that oversees vaccines, in an earlier statement.

World Economy Faces Debt ‘Doom Loop’ (Jan. 5, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The world economy will be exiting the pandemic weighed down by much bigger debts and increased inequality that could hobble growth in the longer term, according to top economists at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association. The virtual three-day conference focused on the glaring inequities that the pandemic had exposed and the fall-out from the efforts to cope with and combat COVID-19, Bloomberg reported.

“We have met every crisis in the recent past with yet more aggressive central bank accommodation and yet more leverage, both public as well as private,” said former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan. “The real question is: Is this a doom loop? Does it keep going until it is forced to stop?”

Global debt rose by more than $15 trillion last year to a record $277 trillion, equivalent to 365% of world output, according to the Institute of International Finance. Debt from all sectors — ranging from household to government to corporate bonds — surged, based on data from the Washington-based IIF, which comprises the world’s leading financial institutions.

Milk Prices Surge After USDA Aid Program Extended (Jan. 5, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The latest extension of a U.S. food aid program is lifting dairy prices and raising prospects of a boost in milk production in the coming months, Bloomberg reported. Benchmark Class III futures for milk used to make cheese jumped 4.9% on Tuesday in Chicago in their biggest gain since April after the U.S. Department of Agriculture expanded its Farmers to Families Food Box Program. 

The USDA will buy $1.5 billion worth of food including produce, beef, pork, seafood, milk and cheese to distribute across the country, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said.

The funding for a fifth round of purchases was included in the COVID-19 aid package passed in December and comes after USDA distributed more than 132 million boxes of food.

N.Y. Seeking More Vaccine Supply (Jan. 5, 2:00 p.m. ET)

New York is talking to the federal government about an increase in its weekly 300,000-dose vaccine supply as it prepares to boost distribution, Bloomberg reported.

The state has enrolled 3,762 distribution sites, of which 636 are activated and giving COVID-19 vaccines to health-care workers. So far, only about 900,000 vaccines have been distributed for a cohort of 2.1 million health-care workers, Governor Cuomo said Tuesday at a virus briefing.

“You’d need another four weeks of allocations before you can get out of health-care workers, roughly, roughly, before you finish 1A and then move to 1B,” Cuomo said, describing the state’s tiered distribution system. The 1B category includes essential workers and members of the general public over the age of 75, he said.

U.S. Manufacturing Gauge Expands (Jan. 5, 11:00 a.m. ET)

A measure of U.S. manufacturing expanded in December at the fastest pace in more than two years, Bloomberg reported — bolstered by a pickup in new orders and the strongest growth in production since 2011.

A gauge of factory activity unexpectedly increased to 60.7 from 57.5 a month earlier, according to Institute for Supply Management data released Tuesday. Readings above 50 indicate expansion and the figure exceeded all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The latest data underscore how a strengthening economy and lean inventories should continue driving production and factory employment gains.

U.K. Boosts Grants for Businesses (Jan. 5, 8:15 a.m. ET)

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak rolled out 4.6 billion pounds ($6.2 billion) of new support to help businesses forced to close during the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

Retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will be entitled to one-off top up grants of as much as 9,000 pounds to tide them over until the spring, the Treasury said in a statement Tuesday. That’s on top of existing grants of as much as 3,000 pounds per month for companies required to shut their doors because of coronavirus restrictions.

The additional aid comes after business groups demanded more support in the wake of new restrictions announced by Johnson. It adds to the 280 billion pounds it has cost the government so far to tackle the virus and support firms and workers through the pandemic.

Moderna Lifts Vaccine Output Outlook 20% (Jan. 4, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. says it will make at least 600 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, with a goal of finishing the year with as many as 1 billion doses produced, Bloomberg reported.

The announcement increased the bottom end of the company’s production forecast by 100 million doses. Moderna is “continuing to invest and add staff” to produce the two-shot vaccine, according to a company statement.

U.K. Freight Shipping Costs Quadruple (Jan. 4, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The cost of moving freight from France to the U.K. has surged to more than four times the usual level after Brexit and a virulent new strain of the coronavirus complicated supply chains, Bloomberg reported.

The spot rate for last-minute shipments across the English Channel reached more than 6 euros per kilometer ($4.56 a mile) for a full truckload in the final week of 2020. That’s up from an average of 1.50 euros to 3 euros, with some isolated cases of firms charging 10 euros per kilometer, according to data from the global logistics platform Transporeon.

The figures reflect the moment of maximum chaos at British ports, when the French government shut the border to contain a new strain of COVID-19. Thousands of trucks piled up on both sides of the English Channel, and more shippers rejected cargoes to avoid getting trapped in transit over the holiday break.

Four days into the new year, the long lines of trucks at the border have largely dissipated after France relaxed its controls. The freight rejection rate ticked down in the last week but remains 79% higher than the third-quarter average.

Pfizer Offers Discount to South Africa (Jan. 4, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE offered to supply South Africa with their COVID-19 vaccine at a discounted $10 a dose, yet the president’s office still described the cost as prohibitive, Bloomberg reported. The discount reflects South Africa’s status as a middle-income country and the site of a vaccine trial being conducted by the companies, the person said. The price is about half the cost of a shot in the U.S.

Australia Vows to Supply Vaccine to Pacific Islands (Jan. 3, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government has promised to supply its neighbors with COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 as part of a A$500 million package aimed at achieving “full immunization coverage” in the Pacific region, Bloomberg reported. It also recently signed a “landmark” deal with Fiji, one of the region’s most populous nations, to allow military deployments and exercises in each other’s jurisdiction.

The country is moving to boost ties with small island nations off its eastern coastline, pushing back against China’s growing influence in the Pacific Ocean as the virus outbreak hinders travel.

“China has largely been missing in action in regards to providing COVID-19-related support in the region,” said Jonathan Pryke, who heads research on the region for Sydney-based think tank the Lowy Institute. “Australia has built up an amount of goodwill by not forgetting about the Pacific in a time of crisis.”

Fauci Says Vaccine Pace Picking Up (Jan. 3, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. government’s top infectious-disease doctor said the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is picking up speed and could be fully on track within a week or so, Bloomberg reported. Anthony Fauci said that in the past 72 hours, about 1.5 million vaccine doses have been administered, or about 500,000 per day, a substantial pickup in pace.

“We are not where we want to be, no doubt about that, but I think we can get there if we really accelerate,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

South Africa Sees Few Vaccine Options for Africa (Jan. 3, 8:00 a.m. ET)

Africa has few options to procure COVID-19 vaccines as outbreaks worsen across many parts of the continent, according to South Africa’s presidency.

While Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have offered to supply Africa with 50 million vaccines for health workers between March and year-end, the Pfizer vaccine’s cost is “prohibitive,” the presidency said in a statement to Bloomberg.

Moderna Inc. has no supplies for Africa, while AstraZeneca Plc has no shots for the continent in 2021 and has directed the African Union to negotiate with the Serum Institute of India, which is making the vaccine on behalf of AstraZeneca.

Distilleries Making Hand Sanitizer Get Fee Relief (Jan. 1, 4:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. distilleries and other businesses that began making hand sanitizer as the pandemic gripped the country have gotten a reprieve from thousands of dollars in user fees normally imposed on companies that produce medical products, Bloomberg reported.

The craft beverage industry, primarily made up of small businesses, got unwelcome news in the Federal Register this week, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicated that it planned to charge fees of as much as $14,000 to companies that made hand sanitizer. The product normally is considered an over-the-counter drug, and regulated by the FDA.

A legal review by the Department of Health and Human Services has now found that the way the fees were announced and issued was inappropriate, constituting a legislative rule that only the HHS secretary is allowed to make, the department said in a statement.

HHS, according to the statement, has determined that the notice is void, ordered that the Federal Register posting be withdrawn and said the surprise user fees need not be paid.

Americans Absenteeism Stunts Economic Recovery (Jan. 1, 10:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. workers are calling out sick in record numbers this year: The number who’ve missed days on the job has doubled in the pandemic, according to Bloomberg. It’s unclear whether it’s because they have COVID-19 themselves, are worried about getting it or are taking care of someone who already has it.

Unlike the jobless rate, which has steadily declined from its April peak, the rate of absenteeism — as it is called by economists — has remained stubbornly high. Almost 1.8 million workers were absent in November because of illness, nearly matching the record 2 million set back in April, according to Labor Department data.

These lost days of work are sapping an economic recovery that’s been progressing in fits and starts for much of the past several months. While some indicators have improved markedly, others such as retail sales and consumer spending and incomes have weakened as the pandemic rages on and local governments impose fresh restrictions on businesses and travel.

U.S. Vaccinations Run Slow (Dec. 29, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Data gathered from states and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that while Operation Warp Speed has distributed millions of doses, some states have been slow to get them into people’s arms. The nation almost certainly won't hit the Trump administration’s goal of 20 million vaccinations by year-end, according to a Bloomberg News analysis. 

The U.S. is vaccinating an average of 200,000 people a day, and many states have used just a small percentage of the shipments sent to them this month.

The CDC’s latest tally, as of Monday, showed that despite the distribution of 11.45 million doses from Moderna Inc., and from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, just 2.13 million people had gotten shots. That represents about 20% of early allocations. Oregon has used only 15.3% of its supply, Ohio 14.3% and Maryland 10.9%. 

Officials blame a delicate vaccine with complex storage requirements, uncertainty over the supply of doses and strain on local health agencies already facing historic challenges.

Rail Cargo Posts First Gain in Two Years (Dec. 29, 12:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. rail freight volumes posted the first quarterly gain in two years as people bought more goods instead of spending on dining out or attending concerts, Bloomberg reported. That offset lower volume for oil, coal, autos and other products.

Carloads increased 2.8% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, with only a few days remaining in the period, according to American Association of Railroads weekly reports compiled by Susquehanna Financial Group. 

Intermodal cargo — items shipped in containers that move by ship, rail and truck — is leading the rebound, rising slightly more than 10%. The surge reflects stronger demand for electronics, patio furniture and exercise equipment as consumers are stuck at home.

Airbus Nears 550 Deliveries (Dec. 29, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Airbus SE has handed over close to 550 aircraft in 2020, with three days left to pad its total in a year derailed by the pandemic, according to Bloomberg.

The European planemaker is nearing the milestone after tallying 477 deliveries through November, said people familiar with the matter. The figures are unaudited and will be finalized after the end of the year.

Airbus remains comfortably ahead of Boeing Co., though neither is anywhere near where it expected to be when the year started. The Toulouse, France-based planemaker delivered a record 863 planes last year, before the health crisis crushed the balance sheets of airline and leasing-firm customers. Manufacturers have been scrambling since then to preserve orders and shuffle delivery schedules.

N.Y. Threatens $1 Million Fines (Dec. 28, 1:30 p.m. ET)

Health-care providers in New York that violate vaccine laws could be fined as much as $1 million and have their licenses revoked, Bloomberg reported.

Governor Cuomo said he’ll sign an executive order increasing penalties for those engaging in fraud with the COVID-19 vaccine. The move comes as the state investigates reports that ParCare Community Health Network in Orange County improperly distributed COVID-19 vaccines to people not on the state’s priority list. There is enough evidence that the case is being referred to the Attorney General’s Office, Cuomo said.

House Backs Trump on $2,000 Checks (Dec. 28, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The House on Monday passed a bill replacing the $600 stimulus checks in the newly enacted virus relief bill with $2,000 payments, Bloomberg reported, as Democrats and moderate Republicans voted in favor of a proposal backed by President Trump.

The bill cleared the chamber on a 275 to 134 vote, reaching the two-thirds majority needed for the expedited procedure used Monday. It now heads to the Senate where it will create a political dilemma for Republicans. Many of them previously opposed stimulus payments larger than the $600 in the existing law, in part over concerns about the price tag. But Trump’s stamp of approval still has sway with GOP voters.

LA Vaccine Recipients Can Put the Proof in Apple Wallet (Dec. 28, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Vaccine recipients in Los Angeles County, a major virus hotspot, will be offered a digital record that will help ensure they get a second shot and could, eventually, be used to gain access to concert venues or airline flights, Bloomberg reported.

The offering is being provided starting this week through a partnership with the startup Healthvana. It’s initially geared toward ensuring people receive both doses of the two-shot regimens that have been authorized in the U.S., including through follow-up notifications before a second appointment.

Trump Signs Virus Aid Bill (Dec. 27, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Trump signed a bill containing $900 billion in pandemic relief, Bloomberg reported, triggering the flow of aid to individuals and businesses and averting the risk of a partial government shutdown on Tuesday.

In addition to aid to stem the economic effects of the pandemic, the legislation Congress passed Monday also includes $1.4 trillion in government spending to fund federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year in September. The government had been operating on temporary spending authority that expires after the end of the day Monday.

The combined $2.3 trillion package was the product of intense negotiations, from which Trump was largely absent until he surprised lawmakers of both parties by demanding bigger stimulus payments for individuals after the bill was already passed.

N.Y. Probes Possibly Fraudulently Obtained Vaccines (Dec. 27, 12:00 p.m. ET)

New York state police have started a criminal investigation into fraudulently obtained and diverted COVID-19 vaccines, which could be the state’s first vaccine distribution-related scandal, Bloomberg reported.

ParCare Community Health Network, a provider with a clinic in upstate Orange County, “may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccine, transferred it to facilities in other parts of the state in violation of state guidelines, and diverted it to members of the public,” the state’s health commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.

ParCare’s website shows it has six locations, including four in Brooklyn, New York, and says its patients are “mainly Orthodox Hasidic Jews, Hispanics, and African Americans.”

A hyperlocal Orthodox Jewish news site, BoroPark 24, published a story on Dec. 21, saying ParCare had received a shipment of Moderna Inc.’s vaccines, and showed boxes of the vaccines in what appeared to be a refrigerator. It also had what appeared to be a copy of a ParCare advertisement touting availability of “The Newest Healthcare Revolution!” on a “first come first serve” basis.

Gary Schlesinger, chief executive officer of ParCare, was cited saying people who are a “health care worker, are over 60, or have underlying conditions” can register online to get a vaccine.

That differs from state guidelines, which allow only frontline health care workers, or staff and residents of nursing homes, to get the first batch of vaccines.

U.S. Holiday Retail Sales Rose 3% (Dec. 26, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. holiday season sales beat low expectations for the pandemic year as online shopping surged, Bloomberg reported. Total retail sales grew 3% over the extended 75-day holiday period, versus a forecast of 2.4%, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks online and in-store retail sales across all payment methods. The number is far better than the 3.5% drop recorded during 2008, the last U.S. recession.

“It’s a very healthy number” given the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, Steve Sadove, senior adviser for Mastercard and former chief executive officer of Saks Inc., said in an interview. “That shows me the American consumer is highly resilient.”

Online sales rose a whopping 49% from a year ago, according to the Mastercard report. E-commerce now accounts for one in five dollars spent, up from about 13% of overall retail spending in 2019.

This year, Mastercard measured spending over an extended holiday period, from Oct. 11 through Dec. 24, because many retailers started the sales season early to disperse crowds. Within the traditional holiday period from the start of November to Christmas Eve, sales grew 2.4%, according to the report.

Pfizer Near Accord to Supply Additional Vaccine Doses to U.S. (Dec. 22, 8:30 p.m. ET)

Pfizer is moving closer to finalizing a deal to supply the U.S. government with as many as 100 million more doses of the drugmaker’s coronavirus vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

Such a pact could expand the number of shots available to the government as it ramps up its immunization drive in the coming year. While talks were continuing on Tuesday evening, a deal could be announced as soon as Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

France to Reopen Transport Links to U.K. (Dec. 22, 5:00 p.m. ET)

France said it will start to reopen critical trade and transportation links with the U.K. by midnight Tuesday, Bloomberg reported, two days after a temporary suspension triggered chaos at Britain’s busiest port.

Travel from the U.K. will resume for European Union citizens and residents able to demonstrate negative COVID-19 tests, according to a statement from Prime Minister Jean Castex. Other nationals will be allowed to resume essential travel.

Meatpacking Counties Hit Hardest, USDA Says (Dec. 22, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The COVID-19 infection rate in U.S. counties dependent on meatpacking jobs was as high as 10 times the average level of rural counties last spring, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.

The report examined the spread of COVID-19 in the 57 mostly rural U.S. counties in which meatpacking accounts for at least 20% of employment. Beginning in mid-April, confirmed COVID-19 cases in those counties outpaced the rest of the country and remained “much higher” than in other U.S. counties through mid-July, the USDA’s Economic Research Service found.

Meat-processing plants quickly became epicenters of the virus in the U.S. in the spring as mostly immigrant employees continued to work, sometimes shoulder to shoulder, in cramped, cold, damp facilities, often without protective gear.

Rural areas recently surpassed urban and suburban parts of the country in cumulative COVID-19 deaths as a portion of population, Bloomberg reported. As of last week, there were 109 cumulative deaths per 100,000 residents in “non-core” counties, the least-populated classification, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

House Passes Giant Relief Package (Dec. 21, 9:30 p.m. ET)

The House passed a giant year-end spending bill combining $900 billion in COVID-19 relief aid with $1.4 trillion in regular government funding and a bevy of tax breaks for businesses, Bloomberg reported.

The House passed the combined bill on two votes, with the defense and homeland spending part getting a 327 to 85 vote and the rest of the measure having a 359 to 53 vote. The Senate is expected to vote later Monday and the White House has said President Trump will sign it.

The bill, worth more than $2.3 trillion, contains the second-largest economic relief measure in U.S. history — after the $1.8 trillion Cares Act passed in March as the pandemic throttled the world’s biggest economy. Economists say the aid should be enough to avert a double-dip recession next year, though risks remain.

Toyota to Halt Work in U.K., France Over Mutant Virus Discord (Dec. 21, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Toyota Motor Corp. will halt production in the U.K. and France from Tuesday due to transport delays caused by a mutant strain of coronavirus spreading in the U.K. and that’s led several countries to close their borders with the nation, according to Bloomberg.

The border closures have “disrupted the transportation of parts,” Toyota spokeswoman Shino Yamada said in an emailed statement.

Countries globally have moved swiftly to shutter their borders with the U.K. amid fears the fast-spreading new strain will infect more people. That’s triggered widespread delays of goods going in and out of the U.K.

France was an early mover, suspending travel, including freight, on Dec. 20. Places from Canada to Hong Kong and India have also severed travel links.

Amazon Shuts N.J. Warehouse After Spike (Dec. 21, 10:30 a.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. has temporarily closed a New Jersey warehouse after a spike there in asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, Bloomberg reported, a rare move that comes as the company gears up for a final push in what’s widely expected to be a record holiday shopping season.

The world’s largest online retailer told employees at the warehouse in Robbinsville Township that the facility will be shuttered until Dec. 26, a spokesperson confirmed.

Pfizer, BioNTech Vaccine Wins European Backing (Dec. 21, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine won the backing of a key European review panel, Bloomberg reported. European Union leaders pushed the European Medicines Agency to speed up its review amid complaints that residents across the continent were still waiting to get a vaccine — pioneered in Germany — that is already being used in the U.K. and U.S.

The goal is to start a European immunization campaign on Dec. 27, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week.

U.S. Resilience Ranking Drops (Dec. 21, 9:00 a.m. ET)

According to Bloomberg’s COVID-19 Resilience Ranking, the U.S. dropped 19 places to 37th position. The U.S. authorized two cutting-edge mRNA vaccines this month and hundreds of thousands of doses have been rolled out, but that is yet to translate to an easing of the devastation on the ground. New Zealand remains in the top position, and the U.K. dropped two places to 30th.

U.S. Administered 556,208 Vaccine Shots in First Week (Dec. 20, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. has administered more than half a million COVID-19 vaccine doses in the first week of the country’s mass inoculation campaign, Bloomberg reported.

The shots, made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, are being distributed mostly to front-line health-care workers around the country. In total, 556,208 shots have been administered of 2.84 million distributed so far, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The agency is tracking the shots as part of the nationwide rollout, as well as to monitor their safety.

Moderna Shots Likely to Begin Monday, Slaoui Says (Dec. 20, 2:00 p.m. ET)

COVID-19 immunizations with the newly-authorized Moderna Inc. shot are likely to begin Monday morning, Bloomberg reported.

Operation Warp Speed plans call for 5.9 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and 2 million doses of the Pfizer Inc./BioNTech SE vaccine to ship on Monday, said Moncef Slaoui, head of the U.S. government’s vaccine drive.

Communication with state governors is being increased to avoid confusion about the vaccine pipeline, he said. Gustave Perna, the U.S. army general running the distribution effort, on Saturday blamed a miscommunication for leading some states to complain that they were having their allocations reduced without explanation.

Moderna Shot Ready for Delivery Starting Sunday (Dec. 19, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Beginning Sunday morning, United Parcel Services will truck Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine from a Kentucky facility to a nearby airfield for flights across the U.S., Bloomberg reported. Deliveries will begin Monday, said Wes Wheeler, chief of UPS’s healthcare unit.

FedEx, which like UPS delivered the first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine this week, said in a statement its “operations are in motion” to distribute the Moderna shot.

The Food and Drug Administration’s decision to grant the authorization Friday for the shot’s use among adults means that two of the six vaccine candidates identified by Operation Warp Speed are now available to the public, a feat accomplished in less than one year. Shots from AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson that have also received U.S. government support are expected to be submitted for review next year.

Pfizer Says No Vaccine Shipments Have Been Delayed (Dec. 17, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. said it has shipped all 2.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that the U.S. government ordered this week and that it has millions more doses sitting in warehouses awaiting instructions for where to ship, Bloomberg reported.

Some governors have complained this week that their allocations of Pfizer’s vaccine are less than what they had expected. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said Pfizer is experiencing production issues, an assertion that Pfizer rejected. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made similar claims in a briefing Wednesday.

U.S. Governors Say They Will Get Fewer Vaccine Doses (Dec. 17, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Many U.S. states are going to get fewer vaccine doses than originally planned, according to Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, marking what could be a significant hiccup in the effort to distribute shots to all Americans.

Next week’s allocation for Washington, the state that saw the first outbreak of the epidemic in the U.S., was cut by 40%, Inslee, a Democrat, said on Twitter. “All states are seeing similar cuts,” he said, adding the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention didn’t give the state any explanation.

Washington was expecting 62,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week and a total of 222,000 by the end of the month. The state’s frustrations echo complaints from Illinois, Michigan and Florida, Bloomberg reported.

U.K. Extends Wage Support and Business Loans (Dec. 17, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. government announced it will extend a package of measures aimed at helping businesses and workers through the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

In a series of statements on Thursday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak set out his plan to extend the business loans and furlough wage support programs, and announced he will unveil the government’s tax and spending plans at a budget on March 3.

Abbott’s $25 Rapid Virus Test Cleared for At-Home Use (Dec. 16, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Abbott Laboratories won U.S. authorization for a rapid COVID-19 test that costs $25 and can be used at home, Bloomberg reported.

The clearance from the Food and Drug Administration opens a new market for Abbott’s BinaxNOW, a single-use swab-collected test that produces results in 15 minutes. Until now, the test had been administered by health-care providers. Abbott is partnered with a service to remotely prescribe the screening.

The U.S. government purchased much of Abbott’s BinaxNOw supply after the test was first authorized by regulators in late August. The company plans to make 30 million tests available for at-home use in the first quarter of next year and 90 million more in the second quarter.

Some Pfizer Doses Returned After Getting Too Cold (Dec. 16, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Some of the first doses of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE COVID-19 vaccine were held up from delivery in the U.S. this week and sent back to the company because they were colder than anticipated, Bloomberg reported.

Gustave Perna, the army general who serves as Operation Warp Speed’s chief operations officer, said that two trays of vials at two California locations was colder than they are supposed to be. The same thing happened at one location in Alabama, Perna said at a news briefing Wednesday.

Each of the four trays could likely be used to vaccinate 975 people. Pfizer has said its formula needs to be stored at 70 degrees below zero Celsius, the equivalent of negative 94 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. About 2.9 million doses are being distributed across the U.S. this week

The four trays never left the trucks they arrived on, Perna said, adding “we were taking no chances.”

Pfizer, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are all working to determine whether the formula can still be used when it reaches such low temperatures, according to Perna.

U.S. Retail Sales Tumble (Dec. 16, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Total retail sales decreased 1.1% in November from the prior month, following a 0.1% October decline — the first drops since March and April, Commerce Department figures showed Wednesday. October’s figure was originally reported as a 0.3% increase, according to Bloomberg.

The figures signal that the record pace of COVID-19 cases, along with the arrival of colder weather, is taking an increasing toll on the economy as governments re-impose lockdowns, with more people losing their jobs and businesses shutting temporarily or permanently.

Pandemic Saps 81 Million Jobs in Asia-Pacific (Dec. 16, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The economic blow from the coronavirus has wiped out 81 million jobs across Asia-Pacific this year, with women and young people disproportionately affected, according to the International Labour Organization.

Employment in Asia-Pacific showed a 4.2% decline compared with the pre-crisis trend, with the gap at 4.6% for women and 4% for men, Bloomberg reported.

U.S. Clears Home Over-the-Counter Test (Dec. 15, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The first COVID-19 test that can be performed entirely from home was cleared by U.S. regulators on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported, and it can be acquired without a prescription.

While availability initially will be limited, the new test and others in development could make virus screenings as accessible as over-the-counter pregnancy tests in the U.S. for the first time. The advance follows months of criticism that the Food and Drug Administration has been too slow to give its approval to this type of virus screening.

Manufactured by East Brisbane, Australia-based Ellume, the self-administered, single-use nasal-swab test is small enough to fit in the palm of a person’s hand. The test detects proteins on the virus’s surface in 15 minutes and delivers results to a smartphone app.

Airlines in Line for $17 Billion in Relief (Dec. 15, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Airlines would get $17 billion in U.S. government aid to recall furloughed workers and help cover payrolls through March under the bipartisan pandemic relief package unveiled in Congress on Monday, Bloomberg reported.

Airlines “enthusiastically support” the proposal, the trade group Airlines for America said in a press release. Carriers will attempt to bring back workers who have been laid off if it passes, “but that becomes increasingly challenging with each passing day,” the group said.

IEA Sees Crude Glut Enduring to End-2021 (Dec. 15, 9:30 a.m. ET)

The crude-oil glut left behind by the pandemic will clear by the end of next year, as markets face a gradual recovery marked by renewed strains on demand, the International Energy Agency says.

“Demand is clearly going to be lower for longer than expected” when the virus emerged in the spring, the agency said in a report, trimming forecasts for world fuel consumption following a new wave of lockdowns. “The market remains fragile,” it warned.

In Europe, a tentative recovery is reversing, with fuel consumption down this quarter amid a surge of COVID-19 infections and measures to control the spread of the virus, Bloomberg reported.

Still, as the world economy picks up again and the OPEC+ coalition keeps a tight rein on supplies, the IEA expects that bloated crude inventories will subside in the coming 12 months. Oil prices are already reflecting some of that optimism, having reached a nine-month high above $51 a barrel in London last week.

Moderna Vaccine Documents Accessed in Hack (Dec. 14, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna was informed by the European Medicines Agency that pre-submission talks of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate were unlawfully accessed in a cyberattack on the regulator, Reuters reported, citing the company. EMA said earlier this month it was targeted in a cyberattack. Moderna said its submission to the EMA didn’t include any data identifying individual study participants and there is no information currently that any participants have been identified.

COVID-19 Shot Rolls Out (Dec. 14, 4:30 p.m. ET)

In New York, North Carolina, North Dakota and across the U.S., the first COVID-19 shots were administered by hospitals Monday, Bloomberg reported, the initial step in a historic drive to vaccinate millions of people this week.

The government plans to distribute at least 2.9 million doses to U.S. states during the week ahead. Gustave Perna, an Army four-star general and the Operation Warp Speed chief operations officer, said in a news briefing that 55 of 145 shipments scheduled for Monday had been delivered by around noon Eastern time, and that the deliveries set for Tuesday are packed and ready to go.

California Targets Amazon Over Virus Worker Safety (Dec. 14, 4:00 p.m. ET)

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Monday he’s escalating efforts to force Amazon.com Inc. to cooperate with an ongoing probe of worker safety conditions during the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

Becerra said Amazon hasn’t fully complied with his office’s demand for information from four months ago and that California is now asking a judge to order cooperation with the state’s investigation into the company’s policies and protocols. Amazon countered that it’s been cooperating all along.

“We’re puzzled by the Attorney General’s sudden rush to court because we’ve been working cooperatively for months and their claims of noncompliance with their demands don’t line up with the facts,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “The bottom line is that we’re a leader in providing COVID-19 safety measures for our employees — we’ve invested billions of dollars in equipment and technology, including building on-site testing for employees and providing personal protective equipment.”

Amazon has faced multiple complaints from warehouse workers that they haven’t been adequately protected from exposure to COVID-19. A federal judge in New York last month dismissed one such complaint, ruling that workers’ allegations should have been brought to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration instead.

U.S. Leaders to Be Offered Vaccine Within Days (Dec. 13, 5:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump and other top U.S. officials will be offered the newly-approved coronavirus vaccine within days as part of a plan to ensure continuity in government amid the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

The vaccinations will be offered to critical personnel in all three branches of government deemed essential and could start as soon as Monday.

Hospitals Await First Shipments of Pfizer Vaccine (Dec. 13, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Shipments started leaving Pfizer’s Michigan plant early Sunday morning, less than two days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccine for emergency use, Bloomberg reported. They are scheduled to arrive at 145 sites on Monday, 425 on Tuesday and the final 66 on Wednesday.

Pfizer is sending its vaccine in specially made containers packed with dry ice to keep the formula at 94 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will attend deliveries to ensure workers transfer the vials correctly into ultra-cold freezers.

UPS to Support Distribution of Pfizer Vaccine (Dec. 12, 10:00 a.m. ET)

UPS will take part in the distribution of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine as part of Operation Warp Speed in the U.S., Bloomberg reported. The doses will originate from storage sites in Michigan and Wisconsin, transported to UPS facilities in Louisville, before being expedited “Next Day Air” to destinations including hospitals and clinics, the company said in a statement.

Walmart Adds Freezers, Dry Ice to Prep for Vaccine Rollout (Dec. 10, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Walmart Inc. says it’s preparing its more than 5,000 pharmacies across the U.S. to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses, Bloomberg reported, including adding freezers and dry ice to handle any cold-storage demands.

The preparations underway at Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies also include creating processes to tell customers when to get their first and second doses and entering agreements with states about administering the shots, according to a statement from Tom Van Gilder, Walmart’s chief medical officer.

The company said it’s also “educating our associates about the vaccine, so when they are determined to be eligible, they will understand and be ready to receive the vaccine if they choose.” That suggests Walmart workers won’t be required to get the vaccine when eligible.

U.S. Airline Workers Seek Priority for Vaccine (Dec. 10, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Airline employees should move near the front of the line for receiving the coronavirus vaccines to ensure its smooth shipment by air cargo, a coalition of 17 industry groups told U.S. health officials Thursday in a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The largest union of U.S. airline pilots, which signed the letter, is separately asking lawmakers to give cockpit crews preference for receiving the coronavirus vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

Cargo-airline pilots “have experienced an alarming increase in COVID-19 exposure and infections,” Joseph DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a letter to Senate lawmakers dated Wednesday. Congress and the administration should recognize pilots as a critical link in the supply chain, DePete said.

The 17 groups — which include the Airlines for America trade group, other pilot unions and associations representing cargo haulers — want airline employees to begin receiving the vaccine after the initial wave of health care workers and assisted living residents.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement earlier this week saying it’s closely monitoring the vaccine trials and weighing whether it will impose any restrictions on how pilots receive it. In some cases, when the vaccine prompts side effects, the FAA will require pilots to wait from one to three days before flying after receiving a jab.

FedEx Corp. hired 70,000 workers to support both the surge in holiday package delivery and vaccine distribution in the coming weeks, Richard Smith, the company’s regional president of the Americas and executive vice president, told a Senate hearing Thursday. ALPA, which represents FedEx pilots, has about 59,000 members in the U.S. and Canada.

First Shipments of Pfizer Shots Will Be 2.9M Doses (Dec. 9, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Less than half of the available 6.4 million doses of Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine will be initially sent out to states, and 500,000 will be held separately in reserve by the government, according to a top official at Operation Warp Speed.

Gustave Perna, the army general who serves as Warp Speed’s chief operating officer, said the U.S. plans to distribute 2.9 million doses in the first round of shipments following authorization of Pfizer’s still-experimental vaccine, Bloomberg reported. The rest will be held back to be distributed to states and other jurisdictions when the first people vaccinated are due for their second dose 21 days later.

The half a million shots in reserve will be ready for unforeseen circumstances, Perna said, calling the move “good army general officer planning.”

Pfizer Says Documents Accessed in Cyberattack (Dec. 9, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. said some documents it had submitted to the European Medicines Agency regarding its COVID-19 vaccine had been accessed in a cyberattack on the agency, Bloomberg reported.

The drugmaker and partner BioNTech SE said that none of their own systems had been breached in connection with the incident and that “we are unaware that any study participants have been identified through the data being accessed.”

The companies said EMA informed them that the attack would have no effect on the timing of the vaccine review.

Cookies in Short Supply This Season (Dec. 9, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Campbell Soup Co., the maker of Pepperidge Farm cookies, is working through “supply constraints” in its cookie division, which makes familiar packaged varieties like Milano and Chessmen, according to Bloomberg.

A combination of labor shortages due to COVID-19 and elevated demand as people stay home are driving the cookie-sector “challenge,” Campbell’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Clouse said.

Food makers are no stranger to shortages this year, with Campbell already beefing up soup and Goldfish production to meet elevated demand. But it’s harder to ramp up production of cookies like its Bordeaux or Linzer shapes, since it doesn’t use third-party manufacturers to make them.

Honda Parts Shortage Halts Production (Dec. 9, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Honda Motor Co. is partially halting operations at its Swindon plant in the U.K. because of a parts shortage caused by pandemic-related delays, Bloomberg reported.

The Japanese automaker is seeking to secure air cargo to make up for delays in shipping, according to the report, which cited unidentified sources. The Swindon facility produces the Civic series of automobiles and has an annual output of 110,000 vehicles, which are delivered to the U.S., U.K. and Japan.

Container Shortage Threatens India’s Export Revival (Dec. 8, 6:00 p.m. ET)

A recent revival in Indian exports is under threat because there aren’t enough shipping containers to get the goods across the sea, Bloomberg reported.

Shipments of certain goods, especially sales of packaged foods, had surged in recent months as more people eat at home during lockdowns, boosting expectations of a busy Christmas season. But the global impact of the coronavirus on trade and a slump in Indian imports have led to a shortage of incoming shipping containers, boosting freight charges about seven times.

CVS, Walgreens Seek Pharmacists (Dec. 8, 3:30 p.m. ET)

CVS Health Corp. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. are aggressively recruiting pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and nurses to administer COVID-19 vaccines in long-term care facilities, just days before the drugstore giants are expected to play a key role in a large immunization effort, Bloomberg reported.

Representatives from the two companies are making in-person and virtual pitches to independent pharmacists, according to National Community Pharmacists Association Chief Executive Officer Douglas Hoey. The outreach has surprised the group’s members because it suggests the chains don’t have enough people to run the massive effort, he said.

UPS Says It Can Handle Both Vaccine Rollout, Holiday Rush (Dec. 8, 2:30 p.m. ET)

United Parcel Service Inc. says it has the capacity to handle both the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and an unprecedented holiday package rush this month following investments in automation, tracking technology and dry-ice production, according to Bloomberg.

The courier is the primary end-to-end distributor for Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine, as well as for kits to prepare the shots and dry ice shipments to keep the inoculations at extremely cold temperatures, UPS sales chief Kate Gutmann said in an interview. The vaccine and kits will have tracking devices that allow shipments to be monitored at all times.

“We’re planning enough capacity on the ground and in the air to make sure that there is no limit around the UPS side,” Gutmann said.

U.S. Says It Will Meet Vaccine Need Despite Global Pfizer Demand (Dec. 7, 9:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. officials insisted they’ll have enough vaccine doses to let most Americans get inoculated by next summer, downplaying reports that they passed up a chance to secure more of Pfizer Inc.’s shot, Bloomberg reported.

The Trump administration is confident that the U.S. will have enough supply to vaccinate everyone, a senior administration official said Monday on a call with reporters. The government signed a deal last summer to obtain 100 million doses of Pfizer’s experimental vaccine with partner BioNTech — enough for 50 million people, given the two-dose regimen — and also has agreements in place with Moderna Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Johnson & Johnson and others.

Canada Reserves More Vaccine Doses Per Person Than Anywhere (Dec. 7, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Canada already had enough potential COVID-19 vaccines secured to protect a population almost four times its size, Bloomberg reported. It just added another 20 million doses to the pile and accelerated its vaccination calendar.

The government doubled its order from Moderna Inc. to 40 million doses, the U.S. pharmaceutical company said Monday. And the first 249,000 doses from another supplier, Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, are set to arrive next week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday, kick-starting a vaccination campaign ahead of schedule.

“The first Canadians will be vaccinated next week if we have approval from Health Canada this week,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa. 

States Estimated Vaccine Supply With Outdated Figures (Dec. 7, 12:00 p.m. ET)

States including New York and Nevada used outdated federal estimates showing many more doses of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine would be available as they planned for the initial inflow of shots, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told Bloomberg.

The outdated estimates given to states in October for planning scenarios suggested there would be 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccine available along with 15 million doses of Moderna Inc.’s shot, said the spokesperson, who asked not to be identified by name.

More recently, federal officials have said that 6.4 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 12.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine will be available. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is set to meet Thursday to review the Pfizer vaccine’s safety and effectiveness in a final step before an emergency-use authorization is approved.

States and other jurisdictions placed their first orders for COVID-19 vaccines last week. Officials at Operation Warp Speed, the program set up by the White House to help develop and distribute the vaccines, have said that shots will be allocated in proportion to states’ adult population. They’ve declined to say how many doses of vaccines will be allocated to each state.

HHS Chief Sees Vaccine for All in U.S. by 2nd Quarter (Dec. 6, 2:00 p.m. ET)

All Americans who want to get a COVID-19 vaccine should be able to do so by the second quarter of next year, Health and Human Services Alex Azar said.

With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration due to decide as early as Thursday on emergency authorization for a shot developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, Azar and Moncef Slaoui, the head of the government’s program to accelerate a vaccine, expressed confidence that the FDA would clear the way, Bloomberg reported.

U.K. Readies for Possible No-Deal Brexit (Dec. 6, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine won’t be disrupted by a no-deal Brexit, U.K. Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky TV’s “Sophy Ridge on Sunday” show.

“We’ve got many contingency plans in place,” he said. “There won’t be any effect on the deployment of this vaccine from a no-deal Brexit.”

A government-procured ferry is on standby and the option of air freight is also available, Eustice said. Military aircraft could be used to transport vaccines made in Belgium if seaports are clogged up, the Guardian said.

The U.K.’s medicine regulator is also prepared for any Brexit outcome, Chief Executive June Raine said on BBC TV’s “Andrew Marr Show.”

U.K. Prepares for National Vaccine Deployment (Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. ET)

The U.K. is gearing up to deploy its first vaccine, Bloomberg reported, with plans to provide the shot at more than 1,000 centers across the country over the coming weeks with the first jab expected to be given on Tuesday.

The vaccine, created by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, has arrived at secure locations in the U.K. from Belgium, the Department of Health and Social Care said Sunday. Following quality checks to ensure the jabs have been kept at the correct temperature, the shots will be made available to 50 hospital hubs around the country, before being distributed to doctor-run vaccination centers that will administer the jabs.

U.S. Jobs Recovery Slows (Dec. 4, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. labor-market rebound slowed markedly in November, indicating the surge in COVID-19 cases is hitting workers and curbing the broader economic recovery, Bloomberg reported. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 245,000 from the prior month and the unemployment rate edged down to 6.7%, the Labor Department said Friday. The data also showed a decline in Americans participating in the labor force, as more people left jobs and the workforce altogether.

Job gains missed economists’ estimates and partly reflected a decline of 93,000 temporary workers who had been hired for the decennial census.

The faint pulse raises odds that President-elect Joe Biden will inherit an even weaker labor market next year, with the recovery at risk of stalling during the wait for widespread vaccine distribution.

Pfizer Cut Vaccine Rollout Target on Supply-Chain Obstacles (Dec. 3, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Pfizer expects to ship half the COVID-19 vaccines it originally planned for 2020 due to supply-chain problems, Bloomberg reported. The company still expects to roll out more than a billion doses in 2021.

“Scaling up the raw material supply chain took longer than expected and it’s important to highlight that the outcome of the clinical trial was somewhat later than the initial projection,” a company spokeswoman said.

Top Pork Producer Makes Room in Freezers for Vaccine (Dec. 3, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Smithfield Foods Inc., the world’s biggest pork producer, is willing to share space in its ultra-low-temperature freezers to store COVID-19 vaccines, Bloomberg reported. Virginia-based Smithfield is ready to assist health agencies if storage capacity becomes constrained, said Keira Lombardo, chief administrative officer.

“We do expect that, working with our health agency partners, we can facilitate the rapid distribution of the vaccine to food and agricultural workers,” Lombardo said in the statement. “We stand ready as well to assist, as possible, with distribution to workers in other essential categories through our site-based health care facilities.”

Even before vaccines started to become available, freezer space had been in short supply with economic disruptions caused by the pandemic prompting goods such as meat to be held in cold storage for longer. Some ultra-low freezers get as low -80 Celsius (-112 Fahrenheit).

U.K.’s ‘Obscure’ PPE Process Challenged in Suit (Dec. 3, 10:00 a.m. ET)

A public-interest group told a London court that the U.K. wasted millions of pounds on COVID-19 personal protective equipment as it rushed into contracts at the start of the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Nearly 400 million pounds ($538 million) worth of protective gear, including masks and gowns, that were bought earlier in the year remain in storage and have never reached front line doctors and nurses, the Good Law Project said in a court filing Thursday.

U.S. Small-Business Confidence Drops to Four-Year Low (Dec. 2, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Optimism among small business owners has fallen to a four-year low, according to a Bank of America Corp. survey of more than 1,000 entrepreneurs between July and September. Only 39% of respondents expect their local economy to improve in the next 12 months, down from 51% at the start of the year, Bloomberg reported. Hiring plans and revenue expectations are at the lowest levels since 2012 and 2013, respectively. Still, seven in 10 small-business owners say they plan to keep staffing levels steady in 2021.

The survey also found:

• Respondents’ top three concerns were the political environment, impact of coronavirus and health care costs
• More than four out of five respondents’ businesses stayed open in some capacity during the pandemic because they were deemed essential or adapted operations to comply with social-distancing guidelines
• About 24% of business owners retooled operations to address the impact of coronavirus. Of those, 61% have developed new products or services, while 51% donated time, goods or services.

New York Expects 170,000 Doses (Dec. 2, 2:00 p.m. ET)

New York expects to receive 170,000 doses of Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine on Dec. 15, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. Health-care workers in the most high-risk jobs, such as emergency rooms, as well as nursing-home residents and staffers will receive the vaccine first, Bloomberg reported.

To be effective, experts say the vaccine must cover 75% to 85% of the population, Cuomo said. “That is a tremendously high percentage on every level.”

Two doses are required per person, so the state will receive an additional 170,000 from Pfizer 21 days after the first. The state expects additional shipments of the Pfizer vaccine and about 40,000 doses from Moderna later this month, Cuomo said. The shipments will then continue to arrive on a rolling basis.

Cuomo acknowledged that the first few batches won’t cover everyone, but he said he expects they will cover most of the approximately 85,000 nursing-home residents and 130,000 staff members. There are about 600,000 health-care workers in the state, he said.

U.K. Approves Vaccine (Dec. 2, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K.’s quick approval of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE means Britons will get first dibs on a shot developed in two other countries — the U.S. and Germany, Bloomberg reported.

Britain’s drug regulator on Wednesday cleared the vaccine for emergency use, ahead of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its European Union counterpart. The government cited a rule allowing the U.K. to authorize a shot independently before the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31. An accelerated review process in which regulators were able to monitor Pfizer’s trial data in real time also helped.

The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency “has done a great job of working with the company to look at that data as it’s come through and do things in parallel, rather than one after the other as they normally would,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a radio appearance. He also credited Brexit, though the MHRA said the speedy authorization was conducted within EU guidelines.

Fed Economists Warn of Debt Overhang (Dec. 1, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The COVID-19 crisis could be worse than the Great Recession for companies that had high levels of indebtedness at the start of the outbreak, according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Firms in industries most affected by the pandemic such as tourism, travel and hospitality could grow as much as 10% more slowly than in ordinary times if the current crisis plays out in a similar way to the economic decline of 2007 to 2009, Kristian Blickle and João Santos wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.

Research from the two economists shows that companies with higher levels of debt experienced 3% slower growth during the Great Recession compared to less-indebted peers, Bloomberg reported. The gap between the two groups is closer to 2% in normal conditions.

Dry Ice Rules for Vaccine Airlift Approved (Dec. 1, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Rules allowing the rapid shipment of COVID-19 vaccines by cargo aircraft have been approved by U.S. transportation regulators, Bloomberg reported. The Transportation Department established safety requirements for carrying the potentially dangerous dry ice needed to keep some vaccines stable, the agency said in a press release Tuesday. It also set standards for carrying flammable batteries needed in the airlift and eased restrictions on how long flight crews involved in the effort can work.

“The department has laid the groundwork for the safe transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine and is proud to support this historic endeavor,” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in the release.

The Transportation Department has also issued emergency rules allowing truckers more flexibility to conduct COVID-19-related deliveries.

‘Work-From-Home’ Professionals Watch More Daytime TV (Dec. 1, 2:30 p.m. ET)

Professionals working from home during the pandemic are spending two hours and 10 minutes more per week watching TV during the day than they did before the coronavirus struck, Bloomberg reported.

Overall, workers are watching 21% more TV on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., or about 26 minutes more per day, according to data from an October survey released Tuesday by Nielsen, the research firm. About 65% of consumers surveyed back in August said they were watching videos during breaks, but more than half also said they tune in while working, often with the sound on.

The data could have an impact on advertisers looking to reach certain audiences outside of their traditional TV hours. “After living in a pandemic for nine months, daytime has become a second prime time for total TV consumption among many former office professionals and managers,” Nielsen said.

States Fear Shortfall of Supplies for Vaccine Rollout (Nov. 30, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Many states fear they won’t have the supplies they need to administer COVID-19 vaccines and are still grappling with a deficit of coronavirus testing materials, according to a report from a top federal watchdog that calls for “urgent actions” to fight the pandemic.

Thirty-eight states told the Government Accountability Office that they were concerned about having enough supplies to distribute and administer vaccines, according to the report Monday by the nonpartisan agency. Between a third and half of states had shortages of some testing supplies in October, including rapid point-of-care tests, the GAO found.

States were mostly able to fulfill requests for personal protective equipment but relied on federal stockpiles because they couldn’t get the gear on the open market, the report said.

Cyber Monday Projected to Hit Pandemic-Fueled $12.7 Billion (Nov. 30, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Online shoppers in the U.S. are expected to drop a record-busting $12.7 billion on Cyber Monday, Bloomberg reported. The COVID-19 surge kept crowd-averse shoppers away from physical malls on Black Friday, reinforcing predictions that online shopping will soar this year. Adobe Analytics predicts that spending Cyber Monday spending for 2020 will climb by 35% — more than double the growth rate in the years prior to the pandemic.

Vaccine in U.S. to Roll Out by Year’s End, Top Doctors Say (Nov. 29, 11:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the federal government hopes to quickly review and approve requests from two drug makers for emergency approval of their COVID-19 vaccines, Bloomberg reported.

Pfizer Inc. is scheduled to submit an Emergency Use Authorization request on Dec. 10 for the vaccine it developed with Germany’s BioNTech, followed by Moderna on Dec. 18, Adams said.

“We, from a federal perspective, have promised and set everything up so we can quickly review those EUAs and hopefully start sending out vaccines within 24 to 48 hours,” Adams said on “Fox News Sunday.”

On ABC’s “This Week,” the top U.S. infectious diseases specialist Anthony Fauci said vaccines would likely roll out in the middle to end of December. He told Chuck Todd on NBC, however, that “it’s going to be months” for children and pregnant women because vaccine efficacy needs to be established.

U.K. Could Be First to Clear Pfizer Vaccine (Nov. 29, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. government hopes to begin rolling out a vaccination program before Christmas if regulators approve the shots in time, Bloomberg reported. “We hope, subject to the regulatory approvals, to be in a position to be able to have rolled out the vaccine sufficiently by, say, the spring to enable us to have a big change in the way we approach things,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show.

Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London and a government adviser, said he would be “surprised” if a vaccine becomes available as soon as next week. An announcement that a vaccine has been approved for use could come within the next two weeks, he said.

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing a political backlash over strict new coronavirus rules, Openshaw warned the government not to relax pandemic restrictions too soon. “if we take the brakes off at this stage, just when the end is in sight, I think we’ll be making a huge mistake,” he told the BBC.

Stay-at-Home Shoppers Drive Record Online Sales (Nov. 28, 10:00 a.m. ET)

After slow growth in digital sales on Thanksgiving, U.S. retailers pulled in a record $12.8 billion in online revenue on Black Friday, putting questions about consumer strength at ease, Bloomberg reported. That represents 23% growth over last year.

Globally, online revenue reached $62.2 billion, up 30% from a year ago. The most mentioned products on social media include Hulu’s subscription offer, the Apple iPhone 12, and Sony’s PlayStation 5, Salesforce said.

Facing an influx of online orders, retailers are sourcing delivery services through companies like Uber, Lyft, Postmates to help expand their shipping capacity, said Rob Garf, Salesforce’s vice president of strategy and insights.

U.K. Government ‘Too Slow’ on Ventilators: Report (Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET)

The U.K. government lost a “crucial month” in its fight against coronavirus because it was slow to respond to a shortage of ventilators, the House of Commons spending watchdog found. Ministers only started efforts to buy more ventilators on March 3, just over a month after the WHO declared the pandemic a public health emergency, the Public Accounts Committee said.

A separate report by the National Audit Office, the body that scrutinizes public spending, found that the U.K. was too slow to source personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, Bloomberg reported.

EU Commission Confirms Vaccine Deal With Moderna (Nov. 24, 10:30 a.m. ET)

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed an advance purchase agreement with Moderna Inc. for 160 million doses of the company’s vaccine in development, Bloomberg reported. The agreement on behalf of all 27 EU countries marks the commission’s sixth such accord with drug companies. The EU’s executive arm is working on one more deal with a pharmaceutical company, the president said in a statement.

Airlines See Losses Swelling to $157 Billion (Nov. 24, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Record airline losses from the coronavirus outbreak will balloon further next year as anticipated vaccination programs take time to revive travel demand, according to the industry’s main trade group.

The International Air Transport Association predicted carriers will lose almost $39 billion in 2021, more than double the forecast in June. That’s on top of a $118.5 billion deficit in the current 12 months, up 40% from the prior outlook after a new wave of lockdowns wiped out a resurgence in flights, Bloomberg reported.

Top Glove Maker Closes Plants (Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Malaysia will temporarily close 28 factories of Top Glove Corp. located in the Selangor state after a spike in infections there pushed up the nation’s daily cases to a record 1,884 on Monday, Bloomberg reported. Factories of the world’s largest rubber-glove maker will be closed in stages to allow workers to undergo screenings and quarantine. 

Meatpacking Link Found in Early U.S. COVID Cases (Nov. 23, 6:30 p.m. ET)

As many as one in 12 cases of COVID-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities, according Bloomberg.

Data show “a strong positive relationship” between meatpacking plants and “local community transmission” in cases through late July, suggesting the plants act as “transmission vectors” and “accelerate the spread of the virus,” according to a study by researchers at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

The conclusions draw attention to the role of the meatpacking industry in the pandemic and the Trump administration’s controversial approach to workplace safety as outbreaks at slaughterhouses emerged. Trump issued an executive order on April 28 directing meatpackers to reopen closed facilities, and the administration eschewed mandatory COVID-19 safety regulation, opting instead for voluntary industry guidelines.

David Michaels, who headed the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration under Barack Obama, said the study is “further evidence that workplace exposures play an important role in driving the pandemic in the U.S.”

Clorox Ships 1 Million Packs of Wipes Each Day (Nov. 23, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Clorox Co. is shipping out its disinfecting wipes as fast as the company can make them — nearly one million packages every day — but it’s still not fast enough, according to Bloomberg.

While the bleach maker planned to have inventories replenished at major retailers by this summer, unprecedented demand throughout the pandemic dashed any hope of that. To cope, Clorox has added 10 additional third-party manufacturers and is running its own facilities 24 hours a day, the company says.

Clorox competitor Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC expects to churn out 35 million cans of Lysol spray a month in North America by the end of the year — more than triple the amount before the pandemic began.

U.S. Business Activity Expands (Nov. 23, 10:00 a.m. ET)

U.S. business activity powered ahead in November at the fastest pace since March 2015, Bloomberg reported. The IHS Markit flash composite index of purchasing managers at manufacturers and service providers increased to 57.9 from 56.3, the group said Monday. Readings above 50 indicate growth and the figure stands in stark contrast to the euro area, where activity shrank as governments tightened restrictions to contain a surge in infections.

CVS Chief Says 48 Hours From Vaccine Receipt to Care Homes (Nov. 22, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Elderly Americans will be among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines, and CVS Health will lean on processes developed by years of conducting seasonal flu clinics to speed a rollout to care homes across the U.S., Bloomberg reported.

“Our pharmacists, our nursing professionals have gone to skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities for several years now,” said Larry Merlo, the pharmacy chain’s CEO, on CBS. “So we have the systems. We have the processes.”

Merlo said more than 25,000 long-term care facilities have selected CVS to be their Covid vaccine provider, and that the company is adding pharmacy staff ahead of the effort.

“Operation Warp Speed has said 24 hours after approval, those vaccines will be on the road. And 48 hours after we receive that vaccine, we’ll be in those facilities providing that vaccine into the arms of our elderly,” he said.

Hospitals Likely to Face Staffing Shortages, Gottlieb Says (Nov. 22, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned that staffing will be a bigger issue at hospitals than the number of available beds during the unfolding spike, Bloomberg reported.

“The hospitals can create new beds, they just won’t have the people to staff them,” he said. That’s because unlike previous waves, there will be limited ability to surge staff from less-affected areas of the country to hot spots.

Gottlieb, who is a Pfizer board member, predicted that the vaccines could be widely available to the general public by the second quarter of next year if all goes well. He also said that perhaps 30% of the public will have been infected with COVID-19 by the end of the winter, building up some immunity.

U.S. Plans First Vaccinations Next Month (Nov. 22, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed says vaccinations against COVID-19 will “hopefully” start in less than three weeks, Bloomberg reported.

“On the 11th or on the 12th of December, hopefully the first people will be immunized across the United States, across all states, in all the areas where the state departments of health will have told us where to deliver the vaccines,” said Moncef Slaoui, head of the government’s program, on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Biggest U.S. Oil Storage Hub Fills Again (Nov. 19, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Oil tanks in America’s most important crude storage hub are filling to the brim once again, Bloomberg reported, quickly approaching the critical levels reached in May after prices crashed.

Stockpiles at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for West Texas Intermediate futures, stood at 61.6 million barrels as of Nov. 13, or about 81% of capacity, according to the most recent U.S. government data. That’s 3.83 million barrels shy of the levels seen in May.

Though a repeat of the negative oil prices seen in April is unlikely, the mounting supply glut brings home how lockdown measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic may soon force traders to store oil in every nook and cranny available, including ships and pipelines. Some are already doing that.

The reasons behind the buildup are similar to what happened before: Refineries are still coping with lackluster demand as coronavirus cases surge anew. On top of that, some of them have also been undergoing seasonal maintenance.

Software Demand Likely Hurt by Pandemic in 2021, Workday Says (Nov. 19, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Workday Inc. executives said the pandemic-fueled recession will likely crimp software demand next year, Bloomberg reported.

The company said some customers of its human resources and accounting tools are struggling and new business is harder to find as the coronavirus continues to spread. Executives, speaking on a conference call, expressed optimism about their business, but said COVID-19 has created so much uncertainty that they couldn’t give a forecast for fiscal 2022, which begins in February.

Workday has signed partnerships with Salesforce.com Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. during the past few months to help customers return to the office and conduct COVID-19 tracing.

“The best way to look at it is, the world is trying to get back to normal, but there are a couple of sectors that are having a hard time getting back to normal,” said Workday’s Co-Chief Executive Officer Aneel Bhusri.

U.S. Job Picture Worsens Amid Latest Surge (Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Fewer Americans said they were working as the latest wave of the coronavirus infections surge across the U.S., according to data released by the Census Bureau.

Back-to-back Household Pulse Surveys conducted from mid-October to early November showed that the number of employed Americans declined by about 4.5 million, Bloomberg reported. The figures are a possible sign the labor-market rebound may be losing steam amid a COVID-19 resurgence.

Among the jobless, about 4.21 million said they were sick with coronavirus symptoms or caring for someone with symptoms, according to the latest survey released on Wednesday and covering the Oct. 28 to Nov. 9 period. That’s up from 2.95 million between the previous Oct. 14-26 survey period. About 5.71 million were out of work because their employers shut down either temporarily or permanently, compared with 5.35 million in the previous tally. The total number of employed people in the U.S. stands at about 141 million, the survey showed.

Vaccine Freezers Seen Ready for Rollout (Nov. 18, 6:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. health officials say freezers required to store COVID-19 vaccines are in place at health systems that are preparing to administer the initial doses once the shots receive a green light from regulators, Bloomberg reported.

The federal government will have 40 million doses ready to distribute by the end of December should vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE, and Moderna Inc. receive emergency-use authorizations, said Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the effort to expedite the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines.

CureVac CEO Sees Enough Vaccine Capacity (Nov. 18, 10:00 a.m. ET)

There will be enough capacity to vaccinate the world until the end of next year, CureVac CEO Franz-Werner Haas told Bloomberg Television in an interview. How long protection lasts and what effect vaccines have on different immune systems remain to be seen, he said, reiterating that it’s good to have more than one shot. Haas said the development of vaccine stability will increase.

U.S. Farms May Face Profitability Squeeze Into 2021 (Nov. 17, 6:00 p.m. ET)

A shaken U.S. agriculture industry already “stressed” by a profitability squeeze in a pandemic year may see little relief in 2021, according to a survey of industry lenders.

Agricultural lenders reported that “just under” 51% of their borrowers were profitable this year and about half those lenders don’t expect borrower profitability to improve next year, according to the Fall 2020 Agricultural Lender Survey from the American Bankers Association and Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, also known as Farmer Mac. That’s down from 2019, when lenders said about 57% of borrowers were profitable, Bloomberg reported.

Grains, dairy and beef cattle topped the list of lender concerns by commodity sector, the report said. Worries about beef rose to 54% from 44%, and hogs to 50% from 29%, as the pandemic’s effect on animal proteins “worked their way through to lender sentiment,” the report said.

COVID-19 Has Changed Shopping for Good, Retail Giants Predict (Nov. 17, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The consumer behaviors that accelerated at the start of the virus — think digital ordering, bulkier baskets and no margin for error when it comes to delivery — are showing zero signs of abating eight months in, according to Bloomberg. For three straight quarters now, Walmart Inc. has seen U.S. customers place fewer total orders but purchase much more when they do. Tyson Foods Inc.’s CEO on Monday highlighted “stickiness in click-and-collect and click-and-deliver,” while executives at Chinese online giant JD.com Inc. said this week the shift toward online shopping is here to stay.

“We’re convinced that most of the behavior change will persist beyond the pandemic,” Walmart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon said on an investor call after its U.S. e-commerce business jumped 79% in the latest quarter.

Germany’s Auto Sector Gets $5.9 Billion (Nov. 17, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Germany’s auto industry secured 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) in government aid to help weather the coronavirus crisis and invest in the transition to electric cars, Bloomberg reported.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government will extend cash bonuses for purchasing electric-powered vehicles until 2025, offer incentives to replace aging trucks and help suppliers invest in new technology.

Carmakers and parts suppliers, which employ nearly 800,000 people in Germany, were spending heavily on electric cars before the pandemic hit. That left companies exposed to the sudden drop in demand from the fallout. Auto production plunged 97% in April and has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, with curbs to stem the latest wave threatening to further sap demand.

Workers Want to Be at Home, Just Not Every Day (Nov. 17, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Office employees are getting used to the perks of telecommuting, and expect it to continue even after the pandemic ends, but most aren’t ready to abandon the office entirely, according to a survey of more than 2,000 workers globally by Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. A majority of employees want to continue working from home at least two days a week, Bloomberg reported.

Flexible Work May Boost Women in Top Jobs (Nov. 16, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Flexible working could be the solution for businesses struggling to recruit women into senior roles, according to a new study by Zurich Insurance Group AG.

Applications for management roles by women jumped 20% after the insurer advertised all possible positions with part-time, job share or flexible working options as part of research with the U.K. government’s Behavioural Insight Team, Bloomberg reported. The number of women hired for senior jobs jumped by one third as a direct result.

The study — which was conducted before COVID-19 prompted widespread lockdowns across Europe — shows how the more flexible working approach many firms have adopted during the pandemic could boost gender-balanced career progression.

Testing Bottlenecks Again Grip U.S. (Nov. 16, 4:30 p.m. ET)

The American Clinical Laboratory Association, whose members do about half of the country’s testing, says it’s seeing a big increase in test orders with the demand expected to continue ahead of Thanksgiving, Bloomberg reported. As a result, turnaround times of around two days could increase as labs reach or exceed their testing capacities in the coming days, the group warned.

Meanwhile, labs are also grappling with supply shortages, including pipette tips — used to transport samples during the testing process — and swabs. Though the government has invested in manufacturers to build out capacity, that will take into 2021 to pan out, said Scott Becker, head of the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

“All of the issues we uncovered in the spring and lived through in the summer haven’t gone away completely,” Becker said. “With this massive surge in cases, it’s natural to see that testing will unfortunately slow down.”

OPEC+ Panel Suggests Delaying Output Hike (Nov. 16, 12:30 p.m. ET)

The OPEC+ oil alliance should consider delaying its planned output boost by between three and six months, a technical panel that advises ministers suggested.

The coalition — led by Saudi Arabia and Russia — is scheduled to increase crude production by almost 2 million barrels a day in January, having initially anticipated that a global economic recovery would rekindle fuel demand, Bloomberg reported.

The Joint Technical Committee, that met online on Monday, came to the view that risks for the oil market are skewed to the downside as a resurgence of the coronavirus triggers a new wave of lockdowns.

The JTC suggested that a panel of ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, should consider scenarios of delaying the supply increase by between three and six months. The 23-nation alliance will make a final decision when it meets between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

China City Says Virus Found on Some Frozen Food (Nov. 15, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Authorities in the Chinese city of Jinan said Saturday that the novel coronavirus had been found on frozen beef and tripe from Brazil, Bolivia and New Zealand — and on the products’ packaging, Bloomberg reported. China has vowed to disinfect all overseas shipments of cold-chain products to try and avoid any potential transmission of the virus.

Freight Firms Report Surge in Shipments (Nov. 15, 8:00 a.m. ET)

Freight carriers including container shippers and cargo airlines say global demand is building toward a seasonal peak that could outstrip last year’s as online consumer spending surges, Bloomberg reported.

Container volumes may dip just 2% for 2020 compared with early industry-expert forecasts of a 15% slump, according to Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive officer of German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd AG, which is deploying more capacity now than it did during the build-up to year-end holidays in 2019.

“Volume started really coming back from August,” Jansen said. “From everything we see now, it looks like the market is going to remain pretty strong until at least Chinese New Year in mid-February.”

Cargolux Airlines International SA, Europe’s biggest freight-only carrier, is experiencing a similar surge in demand and has 30 Boeing Co. 747 freighters in continuous operation. While that’s partly because a drop in passenger flights has reduced hold space, CEO Richard Forson said consignments of protective gear that dominated earlier in the year are giving way to toys, fashion items and electronic goods including the latest Apple Inc. iPhone, Sony Corp. PlayStation and Microsoft Corp. Xbox offerings.

U.K. Plans to Fly in Vaccine If No EU Deal Reached (Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the U.K. has contingency plans to fly doses of the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE into the country if there’s disruption at the border when the post-Brexit transition period ends Dec. 31, Bloomberg reported.

“We have a plan for the vaccine, which is being manufactured in Belgium, and if necessary we can fly in order to avoid those problems,” Hancock told BBC TV’s “Question Time” show late Thursday, when asked about the impact of Brexit. “We’ve got a plan for all eventualities.” He reiterated that he’s “confident” the lack of an EU deal wouldn’t hold up delivery of the vaccine.

With eight weeks to go until the transition period ends, the U.K. and EU are yet to strike a new trading regime to replace it.

Test Surge May Cause Delays, Lab Group Warns (Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m. ET)

The American Clinical Laboratory Association, which represents large laboratories such as Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings and Quest Diagnostics Inc., warned that surging demand for COVID-19 tests could push some labs to or beyond capacity, delaying test results, Bloomberg reported.

Members labs performed a record 495,000 polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests for COVID-19 on Wednesday and while they’re working to expand capacity, labs have faced challenges obtaining supplies like pipette tips, according to the group.

Port of Long Beach Processes Record Number of Containers (Nov. 12, 5:00 p.m. ET)

October was another record month for dockworkers at the West Coast port of Long Beach as more than 800,000 cargo containers were processed — a first in the terminal’s 109-year history, Bloomberg reported.

Port of Long Beach data released Thursday showed 806,603 containers moved in and out of the terminal, more than 11,000 units more than the previous record a month earlier. The terminal processed 17.2% more volume than October 2019.

The pickup underscores America’s outsize role in global trade and that the world economy is on the mend from the pandemic-induced slowdown. While an increase in COVID-19 cases remains a risk, the large volume of trade signals retailers expect a strong holiday-shopping season and that firms continue to rebuild depleted inventories.

BioNTech Expanding Vaccine Production Capacity (Nov. 11, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Building production capacity to supply the world with a potential vaccine for COVID-19 will be a long effort over the course of next year, according to BioNTech SE, the German company working with Pfizer Inc. on the project.

“We’ll be scaling up as we bring more factories on-line,” Sean Marett, the company’s chief commercial officer, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. How much of the added capacity comes online in the second half and depends on how quickly those factories are set up, he said.

OPEC Cuts Demand Estimate Again (Nov. 11, 11:00 a.m. ET)

OPEC once again cut estimates for the amount of crude it will need to provide in the coming year as the return of measures to contain the global pandemic hits fuel use, Bloomberg reported.

The revision illustrates why the group’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, has said that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies may adjust plans to restore supply when they meet later this month. The virus’s effects will “linger” next year even with the announcement of a vaccine breakthrough, the group said.

Pay a Tax for Working From Home, Deutsche Bank Says (Nov. 11, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Earning a living remotely is a privilege you should be paying for, according to Deutsche Bank AG strategists. They propose a 5% levy for those who work from home on a regular basis and not because of a government lockdown mandate, Bloomberg reported.

Such a measure could raise $48 billion a year in the U.S. and about 16 billion euros ($18.8 billion) in Germany, they say, to fund subsidies for low-income earners and essential workers who are unable to work remotely.

EU Seeks to Build ‘Health Union’ (Nov. 11, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The European Union’s executive arm proposed beefing up the bloc’s health agencies, Bloomberg reported, as the pandemic overwhelms the continent’s hospitals and leaves countries struggling with supply shortages.

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides unveiled draft legislation to give more clout to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency. The European Commission will also propose the creation of a biomedical development and production authority modeled after the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

The measures aim to guard against a patchwork of national responses to any future health scares in the 27-country bloc. Under the proposed rules, the EU will be able to declare a bloc-wide public health emergency and adopt common measures.

U.K. to Spend Up to $57 Billion on Mass Testing (Nov. 10, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. government is set to hand more than 40 billion pounds to companies that can help in its drive to ramp up mass coronavirus testing, Bloomberg reported.

Public Health England put out a 22 billion-pound ($29 billion) contract to tender last week for a new “national microbiology framework agreement,” which includes the manufacture and development of tests for two years, with the option to extend for another two years.

A separate tender worth 20 billion pounds from the National Health Service Supply Chain, which manages the sourcing and supply of healthcare products, involves on-the-spot tests and diagnostic equipment.

The government has also issued a third tender worth 912 million pounds for the supply of rapid turnaround lateral flow tests. The total scale of the contracts is bigger than the annual budgets of some government departments.

Fauci Sees Wide Vaccine Availability by April (Nov. 10, 6:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci said Americans less at risk for contracting COVID-19 could have access to a vaccine by April, Bloomberg reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is in charge of prioritizing who will get a shot first. Health-care providers and high-risk groups such as the elderly would likely be at the front of the line, Fauci said. He said in a CNN interview yesterday that some of the first vaccinations could come at the end of the month or December.

Fauci acknowledged logistical challenges related to distributing doses, but said the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed program was meant to help overcome those hurdles.

“To say it’s going to be easy would not be truthful,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge. But I believe we’re going to be able to do it.”

EU Finalizes Pfizer Vaccine Deal (Nov. 10, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The European Union finalized an agreement to buy 200 million doses from Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine, with an option to buy another 100 million, Bloomberg reported. The initial accord was announced Sept. 9.

Fed Warns of Asset Declines If Virus Unchecked (Nov. 9, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The Federal Reserve is warning that asset prices in key markets could still take a hit if the pandemic’s economic impact worsens in coming months, Bloomberg reported.

“Uncertainty remains high, and investor risk sentiment could shift swiftly should the economic recovery prove less promising or progress on containing the virus disappoint,” the Fed said in its twice-yearly Financial Stability Report, which is meant to spotlight emerging threats to the financial system. “Some segments of the economy, such as energy as well as travel and hospitality, are particularly vulnerable to a prolonged pandemic.”

U.S. and Europe First in Line for Pfizer Vaccine (Nov. 9, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The U.S. and Europe are in line to get the first doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine after a partnership between Pfizer and BioNTech delivered positive preliminary results in a large patient trial, Bloomberg reported. The partners said they’ll be able to produce enough to inoculate 25 million people this year, less than a third of the population of Germany, where BioNTech is based.

“We will need to find a way to distribute that in a fair fashion,” BioNTech Chief Executive Officer Ugur Sahin said in an interview.

The partners expect to ramp up production significantly next year, with capacity for as many as 1.3 billion doses.

Novavax Vaccine Gets FDA’s Fast-Track Tag (Nov. 9, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Novavax COVID-19 vaccine received a fast-track designation from U.S. regulators as the drugmaker prepares to launch a large, late-stage study before the end of the month, Bloomberg reported. The expedited review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could help push the candidate forward into a short-list of frontrunners in the race to bring a vaccine to market.

Container Crunch Roils Transpacific Trade (Nov. 8, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Shipping containers have become a hot commodity as shortages plague transpacific routes, Bloomberg reported. The dearth is boosting the purchase price of new containers and lease rates by 50%, snarling port traffic, adding surcharges and slowing deliveries heading into the holidays.

A surge in Chinese exports and robust consumer demand in the U.S. help explain the tightness, and major shipping liners like Hapag-Lloyd AG are scrambling to reposition their bigger 40-foot-long containers from less busy parts of the world. Nico Hecker, Hapag-Lloyd’s director of global container logistics, dubbed it a “black swan” moment.

The German sea-freight company is “experiencing the strongest increase in 40-foot demand following one of the strongest decreases in demand ever,” Hecker said in a post on the company’s website. “The containers must be returned to China as quickly as possible to be equipped for an expected strong fourth quarter.”

Italy to Spend Over $3 Billion in Rescue for Businesses (Nov. 8, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Italy will add over 2.8 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in spending with the latest relief package for businesses hit by the country’s second lockdown, Bloomberg reported. Activities hurt by the latest restrictions will receive as much as 200% of the benefits they received during the first lockdown.

Italians are prohibited from leaving or entering cities in high-risk areas, including Milan, Italy’s financial hub, and northern industrial cities. All non-essential commercial activities are closed in the area.

Biden to Announce COVID-19 Task Force (Nov. 7, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Joe Biden plans to name on Monday a 12-member task force to fight and contain the spread of the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported.

The move is a signal that the coronavirus is Biden’s immediate priority for his transition and his administration. But while the president-elect can begin to lay the groundwork for a more muscular approach and a vastly different messaging campaign than President Trump, Biden will have to wait until he is officially inaugurated on Jan. 20 to put any of those plans into place.

The task force will be led by three co-chairs: former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy; former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler; and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith from Yale University.

Global Food Prices Pushed Up by Surging Grain Costs (Nov. 5, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A United Nations gauge of food prices rose for a fifth month to the highest since January, nearing a multiyear peak set just before the coronavirus crisis took hold, Bloomberg reported. Last month’s increase was largely fueled by a rally in grains, with the UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization cutting estimates for crop production and stockpiles as adverse weather threatens corn and wheat supplies.

Rising food prices risk pushing up inflation and come as economies are struggling with the pandemic and many nations contend with a hunger crisis. Agricultural commodity buyers from Egypt to Pakistan have been boosting purchases of grains in efforts to protect themselves from potential supply chain disruptions, keeping inventories in key exporting nations under pressure.

Sunak Extends U.K. Furlough Wage Support to March (Nov. 5, 10:00 a.m. ET)

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak extended furlough payments to employees of shuttered companies until the end of March, Bloomberg reported. Government payments of 80% of wages for workers at companies forced to close because of coronavirus pandemic restrictions will continue after the end of the partial English lockdown on Dec. 2, Sunak said.

Astra to Roll Out Vaccine Supplies (Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. ET)

AstraZeneca Plc is poised to unveil coronavirus vaccine test results by year-end and to begin supplying the world with hundreds of millions of doses shortly afterward if it gains approval from regulators, Bloomberg reported. Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot dismissed reports of delays and manufacturing snags.

Regeneron to Ramp Up Antibody Output (Nov. 5, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it should have enough of its COVID-19-fighting antibody to treat 80,000 patients by the end of the month, and 200,000 doses of the medication that President Trump dubbed a “cure” by the first week of January, Bloomberg reported.

The company plans to produce another 100,000 doses to fulfill its $450 million contract with the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed by the end of January. It submitted data to support an emergency use authorization of the experimental antibody cocktail last month.

U.K. May Unveil Furlough Details (Nov. 4, 8:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. is expected to unveil details of a wage support program Thursday, amid calls for more generous help for people who can’t work due to coronavirus restrictions, Bloomberg reported.

The Treasury announced Saturday it would extend furlough payments at 80% of employee wages until Dec. 2 to support workers during a second lockdown that starts Thursday. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is due to announce further extending the program beyond Dec. 2 in areas under the highest levels of restrictions, the Sun newspaper said.

Australia Signs Vaccine Pacts (Nov. 4, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government has reached agreements for Novavax Inc. to supply 40 million vaccine doses and a Pfizer/BioNTech partnership to provide 10 million vaccine doses, Bloomberg reported. The agreements mean that Australia has now secured access to four COVID-19 vaccines and more than 134 million doses, with a total investment of A$3.2 billion ($2.3 billion).

Delays Hit Oxford Vaccine Production (Nov. 4, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. is struggling to stock up on supplies of a potentially game-changing vaccine, according to Bloomberg. Kate Bingham, chair of the U.K. Vaccine Taskforce, said only 4 million doses of the experimental shot being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will be available by the end of the year, far fewer than the 30 million that were due to be ready by September.

The question is moot for now given that no vaccine has been approved for use and trials are still ongoing. But the difficulties cast doubt on how fast the U.K. will be able to deploy a vaccine that officials see as potentially critical in allowing life to return to normal. AstraZeneca declined to comment.

Contact Tracers Eye ‘Cluster-Busting’ to Tackle New Surge (Nov. 3, 1:00 p.m. ET)

As a resurgent coronavirus sweeps across Europe and the U.S., some health experts are calling for a “cluster-busting” approach to contact tracing like the one Japan and other countries in Asia have used with success, Bloomberg reported.

Rather than simply tracking down the contacts of an infected person and isolating them, proponents advocate finding out where the individual caught COVID-19 in the first place. That extra step, known as backward tracing, exploits a weak spot of the virus — the tendency for infections to occur in clusters, often at super-spreading events.

The approach has implications for policy makers, who are again imposing costly lockdowns across much of Europe and parts of the U.S. after containment strategies that relied on existing testing and tracing largely failed. The message from health officials and cluster-busting proponents is to take heart and press on; there’s room for improvement.

Global LNG Imports Rise (Nov. 3, 7:00 a.m. ET)

More liquefied natural gas is being traded than a year ago for the first time since the pandemic upended consumption. Global imports in October rose 3.8% from a year earlier, the first monthly year-over-year gain since May, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. They rose 1.5% from September.

The rebound can be primarily attributed to an increase in demand from larger end-users in Asia, which have mostly weathered the pandemic better than Europe or the U.S.

U.K. Spies Fight Pandemic-Fueled Cyber Crime (Nov. 2, 8:00 p.m. ET)

A state security agency has stepped in to help Britain’s National Health Service repel a surge in cyber crime linked to the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Some 723 online incidents required the direct intervention of the National Cyber Security Centre in the 12 months to Aug. 31, a 10% increase from the same period ending in August 2019, the agency said. About 200 of the attacks were related to the coronavirus.

The NCSC’s response included an assessment of the state-run health service’s vulnerabilities. This uncovered weaknesses including about 35 internet domains that could be exposed to malicious activity.

Since March, the intelligence agency said it had taken down 15,354 campaigns using coronavirus to lure people into clicking links which could have led to phishing and malware. Many of the 22,000 malicious web addresses it tackled hosted scams playing on COVID-19 fears like pretending to sell personal protection equipment.

Six Asean Nations Start Single Transit Regime (Nov. 2, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Six Southeast Asian nations including Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia have started a single cross-border transit regime for smoother movement of goods by land within the region, Bloomberg reported. The system aims to bolster supply chain connectivity across the region, simplifying customs, saving time and reducing costs.

Other nations where Asean Customs Transit System (ACTS) will be implemented include Cambodia and Laos, according to a joint statement issued by the Singapore Customs and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

“The launch of ACTS reflects ASEAN’s determination to simplify customs procedures and strengthen supply chain connectivity, despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the statement. “Traders can carry out a single transit journey across participating Asean member states via a single truck, single customs declaration and single banker’s guarantee.”

Amazon Warehouse Workers’ Suit Tossed by Judge (Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. ET)

A federal judge dismissed New York warehouse workers’ lawsuit against Amazon, ruling that their allegations about the company’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic should have been brought to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration instead, Bloomberg reported.

The lawsuit filed in June accused Amazon of creating a “public nuisance” by exacerbating COVID-19 risks, including by maintaining a “culture of workplace fear” in which workers are told to “work at dizzying speeds, even if doing so prevents them from socially distancing, washing their hands, and sanitizing their work spaces.”

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn, New York, ruled that the federal agency was better situated “to strike a balance between maintaining some level of operations in conjunction with some level of protective measures,” given courts’ lack of expertise on workplace safety and public health, and the risk that judges around the country would reach conflicting conclusions.

“Court-imposed workplace policies could subject the industry to vastly different, costly regulatory schemes in a time of economic crisis,” he wrote.

German Factories Led Europe’s Recovery Before Lockdowns Hit (Nov. 2, 7:00 a.m. ET)

Last month saw a fourth consecutive increase in euro-area factory output, underpinned by stronger demand from within the region and beyond, Bloomberg reported. Companies remained positive about future production, but still continued to cut staff.

“Euro-zone manufacturing boomed in October, with output and order books growing at rates rarely exceeded over the past two decades,” said Chris Williamson, an economist at IHS Markit. “While the data bode well for production during the fourth quarter, the expansion is worryingly uneven.”

Germany was the stand-out performer, benefiting from strong demand for cars, business equipment and machinery. Austria, Italy and Spain also saw solid expansions.

“While manufacturing as a whole may be booming for now, the sustainability of the recovery will depend on household behavior returning to normal and labor markets strengthening,” said Williamson. “Given second waves of virus infections, this still looks some way off.”

China’s Xi Wants to Diversify Supply Chains (Nov. 1, 10:30 p.m. ET)

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for setting up independent and controllable supply chains to ensure industrial and national security, just as the U.S. moves to cut China off from key exports, Bloomberg reported.

“We must strive to have at least one alternative source for key products and supply channels, to create a necessary industrial backup system,” Xi said in an April speech on the nation’s economic development that was published Saturday by the Qiushi Journal, a publication of the ruling Communist Party. The magazine didn’t say why it had waited to release the remarks.

Xi said the impact of the pandemic exposed hidden risks in China’s industrial and supply chains, without elaborating, thus necessitating “independent, controllable, safe, and reliable” chains. Last week, Beijing outlined strategies for greater self-sufficiency as it unveiled its five-year economic plan.

Cuomo, Black Leaders Criticize Vaccine Distribution Plan (Nov. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET)

New York Governor Cuomo gathered top Black leaders to amplify his concern that the federal plan to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine relies too heavily on chain pharmacies and other institutions lacking in minority neighborhoods, Bloomberg reported.

His criticism was echoed in a call with reporters on Sunday by National Urban League President Marc Morial, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who would not rule out litigation as a response.

“This plan to rely on the current health care infrastructure which has not served us well is thoughtless, it’s careless and needs to be taken back to the drawing board,” Morial said.

CVS, Walgreens to Give Vaccines (Oct. 30, 10:30 p.m. ET)

About a dozen pharmacy chains will partner with the U.S. federal government to administer COVID-19 vaccines, Bloomberg reported.

CVS Health Corp., Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Walmart Inc. are among those that have enrolled to receive vaccines directly from the CDC. They represent about 35,000 stores, and the CDC anticipates more chains will sign up. Participating pharmacies are expected to start administering vaccines during phase two, when more doses become available.

FedEx Vows to Avoid Bottlenecks in Vaccine Roll-Out (Oct. 30, 8:00 p.m. ET)

FedEx Corp. is pledging to avoid transportation logjams when a massive operation begins to deliver a vaccine, Bloomberg reported. The air-freight giant will free up whatever capacity is needed to speed the delicate cargo to distributors or vaccination centers, said Richard Smith, executive vice president of the Americas for FedEx Express. 

The company is holding daily calls with vaccine developers and U.S. government agencies such as the Defense Department that are in charge of logistics for the roll-out.

Couriers including FedEx, United Parcel Service Inc. and Deutsche Post AG’s DHL are gearing up for a massive airlift and ground-transportation operation in an unprecedented effort to distribute coronavirus vaccines — once they’re ready. Some 15,000 cargo flights will be needed over a two-year period to deliver 10 billion doses, according to a report by DHL and McKinsey & Co.

Panama Canal Clogged With Ships (Oct. 30, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Ships carrying cargoes around the world are waiting for days to pass through the Panama Canal, as pandemic-hit staffing caused congestion at the key pinch point, Bloomberg reported. Long waiting times are affecting shipments of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Asia.

The waiting time, which for vessels with unbooked slots is as long as between 10 and 15 days, have contributed to a rally in the cost of chartering an LNG tanker on the spot market and added to disruptions affecting the supply of super-chilled fuel, said people with direct knowledge who asked not to be identified. Delays coupled with soaring charter rates may affect economics of supplies from the U.S. into Asia and force cargo owners to choose alternative routes.

The Panama Canal Authority denied that even vessels with booked slots are experiencing delays, saying waiting time has increased only for vessels that arrive without a reservation.

Pfizer, Astra Vaccines in Accelerated U.K. Review (Oct. 30, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K.’s drug regulator has started accelerated reviews of COVID-19 vaccines under development from Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc, as Britain gets ready to approve the first successful shot as quickly as possible, Bloomberg reported.

The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency started a so-called rolling review of the Pfizer vaccine in recent weeks, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who didn’t want to be identified because the procedure hasn’t been announced publicly. The agency is also conducting an expedited review of Astra’s vaccine, which the company is co-developing with the University of Oxford, a spokesman for Astra confirmed.

Food Imports Seen as Vector for Covid Spread (Oct. 28, 9:30 p.m. ET)

There’s a real risk of cross-border coronavirus transmission through the $1.5 trillion global agri-food market, according to Bloomberg. It’s possible that contaminated food imports can transfer the virus to workers as well as the environment, said Dale Fisher, an infectious diseases physician at Singapore’s National University Hospital

“It’s hitching a ride on the food, infecting the first person that opens the box,” said Fisher, who also chairs the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. “It’s not to be confused with supermarket shelves getting infected. It’s really at the marketplace, before there’s been a lot of dilution.”

FDA, FTC Warn Companies on ‘Fraudulent’ Claims (Oct. 28, 9:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to three companies “for selling unapproved and misbranded products” with “fraudulent” claims about their effectiveness against COVID-19, Bloomberg reported.

The letters direct Peterson Research Laboratories LLC (doing business as Covercology), Predator Nutrition and Beepothecary LLC to remove the claims and notify the agencies within 48 hours of actions taken, or face potential legal action.

FBI, DHS Warn Hospitals of ‘Credible Threat’ from Hackers (Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Several U.S. federal agencies warned hospitals and cyber-researchers about a “credible threat” to the security of medical facilities, according to Bloomberg.

The FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security and known as CISA, said they’d received intelligence asserting that hackers were preparing to use Ryuk ransomware to attack medical facilities, using the Trickbot to distribute it, said people familiar with the advisory.

The cybersecurity company FireEye Inc. said multiple U.S hospitals have been hit by a “coordinated” ransomware attack, with at least three publicly confirming being struck this week.

N.Y. Bosses Pare Return-to-Work Expectations (Oct. 28, 4:30 p.m. ET)

New York’s technology and finance bosses are tempering their expectations for bringing people back to work, Bloomberg reported.

Only 15% of office workers are projected to return by the end of this year, according to the Partnership for New York City, which surveyed major employers in Manhattan over the past two weeks. That’s down from an August estimate of 26%.

Boeing to Cut 7,000 More Jobs (Oct. 28, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Boeing Co. is almost doubling its planned job cuts as the pandemic and prolonged grounding of the 737 Max jet dim prospects for financial recovery, Bloomberg reported. Executives abandoned a forecast that the company would stop burning cash next year and said they would eliminate an additional 7,000 jobs. That will bring the expected loss from layoffs, retirements and attrition to 30,000 people — or 19% of the pre-pandemic workforce — by the end of 2021.

“COVID-19’s continued impacts have had a more prolonged and deeper impact on our industry, and we’ll have to further reduce our workforce,” Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun told analysts after the company reported earnings.

Microsoft Reports Booming Cloud Demand (Oct. 27, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Microsoft Corp.’s first-quarter revenue climbed a better-than-projected 12%, strengthened by corporate demand for cloud-computing services to support customers’ remote workers and move more of their business online, Bloomberg reported. It was the software maker’s 13th straight quarter of double-digit revenue growth. 

Since the pandemic started, business customers have accelerated a shift to Microsoft’s Azure internet-based computing services and online subscriptions to Office software that comes with teleconferencing programs and work-from-home tools. That’s helped shore up growth at the company, which is No. 2 in cloud infrastructure behind Amazon Web Services, even as the global economy languishes.

Sales of video games have also risen with people looking for ways to pass the time while stuck at home. That’s made up for weaker one-time software purchases by smaller businesses and consumers.

One in Four European Airports Face Insolvency (Oct. 27, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Many European airports will struggle to stave off insolvency without state help unless travel recovers from its pandemic slump by the end of the year, according to Bloomberg.

Airports Council International Europe predicts that 193 out of 740 airports in the region will soon struggle to pay their bills while government-imposed quarantine requirements remain in place, according to findings released Tuesday. The airfields in doubt are mainly smaller, regional hubs but still account for about 277,000 jobs, ACI said.

European passenger numbers fell 73% year-on-year in September, meaning the region has lost 1.29 billion travelers since January.

In Germany, Europe’s largest economy, Paderborn airport has already filed for insolvency after passenger numbers fell 85%.

India Vaccine Developer to Boost Capacity by 70% (Oct. 26, 9:30 p.m. ET)

Cadila Healthcare Ltd., one of two Indian drugmakers racing to develop an indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, is in talks with potential partners to ramp up production capacity if its candidate passes human clinical trials, Bloomberg reported.

The Ahmedabad-based firm is looking to hire contract manufacturers for an additional 50 million to 70 million doses of its plasmid DNA vaccine, on top of the 100 million that will come from its own capacity, according to Managing Director Sharvil Patel. He declined to name the companies and the amount Cadila has invested in developing the vaccine.

Pharmacies See Record Flu Shot Demand (Oct. 26, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Americans are rushing to pharmacies in record numbers for seasonal flu shots, according to Bloomberg. Public health officials say that may help avoid a “twindemic.” The pandemic has brought new urgency to this year’s influenza season, which typically kicks off in October and peaks in the winter months.

CVS Health Corp. has already surpassed the 9 million flu shots it gave during the entire previous season and expects to double that number by the end of this cycle, a spokesman said. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has administered 60% more doses in its U.S. stores than at this point last year, said Rina Shah, group vice president of pharmacy operations.

Hasbro, Mattel See Robust Game Sales (Oct. 26, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Hasbro Inc. reported solid sales in the third quarter as parents flocked to well-known brands like Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering to pass the time during lockdown, Bloomberg reported.

The largest U.S. toymaker’s revenue fell 4% on a pro forma basis to $1.78 billion — beating analysts’ predictions of $1.74 billion — after reporting third-quarter sales that disappointed investors in contrast with rival Mattel Inc.’s results last week. Excluding Entertainment One, which Hasbro acquired earlier this year, revenue rose 13%. Adjusted profit was $1.88 a share, topping estimates of $1.60, led by its games segment.

Hasbro said it has worked through issues with its supply chain. About half of its products come from China, where manufacturing returned to normal during the second quarter. Factories in Europe, the U.S. and India were operational during the third quarter, but still making up for earlier delays.

SAP Cuts 2020 Sales Outlook (Oct. 25, 5:00 p.m. ET)

SAP SE cut its revenue forecast for the full year and said it expects the pandemic to hurt demand through “at least” the first half of 2021, Bloomberg reported.

The pandemic will delay SAP’s goals for cloud revenue, overall sales and operating profit by one or two years, especially in hard-hit industries, the German software company said. Adjusted cloud revenue is expected to be 8 billion euros to 8.2 billion euros in 2020, down from a previous estimate of 8.3 billion euros to 8.7 billion euros.

The previous outlook “assumed economies would reopen and population lockdowns would ease, leading to a gradually improving demand environment in the third and fourth quarters,” SAP said in the statement.

China’s Import Surge Drives Optimism in Shipping Demand (Oct. 23, 2:00 p.m. ET)

China is stocking up on grains, metals and other commodities, providing a boost to industrial bulk shipping companies as Beijing braces for a potential new wave of supply-chain disruptions from rising COVID-19 infections among the country’s Western trading partners, The Wall Street Journal reported.

China is the world’s biggest commodity importer, making up roughly 40% of the dry-bulk shipping market, and its rebounding economy has been driving a surge in prices for industrial commodities, including copper, aluminum and cotton.

With China’s overall imports up 13.2% in September from the same month last year, shipping executives expect an increase in freight rates over the next year.

Mask Distribution Could Save 130,000 Lives Before Vaccine (Oct. 23, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Universal masking in the U.S. could save 130,000 lives by the end of February, according to projections by some of the nation’s top COVID-19 trackers at the University of Washington.

The analysis models the impact of different levels of social distancing on the trajectory of the pandemic from this fall to the end of February 2021, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it’s on track to distribute the masks to support school re-openings: “These masks support students, teachers, and staff in public and private schools, with an emphasis on low-income or other high-needs students and schools providing in-person instruction.” 

Airbus Plans to Gear Up Production (Oct. 23, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Airbus SE is preparing to ramp up output next year of its most important jet, the A320neo, in a sign of growing confidence that jetliner demand is poised to recover, Bloomberg reported.

While no decision has been made, suppliers have been told to be ready to support a monthly rate of 47 A320neo-family planes in the second half of 2021, Airbus said. The company slashed the target rate of its popular single-aisle workhorse by a third in April, when demand evaporated as the coronavirus crisis gutted travel demand.

“We plan to maintain the rate 40 up till summer next year and we have asked the supply chain to protect up to rate 47 to be prepared for when the market recovers,” Airbus said.

FDA Approves Remdesivir (Oct. 22, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral therapy remdesivir on Thursday, Bloomberg reported, granting broad clearance for the coronavirus treatment.

Regulators had granted an emergency-use authorization for remdesivir earlier this year, and since then the drug has become a widely used therapy in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It was given to President Trump this month when he was diagnosed with the virus.

U.S. Jobless Claims Decline (Oct. 22, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell for the third time in four weeks, Bloomberg reported, suggesting the labor market is still gradually recovering while remaining far from its pre-pandemic health.

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs declined to 787,000 in the week ended Oct. 17, according to Labor Department data Thursday. Without adjustments for seasonal fluctuations, claims dropped by about 73,000.

Continuing claims — the total pool of Americans on ongoing state unemployment benefits — fell by 1.02 million to 8.37 million in the week ended Oct. 10, though the number of Americans on extended unemployment benefits rose. That reflects people who exhausted regular state benefits.

Sunak Launches Third U.K. Aid Salvo (Oct. 22, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak increased the generosity of the U.K. aid package for businesses hamstrung by the resurgent coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg reported, his third push in less than a month to stop a wave of job losses sweeping across the country.

Sunak increased government contributions to workers’ wages, and reduced the hours they have to work in order to qualify for a state program to support employees’ pay. He also stepped up help for the self-employed and announced a package of grants to businesses that aren’t required to close, but are suffering because of coronavirus restrictions.

“It is clear that even businesses who can stay open are facing profound economic uncertainty,” Sunak told the House of Commons. 

The changes follow bitter rows between Boris Johnson’s government and local leaders in northern England over the scale of support to businesses that face a winter of uncertainty after being forced to close their doors again.

U.S. Automakers Are Missing Resupply Deadlines, Top Dealer Warns (Oct. 21, 2:00 p.m. ET)

AutoNation Inc., the largest U.S. car retailer, is warning new-vehicle inventories remain thin as automakers miss resupply deadlines — which may mean fewer choices and higher prices for buyers, Bloomberg reported. Chairman and CEO Mike Jackson said he expects shortages will last at least through the end of the year.

U.S. carmakers have struggled to ramp up production after a two-month long shutdown this spring to contain COVID-19. While consumer demand has rebounded thanks to low interest rates and a shift towards private transportation, automakers have been stretched thin by absenteeism, distancing protocols, quarantines and supply-chain constraints.

Auto dealers have been selling more used cars to supplement the shortage of vehicles rolling off assembly lines. They’ve also benefited from rising prices: AutoNation reported record third-quarter results due partly to greater pricing power.

NYC Readies Vaccine Rollout (Oct. 21, 1:00 p.m. ET)

New York City officials are beginning to plan for wide-scale distribution of a COVID-19 virus vaccine next year, Bloomberg reported.

Acting on state recommendations, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city would prioritize delivery of the vaccine to health-care workers, front line and essential workers and those whose medical conditions or age makes them most vulnerable to the virus.

Pharmacies, urgent-care clinics, public and private hospitals and current Covid testing sites will be used as inoculation centers for the general population in a second phase of distribution.

Half of Firms Less Prepared for Brexit (Oct. 21, 10:00 a.m. ET)

About half of U.K. firms are less prepared for Brexit compared to last year due to the impact of the pandemic, Bloomberg reported, a sign of Britain’s vulnerability to disruption when it quits the European Union’s single market and customs union at year-end.

Some 46% of businesses say they are in a worse position due to the virus, which has depleted financial reserves and stockpiles, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, which questioned 557 U.K. supply-chain managers between Sept. 23 and Oct. 5. And 16% of companies say stocks will run low this winter because of the impact of COVID-19.

The U.K. government has increased the urgency of its campaign to urge businesses to prepare for Britain’s final split from the EU on Jan 1., when companies will face new red tape such as customs declarations to keep goods flowing with its largest trading partner. Even if the U.K. and the bloc sign a trade deal — which has looked increasingly unlikely with negotiations on the rocks — companies will need to comply with new formalities to legal trade.

“The transition period was designed to provide businesses with more time to prepare for Brexit, but the COVID-19 pandemic has undone much of that hard work,” said John Glen, an economist at CIPS, which has 70,000 members globally. “Deal or no-deal, time is running out.”

U.S. Airfares Drop Further (Oct. 20, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Domestic U.S. airfares fell by the most on record in the second quarter, Bloomberg reported. Average one-way ticket prices plummeted 26% from the same period last year to $151, including taxes and fees, according to 20 years of airfare figures compiled by Cirium. 

Previously, the largest decline was 14% in late 2001, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the aviation-data provider said Tuesday.

P&G Reports Record Growth (Oct. 20, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Procter & Gamble Co. raised its outlook after posting its best organic sales growth since 2005 amid a boom in at-home consumption of toilet paper and cleaning supplies, Bloomberg reported.

The maker of Tide detergent and Dawn dish soap said organic sales growth, which strips out some items like currency swings, rose 9% in the quarter ended Sept. 30. Sales grew in each of P&G’s business units, led by the fabric and home care segment, which has spiked as consumers do more dishes, laundry and cleaning at home.

The company now sees organic revenue growing 4% to 5% in fiscal 2021, an increase from the previous outlook of 2% to 4%. 

Roche CEO Warns Against Hopes for Speedy Vaccines (Oct. 20, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Many people’s hopes for a speedy vaccine are still too high, Roche Holding AG CEO Severin Schwan warned.

It is “completely unrealistic” to expect a COVID-19 vaccine to be widely available by the end of this year, and most people probably won’t have access to a shot until the second half of 2021, Schwan said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

California to Review Vaccine Before Distribution (Oct. 19, 4:00 p.m. ET)

California will require a panel of health experts to review any coronavirus vaccine before allowing it to be distributed to the state’s 40 million residents, Bloomberg reported. The 11-member panel — which includes scientists and doctors from California universities and public-health departments — will verify the safety and efficacy of any shot even after it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

“This vaccine will move at the speed of trust,” Governor Newsom said at a news briefing.

The state also is working on guidelines to ensure the equitable distribution of what’s expected to be a limited early supply of the vaccine, Newsom said, noting that the “overwhelming majority” of people won’t see shots readily available until well into 2021.

While the race to develop a vaccine has become a political issue, Newsom said the group will review the shot regardless of the outcome of the November presidential election.

CVS Adds 15,000 Workers to Administer Vaccines (Oct. 19, 9:00 a.m. ET)

CVS Health Corp. said it will hire about 15,000 workers to help with flu season, coronavirus testing and possibly administering COVID-19 vaccines, Bloomberg reported. Two-thirds of the new hires will be pharmacy technicians, the company said.

China Finds Active Virus on Frozen Food Packaging (Oct. 18, 9:00 p.m. ET)

China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said it found active COVID-19 virus on the outer component of refrigerated food packaging, according to Bloomberg.

The virus was found on food packaging in the coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province, the report said, without specifying the origin of the product. Qingdao has reported a dozen new virus cases this month, most linked to a hospital where infected travelers from overseas are being treated.

China has said several times in recent months that imported refrigerated goods are risks for re-introducing the coronavirus into the country. World Health Organization experts have suggested there’s no evidence the virus can be transported via food packaging.

Pelosi Sets Tuesday Deadline for Pre-Election Stimulus (Oct. 18, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Nancy Pelosi has set a Tuesday deadline for more progress with the White House on a fiscal stimulus deal before the Nov. 3 election, Bloomberg reported, while President Trump renewed his offer to go beyond the dollar amounts now on the table.

Pandemic Drives Budget Deficit to Record (Oct. 16, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. budget shortfall ballooned to more than $3.1 trillion in the government’s fiscal year ended in September, Bloomberg reported.

The deficit as a share of the economy surged to 16%, the largest since 1945, based on second-quarter gross domestic product. At the end of the financial crisis in 2009, the ratio was close to 10% before slowly narrowing through 2015.

Airlines Plan for Prolonged Travel Drought (Oct. 16, 9:00 a.m. ET)

After pulling together over $100 billion by tapping government aid, mortgaging assets including planes and frequent flier programs, airlines likely have enough cash to withstand a prolonged downturn, according to The Wall Street Journal. But it will be years before passenger demand recovers, chief executives of United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. said this week.

“Make no mistake — we’re still in the early miles of this marathon,” Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian wrote in a memo to employees on Thursday.

Passengers have started to come back, but they are a trickle, not a surge. On Sunday, when almost 1 million people passed through U.S. airports, volumes were more than 60% lower than at the same time a year ago, and most days volumes are worse than that.

“We’ve got 12 to 15 months of pain, sacrifice and difficulty ahead,” United Chief Executive Scott Kirby said during a conference call Thursday to discuss the airline’s third quarter results. 

Global Auto Markets Begin to Emerge (Oct. 16, 8:00 a.m. ET)

New-car sales in Europe rose last month for the first time this year, a sign that the global auto industry is slowly beginning to pull out of its worst slump in decades, The Wall Street Journal reported. A full recovery is still likely to take years, analysts said.

The European Automotive Manufacturers’ Association said Friday that new-car registrations, a proxy for sales, totaled 1.3 million vehicles, an increase of 1.1% from the previous year. That compares with an increase of 6.2% for the month in the U.S.

In September, sales at Volkswagen AG, which includes Audi, Porsche, Seat and Skoda, rose 14%, making it the fastest-growing car maker in the region. Audi was the best-performing automaker in Europe last month, posting a 48% sales increase. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s European sales rose 14%, and those of Toyota Motor Corp. increased nearly 9%.

Trump Bid for Bigger Stimulus Rejected by McConnell (Oct. 15, 5:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump said he was ready to boost his offer for spending in a fiscal-stimulus package, a bid that was quickly rejected by his fellow Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Bloomberg reported.

“He’s talking about a much larger amount than I can sell to my members,” McConnell said of the administration's offer to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats.

As he trails in polls with the election less that three weeks away, Trump said on Fox Business Thursday that he would go still higher than the $1.8 trillion the White House has already floated to get a deal. He blamed Pelosi, who wants a $2.2 trillion package, for standing in the way.

Pelosi, speaking to Democrats in a private conference call later Thursday, mocked Trump for facing opposition from his own party, according to a person on the call. She said while she doesn’t want to wait until January — when Joe Biden might be sworn in as president — to pass the next stimulus package, Democrats cannot give up fighting for their values, according to the person.

Corn Supply Chain Hobbles (Oct. 15, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Canned-corn brands are planning to increase production, as stockpiling and supply-chain disruptions have “drastically” thinned out the market, The Wall Street Journal reported. Retailers expect high demand this winter will cut deeper into their depleted inventories.

U.S. sweet corn has only a single planting season, and those had already been set by the time the production shortfall became clear. Transportation problems then hit the market as harvesting began. Fleets that had shrunk last year couldn’t handle the early surge in new demand and trucking companies began rejecting loads on existing contracts to take higher rates in the spot market, driving up shipping costs.

Mass Air Travel’s Return at Least Two Years Away, Singapore Says (Oct. 14, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The global aviation industry will take at least two years to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and mass travel to return, Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said, stressing the importance of developing a widely available and effective vaccine to help countries open their borders.

“When a vaccine is widely available around the world and people gain confidence to travel again and visit other countries, then we will have aviation back on its feet, almost fully,” Ong said an interview with Bloomberg Television. “How long that will that take, I can’t make a guess, I would say minimally a couple of years.”

Stimulus Chances Dying as Election Nears (Oct. 14, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The chances of Congress passing a pre-election stimulus are all but gone, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday blamed politics for undermining the months-long negotiations, Bloomberg reported.

“At this point getting something done before the election and executing on that would be difficult, just given where we are in the level of details,” Mnuchin said at the Milken Institute Global Conference.

With a deal out of reach, the two sides in the talks faulted each other for the breakdown.

Ireland Lays Out $21 Billion Plan to Counter Virus, Brexit (Oct. 13, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Ireland’s government unleashed a record package of budget measures to counter the dual threats of Brexit and the pandemic, as new restrictions threaten to derail a nascent economic recovery, Bloomberg reported. Speaking to lawmakers in Dublin on Tuesday, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the entire 2021 budget package is worth close to 18 billion euros ($21.2 billion), with most being earmarked for a fund to deal with the virus and Brexit, more health spending and other measures.

EU Loosens Aid Rules for States to Cover More Virus Losses (Oct. 13, 9:00 a.m. ET)

European Union aid rules were loosened again to allow governments to cover as much as 3 million euros ($3.5 million) of companies’ fixed costs as the European economy suffers the steepest recession in living memory, Bloomberg reported.

Pandemic Speeds Shift to Cleaner Energy (Oct. 13, 8:00 a.m. ET)

The world’s transition to cleaner sources of energy is gaining speed as the pandemic accelerates a shift in investment away from fossil fuels, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Capital spending on energy this year is set to plunge by 18%, as global energy demand is expected to fall by 5% in 2020, a pullback not seen since World War II, the International Energy Agency said in its annual report on the future of the industry.

But the projected investment cuts are highly uneven, highlighting a divergence in what companies, markets and investors are willing to finance. Spending on new oil and gas supplies took the largest hits, while renewable energy held up better than any other source, the IEA found. The pandemic weakened corporate balance sheets and increased uncertainty over future fuels demand, spurring the record cuts.

Solar- and wind-energy projects are benefiting from falling costs, as well as widespread government support, and monetary policies that support low interest rates. The IEA expects renewables to provide 80% of the growth in global electricity demand through 2030.

PC Demand Fuels Decade-High Growth (Oct. 12, 8:00 p.m. ET)

A surge in remote work, study and home entertainment during the pandemic boosted personal computer sales in the third quarter and drove the strongest growth in a decade in the U.S., according to The Wall Street Journal.

Much of the growth came from Chromebooks, with a roughly 90% surge in the third quarter driven by distance learning, especially in the U.S., according to preliminary data from Gartner Inc. World-wide PC shipments rose around 9% year over year in the quarter, with Chromebooks representing about 11% of the combined PC/Chromebook market.

Data from research firm Canalys showed notebook and mobile workstation shipments also driving growth in the quarter, while sales of desktops and desktop workstations declined 26%.

Pandemic’s U.S. Cost Seen at $16 Trillion (Oct. 12, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The pandemic will exact a $16 trillion toll on the U.S.. about four times the cost of the Great Recession, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and fellow Harvard University economist David Cutler wrote in an essay published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

About half of that amount is related to lost gross domestic product as a result of economic shutdowns and the ongoing spread of the virus, while the other half comes from health losses including premature death and mental and long-term health impairments, Cutler and Summers said.

The $16 trillion amount is equal to about 90% of annual U.S. GDP; it’s also more than twice as much as the U.S. has spent on wars since Sept. 11, 2001, according to Bloomberg.

WHO Says 180 Nations in Vaccine Push (Oct. 12, 2:00 p.m. ET)

China’s joining of a global push to make coronavirus vaccines accessible for developing nations brings to 180 the number of countries participating in the World Health Organization-backed initiative — representing 90% of the global population, Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO’s chief scientist, said Monday. While the U.S. hasn’t joined the $18 billion effort, called Covax, the breadth of participants is encouraging, Bloomberg reported.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries not to pursue “herd immunity.” The vast majority of people haven’t yet been infected and questions remain about how long immunity lasts and the long-term effects of COVID-19, he said.

“Herd immunities are achieved by protecting people from a virus, not by exposing them to it,” he said. “Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic. It’s scientifically and ethically problematic.”

Oil Supply Constraints Begin to Ease (Oct. 11, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Oil dropped for a second day as operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico started to resume following Hurricane Delta and Libya took a major step toward reopening its biggest field, Bloomberg reported.

Futures in New York fell toward $40 a barrel after closing down 1.4% Friday as oil workers in Norway called off a strike. Crude explorers and tugboat operators got back to work on Saturday after Delta, which had seen about 92% of oil production and 62% of gas output shuttered. The hurricane and hopes for more U.S. fiscal stimulus contributed to a price jump of almost 10% last week.

Libya’s National Oil Corp. lifted force majeure on the western deposit of the Sharara field and instructed its operator to resume production, according to a statement on Sunday. Sharara’s output will reach its daily capacity of almost 300,000 barrels in 10 days, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

The resumption of supply from the North African country is an added headache for the OPEC+ alliance as it considers whether to proceed with a plan to restore more output in January. With coronavirus cases accelerating in many countries, the group faces a tough decision at its next policy meeting on Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

“We have supply coming back to the market, while there is still plenty of concern over demand, with the flaring up in COVID-19 cases in parts of Europe,” said Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy at ING Bank NV in Singapore. With Libya coming back, the market is close to balance, but it will depend on demand assumptions, he said.

Trump, Pelosi Spar Over Stimulus (Oct. 11, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed each other for a lack of progress on a new plan to support the U.S. economy, while a senior White House aide said he expects talks to continue and a Fed official called for fiscal help, Bloomberg reported.

Testing Plan Aims to Open New York-London Travel (Oct. 10, 12:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. officials are looking to open travel between New York City and London with shortened traveler quarantine periods as soon as the holidays, Bloomberg reported.

Officials at the U.S. Transportation Department, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies have considered the increasing availability of COVID-19 tests in the U.S. as an opening path to implementing safe travel corridors between the country and international destinations.

A Homeland Security official told Dow Jones that the agency’s work was in its early stages as it seeks to safely encourage transatlantic travel while considering public-health risks.

IMF: Lifting Lockdowns Amid High Infections Won’t Help GDP (Oct. 8, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The International Monetary Fund says lifting lockdowns is unlikely to lead to a decisive and sustained economic boost as long as COVID-19 infections remain elevated, Bloomberg reported, because people will probably keep avoiding social interactions out of fear of contracting the virus.

IMF research shows that while government lockdowns contributed significantly to the global recession, the slowdown was also driven in large part by people continuing to exercise voluntary social distancing, the fund said.

J&J Reaches Deal With EU on Vaccine Supply (Oct. 8, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson announced it has reached an agreement with the European Union to supply 200 million doses of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine following an approval or authorization from regulators, Bloomberg reported. EU member states also have the option to secure as many as 200 million additional doses. Financial terms were not disclosed.

J&J recently joined a handful of companies that has launched into late-stage human studies. In September, the health-care behemoth began dosing as many as 60,000 volunteers in a trial of its one-shot COVID-19 inoculation. The trial could yield results as soon as year-end, allowing the company to seek emergency authorization early next year, should it prove effective.

Vaccine by Year-End ‘Unlikely,’ EU Agency Chief Says (Oct. 8, 9:00 a.m. ET)

A COVID-19 vaccine is looking “unlikely” by year-end, according to the head of the European medicines regulator, even as the agency conducts accelerated reviews of two front-runners for a successful shot, Bloomberg reported.

“Technically, of course it’s possible. Practically it’s very difficult — it’s very unlikely,” said Guido Rasi, executive director of the European Medicines Agency. Even if drugmakers “submit the data in a few weeks, we are already approaching middle of October, so if we wait a few weeks and we take a minimum time of evaluation, more or less we are at the end of the year.”

Johnson Plans Extra Help for U.K. Firms (Oct. 7, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Boris Johnson’s government has drawn up rescue plans for U.K. businesses struggling to cope in areas that have been forced into local Covid lockdowns, as ministers consider imposing new restrictions within days.

No firm date has been set for rolling out the package, which is dependent on the evolution of the pandemic and changes to the rules, according to Bloomberg. 

Amazon Pushes for More COVID-19 Disclosures (Oct. 7, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. called on other large companies to share the results of their workplace COVID-19 testing and disclose the rate at which employees are quarantining, The Wall Street Journal reported. So far, their answer appears to be no.

Companies including Walmart Inc., Ford Motor Co., Kroger Co. and Smithfield Foods Inc. have provided COVID-19 diagnostic testing to workers with varying degrees of regularity. Some employees are tested daily and others every week. Some firms ship swabs to the homes of employees who fear they have been infected, while others host on-site testing.

Many companies are loath to share their results publicly beyond what they must relay to public health agencies because they aren’t required to. Some find publishing the information burdensome and don’t want to open themselves up to criticism if trends take a turn for the worse, testing advisers say.

Amazon last week said more than 19,000 of its workers had tested positive for COVID-19, fewer than it expected and below the case rate in most states. It has faced criticism for being slow to communicate worker infections early on in the pandemic.

“Wide availability of data would allow us to benchmark our progress and share best practices across businesses and industries,” the company wrote in a blog post, adding that there are no common reporting or data-sharing standards. It regularly screens workers regardless of whether or not they have symptoms.

WHO Chief Pleads Against Vaccine Nationalism (Oct. 7, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The WHO’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on governments to ensure that when a vaccine arrives it’s administered to “some in all countries, rather than all people in some countries,” Bloomberg reported.

“It’s natural that governments want to protect their own citizens first,” he said at a global security forum in Bratislava, Slovakia. “But once a vaccine is approved, production will be limited initially and we must decide who to prioritize. Vaccinating older people, those with underlying conditions and essential workers in all countries is the best way to suppress transmission everywhere.”

Vaccine Makers Told to Make Sure Production Ready (Oct. 6, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed program has asked vaccine makers to hold off filing for an emergency authorization of a COVID-19 shot until they can manufacture several million doses, Bloomberg reported.

The program has told the companies it supports to refrain from filing “if they achieve efficacy demonstration while there are no vaccine doses available at industrial scale at several million doses,” said Moncef Slaoui, Warp Speed’s chief adviser.

With several vaccines already in the final stage of testing, the possibility that one may have the data needed to apply for clearance is drawing closer. Slaoui suggested that authorizing a vaccine without being able to make it might be a “major disappointment” to the public.

FDA to Demand Two Months of Safety Data (Oct. 6, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to have an expert panel review any COVID-19 vaccine application for emergency use, along with at least two months of safety data, according to Bloomberg.

The requirements will almost certainly add to the time it will take to review any vaccine, potentially past President Trump’s goal of having one by Election Day next month. While the FDA has said it plans to work as quickly as possible, it’s also said it won’t cut scientific corners or bend to political pressure to rush a vaccine.

Johnson Backs Green Investment as Cure for U.K.’s Covid Downturn (Oct. 5, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Boris Johnson will commit to boosting U.K. offshore wind power as part of his delayed plan for a “green industrial revolution” as he seeks to get his stalled domestic agenda back on course, Bloomberg reported.

In a speech aimed at regaining a grip over the political agenda after months of negative headlines over his handling of the pandemic, the prime minister will say renewable energy can help drive Britain’s economic regeneration. He will announce 160 million pounds ($208 million) for infrastructure at ports to support companies building turbines off the British coast.

“As Saudi Arabia is to oil, the U.K. is to wind — a place of almost limitless resource, but in the case of wind without the carbon emissions and without the damage to the environment,” Johnson will say Tuesday, according to extracts of the speech released by his office. “We believe that in 10 years time offshore wind will be powering every home in the country.”

New EU Travel Plan Could Bring Clarity, Relief for Airlines (Oct. 5, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The European Union’s battered aviation industry may soon get some relief from the confusingly wide range of travel curbs across the continent, Bloomberg reported, as the bloc’s governments seek agreement on a common threshold for imposing restrictions.

Under a proposal circulated by the German government, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, restriction-free travel will be allowed between regions with fewer than 25 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people for the previous 14 days, and with a reading of positive virus tests lower than 4%.

The plan is to illustrate the new thresholds using a color-coded map of the 27 nation-EU — plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — to be updated on a weekly basis, according to a draft circulated to diplomats.

If governments agree on the new rules, airlines could gain relief from the current situation of uncoordinated, country-by-country announcements on quarantine requirements for incoming travelers and abrupt travel bans. Confusion over those rules has added to the woes of an industry already pummeled by its worst crisis on record.

U.K. Drafts Priority List for Vaccine (Oct. 4, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government has prepared a priority list for who would receive the coronavirus vaccine first, when one becomes available, Bloomberg reported.

“We’ve set that out in draft, pending the final clinical data,” he said at the Conservative Party conference. “The plans are in train. A combination of the NHS and the armed forces are involved in the logistics, making the roll-out happen.”

Hancock said they are working as fast they can to get a vaccine, though no vaccine technology is certain.

Global Grocer Benefits From Less Dining Out (Oct. 4, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Ahold Delhaize CEO Frans Muller told Dutch TV show “Buitenhof” that the grocer has done well during the pandemic because of increased online sales and less eating out. Second-quarter profit doubled to almost 700 million euros ($820 million), Bloomberg reported. Muller reiterated that the virus also comes with extra costs. He said he expects 600 million euros in costs over the whole year because of extra security and cleaning expenses.

The grocer, which operates the Stop & Shop chain in the U.S. and Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, is scheduled to report third-quarter results on Nov. 4. Ahold Delhaize’s sales momentum is set to improve in the fourth quarter as COVID-19 cases increase and more consumers shift to eating at home, Kepler Cheuvreux said last week.

House Democrats Pass $2.2 Trillion Stimulus (Oct. 1, 9:00 p.m. ET)

The House passed a $2.2 trillion Democrat-only fiscal stimulus package after the most concerted talks between the top negotiators since early August failed to yield a bipartisan agreement, Bloomberg reported.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier insisted the vote — which at 214-207 saw no Republican support — wouldn’t slam the door on negotiations with the White House on a bill President Trump could sign into law. After sitting down with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnunchin Wednesday, she spoke with him several times by phone again Thursday.

Those talks have so far failed to bridge what’s been a gap of hundreds of billions of dollars between the two sides. Sharp differences also remain on components of coronavirus relief, with the Trump administration rejecting the scale of aid Democrats want for state and local authorities, and Pelosi demanding the end of tax breaks she says are devoted to the wealthy.

The speaker told reporters Thursday evening that she would review documents that Mnuchin had sent her to determine where to go next after several calls during the day. “We are going back and forth with our paper,” she said, underscoring the importance of the language used in any deal.

Amazon Says Almost 20,000 Workers Had Covid (Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. says it’s aware of almost 20,000 employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic, a disclosure that follows criticism from some lawmakers and employees that the world’s largest online retailer was insufficiently transparent about outbreaks within its ranks.

The retailer said in a blog post Thursday that 19,816 employees tested positive for the respiratory disease, or were presumed positive, out of more than 1.3 million people who worked for the company from March 1 to Sept. 19. The company says that if its employees contracted the virus at a rate equal to that of the general population, Amazon would have seen some 33,952 cases.

CDC Anti-Pandemic Funds Stuck for Months (Oct. 1, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The bulk of a $1 billion funding package intended to help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. has remained unspent since being authorized more than five months ago, according to Bloomberg.

Trump administration officials directed $200 million of the money to a $300 million ad campaign about the virus, according to a CDC spokesman. But most of the allocation has sat idle despite requests over the summer from CDC to access some of the money, according to one person familiar with the matter. Two of the people familiar with the issue confirmed the CDC didn’t have access to the money as recently as September. The people asked not to be identified discussing information that wasn’t public.

U.S. Jobless Claims Fall More than Expected (Oct. 1, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Fewer Americans than expected registered for unemployment benefits last week, Bloomberg reported, as the slow labor-market recovery grinds on while businesses contend with an increase in coronavirus cases.

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs decreased by 36,000 to 837,000 in the week ended Sept. 26, Labor Department figures showed Thursday. Continuing claims, the total pool of Americans on state benefit rolls, fell to 11.8 million in the week ended Sept. 19.

Economists expected initial claims to fall to 850,000 and for continuing claims of 12.2 million.

American, United to Cut 32,000 Jobs, AirAsia to Exit Japan (Sept. 30, 10:00 p.m. ET)

American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. will start laying off thousands of employees as originally scheduled, Bloomberg reported, spurning an appeal from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as he negotiates with Congress about extending payroll support for U.S. carriers.

The cuts are the latest among tens of thousands of job losses announced by blue-chip companies in a 24-hour period, after Walt Disney Co. said late Tuesday that it’s slashing 28,000 workers in its slumping U.S. resort business. On Wednesday, Allstate Corp., the fourth-largest car insurer in the U.S., said it will cut 3,800 jobs, roughly 8% of its workforce.

Meanwhile, AirAsia Group Bhd. is closing down its operations in Japan, the Nikkei reported, after the low-cost airline posted a record quarterly loss in August.

One More Shot at Stimulus, Mnuchin Says (Sept. 30, 12:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he sees “one more serious try” at securing a deal with Congress on another fiscal stimulus package and suggested he’ll offer Democrats a proposal for roughly $1.5 trillion in pandemic relief, Bloomberg reported.

Mnuchin said Wednesday on CNBC that the administration’s counter-offer to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is similar to a plan put forward by a bipartisan group of House members — which included an escalation in spending up to $2 trillion if the coronavirus pandemic persists. That’s still short of a $2.2 trillion relief package that Democrats unveiled Monday and are preparing to bring to a House vote.

Spain Extends Furlough Program (Sept. 29, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The Spanish government reached a last-minute deal to extend its furlough program through January, Bloomberg reported, after weeks of negotiations that left businesses and workers on edge in a country suffering one of Europe’s deepest economic shocks this year.

EU Plans Second Contract With Gilead for Remdesivir (Sept. 29, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The European Union’s executive arm aims to sign a second contract with Gilead Sciences Inc. for supplies of its antiviral drug remdesivir, Bloomberg reported. The European Commission said it hopes EU countries will be able to start placing extra orders in early October.

India’s Hospitals Struggle for Oxygen Supply (Sept. 29, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Hospitals in several Indian states are struggling for medical oxygen as the country’s pandemic surges — with more than six million reported infections — and manufacturers scramble to plug the gaps in the supply and transportation, Bloomberg reported.

Most plants producing medical oxygen are concentrated in eastern and western India, leaving large areas of the densely populated north and center without quick access to the essential medical supply. The capital, New Delhi, and the states of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, with a combined population of some 200 million, don’t have a single unit manufacturing oxygen.

Oxygen use in September has gone up to 2,800 tons per day, from 750 tons per day in March, said Saket Tiku, president of All India Industrial Gases Manufacturer’s Association.

Apart from the pressure to produce more medical grade oxygen, manufacturers are dealing with a limited number of mobile cryogenic tankers, Tiku added. While the country is managing so far, “going forward we need to be careful and very, very sensitive to oxygen use,” he said.

U.K. Carmakers Form United Front to Save Suppliers (Sept. 28, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Carmakers including Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan Motor Co. have joined with lenders to create a network to protect the industry’s supply chain from succumbing to COVID-19 and a no-deal Brexit, Bloomberg reported.

Under the so-called safe harbor plan, suppliers in financial difficulty can lean on carmakers for improved payment terms, and lenders will be called upon to step in with financial assistance, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which is organizing the network.

With Britain’s future relationship with the European Union yet to be agreed, the industry faces the specter of border chaos if the trucks criss-crossing the channel with components are held up. The SMMT‘s goal is to minimize the risk of insolvencies while staying within the boundaries of U.K. and EU competition law.

House Democrats Release New $2.2 Trillion Stimulus Proposal (Sept. 28, 7:00 p.m. ET)

House Democrats released a scaled back $2.2 trillion proposal to extend support to the U.S. economy in face of the continuing damage from the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. The plan follows through on discussions last week to prompt a last-ditch attempt at negotiations with the White House and break an impasse on COVID-19 relief that’s lasted since early August. 

While the details of the legislative text adds clarity to the talks, the top-line spending level is no closer to that so far supported by Republicans. President Trump has indicated he could support as much as $1.5 trillion in aid — still higher than the $650 billion put forth in a “skinny” aid package by Senate Republicans earlier this month.

Should no deal be forthcoming, House Democrats have said they aim to proceed on their own in voting on the new plan, allowing the party’s candidates in the Nov. 3 elections to highlight a recent vote on coronavirus relief. The last vote was on the bigger, $3.4 trillion Heroes Act back in May.

U.S. to Send Rapid Tests to States (Sept. 28, 5:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump announced plans to distribute millions of Abbott Laboratories’s 15-minute COVID-19 tests in the coming weeks, a move aimed at expanding access and helping reopen schools, according to Bloomberg.

The federal government expects to ship 150 million of the Abbott rapid tests, based on states’ populations, Trump said at a press conference at the White House. The administration will encourage states — which have ultimate discretion over how to deploy the tests — to use about 100 million to screen teachers, check symptomatic children to see if they have contracted the virus, or conduct baseline surveillance.

WHO to Provide Access to 15-Minute Tests (Sept. 28, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The World Health Organization and non-profits including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation say they will help provide access to 120 million antigen tests to 133 low- and middle-income countries that can give results in 15 minutes, Bloomberg reported.

Abbott Laboratories and SD BioSensor are producing the tests, reserving a fifth of their production to countries most in need. Distribution will begin in October, and the tests will cost $5 each or less. The Global Fund is also participating, though further funding is needed.

American Air CEO ‘Confident’ U.S. Payroll Aid Will Be Extended (Sept. 27, 2:00 p.m. ET)

American Airlines Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker said there’s sufficient time for U.S. Congress to agree on extending $25 billion in federal aid that would prevent layoffs for tens of thousands of airline workers on Oct. 1, Bloomberg reported.

American will continue urging Congress to resolve a stalemate and approve the aid as part of a broader economic stimulus package, Parker said Sunday in an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” The approaching deadline could spur action, he added.

“I’m confident” the payroll aid will be extended, Parker said. “There’s certainly not much time left, but there’s enough time. Oftentimes, a deadline like this is what is needed to get action. We’re hoping that is the case.”

Grocers Build ‘Pandemic Pallets’ Ahead of Winter (Sept. 27, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Supermarkets are stockpiling groceries and storing them early to prepare for the fall and winter months, when some health experts warn the country could see another widespread outbreak of virus cases and new restrictions, The Wall Street Journal reported. Food companies are accelerating production of their most popular items, and leaders across the industry are saying they won’t be caught unprepared in the face of another pandemic surge.

Southeastern Grocers LLC secured holiday turkeys and hams over the summer, months before it normally starts inventory planning, said Chief Executive Anthony Hucker. And grocery wholesaler United Natural Foods Inc. has loaded up on extra inventory of cranberry sauce, herbal tea and cold remedies, said President Chris Testa.

Associated Food Stores recently started building “pandemic pallets” of cleaning and sanitizing products so it always has some inventory in warehouses, said Darin Peirce, vice president of retail operations for the cooperative of more than 400 stores. The company is establishing protocols so it can better manage scenarios of high demand.

These changes, a reaction to the sudden and massive shortages grocers experienced in the spring, amount to a shift from the just-in-time inventory management practices that have guided the fast-moving retail business for decades.

Qingdao Finds Cases Among Port Workers (Sept. 24, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Two workers, both asymptomatic, were responsible for unloading frozen seafood imports, Bloomberg reported. Some of the imported products tested positive for the virus, however they hadn’t yet entered the market and have been sealed, according to a statement by the Qingdao Municipal Health Commission.

Democrats’ Stimulus Bill at About $2.4 Trillion (Sept. 24, 4:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told senior Democrats a draft coronavirus relief bill would be about $2.4 trillion because it will include airlines, restaurants and PPP small business aid, according to Bloomberg.

The Democratic leadership is still seeking a deal with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and no decision has been made on whether a bill will be voted on next week.

U.S. Jobless Claims Remain Elevated (Sept. 24, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits were little changed last week, contrasting with forecasts for a decline and highlighting an economic recovery that’s coming in fits and starts, Bloomberg reported.

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose by 4,000 to 870,000 in the period ended Sept. 19, according to Labor Department figures. Continuing claims fell 167,000 to 12.6 million in the week ended Sept. 12, which coincides with the reference period for the government’s monthly jobs report.

Trump Says White House Could Veto Vaccine Rules (Sept. 23, 7:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump said that the White House could veto any tightening of Food and Drug Administration rules for authorizing the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

“That has to be approved by the White House,” Trump said at a news conference on Wednesday. “We may or may not approve it.”

The FDA is expected to issue final rules in coming days for issuing an emergency-use authorization for a coronavirus vaccine. Companies including Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc have vaccine candidates in late-stage trials. Some of the studies could produce data on their efficacy as soon as October.

Consumer Giants Push for Seafarers to Get Off Ships (Sept. 23, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Unilever Plc and Procter & Gamble Co. are among consumer companies urging world leaders to resolve the plight of more than 300,000 seafarers stuck on commercial vessels, where forced labor and deteriorating working conditions threaten to disrupt the global supply chain, according to Bloomberg.

Chief executives of household consumer brands, from retailer Carrefour SA to food manufacturer Mondelez International Inc. and beverage maker Heineken NV, have signed an open letter calling for measures to allow more crew changes at ports, ensure the safety of overworked seafarers and make sure supply chains don’t use forced labor.

The letter, which was sent to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Wednesday before a General Assembly web conference on seafarers, is the latest call to address a growing humanitarian crisis at sea brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic as cautious governments restrict access to borders and air travel remains curbed. The call to action by more than two dozen CEOs — members of the powerful Consumer Goods Forum that represents 400 of the biggest consumer retailers, manufacturers and service providers — is one of the strongest appeals by business titans to draw attention to the seafarer crisis.

“We are coming to a tipping point if we don’t resolve the issue of crew changes,” Marc Engel, chief supply chain officer at Unilever, which spearheaded the letter, said in an interview. “There’s a huge risk that the global supply chain will start failing. It’s an inadvertent situation of forced labor because these seafarers are stuck on these ships. It’s a human rights issue.”

U.K.’s Sunak Cancels Fall Budget (Sept. 23, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak canceled his planned fall budget and prepared to set out a fresh round of job-support measures as the coronavirus pandemic worsens.

Sunak will announce his blueprint to protect jobs from the economic fallout from COVID-19 in a statement to the U.K. Parliament on Thursday, Bloomberg reported, days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed new restrictions on the British public to bring the resurgent virus outbreak under control.

Walmart Plans to Hire 20,000 Holiday Staff (Sept. 23, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Walmart Inc. will recruit more than 20,000 workers ahead of the U.S. holidays to prepare for an expected surge in online shopping amid the pandemic, its first large seasonal hiring in five years, Bloomberg reported.

The world’s biggest retailer is readying itself for a holiday e-commerce battle with Amazon.com Inc. by bringing on more seasonal staff to handle online orders at its U.S. distribution centers. Walmart has already hired more than 500,000 employees since March across its stores and supply chain. 

“Over the past six months, our customers have been shopping differently,” said Scott McCall, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer of Walmart’s U.S. operations. “We expect that will continue into the most important shopping season of the year — the holidays.”

Airlines Plead for Mandatory Tests to Lift Demand (Sept. 22, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The International Air Transport Association says universal coronavirus tests for departing passengers offer the only realistic hope of reviving demand for flights in the absence of a vaccine, according to Bloomberg. 

The 100% adoption of rapid antigen tests, which should be available next month, would remove any need for quarantines that are currently “killing” the market, IATA chief Alexandre de Juniac said.

U.K.’s Johnson Imposes Restrictions (Sept. 22, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Boris Johnson told Britons to work from home when possible and ordered pubs and restaurants to close early as he sought to stamp out a resurgence of coronavirus in the weeks ahead, Bloomberg reported.

Under the new measures for England, which are likely to last six months, face coverings will become mandatory for passengers traveling in taxis and workers in the hospitality and retail sectors, with tougher fines for people failing to wear masks. Similar steps are being taken in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Shippers to Pay More for Cargo in 2021, Freight Broker Says (Sept. 22, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Shippers will probably pay more for freight heading into 2021 after the pandemic lockdown drove many small truckers out of business and cargo demand rebounds faster than the economy, according to Bloomberg.

Demand for cargo shipping plunged in March when schools and offices closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, sending many drivers to seek jobs in the construction industry, said Bob Biesterfeld, CEO of freight broker C.H. Robinson. The company has almost $20 billion of freight under management and contracts with 78,000 trucking companies.

The driver exodus has reduced truck capacity just as retailers begin restocking and freight demand snaps back, Biesterfeld said. Meanwhile, air-freight capacity remains constrained.

“There’s going to be demand coming online that I believe will continue to drive market tightness and pricing inflation,” he said. On top of that, at some point there will be the need for distribution of a vaccine “like we’ve never seen before, and that will clearly create some logistics bottlenecks as well.”

U.K. Bars and Restaurants Face Crackdown (Sept. 21, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Boris Johnson will announce new restrictions on bars and restaurants and appeal directly to Britons for their support as he seeks to halt a surge in coronavirus cases, Bloomberg reported.

Hospitality venues across England will have to close by 10 p.m. and will be limited to table service only in measures to be announced Tuesday, the prime minister’s office said.

Johnson will consult with senior officials and the leaders of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at a meeting of the so-called Cobra emergency committee in the morning before briefing Parliament on further curbs. He will then make a broadcast to the nation at 8 p.m.

India May Have Vaccine Next Year, Scientist Says (Sept. 21, 5:00 p.m. ET)

India may have a vaccine for the coronavirus ready by early 2021 but rolling it out safely across 1.3 billion people will be the country’s biggest challenge in fighting its epidemic, according to Bloomberg.

India currently has no local infrastructure in place to go beyond immunizing babies and pregnant women, said Gagandeep Kang, professor of microbiology at the Vellore-based Christian Medical College and a member of the WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, who until July was heading the Indian government committee looking into prospective indigenous vaccine candidates.

Oil Falls 5% as Economic Outlook Dims (Sept. 21, 9:00 a.m. ET)

Oil prices plunged about 5% on Monday, weakening as rising coronavirus cases stoked worries about global demand, and a potential return of Libyan production bolstered oversupply fears, Reuters reported.

Crude oil followed other equities and commodities markets in turning risk-averse on Monday as rising COVID-19 infection rates in Europe and other countries prompted renewed lockdown measures, casting doubt over economic recovery.

“We’re seeing more depressing news on jet fuel demand,” said Gary Cunningham, director of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. “We’re looking for a much softer market. The economic picture doesn’t look as rosy as it did before.”

U.K. GDP Faces $14 Billion Impact From Closed U.S. Air Links (Sept. 20, 8:00 p.m. ET)

The closure of passenger air links between the U.S. and the U.K. will strip at least 11 billion pounds ($14.21 billion) off U.K. gross domestic product in 2020, according to a report commissioned by British Airways’ parent IAG SA, London’s Heathrow Airport, the Airlines U.K trade group and airport services firm Collinson Group.

The authors called for the creation of city or state-based travel corridors between the U.S. and the U.K. as well as airport testing for COVID-19. Keeping the routes closed will cost the U.K. economy 32 million pounds a day by the beginning of October, Bloomberg reported.

China Finds Virus in Russian Frozen Squid Packaging (Sept. 20, 10:00 a.m. ET)

China’s northeastern city of Changchun found coronavirus particles on the packaging of frozen squid tentacles from Russia, Bloomberg reported.

Authorities reminded residents to be cautious in importing frozen seafood. Meanwhile China reported 12 new cases for September 20, all of which were imported.

U.K. Needs Tech Revolution, Says Bank of England’s Chief Economist (Sept. 20, 8:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. government must take action to spur a technological revolution that will create a “faster and smarter” economy and equip companies for the post-pandemic world, according to Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane.

The U.K.’s recovery in July was “further and faster” than expected, but a whole new raft of measures are needed, including tax incentives and access to funding, to help millions of businesses adapt, Haldane wrote in a joint paper with former John Lewis Partnership Chairman Charlie Mayfield for the The Mail on Sunday.

The rare policy recommendation comes just weeks before Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveils his budget and spending review to save jobs and pump new life into the coronavirus-battered economy, Bloomberg reported.

White House Cites $25 Billion for Airlines (Sept. 17, 3:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump would support narrow legislation to provide more financial aid to airlines, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Thursday after meeting with industry executives.

Meadows said the industry needs $25 billion, and that as many as 50,000 jobs are at risk, Bloomberg reported. Airlines have warned that they plan mass reductions after an existing federal prohibition on job cuts expires at the close of business on Sept. 30.

U.K. Test Demand Is Outstripping Capacity (Sept. 17, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Demand for coronavirus tests is significantly outstripping the capacity available, according to Bloomberg.

The number of people calling the COVID-19 phone helpline and visiting the government website totaled three to four times the number of tests, Dido Harding, head of the National Health Service Test and Trace program, told the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on Thursday.

Harding was giving evidence as the government’s testing program comes under increasing pressure to deal with a surge in demand following the return of children to school and as people head back to work. To compound matters, cases are rising exponentially again after falling off over the summer.

U.S. Jobless Claims Resume Drop (Sept. 17, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits resumed its decline, signaling a gradual improvement in the battered labor market, Bloomberg reported.

Jobless claims in regular state programs decreased by 33,000 to 860,000 in the week ended Sept. 12, which coincides with the reference period for the government’s monthly jobs report, according to Labor Department figures released Thursday. Continuing claims, the total number of Americans on state benefit rolls, fell by almost 1 million, to 12.6 million, in the week ended Sept. 5.

U.S. Vaccines to Ship Within 24 Hours of Approval (Sept. 16, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Preparations are underway to ensure that vaccines against COVID-19 will be shipped to administration sites within 24 hours of clearance by U.S. regulators, Bloomberg reported. Federal officials issued guidance to states Wednesday that are designed to speed the path of coronavirus shots to the population, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield said in a press conference.

Hundreds of thousands of doses of various candidates, funded by the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed program, have already been produced in hope that one or more will prove successful in the clinic. State officials have indicated that they want to make sure that the shots are fully tested and deemed safe and effective before they’re used widely.

Glut of Diesel at Sea Is Rising (Sept. 16, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Big oil traders are rushing to book tankers with a view to storing a glut of refined petroleum like diesel and jet fuel on the world’s oceans, according to Bloomberg.

The bookings come amid a resurgence in the number of new coronavirus cases which the International Energy Agency and OPEC expect will hit oil demand, serving as a reminder of chronic oversupply that led to traders storing millions of barrels of excess crude and fuels on tankers earlier in the year.

FDA Releases Test Data (Sept. 15, 9:30 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released performance data late Tuesday for a slew of COVID-19 diagnostic tests, in an effort to help doctors, labs and patients evaluate competing products, Bloomberg reported. There are more than 100 tests on the market for COVID-19. Since the early days of the pandemic, when tests were in short supply in the U.S., companies have rushed to fill the gap with a range of screening options.

Japan Trade Picks Up (Sept. 15, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Japan’s exports fell in August at the slowest pace in five months as the virus receded in key markets and demand continued to pick up, Bloomberg reported. The value of Japan’s overseas shipments declined 14.8% from a year earlier, easing from a 19.2% drop in July.

Yoshihide Suga, who is set to take over as Japan’s prime minister on Wednesday, faces the challenge of trying to revive the economy after it shrank by a record last quarter. His success will depend a lot on exports, a key driver of Japanese growth.

FedEx Logs Record Revenue on Surge in Packages (Sept. 15, 7:00 p.m. ET)

FedEx Corp. posted the highest quarterly revenue in its history as the pandemic spurred residential-shipment levels normally seen during the holiday season, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The delivery company shipped 31% more packages a day through its Ground network during the summer months. The extra cargo boosted profit more than 60% for the three months ended Aug. 31.

FedEx expects the trend to stick. It now projects an average of 100 million parcels will be shipped daily in the U.S. across all carriers sometime in 2023, compared with its previous forecast of hitting that milestone in 2026.

Brazil Coffee Storage Nears Maximum Capacity (Sept. 15, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Brazil is running out of space to store its coffee, according to Bloomberg, with trucks waiting days to unload even as warehouses across the country run overtime.

The crunch comes after farmers — encouraged by higher prices in local currency — sold most of this year’s harvest just as the pandemic shuttered restaurants, coffee shops and cafeterias across the globe, curbing consumption.

Demand for coffee remains weak, and speculation is that private warehouses are full even in the U.S., said Nick Gentile, managing partner for New York-based NickJen Capital Management. Global stockpiles will climb 18% in 2020-21 to a six-year high, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

U.K. Closes Testing Site to Clear Space for Brexit Checks (Sept. 15, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Boris Johnson’s government closed a coronavirus testing facility so the site can be made available to handle customs checks after the U.K. leaves the European Union’s single market and customs union, Bloomberg reported.

“The regional testing site at Ebbsfleet has ceased operations,” the Cabinet Office said in a statement. “Final decisions on inland sites will not be made until we have established the extent of new infrastructure that will be delivered at ports.”

The relocation of the facility, to a new site at Rochester, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the east, comes at a critical time for the government, which has faced shortages in its virus testing as new cases surge.

Amazon to Hire 100,000 in U.S. and Canada (Sept. 14, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com Inc. plans to hire 100,000 new warehouse employees in the U.S. and Canada, continuing a rapid expansion that began as the pandemic fueled robust online spending, The Wall Street Journal reported. The positions are all nonseasonal.

Amazon added 175,000 warehouse workers in March and April, 125,000 of whom it said it would keep. Last week, the company said it was in the process of filling 33,000 corporate positions.

Economic Recovery Could Be Derailed, JPMorgan Says (Sept. 14, 4:00 p.m. ET)

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said the economic recovery from the coronavirus recession could be derailed by a lack of additional economic stimulus, the election and a second wave of infections, according to Reuters.

Earlier government stimulus had delayed the full effects of the recession, and consumers are spending less, Dimon said. Based on JPMorgan’s data, it is unclear if that trend is getting better or worse.

BP Says Era of Oil-Demand Growth Is Over (Sept. 13, 8:30 p.m. ET)

BP Plc said the relentless growth of oil demand is over, becoming the first supermajor to call the end of an era many thought would last another decade or more, Bloomberg reported.

Oil consumption may never return to levels seen before the coronavirus crisis took hold, BP said in a new report. Even its most bullish scenario sees demand no better than “broadly flat” for the next two decades as the energy transition shifts the world away from fossil fuels.

BP’s energy outlook shows consumption slumping 50% by 2050 in one scenario, and by almost 80% in another. In a “business-as-usual” situation, demand would recover but then flatline near 100 million barrels a day for the next 20 years.

U.K. Job Cuts Set to Double Last Recession (Sept. 13, 8:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. will see around 450,000 job losses in the coming months — more than twice as many than in the recession following the financial crisis, according to analysis by the Institute for Employment Studies. That was based on notifications to the government’s Insolvency Service, which employers are legally required to file if they plan to cut at least 20 positions, Bloomberg reported.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing growing calls from industry groups and fellow lawmakers to extend the furlough program, under which the government has paid as much as 80% of the wages of some 9.6 million workers. It is due to be wound down altogether at the end of next month.

Pfizer CEO Predicts Vaccine By Year’s End (Sept. 13, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said it’s “likely” the U.S. will deploy a COVID-19 vaccine to the public before year-end and that the company is prepared for that scenario, pushing back against more tepid expectations shared by health authorities.

Bourla said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he’s “quite comfortable” that the vaccine the company is developing in partnership with BioNTech SE is safe and that it could be available to Americans before 2021, contingent on an approval from U.S. regulators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“I cannot say what the FDA will do,” Bourla said. “But I think it’s a likely scenario, and we are preparing for it.”

Second Meatpacker Fined After Deadly Outbreak (Sept. 12, 2:00 p.m. ET)

JBS Foods Inc., the world’s largest meat producer, was issued a $15,615 fine for failing to protect staff from the coronavirus in a Colorado facility where six workers have reportedly died, Bloomberg reported.

The fine from the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration came one day after U.S. regulators issued a penalty of $13,494 for a similar infraction by Smithfield Foods Inc., the first sanction against a meatpacker connected with a deadly COVID-19 outbreak.

The fine levied against Smithfield drew outrage as inadequate from two senators, a former safety official and a major national union. OSHA said it was the maximum allowed by law.

VMware, Twitter Cut Pay for Remote Workers Fleeing Bay Area (Sept. 11, 4:00 p.m. ET)

VMware Inc. employees who take up the company’s offer to become permanent remote workers will get a pay cut if they move from Silicon Valley, one of the nation’s most costly areas to live, to a less-expensive city.

The software maker has joined technology companies such as Facebook Inc.and Twitter Inc. in letting some of its office staff choose to permanently work from home in the wake of the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. But employees who worked at VMware’s Palo Alto, California, headquarters and go to Denver, for example, must accept an 18% salary reduction, people familiar with the matter said. Leaving Silicon Valley for Los Angeles or San Diego means relinquishing 8% of their annual pay, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal policies.

Facebook and Twitter are among the other technology companies that have put in place or are considering similar pay policies.

Fine on Meatpacking Plant Called ‘Paltry’ (Sept. 10, 7:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. regulators issued their first sanction against a meatpacker connected with a deadly COVID-19 outbreak: a $13,494 fine against Smithfield Foods Inc. that drew criticism as inadequate from at least one senator, a former safety official and a major national union, according to Bloomberg.

Nearly 1,300 workers at Smithfield’s Sioux Falls, South Dakota, plant tested positive for the virus, 43 were hospitalized and four died between March 22 and June 16, according to inspection documents. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a statement that the fine was the maximum allowed by law. Smithfield is owned by the Hong Kong-based WH Group Ltd.

The meatpacking industry was an early epicenter of coronavirus as the disease rapidly spread among its often poorly paid immigrant employees working in close quarters. In a tweet, Democratic Senator Cory Booker, one of several who highlighted the toll the pandemic has taken on frontline workers, called the fine “paltry.”

FDA Sets Higher Bar for Vaccine Clearance (Sept. 10, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Drugmakers seeking an emergency authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine will have to meet a higher standard of efficacy than normally would be required for such a clearance, Bloomberg reported.

Typically, an emergency use authorization, or EUA, would require a company to show their product may be effective. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s biologics office, said Thursday that the agency will require more robust data about how well a coronavirus vaccine works before granting an emergency waiver — something he called “EUA plus.”

The medical community has raised concerns about allowing a vaccine on the market under emergency authorization, rather than the regular FDA approval process, particularly given President Trump’s push to have a shot available by the Nov. 3 election.

West Coast Imports Surge (Sept. 10, 3:00 p.m. ET)

A crush of goods coming into West Coast seaports is straining capacity at the gateways and on key inland distribution lanes, raising shipping prices for retailers and complicating efforts to replenish inventories following the pandemic’s supply-chain upheaval, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Freight railroads and trucking companies that sharply reduced their operations in the spring are now struggling to get workers and equipment in place to handle the surge. Trucking companies are asking if anyone has additional drivers that can sub-haul for them, while the movement of containers between the ports and nearby distribution centers has slowed.

Democrats Block Senate Republicans’ Stimulus Bill (Sept. 10, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Senate Democrats blocked a narrowly tailored pandemic relief plan proposed by Republicans, contending the measure was too meager a response given the damage that COVID-19 continues to wreak on the U.S. economy, Bloomberg reported.

The Senate’s vote in favor of the bill was short of the 60 needed to advance the legislation for floor debate, leaving Congress at an impasse just weeks before lawmakers return home to campaign in the pivotal fall elections.

Estimated at roughly $500 billion to $700 billion, the package was less than the Republicans’ own $1 trillion plan from July, intended to target the most pressing areas for help — revived supplemental unemployment insurance benefits and extended aid for small business, in particular. The bill was a fraction of the $2.2 trillion backed by Democrats.

One in Five U.K. Firms Can Barely Cover Debt-Interest Payments (Sept. 9, 8:00 p.m. ET)

One in five U.K. companies is a “zombie,” with profits only just covering coronavirus debt interest payments, according to a report by Conservative think tank Onward. If Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak does not relax the rules on repayment, the post-pandemic economic recovery will be hampered by “crippling levels of corporate debt,” Bloomberg reported.

Borrowing taken on since the Covid lockdown began in March threatens to push 4.3% of companies, employing 1.8 million people, into technical insolvency, and if dissolved, they wouldn’t have assets to cover their liabilities, according to the study.

Mexico Inflation Doubles Amid Virus (Sept. 9, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Nowhere in Latin America has inflation accelerated so much since the pandemic hit as in Mexico, where supply chain problems and a weaker currency are offsetting the price impact of plunging consumption, according to Bloomberg.

Mexico’s consumer prices rose 4.05% in August from a year ago, nearly twice as much as the 2.15% rate recorded in April and above the upper limit of the central bank’s target for the first time in 15 months. By contrast, inflation has been contained at 2.4% in Brazil and is slowing in most of the region — even in Argentina, where it remains close to 40% a year.

“In Mexico the negative supply shock from Covid is dominating the negative demand shock and inflation keeps increasing,” said Carlos Capistran, an economist at Bank of America.

China’s Building Binge Leads to Cheap Steel (Sept. 9, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Chinese steel output has busted records by topping 90 million tons in each of the last three months, Bloomberg reported. China typically accounts for about half the world’s steel, but in April that rose to 62% of the total. In June, it became a net importer of the metal for the first time in over a decade.

The industry has benefited more than most as its economy takes the lead in emerging from the coronavirus-crisis and supply is hard-pressed to keep up with demand. 

“Chinese steel companies are on our watch list,” said Jiahe Chen, chief investment officer at Novem Arcae Technologies Co. “First of all, it isn’t a hot sector, which means we can buy at a very cheap price. Leading mills are very competitive as they are based on a huge Chinese market.”

Airbus Beats Boeing on Deliveries (Sept. 8, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Airbus SE delivered 39 jets last month while avoiding order cancellations as it battles to keep revenues flowing, Bloomberg reported. August handovers comprised 35 A320-series narrow-body planes and four twin-aisle jets, with the overall tally down 10 from the July figure, the company said.

Boeing Co. said earlier that it delivered 13 planes in August, in an update overshadowed by news that handovers of the 787 Dreamliner are to be slowed for checks for a manufacturing flaw involving gaps in the plane’s horizontal stabilizer that are wider than specified.

Even without the Dreamliner setback, Airbus has been ahead of its rival in riding out the pandemic, as Boeing continues to wrestle with the grounding of its 737 Max short-haul plane following two deadly crashes. The European company has generally managed to persuade airlines including EasyJet Plc and Qatar Airways to defer deliveries rather than cancel deals outright.

Drugmakers Join to Pledge No Safety Shortcuts (Sept. 8, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Drugmakers racing to produce COVID-19 vaccines pledged to avoid shortcuts on science as they face pressure to rush a shot to market, Bloomberg reported.

In an unusual public letter, the companies agreed to submit the vaccines for clearance only when they’re shown to be safe and effective in large clinical studies. The chief executive officers of nine frontrunners in the push for a coronavirus inoculation signed the pledge: AstraZeneca Plc, BioNTech SE, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Moderna Inc., Novavax Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi.

EU Nears Vaccine-Supply Deal With BioNTech (Sept. 7, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The European Commission said it is close to reaching an agreement with BioNTech SE on the supply of any successful COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg reported. “We are almost there,” Sandra Gallina, a senior health official at the commission, the 27-nation European Union’s executive arm, told a European Parliament committee on Monday in Brussels.

Gallina also said the EU expects to receive some doses by the end of the year, citing vaccines being developed by AstraZeneca Plc, Moderna Inc. and BioNTech.

U.K. Manufacturers Seek Longer Furlough (Sept. 7, 10:00 a.m. ET)

U.K. manufacturers called on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to extend his flagship furlough program amid warnings that almost a third of companies plan to cut jobs in the next six months, Bloomberg reported.

A survey of 226 employers by industry group MakeUK found 62% want the program, under which the Treasury has paid as much as 80% of wages, to be extended beyond the end of October. With 30% of respondents saying they intend to cut workers, extension of the plan could avert a “wave of redundancies,” the group said.

With Germany extending its equivalent program until the end of 2021, and France also considering an extension, Sunak has come under pressure to continue to subsidize wages beyond Oct. 31, when the program is scheduled to end.

Railcar Makers Cut Costs (Sept. 6, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Finance chiefs at railcar companies have been forced to reduce spending in response to a drop-off in demand, which began before the pandemic amid global trade tensions and has been compounded by virus-related shutdowns, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Trinity Industries Inc., a Dallas-based manufacturer and lessor, is looking at ways to outsource the making of railcars so it can reduce labor costs permanently, and protect the company from future fluctuations in demand. Portland, Ore.-based railcar maker Greenbrier Companies Inc. has eliminated 40% of its North American workforce — about 5,300 employees — and closed down 11 rail production lines during the past nine months. 

Total North American carloads this year — a measure of how many times railcars are used to transport a commodity — fell 11% through August compared with the same period last year, due in part to lower demand for transporting coal and motor vehicles, according to data from the Association of American Railroads. 

Vaccine Makers Plan Public Stance to Counter FDA Pressure (Sept. 4, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Drugmakers are planning a public pledge to not send any COVID-19 vaccine to the FDA for review without extensive safety and efficacy data, according to Bloomberg. The joint stance is seen as a bulwark against political pressure being applied on the Food and Drug Administration to get a vaccine out as soon as possible. 

The plans, which could still change, were described by people involved in the effort on condition of anonymity. The companies involved in the discussions include Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc., Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Sanofi and possibly others. 

Container Volumes Shipped to U.S. Surge (Sept. 4, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Container imports are flowing back into the U.S. after a six-month hiatus, with U.S. retailers now stocking up before the holiday season, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Capacity from Asia to the U.S. West Coast is 25% higher than it was in May and around 7% on year, according to Braemar ACM Shipbroking. 

August “will more than likely be” the best August in the history of the Port of Los Angeles, the largest U.S. gateway for seaborne container imports. Vessel bookings for the coming weeks suggest September will be strong as well.

U.S. Job Market Recovery Continues (Sept. 4, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.S. labor-market rebound extended for a fourth month in August, offering hope that the economy can recover despite a persistent pandemic and Washington’s standoff over further government aid to jobless Americans and small businesses, Bloomberg reported.

Non-farm payrolls increased by 1.37 million, including the hiring of 238,000 temporary Census workers, according to a Labor Department report. The unemployment rate fell by more than expected, by almost 2 percentage points, to 8.4%.

Truckers Are Seeing Growing Freight Volumes (Sept. 3, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Trucking companies are reporting stronger freight demand as retailers and manufacturers move to restock depleted inventories, in a sign of strengthening corporate confidence in the U.S. economy, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. and Saia Inc. both said this week that tonnage on their trucks was up in the first weeks of the third quarter, while tight capacity and improving demand are driving prices on trucking’s spot markets to their highest levels of the year.

“Between strong consumer demand … and a manufacturing pause, it appears the U.S. is really light on inventory and retailers/manufacturers are rushing to get products on shelves,” Citi analyst Christian Wetherbee wrote.

Vaccine Frontrunners Will Soon Share Results (Sept. 3, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The first results showing whether a vaccine can stop people from getting the coronavirus could come by mid-September from AstraZeneca Plc, Bloomberg reported. The drugmaker has pledged as many as 30 million doses to the U.K. by the end of the month.

Two other contenders — the U.S.’s Moderna Inc. and the U.S.-German partnership of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE — may also have initial data before a key Food and Drug Administration meeting on virus vaccines scheduled for Oct. 22. A fourth candidate, China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd., could have preliminary results shortly after the FDA meeting.

Europe to Cut Reliance on Imported Raw Materials (Sept. 3, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The European Commission vowed to create a raw-materials alliance by the end of the year in a bid to “increase EU resilience in the rare earth and magnet value chains,” Bloomberg reported, saying supply-chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak bolster the need for more self-sufficiency.

The commission said the alliance would expand its remit over time to address other critical raw-material and base-metal needs.

“We cannot afford to rely entirely on third countries,” European Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a statement on Thursday. “By diversifying the supply from third countries and developing the EU’s own capacity for extraction, processing, recycling, refining and separation of rare earths, we can become more resilient and sustainable.”

The pandemic is giving political impetus in Europe to a more active industrial policy. This has long been a sensitive subject in the EU because of a traditional split between northern governments with a free-market bent, and southern ones with interventionist inclinations.

CDC to States: Get Ready for Vaccine (Sept. 2, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told states to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready by Nov. 1 and asked them to remove obstacles that would prevent distribution sites from opening, according to Bloomberg.

The CDC in early August told states to assume for planning that “limited doses” of a vaccine could be available in fall. The new Aug. 27 letter, first reported by the news organization McClatchy, sets the stage for a broader rollout. 

Maersk Plans Restructuring Affecting Thousands of Jobs (Sept. 2, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S is planning a major overhaul of its organization that is set to affect about 27,000 jobs — of which a “small number” will be direct cuts, Bloomberg reported.

Maersk said its Safmarine and Damco units will cease to exist as separate entities and instead be incorporated into the group. Hamburg Sud and Alianca will remain independent brands.

The new organizational structure will provide its clients with a “more seamless experience across your supply chain,” Maersk said. 

The shipping giant, which transports about 15% of the globe’s seaborne freight, is adapting its business to a world in which a pandemic and ongoing trade tensions are threatening demand for its services. The company said last month it went into the COVID-19 crisis with a plan to accelerate costs cuts, to help it weather the headwinds it was facing.

U.S. Plans to Ship Abbott Tests to States (Sept. 1, 4:00 p.m. ET)

After purchasing 150 million new rapid Covid tests from Abbott Laboratories, the U.S. government plans to distribute “the overwhelming majority” to states, Bloomberg reported.

Governors will be able to use the tests to help reopen schools and protect first responders, said Brett Giroir, a top Trump administration official overseeing testing. Distribution is to begin in mid-September, with states coping with natural disasters, such as Louisiana in the midst of hurricane season, first in line, he said.

Most will be shipped to governors, who can allot them “according to their distribution plans,” Giroir said. “We fully, fully want to support them in that.”

U.S. Won’t Join WHO-Backed Vaccine Effort (Sept. 1, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The Trump administration won’t join a global effort to develop, manufacture and equitably distribute a coronavirus vaccine, in part because the World Health Organization is involved, The Washington Post reported.

The plan, co-led by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, was of interest to some members of the Trump administration and is backed by traditional U.S. allies, including Japan, Germany and the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, according to the newspaper.

But the U.S. won’t participate, in part because the White House doesn’t want to work with the WHO, which President Trump has criticized over what he characterized as its “China-centric” response to the pandemic, the Post said.

Global Trade Recovering Faster Than Post-2008 Crisis (Aug. 31, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Global trade is on course to recover more quickly from the coronavirus pandemic than after the 2008 financial crisis, according to Bloomberg. Shipping volumes are already back at levels that took more than a year to reach following the collapse of Lehman Brothers — hinting at a V-shaped recovery — says Gabriel Felbermayr, president of Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Trade has seen a “deep slump and a quick rebound,” Felbermayr said. “The current situation is significantly better” than a decade ago.

EU Pledges 400 Million Euros to Covax Program (Aug. 31, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The European Commission will contribute 400 million euros ($478 million) to the Covax Facility to secure COVID-19 shots and ensure equitable access to them around the world, according to a statement. Covax was established by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations; and the World Health Organization.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the contribution would benefit low- and middle-income countries but did not specify which. The European Union’s participation in the Covax program is “complementary to ongoing EU negotiations with vaccine companies that aim at scaling up manufacturing capacity,” the commission said.

Canada Unveils Vaccine Deals with Novavax, J&J (Aug. 31, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Canada has agreed to buy more than 100 million COVID-19 vaccines from Novavax Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, Bloomberg reported.

The deals add procurement agreements with Pfizer Inc. for at least 20 million doses and with Moderna Inc. for as many as 56 million doses.

“It is possible that there is a breakthrough soon that will allow us to get a vaccine more quickly, but we don’t know where or if that breakthrough will come,” Prime Minister Trudeau said. “That’s why the government of Canada has moved forward on signing agreements with a broad range of vaccine developers.”

FDA Head Pledges Transparent Vaccine Review (Aug. 30, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration promised that the review of a potential COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. will be transparent to the public — with any clearance by the agency driven by data alone, Bloomberg reported.

“We’ve said all along we’re not going to pre-judge what mechanism we’re going to use to authorize or approve a vaccine,” Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in an interview. “We’re going to let the data dictate that.”

Hahn apologized last week for overstating the benefits of blood plasma-based therapy during a news conference with President Trump.

American Air Cuts October Capacity 55% (Aug. 30, 12:00 p.m. ET)

American Airlines Group Inc. will drop October flying capacity 55% from a year earlier, Bloomberg reported. The airline is trimming operations during the industry’s slowest period, after families normally end summer vacations and business travel picks up. 

American said earlier this month that it will end service to 15 cities on Oct. 7, heralding possible similar reductions by other carriers if the government doesn’t provide additional financial aid. Airlines that accepted a first round of federal assistance to help cover payroll costs had to agree to continue flying to all locations they were serving as of March 1. While the Transportation Department later authorized a halt to some flights because of sustained low demand, the broader restrictions are set to expire Oct. 1.

Postmaster General Focused Too Narrowly on Trucking, Experts Say (Aug. 27, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Logistics experts say Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s recent drive to make the U.S. Postal Service’s operations more efficient appeared to overlook the impact on mail delivery at a time of considerable upheaval and growing demands on services, The Wall Street Journal reported.

DeJoy’s push to keep trucks closely on schedules, for example, likely conflicted with demands from surging parcel volumes and labor shortages due to COVID-19 that have weighed on service during the coronavirus pandemic, those experts said.

“If packages are way up and you’ve got all this disruption and change, having mail leave on time and not sending them [trucks] on extra trips was clearly going to delay mail,” said Robert Fisher, a former senior operations executive at the USPS headquarters.

Postal worker unions say the stricter transportation schedule has led to backlogs at processing plants and slowdowns in mail delivery.

U.S. to Buy 150 Million Abbott Tests This Year (Aug. 27, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. government will acquire almost all of the 15-minute Covid tests Abbott Laboratories plans to produce this year after the company was granted emergency approval for use of the test, according to Bloomberg.

The government will pay $750 million for 150 million tests, said people familiar with the deal. Approval for the test came on Wednesday, and analysts quickly agreed the new assay — which works without relying on laboratory equipment — could help ease delays that have crimped much of the nation’s testing capacity.

U.S. Jobless Claims Decline (Aug. 27, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs fell by 98,000 to 1.01 million last week, suggesting the labor market’s gradual recovery is back on track, Bloomberg reported. At the same time, claims remain far above pre-pandemic levels, and risks to further improvement include lawmakers’ failure to extend support for cash-strapped companies and jobless Americans.

U.K. Business Chief Warns Worse May Still Come (Aug. 27, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. is still in the eye of the coronavirus storm and more challenging times may yet follow, according to Bloomberg. The country faces a moment of renewed danger as the winding down of support measures threatens to coincide with a potential winter resurgence of the virus, said Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chamber of Commerce, who urged the government to take further steps to support corporate Britain.

In a separate warning, the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply said many U.K. companies are not preparing for Brexit because the pandemic has depleted their cash reserves.

California Plans Site to More Than Double Testing (Aug. 26, 5:00 p.m. ET)

California is working with PerkinElmer Inc. to build a laboratory testing site with a full supply chain that will enable the state to add as many as 150,000 tests per day, more than doubling its current capacity, Governor Gavin Newsom said at a press briefing.

The agreement comes with a guarantee that tests will have a 24- to 48-hour turnaround time, helping California vastly improve its processing from the current average turnaround of five to seven days, he said. The state has identified a site and “will be moving forward very very quickly,” Newsom said.

World Economic Forum Rescheduled (Aug. 26, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The WEF will move its annual meeting, normally held each January in the Swiss ski town of Davos, to early summer, Bloomberg reported. While convening to discuss economic challenges was urgent, “the advice from experts is that we cannot do so safely in January,” the organization said.

Thailand Turns to Road and Rail Spending to Prop Up Economy (Aug. 25, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Thailand’s Transport Ministry plans to accelerate spending on roads and rail projects in the fiscal year starting in October to aid an economy hammered by a slump in exports and tourism, according to Bloomberg.

Key programs include expansion of Bangkok’s mass-transit network and expressways linking several nearby provinces and the nation’s eastern seaboard to Bangkok, as about half of Thailand’s gross domestic product comes from the capital city though it has less than a 10th of the nation’s population.

Also high on the government’s transport agenda is a highway network connecting neighboring countries and a high-speed rail that goes through neighboring countries to China.

GM White-Collar Staff to Make In-Demand Pickups (Aug. 25, 5:00 p.m. ET)

General Motors Co. is using salaried staff for assembly-line work at its Missouri truck plant to cope with high absenteeism and strong demand for the pickups made at the factory, Bloomberg reported. The decision to put white-collar employees on the production floor is a temporary move as GM shifts unionized hourly workers from other plants to its Wentzville, Missouri, factory, which makes the popular mid-sized Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks.

A faster-than-expected sales rebound after an industry-wide shutdown this spring is pushing GM and other automakers to ramp up output, but that recovery has been slowed by social-distancing protocols, supply-chain constraints and elevated worker absences.

An uptick of COVID-19 infections in the community near St. Louis is exacerbating absenteeism as Wentzville tries to replenish inventories of pickups, said Jim Cain, a company spokesman. A few dozen salaried staff have volunteered for at least one week on the assembly line.

VW Offers Virus Testing in Germany (Aug. 25, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Volkswagen AG is installing facilities for voluntary COVID-19 tests at sites across Germany, stepping up efforts to protect its sprawling industrial operations as infection rates rise across Europe, Bloomberg reported.

The carmaker will be able to handle as many as 2,400 tests per day in Wolfsburg, the home of its headquarters and largest factory. Results will be available within 24 hours, says Gunnar Kilian, VW’s personnel chief.

American Air Sees 19,000 Job Cuts (Aug. 25, 12:00 p.m. ET)

American Airlines Group Inc. will cut 19,000 workers once federal payroll aid expires Oct. 1, Bloomberg reported, capping a 30% workforce reduction since the coronavirus pandemic began to torpedo travel demand.

About 17,500 employees will be furloughed, meaning they are eligible to be called back when conditions improve, and 1,500 previously announced cuts to management staff will take effect — bringing its total pandemic cuts to 40,000 positions. American is the first major carrier to disclose how much it will shrink operations as it adjusts to passenger numbers that are down 70% from last year.

CEOs Speed Up Digital Push, Downsize Offices (Aug. 24, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Companies around the world have moved more of their operations online, plan to reduce office space and have made recruiting and retaining staff their top priority since the pandemic struck, according to Reuters.

A survey from accounting firm KPMG showed 80% of business leaders had accelerated their digital expansion plans during the lockdown as they adjusted to staff working remotely and dealing with customers online.

There was uncertainty about the eventual scale of the shift away from shared workspaces in favor of working from home, but 69% were planning to cut their office space in the short term.

Delta Set to Furlough Over 1,900 Pilots in October (Aug. 24, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Delta Air Lines plans to furlough 1,941 pilots in October, Reuters reported — reducing the number from 2,558 following early retirement and voluntary departure programs. 

“We are six months into this pandemic and only 25% of our revenues have been recovered. Unfortunately, we see few catalysts over the next six months to meaningful change this trajectory,” said head of flight operations John Laughter.

U.S. airlines have warned they will need to furlough tens of thousands of workers once $25 billion in U.S. government stimulus funds run out in September. 

Moderna Nears Deal to Supply EU With Vaccine (Aug. 24, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. said it plans to provide 80 million doses of its experimental coronavirus shot to the EU. The U.S. biotech company has finished talks with the European Commission over a potential agreement, which includes an option for EU member states to purchase an additional 80 million doses, according to Bloomberg.

China Grants Vaccine Emergency Use for Frontline Workers (Aug. 23, 12:00 p.m. ET)

China has granted approval for the emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine for “special groups” that include medical workers and border-check officials, Bloomberg reported. The purpose is to build an immune barrier among frontline workers to guarantee stability in urban operations, according to China National Biotec Group, the state-owned firm now conducting late stage trials for two inactivated vaccines.

China’s drug regulator yet to approve a coronavirus vaccine. The National Medical Products Administration stipulated in a recently published guideline that such shots need a protection rate of at least 50%, and preferably more than 70%.

House Passes Bill Bolstering U.S. Postal Service With $25 Billion (Aug. 23, 9:00 a.m. ET)

The House passed legislation preventing U.S. Postal Service cutbacks at least through January and providing it with $25 billion in additional funding, reflecting Democrats’ concerns that delivery delays affecting basic mail service would spill over into an election being held during the pandemic, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The House bill faces opposition as a stand-alone bill in the GOP-controlled Senate. Congressional leaders had been discussing funding for the Postal Service as part of a broader coronavirus relief package, but those negotiations collapsed earlier this month. 

PPP Loans Reach Small Businesses (Aug. 22, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The Trump administration released new details on the biggest coronavirus-relief initiative that show more than 98% of loans approved after July 6 were for less than $150,000, Bloomberg reported — suggesting the program was reaching smaller businesses before it closed earlier this month.

The Paycheck Protection Program had been criticized for not being quick enough in serving independent contractors, truly small firms and minority-owned companies. The new data show the most loan approvals in July and August were for personal-services firms, general freight and trucking companies and beauty salons.

As of Aug. 8, when the program closed, the Small Business Administration reported approving more than 5.2 million PPP loans totaling $525 billion, with almost $134 billion in remaining funding that will be returned to the Treasury unless Congress votes to re-purpose it.

Hong Kong to Start Mass Tests (Aug. 21, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the city will kick off a campaign to test its entire population on Sept. 1, in the first such effort attempted outside of mainland China, Bloomberg reported. Aided by Chinese experts and labs, the blitz will last two weeks. Residents are entitled to a free, one-time test on a voluntary basis.

Lam expressed gratitude to China, saying that Hong Kong would not have been able to conduct mass testing on its own. Hong Kong is facing pressure to re-open restaurants and relax social-distancing measures as its outbreak wanes, but a bold easing approach carries both public health and political risks. With new daily cases showing a sustained decline businesses are pressing for restrictions on restaurants to be lifted quickly to boost the economy and help residents who rely on eating out due to small apartment sizes.

U.K. Economy Rebounds (Aug. 21, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. economy continued its recovery from a record slump, but the good news was clouded by mounting job losses and a growing government debt burden, Bloomberg reported.

A broad measure of economic activity jumped to the highest in almost seven years in August, while retail sales rose more than forecast in July, reports on Friday showed. That pickup from the virus slump is being fueled by huge state support, which pushed government debt above 2 trillion pounds ($2.6 trillion) for the first time ever.

Europe’s Economic Recovery Stumbles (Aug. 21, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The euro-area economy unexpectedly lost momentum this month as renewed travel restrictions and concerns about the coronavirus took a toll on services, Bloomberg reported. The sharp slowdown shows that the path out of recession won’t be plain sailing, and undermines lingering hopes for a V-shaped recovery. While infections are on the rise, economic concerns mean governments are reluctant to re-impose the type of strict lockdowns seen earlier this year.

The economy had initially bounced back strongly after lockdowns were eased, though many were concerned that the pace could fade. At their last meeting in July, European Central Bank policy makers were reluctant to draw firm conclusions about the health of the economy, a stance that looks justified by Friday’s numbers.

U.S. Facing Years-Long Job Losses, IRS Says (Aug. 20, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The Internal Revenue Service projects that lower levels of employment in the U.S. could persist for years, Bloomberg reported.

The IRS forecasts there will be about 229.4 million employee-classified jobs in 2021 — about 37.2 million fewer than it had estimated last year before the virus hit, according to updated data released Thursday. The statistics are an estimate of how many of the W-2 tax forms that are used to track employee wages and withholding the agency will receive.

Lower rates of W-2 filings are seen persisting through at least 2027, with about 15.9 million fewer forms filed that year compared with prior estimates.

U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Top 1 Million (Aug. 20, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs rose to more than 1.1 million last week, even after analysts forecast a decline, Bloomberg reported — fresh evidence that the U.S. labor market recovery will occur in fits and starts.

Target Posts Record Growth (Aug. 19, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Target posted the strongest quarterly growth in its history, including a near-tripling of digital sales, The Wall Street Journal reported, as coronavirus concerns fueled demand for services that let shoppers pick up goods in parking lots or skip trips to the store.

Target executives cited broad gains across categories such as food, electronics and home goods and a rebound in clothing sales in the quarter ended Aug. 1. Meanwhile Walmart, which is a global retailer and much larger in terms of revenue, said its U.S. e-commerce revenue nearly doubled in the latest quarter.

Maersk Lifts Profit Outlook (Aug. 19, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The world’s largest container line may generate $1.5 billion more in operating profit this year than previously expected, Bloomberg reported, as its business proves resilient to the COVID-19 crisis.

A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S provided guidance for the first time since March, and painted a brighter picture of the future than investors and analysts had anticipated. Soren Skou, Maersk’s chief executive, said he now expects container volumes to be back at 2019 levels by the beginning of next year and is betting on a “U-shaped recovery.”

Some 20% of Brazil Meat Plant Workers Infected (Aug. 18, 9:00 p.m. ET)

One in five workers at Brazil’s meat plants have been infected with coronavirus, according to Bloomberg, making the country home to one of the world’s worst workplace outbreaks.

The estimate comes from Nelson Morelli, the president of national workers union Contac-CUT. The figure would mean about 100,000 infected workers in the country’s meatpacking industry, which employs half a million people. To be clear, it’s not an official count and is based on surveys with the group’s local members. But an outbreak even close to that figure would be one of the biggest globally for a single industry, outside of healthcare.

WHO Warns Against Vaccine Nationalism (Aug. 18, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Countries must avoid vaccine nationalism after earlier bouts over supplies exacerbated the pandemic, according to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “As new diagnostics, medicines and vaccines come through the pipeline, it’s critical that countries don’t repeat the same mistakes,” he said at a briefing.

WHO officials urged member states to join its Covax facility, which aims to accelerate vaccine development and to guarantee fair and equitable access.

Boeing to Deepen Job Cuts Beyond 10% Plan (Aug. 17, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Boeing Co. is preparing to offer buyouts to employees for a second time this year as the virus-stricken planemaker extends its workforce cuts beyond the original 10% target unveiled in April, Bloomberg reported.

The “voluntary layoff” will be offered largely to staffers in the company’s commercial airplanes unit, services division and corporate operation, said CEO Dave Calhoun in a message to employees. More details will be made available to workers next week.

India Truck Demand Could Take Three Years to Return (Aug. 17, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Daimler AG sees industrywide truck sales in India taking at least three years to recover to its peak-level, according to Bloomberg. Commercial vehicle sales will start recovering next year, said Satyakam Arya, CEO of Daimler’s India commercial vehicles division. 

VRL Logistics Ltd., which owns the largest fleet of commercial vehicles in India, said Monday it won’t buy new trucks and will scrap up to 15% of old ones to rein in repair costs amid a nascent recovery in demand.

Panama Canal Shipping Rebounds (Aug. 17, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The Panama Canal is seeing signs of a rebound in global trade as ship transits recover from the depressed levels caused by the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Total transits through the waterway rose to 933 in July, from 845 in June, which was the fewest since the canal opened an expanded set of locks four years ago to accommodate bigger ships.

Initial August numbers show further improvement, Canal Authority Deputy Administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta said.

Container shipping between the U.S. and Asia, the canal’s most important route, began to increase this month, she said. But cruise ships continue to cancel their slots, and the trade in Liquid Natural Gas may also take more time to recover, she added.

Chinese City to Halt Frozen Seafood, Meat Imports (Aug. 17, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The Cold Chain Association of China’s southern coastal city of Guangzhou ordered all member companies to suspend imports of frozen meat and seafood from coronavirus-hit areas, the city’s Internet Information Office said on its official Weibo account, without specifying areas or countries.

The association also ordered all workers who come into contact with frozen meat and seafood to be tested for the coronavirus, and that they get tested once a week, Bloomberg reported.

The order was issued after the local government in the nearby city of Shenzhen found the virus on a surface sample of chicken wings imported from Brazil, and there were earlier cases in other Chinese cities where the pathogen was identified on packaging samples of imported seafood.

U.K. Putting Jobs in Danger, Think Tank Says (Aug. 16, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is endangering 2 million viable jobs by ending his coronavirus jobs support program too early, the Institute for Public Policy Research said. The think tank estimates that 3 million workers will still be relying on the plan when it ends in October, two-thirds of whom are in roles that would be sustainable if the help was extended into next year, Bloomberg reported.

Removing the support too early would “cause long-lasting damage to the economy and to people’s lives,” the authors of the report said. Even with the plan, which currently pays 80% of an employee’s wage, there are signs the labor market is in crisis.

Auto Makers Near Ventilator Finish Line (Aug. 16, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Detroit’s two largest auto makers are nearing completion of federal contracts to manufacture tens of thousands of ventilators, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ford Motor Co. this week will have made about 43,000 ventilators with its partner, General Electric Co., at a factory in suburban Detroit, a Ford spokeswoman said. The companies expect to reach 50,000 by the end of August to fulfill a $336 million contract with the Department of Health and Human Services.

General Motors Co. is on track to complete 30,000 ventilators at a converted Indiana factory by the end of the month, fulfilling its terms under a $490 million federal contract with its partner, the Seattle-area medical-device maker Ventec Life Systems, a GM spokesman said.

GM plans to turn over operations at the factory to Ventec for future production, citing a continued need for ventilators beyond the federal contract. Ford declined to comment on what will happen with the facility producing its ventilators once work under the contract is complete.

Saliva Test Gets Approval (Aug. 15, 6:00 p.m. ET)

A COVID-19 test that processes saliva samples and doesn’t require special swabs or collection devices received emergency-use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Saturday, Bloomberg reported.

Research for the test was done by Yale University’s School of Public Health and was partly funded by the National Basketball Association and the union representing NBA players.

Yale plans to provide the test protocol to interested labs under an “open-source” arrangement that doesn’t rely on any proprietary equipment from Yale, according to the FDA. Yale expects labs to charge about $10 per sample.

Chicken From Brazil Tests Positive for Virus, China Says (Aug. 13, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Consumers in the Chinese city of Shenzhen have been urged to exercise caution when buying imported frozen food after a surface sample of chicken wings from Brazil tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement from the local government.

The positive sample appears to have been taken from the surface of the meat, while previously reported positive cases from other Chinese cities have been from the surface of packaging on imported frozen seafood.

NYC Companies Don’t Expect Workers Back Soon (Aug. 13, 6:00 p.m. ET)

New York City’s largest employers remain worried and uncertain about the future course of the virus, with just 26% expecting workers to return by the end of the year, according to Bloomberg.

Only 8% of employees have returned to their workplaces, says a survey of 146 companies by the Partnership for New York City, an association of chief executives. Just over half those surveyed, or 54%, expect offices to be occupied a year from now.

The executives’ uncertainty is greater now than it was in a similar May survey. It said 28% still haven’t even drafted a detailed reopening plan.

Europe Nears Vaccine Deal with J&J (Aug. 13, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The European Commission said it’s seeking to secure 200 million doses of a vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, stepping up efforts to protect citizens against the pandemic.

A proposed contract would let all European Union countries buy the vaccine and allow them to donate supplies to low and middle-income countries, Bloomberg reported. After the initial purchase, the EU would be able to acquire a further 200 million doses later.

IEA Cuts Oil-Demand Forecasts (Aug. 13, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The International Energy Agency cut forecasts for global oil demand as air travel suffers from the coronavirus crisis even more than previously expected, Bloomberg reported.

The IEA reduced estimates for almost every quarter through to the end of 2021, with the second half of this year taking the steepest downgrades. Air travel remained two-thirds lower than last year in July, normally a peak month because of holiday flying, it said in a monthly report.

U.S. Jobless Claims Below 1 Million for First Time (Aug. 13, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell below 1 million for the first time since the pandemic began in March, Bloomberg reported.

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs fell by 228,000 to 963,000 in the week ended Aug. 8, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Continuing claims — the total number of Americans claiming ongoing benefits in state programs — decreased to 15.5 million in the week ended Aug. 1, the lowest since early April.

Tankers Waiting for Weeks off China Ports (Aug. 12, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Crude-laden tankers have been lining up for weeks at a time off China’s coast as ports struggle to handle the millions of barrels of inbound oil that have swamped the country’s overfilled storage sites, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Brokers in Shanghai, Singapore and London said at least 80 ships have been waiting for more than a month to unload their cargo in northern Chinese ports including Yingkou, Rizhao and Qingdao, where congestion is the most severe.

More than half of the vessels are very large crude carriers, the workhorses of seaborne oil trade, which can move up to two million barrels each in a single sailing.

Companies Step Up Distribution Automation (Aug. 12, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Upheaval from the coronavirus pandemic is pushing more companies to consider automating distribution and fulfillment, according to The Wall Street Journal.

More than half of warehouse operators responding to a recent survey by Honeywell Intelligrated, Honeywell International Inc.’s warehouse automation business, said they were more willing to invest in automation as a result of the pandemic. E-commerce companies showed the biggest shift, with 66% saying they were more willing to do so, followed by food and beverage companies and logistics providers, at 59% and 55%, respectively.

About half of the respondents who had invested in automation said it was helpful for the business during the pandemic, with many citing their ability to continue operating with fewer staff on-site as a benefit, according to the survey, which polled 434 U.S.-based professionals in April and May.

Moderna, U.S. in Vaccine Deal (Aug. 11, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. reached a deal with the U.S. to manufacture and distribute 100 million doses of its experimental vaccine for COVID-19, in a pact valued at as much as $1.5 billion, Bloomberg reported.

“We’re on track to rapidly produce 100 million doses as soon as the vaccine is approved,” President Trump said at a White House briefing. The agreement is the latest in a string of supply deals reached to stockpile the most advanced vaccines in testing.

Less Corporate Deals for U.S. Clean-Energy (Aug. 11, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Renewable power contracted by U.S. corporations and public institutions this year will probably fall short of last year’s record-high 13.6 gigawatts, according to Bloomberg, as the pandemic upends energy consumption and reshapes the way people work. Through July, procurement of clean energy stood at 4.3 gigawatts, down from 6 gigawatts at that point last year.

Globally, corporations and public institutions agreed to 8.9 gigawatts of power-supply agreements in the first seven months of this year, slightly ahead of the 8.6 gigawatts signed through that point last year. Latin America, Taiwan and Australia in particular are seeing bursts of deals. But it will take continued global activity to make up for the decline in the U.S. — the largest corporate market.

Virus Worsens the U.S. Gender Pay Gap (Aug. 11, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The coronavirus pandemic will likely make the gender pay gap worse as the U.S. economy recovers, Bloomberg reported.

In a regular recession, the pay gap between men and women shrinks by two percentage points as men tend to get hit harder by job losses, according to a paper distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research. But in a pandemic recession, that gap increases by five percentage points, the report said.

Women are more vulnerable to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic because they are more likely than men to work in service industries, which have been hit especially hard in recent months. With so many schools and daycares closed, many of the additional childcare responsibilities have also fallen to women. Females lose skills when they leave the workforce, either because of job loss or to care for children, which results in lower pay when they return, according to NBER.

States Hit Test Supply Limitations (Aug. 10, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Several state public-health departments that planned to pour money into new staff and machinery have been bound by thin stockpiles of key materials, according to Bloomberg. Documents from last month released on Monday show that supplies needed to collect patient samples and chemicals called reagents used to process tests were difficult to come by.

Public-health experts say the shortages are a consequence of federal strategy that has largely deferred testing responsibilities to states, resulting in a patchwork response. Fall’s upcoming flu season could add further pressure on the country’s already-stressed testing infrastructure, state officials told the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

While the federal government has provided states with some testing materials, Texas said it has sourced its own swabs and that reagents that were available weren’t always compatible with its machinery. Arizona’s public-health department said it’s working with federal agencies and vendors “to obtain test kits which are in short supply and back-ordered.”

Officials in some states came up with workarounds to screen more patients, circumvent supply bottlenecks and cope with delays in getting results. Arizona began offering coronavirus tests at mental-health clinics and facilities for those with special needs and used a courier service to get patient samples to its labs faster. The Texas state public-health department brought in two university veterinary labs for help.

Vaccine Could Be a Year Away (Aug. 10, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Even if the most optimistic projections hold true and a COVID-19 vaccine is cleared for U.S. use in November, the vast majority of Americans won’t be able to get the shots until spring or summer next year at the earliest, according to Bloomberg.

In an interview, Anthony Fauci of the White House Coronavirus Task Force said it may take until well into 2021 for vaccines to reach the much of the general public.

“I would hope that by the time we get well into the second half of 2021 that the companies will have delivered the hundreds of millions of doses they have promised,” he said.

U.K. Aerospace Plans $1.3 Billion Supplier Bailout (Aug. 9, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. aerospace industry plans to create a 1 billion-pound ($1.3 billion) fund to prop up suppliers, the Sunday Times reported. Trade association ADS Group has drafted proposals aimed at helping small businesses hurt by production cuts.

The U.K. government is being urged to match any private-sector pledges from companies that could include Toulouse, France-based Airbus SE, which makes the wings for its jets in Britain, the report said. Stakes could be taken in smaller suppliers under the plans, it said.

ADS has been coordinating the U.K. Aerospace Supply Chain Task Force, which aims to provide short-term support to keep parts providers from folding and help enable recapitalization and strategic investments. The industry could shrink as much as 40% over the next three years, according to task force chairman Tom Williams.

Kodak’s $765 Million Government Loan on Hold Pending Probe (Aug. 9, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The federal agency that announced a $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak Co. less than two weeks ago said the offer is on hold pending probes into allegations of wrongdoing, according to Bloomberg.

The development bank loan announced July 28 was the first of its kind under the Defense Production Act in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. It was intended to speed production of drugs in short supply and those considered critical to treat COVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine, the controversial antimalarial drug touted by President Trump.

Danish Crown Closes Slaughterhouse (Aug. 8, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Danish Crown, Europe’s biggest pork exporter, said it will close down a slaughterhouse for at least a week after a rise in the number of workers infected with COVID-19, Bloomberg reported.

The facility in Ringsted, southwest of Copenhagen, registered another 22 cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 142, Danish Crown said in a statement. Since registering the first case last week, the company has introduced extensive testing of the roughly 850 workers at the site, but the number of infections continued to rise.

U.S. Jobless Claims Fall (Aug. 6, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to the lowest since the pandemic began in a broad decline across nearly all states, Bloomberg reported.

The drop, the largest in almost two months, comes as U.S. lawmakers are still working toward a stimulus package that would once again bolster the size of millions of Americans’ unemployment checks.

People Locked Down at Home Help Korean Airlines Beat Slump (Aug. 6, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Korean Air Lines Co. provided some rare positive news for the devastated global aviation industry, reporting a quarterly profit after flying planes loaded with products from South Korean technology giants to homebound consumers around the world, according to Bloomberg.

The carrier’s operating profit was 148.5 billion won ($125 million) for the April-June period. Cargo sales climbed 95% from a year earlier to 1.23 trillion won. Asiana Airlines Inc. could follow suit with an operating profit of 43.7 billion won when it reports next week, according to an average estimate of analysts.

Logistics Among the Real Estate Sectors to Bounce Back Fastest (Aug. 5, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The industrial and logistics sectors of commercial real estate are among those making the quickest comebacks from the pandemic-induced recession, according to CBRE.

The firm's Global Real Estate Market Outlook for midyear 2020 finds those two sectors benefiting from an acceleration of e-commerce. Also showing relatively strong results was multi-family housing, due to demographic trends that are favoring renting.

Other commercial real estate sectors will take longer to absorb fundamental shifts in the economy, CBRE said, noting that the office market is having to accommodate a more hybrid workforce that operates remotely, while recovery in hotels will require a resumption of corporate and group travel. Retail will have to adjust to the rise of e-commerce, with consumers making fewer but higher-spending trips to the store.

In industrial and logistics, modern class-A, warehouses are attracting most of the demand, according to CBRE. It expects additional demand to result from retailers adding inventory to handle demand fluctuations, and from manufacturers diversifying supply chains to reduce dependence on China.

J&J Forges $1 Billion Pact With U.S. for Vaccine Supply (Aug. 5, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to supply 100 million doses of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. for more than $1 billion, Bloomberg reported. The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is expected to go into late-stage trials in September.

The U.S. government has recently forged a series of deals with companies including Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. to secure access to the vaccine. Moderna says it has received $400 million of deposits so far for potential supply of its COVID-19 vaccine, as part of discussions with several countries.

The J&J pact follows the release of a study showing the company’s candidate vaccine generated a strong antibody response in primates, and provided protection with a single dose.

Euro-Area Recovery Stronger Than Expected (Aug. 5, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Businesses in the euro zone saw stronger-than-initially reported growth in July, with output expanding for the first time since lockdowns in March, Bloomberg reported.

Services providers and manufacturers both saw activity pick up. A composite purchasing managers’ index rose to 54.9, the highest level in just over two years and above a flash estimate. Orders increased for the first time in five months.

U.K. to Invest in Vaccine Factory (Aug. 5, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. government and Valneva SE will each invest 14 million pounds ($18 million) in a Scottish plant that will make the French biotech firm’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to Bloomberg. Britain has reached deals for at least 250 million doses from four different vaccine developers in recent weeks, giving it one of the highest number of doses per capita globally.

Senators Look to Break Deadlock With Small Business Proposals (Aug. 4, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Senators Marco Rubio and Susan Collins have introduced legislation to extend the Paycheck Protection Program past its Aug. 8 expiration date as talks between Republicans and Democrats on a larger relief package appear deadlocked, Bloomberg reported.

Florida’s Rubio and Maine’s Collins introduced two proposals that would continue the popular small-business relief program at least through the end of the year.

U.K. Revives No-Deal Brexit Truck Plan (Aug. 4, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. plans to adopt its full no-deal Brexit border plan — “Operation Brock” — to avoid traffic chaos when it completes its split from the EU in 2021, even if the two sides sign a free-trade agreement, according to Bloomberg. The traffic management system is designed to limit tailbacks around Dover and Eurotunnel, two key trade arteries for Britain.

The Department for Transport said analysis from October 2019, when it appeared Britain may leave the EU without a deal, showed hauliers were poorly prepared for the new customs checks, and, due to the coronavirus, it would be prudent to assume that’s still the case.

Under a new “Smart Freight System” (SFS), hauliers will have to fill in details on a government website showing they have the correct documents to enter the EU. Then they will be issued with a permit giving permission to proceed to the port.

Pandemic Has People Working Longer Hours (Aug. 4, 10:00 a.m. ET)

From New York City to Tel Aviv, the telecommuting revolution has meant a lot more work, according to a study reported by Bloomberg of 3.1 million people at more than 21,000 companies across 16 cities in North America, Europe and the Middle East.

The researchers compared employee behavior over two 8 week periods before and after COVID-19 lockdowns. Looking at email and meeting meta-data, the group calculated the workday lasted 48.5 minutes longer, the number of meetings increased about 13% and people sent an average of 1.4 more emails per day to their colleagues. 

In a few cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago, the average workday length returned to its pre-pandemic levels. But longer days persisted in New York City, San Jose and most of Europe well into May.

Australia Cotton Growers Lose Major China Buyer (Aug. 3, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Cotton growers in Australia have fallen victim to virus-related turmoil in the global supply chain, with the local arm of a major Chinese buyer going into administration, Bloomberg reported, leaving them to resell output at a sharp discount.

Administrators were appointed to Weilin Trade Pty Ltd. at the start of July, Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission documents show. Weilin Trade was set up by China’s Weilin Group in 2012.

The shutdown of the Chinese buyer comes as the world’s biggest consumer faces a glut of U.S. cotton, after buying $1 billion worth of American fiber in the past three months as part of the phase one trade deal between the two countries, despite the pandemic closing clothing stores and slashing demand.

Top Pork Producer Defends Virus Response (Aug. 3, 4:00 p.m. ET)

In the face of recent criticism, Smithfield Foods Inc. took out a full-page ad in Sunday’s edition of the New York Times to accuse its critics of false narratives and misinformation and to defend its operations to keep the nation fed during the pandemic.

The Chinese-owned and Virginia-based company calls its 42,000 employees “heroes” in the ad, and says it has implemented measures to keep staff safe and reward them for their work.

Sunday’s spread echoes a national Tyson Foods Inc. commercial with the tagline “We take care of our family so you can feed yours.” In contrast to Tyson, Smithfield has declined to share recent data on coronavirus infections among employees at its plants, Bloomberg reported.

Trump Orders Limits on Foreign Workers (Aug. 3, 12:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump has barred federal agencies from dismissing U.S. citizens or green card holders and replacing them with foreign workers, Bloomberg reported.

The executive order Trump signed Monday increases scrutiny of federal contractors’ use of H-1B visas to bring in temporary foreign labor for high-skilled jobs rather than relying on American workers.

U.K. Buys Fast Tests in Readiness for Resurgence (Aug. 2, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Boris Johnson’s government signed deals for quick-turnaround tests for COVID-19 as the U.K. prepares for a winter resurgence of the disease amid criticism its initial response to the crisis was too slow, Bloomberg reported.

Millions of the tests, which can give results in 90 minutes and check for flu and other viruses, will be sent to hospitals and care homes, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday.

U.S. Companies Surpassed Profit Forecasts (Aug. 2, 5:00 p.m. ET)

A record high percentage of U.S. companies are beating analysts’ forecasts this earnings season, according to Reuters, giving investors a glimmer of hope in what is still expected to be the slowest profit period since the financial crisis.

More than halfway through second-quarter earnings, 82.1% of companies reporting have surpassed profit expectations, which would be the highest in the history of Refinitiv IBES data going back to 1994.

What’s more, the size of the beats is well above what is typical. S&P 500 companies have beaten earnings expectations by a whopping 21.7%, also set to be the highest on record since 1994, based on Refinitiv’s data.

Marathon Idles Two Refineries (Aug. 2, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Marathon Petroleum Corp. will indefinitely idle the Martinez refinery in California and the Gallup refinery in New Mexico with no plans to restart normal operations, Bloomberg reported.

Supply disruptions aren’t expected and the Golden Eagle facility in Martinez will be converted to a terminal, according to Marathon. “Indefinite idling unfortunately means most jobs at these refineries will no longer be necessary, and we expect to begin a phased reduction of staffing levels in October,” the company said.

Ocean Freight Rates Holding Steady During Pandemic (July 30, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Ocean carriers appear to be weathering the pandemic and resulting economic downturn without a significant drop in freight rates, according to the latest XSI Public Indices Report by Xeneta.

Rate declines were "nowhere near" as steep in July as industry observes had predicted, Xeneta said, noting that the index rose by just 0.1%, and is now just 0.1% down through 2020, and 0.8% year-on-year.

Despite the impact of the coronavirus on the economy, carriers were able to limit their rate actions to "moderately small" adjustments, said Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund. They continue to perform a “delicate balancing act” with supply and demand, removing tonnage and adjusting routes as necessary, he added.

Berglund expects the pandemic to continue to serve as a damper on demand. “The carriers have been working flat out on strategy, and that has maintained a relatively solid rates course in this most trying of times," he said. "However, they can’t control external factors, and key indicators are undoubtedly a cause for concern."

CEOs See More Flexible Workforces, Less Globalization (July 30, 7:15 pm ET)

A new global survey by The Conference Board finds chief executive officers anticipating "leaner and more agile" companies as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a survey of more than 1,300 CEOs and other C-Suite executives about the disease's long-term impacts, respondents saw a return to pre-pandemic revenue levels at least a year or more away. More than 40% predicted a gradual, U-shaped recovery, with more sustainable growth resuming by the fourth quarter of 2020. Around a third expected an L-shaped recovery, with sustained growth resuming only in late 2021.

Businesses expect to emerge from the pandemic using more contract workers and fewer permanent staff, with business travel curbed in favor of more videoconferencing.

Executives said the pandemic will motivate them to accelerate digital transformation plans, and rethink their business models.

“In the short term, preparing for growth and recovery will require finding the right balance between conserving cash and investing in the innovations needed to succeed in a new commercial landscape — the next normal, if you will,” said Chuck Mitchell, a report author and Director of Knowledge, Content, and Quality at The Conference Board. “Post-COVID-19, CEOs expect their organizations to emerge leaner and more agile, redefining how work gets done.”

Intermodal Volumes Drop in Second Quarter (July 30, 7:00 pm ET)

Total U.S. intermodal volumes declined 11.9% in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the same period of last year, according to the Intermodal Association of North America’s Intermodal Quarterly report.

International shipments in the quarter fell 15.4% from 2019, while domestic containers and trailers were down by 7% and 14%, respectively, IANA reported.

“Second quarter results showed the full impact of the economic downturn attributed to COVID-19," said IANA president and CEO Joni Casey. "Slowing imports and declining diesel prices affected both international and domestic volumes. We anticipate that the Q2 drop-off should be a floor going forward.” 

The seven highest-density trade corridors, collectively handling more than 60% of total volume, were all down for the quarter, IANA added. 

Walmart Is Eliminating Hundreds of Corporate Jobs (July 30, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Despite surging sales, Walmart Inc. has laid off hundreds of workers in units including store planning, logistics, merchandising and real estate, according to Bloomberg. It is also reorganizing its roughly 4,750 U.S. stores by consolidating divisions and eliminating some regional manager roles.

“We are continuing on our journey to create an omni-channel organization within our Walmart U.S. business and we’re making some additional changes this week,” Walmart said in an email, declining to comment specifically on the plans. The company said its goal is to increase “innovation, speed and productivity.”

Airbus Follows Boeing in Paring Output (July 30, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Airbus SE cut back wide-body jet production after it burned through 4.4 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in the second quarter, Bloomberg reported. The world’s biggest planemaker will now aim to produce five A350 aircraft a month rather than the six targeted in April, according to a statement Thursday.

The move followed an even steeper cutback at archrival Boeing Co. announced a day earlier.

With global fleets largely grounded during the second quarter, Airbus delivered one-third the number of planes it did a year earlier. The company is clamping down on costs with the aim of halting cash outflows in the second half, as it braces for a depressed travel market that could last for several years.

U.S. Economy Shrinks Most on Record (July 30, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The U.S. economy suffered its sharpest downturn since at least the 1940s in the second quarter, highlighting how the pandemic has ravaged businesses across the country and left millions of Americans out of work, Bloomberg reported. The number filing for unemployment benefits increased for a second straight week.

China Has $1 Billion Glut of U.S. Cotton (July 29, 2:00 p.m. ET)

China’s state-run companies are stashing away more than $1 billion of American cotton from the past three months that they no longer need — dimming the outlook for further imports, Bloomberg reported.

The purchases — made as part of the phase one trade deal between Washington and Beijing — are hitting just as the pandemic shuts down clothing stores, decimating demand. The trade deal requires China to buy $36.5 billion in U.S. agricultural products this year. 

The spread of COVID-19 has caused havoc in the global cotton industry, with shutdowns and bankruptcies of retailers including J.C. Penney Co. and Neiman Marcus Group Inc. hurting demand. World consumption is forecast to drop 23 million bales, the most on record, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.

EU, Gilead Reach Deal on Supply of Antiviral Drug Remdesivir (July 29, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The European Union reached an agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc. for supplies of the company’s antiviral drug remdesivir to combat the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported. The European Commission signed a 63 million-euro ($74 million) contract with Gilead for batches of Veklury — the brand name for remdesivir — to be made available to EU countries and the U.K. starting in early August.

Kodak to Make Drug Ingredients (July 28, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Eastman Kodak Co. has received a $765 million government loan to help produce ingredients used in key generic medicines to fight the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported. The first of its kind under the Defense Production Act, the loan is intended to speed production of drugs in short supply.

The money could provide a lifeline to Kodak, the storied photography giant that declared bankruptcy in 2012 as business and shares were devastated by the switch to filmless cameras. 

Now, the 132-year-old company will be reorienting part of its factory structure to produce drug ingredients, including at sites in Rochester, New York, and St. Paul, Minnesota, under a new Kodak Pharmaceuticals arm. 

Nike Closing Arizona Plant (July 28, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Nike Inc. is winding down operations at a facility in Goodyear, Arizona, marking an abrupt turnabout for a project meant to become a state-of-the-art plant for its Nike Air shoe line, Bloomberg reported.

The company acquired the property in 2019 and set about turning it into the third so-called Air Manufacturing Innovation facility in the U.S. The $184 million investment was expected to generate more than 500 full-time jobs, the sportswear giant said in July of last year.

Bottlenecks Hamper U.S. Testing (July 28, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Despite more COVID-19 testing capacity than any other country, many U.S. labs aren’t running anywhere near capacity because of supply-chain bottlenecks, according to Reuters interviews with 16 hospital, state, commercial and academic labs and an analysis of state and city procurement plans.

Many states have planned to buy automated diagnostic machines from just two manufacturers, even though the same equipment was already running below capacity or idled in other states because of shortages of chemicals or parts.

Other countries, including China and Canada, have not been hamstrung to the same extent by supply shortages. Their use of less automated testing provided more flexibility in sourcing such materials.

General Mills Adds Outsourcing Partners to Meet Demand (July 28, 10:00 a.m. ET)

General Mills Inc. has struck several new partnerships with contract manufacturers and suppliers of raw materials — and expanded existing ones — since March to meet heightened demand for its products, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The packaged-food giant will boost the number of partners by as much as 20% on top of the 200 it had before the pandemic, company executives said. They expect these third parties to be part of the supply chain until at least next summer.

U.S. Durable Goods Orders Rise (July 27, 4:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. bookings for durable goods — or goods meant to last at least three years — increased 7.3% in June, led by a spike in demand for motor vehicles and a pickup in business activity more broadly as states reopened their economies, Bloomberg reported. Economists had called for a 6.9% gain. 

Core capital goods orders, a category that excludes aircraft and military hardware, climbed 3.3%, also more than forecast.

The second-straight month of gains suggests manufacturing is stabilizing, though a full recovery from the pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions, lockdowns and diminished demand will take time. Orders are still significantly below pre-pandemic levels, but so far, spending on goods has experienced a largely V-shaped recovery, unlike the service sector.

EU Prolongs Import-Duty Waiver for Virus Equipment (July 27, 10:30 a.m. ET)

The European Union let member countries suspend import duties on medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus for three more months, Bloomberg reported.

Tariffs on goods such as masks, testing kits and ventilators will be suspended until Oct. 31 amid a resurgence in cases worldwide, according to the European Commission’s official journal. The move also maintains a suspension of value-added tax on the products.

Google to Keep Workers Home Until 2021 (July 27, 10:00 a.m. ET)

Google will keep its employees home until at least next July, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. That makes the search-engine giant the first major U.S. corporation to formalize such an extended timetable in the face of the pandemic.

Moderna U.S. Funding Nears $1 Billion (July 27, 9:00 a.m. ET)

With an additional $472 million award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Moderna’s shot is now backed by $955 million of funds from the U.S., Bloomberg reported. The first participants in the 30,000 person study have been dosed, the company said.

Moderna said it remains on track to be able to deliver approximately 500 million doses per year, and possibly as many as 1 billion, beginning in 2021.

Shipper Survey Finds Transportation a 'Mixed Bag' (July 23, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The latest shipper survey from Morgan Stanley reveals "mixed results" across transportation modes.

In general, Morgan Stanley said, the survey saw a "rebound in expectations" among shippers, who continue to "grapple with an uncertain future." Yet results by mode differed sharply, with trucking the most negative, rail mixed, and parcel undergoing positive change.

The survey "did not quite see a full V-shaped recovery in shipper expectations — though we are sort of halfway there," Morgan Stanley said. "However, COVID-19 disruption and the struggle to define a new normal was evident across several data points."

Contradictions emerged in the state of inventory. Shippers' inventory levels experienced the sharpest decline in at least a decade, and net ordering levels also fell sharply to lows seen during the "mini-recessions" of 2011, 2015, and 2019. "It appears to us that shippers need to restock but are unable/unwilling to do so — which could signal a potential restocking boom to come," Morgan Stanley said.

Most industries reported a "bounce" in shipper sentiment from the previous survey, according to Morgan Stanley. "The bounce makes it clear that the worst is over for now and a rebuild could be on the cards, but with cases spiking in various parts of the country and market dynamics changing so quickly, we find ourselves at a crossroads once again, looking out to the next survey in three months' time."

400,000 Airline Jobs Lost, At Risk (July 23, 6:00 p.m. ET)

About 400,000 airline workers have been fired, furloughed or told they may lose their jobs due to the coronavirus, according to Bloomberg calculations.

British Airways, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Emirates Airline and Qantas Airways Ltd. are among the carriers announcing thousands of dismissals and unpaid leave programs.

Many more are expected in the U.S. after a ban on job cuts — a condition of a $50 billion government bailout — is lifted at the end of September. Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. have already warned about 35,000 employees that their jobs are at risk. The trio’s combined personnel losses could top 100,000 by year-end.

Intel Chip Production Process Delayed Again (July 23, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Intel Corp. warned about another production delay, sparking concern the world’s largest chipmaker will fall further behind rivals in a crucial area it once dominated, Bloomberg reported.

A new method for cranking out smaller, more powerful chips “is shifting approximately six months relative to prior expectations,” the company said. Its first 7-nanometer chips will go on sale at the end of 2022 or early 2023 — a year behind schedule. 

Rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is already selling 7-nanometer-based processors.

U.S. Jobless Claims Rise (July 23, 12:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. jobless claims rose last week for the first time since March, Bloomberg reported, the clearest sign yet of a pause in the economic recovery as cases surge in much of the country and force businesses to close once again.

U.K. Funds Mass Vaccine-Making Center (July 23, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The U.K. government announced an additional 100 million pounds ($127 million) for a facility to scale up production of any successful COVID-19 vaccine, Reuters reported. The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Centre, which will be based in Essex, will be able to produce millions of doses a month when it opens in December 2021. Another site west of the capital is already under construction. Officials say it will be able to produce enough doses for the whole U.K. population by next year.

U.S. Companies Start Cutting Office Space (July 22, 4:00 p.m. ET)

More than 25 large American companies plan to reduce their office space in the year ahead, according to Reuters, a move designed to reduce the second-largest expense after payrolls at corporations.

Analysts say the plans to cut back on real estate are likely the first wave of cost-cutting measures to hit office workers as companies try to maintain margins going into what may be a long recession. So far, the majority of the 14.7 million U.S. jobs lost during the pandemic have been in hard-hit areas such as restaurants, travel and retailers.

U.S. Seals Deal for Millions of Vaccine Doses (July 22, 12:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. health officials agreed on an order for as many as 600 million doses of a vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech, Bloomberg reported. The U.S. government will pay the companies $1.95 billion upon the receipt of the first 100 million doses, following FDA authorization or approval, according to a statement, with an option to acquire up to an additional 500 million doses.

China Fuel Flood Threatens Asia’s Recovery (July 22, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Chinese fuel producers are ramping up gasoline exports as stockpiles stay swollen amid softer demand due to flooding and a resurgence of virus infections, according to Bloomberg. This comes after a short reprieve in May when some state-owned refiners diverted more motor fuel to local markets when people opted for private over public transport.

The country’s average daily exports of gasoline — 294,400 barrels — in July is currently at the highest level in four months as Chinese refiners pour more gasoline into regional markets. The flood of spot cargoes into Asia contributed to weaker gasoline prices in the region and caused prompt supplies to fall to a discount to later-loading oil.

As the region grapples with a surge in supply, it’s also facing a bleak demand outlook. Global gasoline consumption is expected to drop by 1.7 million barrels a day in the second half of 2020 from a year earlier, according to JBC Energy.

Airlines CEOs Seek Virus Testing to Open Up Travel (July 21, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Four of the biggest airlines in the U.S. and Europe are pressing for an international accord on coronavirus testing to allow broad trans-Atlantic travel, Bloomberg reported.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG and commercial ally United Airlines Holdings Inc. joined with British Airways owner IAG SA and partner American Airlines Group Inc. to seek a U.S.-European Union testing program that would replace restrictions that prevent the recovery of commercial air travel. The U.S.-Europe market is the biggest for high-profit business trips.

“Given the unquestioned importance of trans-Atlantic air travel to the global economy as well as to the economic recovery of our businesses, we believe it is critical to find a way to re-open air services between the U.S. and Europe,” the carriers said in letter to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Ylva Johansson, the European commissioner for home affairs. 

The International Air Transport Association warned on July 1 that its estimate for a 36% drop in traffic this year could worsen to 53% if curbs on trans-Atlantic travel remain in place.

First Vaccine May Be Approved in 2020: EU Regulator (July 21, 12:00 p.m. ET)

European regulators could approve the first vaccine against COVID-19 this year, after a flurry of trials by drugmakers leading the race showed promising results, Bloomberg reported.

“We are preparing ourselves for that possibility so that we as regulators will be ready,” Marco Cavaleri, head of anti-infectives and vaccines at the European Medicines Agency, said in an interview Tuesday. “It will be a matter of seeing whether this data could be sufficient for allowing any kind of approval by the end of 2020.”

Separately, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s senior medical adviser, Chris Whitty, said there is only a slim chance of an effective vaccine being available by Christmas, even as the University of Oxford reported progress on its initiative.

EU Clinches Massive Stimulus Deal (July 21, 10:00 a.m. ET)

European Union leaders agreed on an unprecedented stimulus package worth 750 billion euros ($860 billion) to pull their economies out of the worst recession in memory and tighten the financial bonds holding their 27 nations together, Bloomberg reported.

The agreement required the unanimous approval of the member states and represents a victory for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who drafted an early outline for the proposal in May. The emergency fund will give out 390 billion euros of grants and 360 billion euros of low-interest loans.

Almost a third of the funds are earmarked for fighting climate change and, together with the bloc’s next 1 trillion-euro, seven-year budget, will constitute the biggest green stimulus package in history. All expenditure must be consistent with the Paris Agreement’s goal of cutting greenhouse gases.

Retail Shipping Volumes on the Rise — For Now (July 20, 7:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. retail shipping volumes rose 9% in June, and 20% when April and May are added to the calculation, according to the latest research from FourKites.

While the numbers varied by state, with the highest increases in Texas, Florida, California, Michigan and New York, the overall trend was generally the same across the country, FourKites said. It added that the increases "generally reflect the lifting of shelter-in-place orders and restrictions on public gatherings."

Shipment volumes correlated to a spike in retail sales, which rose 17% in May, versus a 16.4% drop in March and April. However, the data doesn't fully reflect the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in some states over the past several weeks, which has led to a pause or reversal of the reopening of many businesses.

"It’s important to keep in mind that the situation remains very fluid, particularly given the recent climb in the coronavirus infection rates in many states, and increasing talk of reinstating lockdowns," said FourKites chief technology officer Vivek Vaid. "Interestingly, some of the states registering the highest increases in retail loads are also reporting increased numbers of COVID-19 infections, as authorities in California, Texas and Florida hit the pause button on their reopening plans."

Congress Questions $700 Million Loan to YRC (July 20, 5:00 p.m. ET)

A bipartisan panel of legislators raised questions Monday about the Treasury Department’s decision to designate trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc. as critical to national security and lend it $700 million in coronavirus-relief funds, The Wall Street Journal reported. The loan was the first from a $17 billion pot of money created by the Cares Act for businesses critical to national security.

YRC didn’t meet Treasury’s standards for identifying such businesses, which usually must have either high-priority defense contracts or top-secret security clearance, according to a report by the Congressional Oversight Commission.

Instead, the company qualified “under a catch-all provision created by the Treasury…based solely on a recommendation and certification from the Secretary of Defense or the Director of National Intelligence,” the report said.

The commission said it plans to investigate the decision “in part, because the risk of loss of U.S. taxpayer money on this loan appears high.”

Asia-Europe Fuel Trade Continues Drop (July 20, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Shipments of diesel and jet fuel from East Asia to Europe are set to stay low for a while yet, potentially aiding hard-pressed European refiners, according to Bloomberg.

Only two ships hauling about 160,000 tons of fuel have sailed the route so far this month, and just one is currently booked to make the voyage in the coming weeks. That’s a sharp contrast with the May-June period, when in excess of two million tons arrived in Europe from East Asia — more than the combined arrivals for the whole of January-April. Some of May-June’s deluge is still floating aboard ships off the coast of northwest Europe.

It’s too early to say whether the drop will be mirrored in shipments from other key fuel suppliers to the region such as the Middle East and the U.S.

U.K. Auto and Aerospace Jobs at High Risk, Survey Says (July 20, 2:00 p.m. ET)

More than half of U.K. manufacturers plan to permanently cut jobs in the next six months, with the automotive and aerospace sectors under particular pressure, according to Bloomberg.

Some 53% of employers are planning to make redundancies during that period, the highest proportion since the start of the coronavirus crisis, lobby group Make UK said, citing a poll of 170 firms. Almost one-third expect to cut up to 25% of posts, while 8% may eliminate half.

Make UK chief Stephen Phipson said the figures show Britain needs to provide a six-month extension to a state-funded furlough scheme set to expire at the end of October. He said the help should be offered specifically to carmakers and aerospace companies, which the industry group forecasts will suffer most.

Retailers Seek More Worker Protection After Abuse Revealed (July 19, 8:00 p.m. ET)

ASOS Plc, Marks & Spencer Group Plc and Walmart Inc.’s Asda are among retailers calling for greater protection of garment factory workers in Britain in the wake of labor abuse reports at a site supplying Boohoo Group Plc., Bloomberg reported.

More than 90 retailers, lawmakers and investors signed an open letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel urging immediate action. The joint letter, coordinated by the British Retail Consortium and published Monday, called for the U.K. to implement a “Fit to Trade” licensing program that will ensure all clothing factories meet legal obligations including the minimum wage, holiday pay and providing health and safety protection.

Boohoo has lost about 40% of its market value since the Sunday Times reported on July 5 that a Leicester factory supplying the company was paying workers less than half the minimum wage and failing to implement social-distancing measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Russia Rejects Vaccine Hacking Charge (July 19, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Russia’s ambassador to the U.K., Andrei Kelin, rejected allegations that hackers linked to the country’s intelligence services targeted British coronavirus vaccine research, and accused Britain of cyberattacks against Russia, Bloomberg reported.

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre said on Thursday that vaccine and therapeutic sectors in multiple countries have been targeted by a group known as APT29, which it said is “almost certainly” part of Russian state intelligence. Security agencies in the U.S. and Canada later backed the findings.

N95 Face Mask Makers Ramp Up U.S. Production (July 17, 12:00 p.m. ET)

American companies like 3M, Honeywell and Prestige Ameritech Ltd. are investing in expansions to produce more masks in the U.S. in response to requests from hospitals and governments seeking a guaranteed domestic supply for several years, according to The Wall Street Journal. The reinvented supply chain means that producers of the machines and materials required to assemble N95 masks are ramping up U.S. production too.

The added capacity won’t exceed domestic N95 demand until this winter, the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates, when the U.S. will be producing 180 million N95 masks a month — up from around 45 million in January.

Johnson & Johnson Discussing Vaccine Supply (July 16, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Johnson & Johnson is in discussions with multiple countries and a charitable foundation to determine how much of its experimental coronavirus vaccine will be needed, according to Bloomberg.

Chief Financial Officer Joseph Wolk said they are in talks with the European Union, Japan and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“We’re still trying to determine the volumes,” he said in an interview.

U.S. Retail Sales Exceeded Forecast (July 16, 1:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. retail sales exceeded forecasts in June for a second straight month, Bloomberg reported, as more businesses reopened and expanded jobless benefits padded the wallets of the unemployed.

The value of retail purchases increased 7.5% from the prior month after an upwardly revised record 18.2% surge in May, according to Commerce Department data out Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 5% gain for June.

U.S. Jobless Claims Post Smallest Decline Since March (July 16, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits posted the smallest weekly decline since March after coronavirus cases surged and reopenings paused or reversed across the South and West, Bloomberg reported.

Initial jobless claims in regular state programs totaled 1.3 million in the week ended July 11, down 10,000 from the prior period, Labor Department figures showed. Economists had forecast a larger drop, to 1.25 million initial claims.

Tech Hubs Remain Strong in Pandemic (July 15, 7 p.m. ET)

Technology hubs across North America have remained resilient during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by CBRE.

The firm conducts an annual ranking of the 50 top markets for technology talent. Leading the list this year were the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C. and Seattle.

With demand for tech services growing in North America, "the pandemic is unlikely to derail the growing importance of tech-talent hubs across the region," CBRE said.

Tech-related occupations withstand economic disruptions better than most other sectors "because employers are reluctant to let go of coveted tech skills when both tech talent and tech services are in high demand," CBRE said, adding that tech employment in the 2008-2010 recession declined by 0.5%, versus a 5.5% percent drop in overall U.S. employment.

Most tech-talent hubs and professions are likely to see even greater opportunities for growth after the pandemic subsides, said Colin Yasukochi, executive director of CBRE’s Tech Insights Center. “Markets that have strong innovation infrastructure — leading universities and high concentrations of tech jobs — will lead the next growth cycle.”

U.S. Airlines Further Staff Cuts (July 15, 6:00 p.m. ET)

American Airlines is sending 25,000 notices of potential furloughs to frontline workers and warned that demand for air travel is slowing again, Reuters reported.

After boosting summer flying following some signs of pent-up leisure demand in May and June, some airlines are now scaling back their schedules due to a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. 

Overall, American expects to be overstaffed by about 20,000 in the fall, but hopes to reduce the actual number of furloughs through enhanced leave and early-departure programs it has rolled out alongside unions, Chief Executive Doug Parker and President Robert Isom said in a memo to employees. By encouraging more senior workers to leave, U.S. airlines could trim their labor costs — their main expense — during the recovery. Airline union contracts require airlines to furlough junior workers first.

Delta Air Lines also said this week it believed it could avoid furloughs in the fall after about 17,000 employees signed up for early-departure deals. United Airlines has sent 36,000 furlough notices, representing about 45% of workers, and Southwest Airlines has also warned that job losses will be hard to avoid.

Walmart Mandates Masks at U.S. Stores (July 15, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Walmart Inc. will require customers to wear masks in all of its U.S. stores to protect against the coronavirus, Bloomberg reported.

The measure will go into effect starting July 20, U.S. Chief Operating Officer Dacona Smith said in a blog post Wednesday. The retailer will place employees, dubbed “Health Ambassadors,” near the entrance to “remind those without a mask of the new requirements,” it said. Stores will have a single entrance. Walmart’s decision follows similar moves by Costco Wholesale Corp., Starbucks Corp. and Best Buy Co.

U.S. Industrial Output Surges by Most Since 1959 (July 15, 12:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. industrial production in June posted the largest monthly gain since 1959, Bloomberg reported, indicating manufacturing is stirring to life. Total output at factories, mines and utilities increased 5.4% from the prior month after climbing 1.4% in May, Federal Reserve data showed. The Fed’s index of industrial output remains 10.9% below pre-pandemic levels. What’s more, sales may be tempered in coming months as states like California impose renewed lockdown measures.

Hospitals Stock Up to Prepare for Second Wave (July 14, 4:00 p.m. ET)

About 90% of U.S. hospitals and health systems are building safety stocks of about 20 critical medications for a possible surge in the fall, according to The Wall Street Journal.

More than half are trying to build at least one month’s supply of medications, including those for patients on mechanical ventilation, says Premier Inc., one of the nation’s largest group-purchasing organizations. Many of those drugs remain in short supply as hospitals in Florida, Texas and California compete for limited resources. 

Drugmakers, meanwhile, have ramped up production, and wholesalers have expanded caps on how much hospitals may order, according to industry officials.

Small-Business Optimism Jumps (July 14, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. small-business optimism jumped in June by the most since December 2016 as states reopened and owners expected the current recession to be short-lived, Bloomberg reported.

The National Federation of Independent Business’ index of sentiment increased 6.2 points in June to 100.6, the second straight gain after hitting a seven-year low two months earlier. More states reopened their economies in June, though a number of governors paused or rolled back their plans to reopen at the end of the month due to spikes in the virus.

Apple Pushes Retail to Work Remote (July 14, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Apple Inc. is pushing retail staff to work remotely as the virus forces the company to shut some of its stores again, according to a video message sent to employees. It is also shipping COVID-19 test kits to employees’ homes, and told staff in a memo that a full return to U.S. offices won’t occur before the end of the year, Bloomberg reported.

“If your store is closed, please sign up for Retail at Home, please talk to your manager, because we really need to make sure that we shift our teams to greet our customers remotely in this time,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people, told staff in the video. “We may need to be working remotely for some period of time.”

Moderna Vaccine Sales May Top $5 Billion (July 13, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc.’s experimental vaccine for COVID-19 could generate sales of more than $5 billion a year, a Jefferies analyst told Bloomberg. With a 30,000 person late-stage study set to kick off sometime this month, Moderna’s shot leads the pack in the global vaccine race.

Analyst Michael Yee predicts mRNA-1273, as the vaccine is known, will get “at least” an emergency use authorization by early next year. There are more than 20 candidates in human testing, while at least another 130 vaccines are in even earlier stages of development, according to the World Health Organization.

Chinese Ports Jammed (July 13, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Intensive testing of meat, seafood and other products for the coronavirus has tripled customs clearance times at some major Chinese ports, Bloomberg reported.

It normally takes about three days to clear the produce but is now taking as long as 10, one official said, due to new testing of cold food shipments that began in June. Of 227,934 samples taken by China customs, six have tested positive for the virus.

Toyota to Restart All Factories Globally (July 12, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Toyota Motor Corp. will reopen its Venezuelan plant on Monday, meaning all factories in South America will be operational, Bloomberg reported. The auto giant has already opened all its plants in Japan, North America and Europe. 

From February, Toyota halted production in many countries, starting with China, as the coronavirus spread.

World Drinks Less Coffee While Workers Stay Home (July 12, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Global coffee consumption is set to fall this year for the first time since 2011, Bloomberg reported, even with a huge surge in bean buying at the grocery store amid pantry loading. 

Shutdowns for cafes and restaurants — which typically account for about 25% of demand — have reached more than 95% globally at some point during the pandemic, and it could be a while before things pick up again.

Thailand Makes Tests to Avoid Import Reliance (July 10, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Thailand is ramping up domestic production of COVID-19 test kits to avoid a potential shortage, Bloomberg reported, as it prepares for a possible second wave of infections after most businesses and services reopened.

While no new cases have been detected from local transmission for more than six weeks, some experts have attributed this feat to low testing rates — only 600,000 samples have been analyzed in a country with 69 million people. 

Thailand’s strategy to ramp up production mirrors its home-grown vaccine-development plan. Both reflect concern that a global tug-of-war over supply of resources would put Thais at risk. 

Soap Makers Can’t Get Enough Hand Pumps (July 10, 2:00 p.m. ET)

A surge in demand for soap and hand sanitizer during the pandemic has led to a global shortage of plastic hand pumps that dispense the products, propelling companies to redesign packaging and urge customers to reuse pumps, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Sales of hand sanitizer are up almost fivefold in the first half of this year, but the jump in demand for hand pumps has been much tougher to meet, partly because they are complicated to make.

Executives say the price of pumps — most of which are made in China — has rocketed and that lead times on orders, typically five weeks, are now stretching into next year.

Countries to Help Bring Home Seafarers (July 10, 9:00 a.m. ET)

More than a dozen countries with crucial global shipping hubs including the U.S., Singapore and the United Arab Emirates agreed to ease port and border restrictions for seafarers to help the more than 200,000 workers still stranded on vessels return home.

The pact comes after months of pressure on governments, ports and shippers to find ways to get workers off vessels after a rash of suicides and an uptick in expired contracts.

Big Jump in Late Payments Across USMCA (July 9, 7:00 p.m. ET)

A new survey of business-to-business payment trends by Atradius finds a "massive increase" in late payments across the U.S., Mexico and Canada trade region this year.

Across the region governed by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), 43% of the total value of invoices is­sued were unpaid by their due date, a 25% jump from the prior year. In addition, the value of long-overdue invoices (aged more than 90 days), has doubled, and 4% of the total value of outstanding invoices has been written off, Atradius reported.

Businesses throughout the U.S. reported a 72% year-on-year increase in payment defaults, the survey found.

"This year’s survey results reveal compromised cash flows and an increased reliance on bank finance, as businesses grapple with COVID-19 containment measures," Atradius said.

"With all three countries now in recession, the outlook is bleak," the firm added. "Despite this, the majority of businesses surveyed expect growth in the coming months. This optimism was grounded in the belief that banks will continue to provide credit and will cushion the effects of poor cash flow."

Pandemic Creates Germany-Sized Drop in Global Consumption (July 9, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The amount of global consumption lost in the pandemic roughly equals the size of the German economy, but the slump also led to the biggest ever drop in greenhouse gas emissions, according to a University of Sydney-led study that claims to be the first to quantify the world’s economic losses and environmental gains from COVID-19. 

The study reflects the scale of the pandemic’s impact as it grounded planes, disrupted supplies and forced stores to close, Bloomberg reported.

Using live data collected until May 22, the report came up with some staggering statistics. Global consumption dropped by $3.8 trillion and 147 million jobs were lost — 4.2% of the global workforce. Some $2.1 trillion in income, wages and salaries evaporated.

Moderna in Vaccine Supply Pact (July 9, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Moderna Inc. joined with Laboratorios Farmaceuticos Rovi SA to help supply its COVID-19 shot, one of the leading vaccine candidates against the disease, as companies prepare to produce any successful inoculation as soon as possible, Bloomberg reported.

The Spanish pharmaceutical company will provide vial filling and packaging capacity to Moderna, according to a statement Thursday, as Moderna prepares to produce hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine for markets outside the U.S. starting in early 2021.

U.S. Crude Glut Rises (July 8, 4:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. crude stockpiles rose by 5.65 million barrels last week to near record-high inventories, Bloomberg reported.

While gasoline demand is improving — particularly on the East Coast, where coronavirus cases are slowing — seasonal consumption remains at a two-decade low.

Virus May Deal Lasting Blow to U.S. Consumer Spending (July 8, 1:00 p.m. ET)

American consumers may not be prepared to return to pre-pandemic spending levels. More than 40% of people who spent money on movies, event tickets or at bars before the pandemic now plan to spend less on those activities, according to a CreditCards.com survey reported by Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, more than 60% of small businesses say they need spending to return to normal by the end of the year to stay open, according to American Express data.

New Study Predicts Sweeping Workplace Changes (July 7, 7:00 p.m. ET)

A new survey of 8,000 office-based workers by The Adecco Group signals the coming of big changes in workplaces in a post-pandemic world.

In the survey, "Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work," 76% of respondents said a mix of office-based and remote working is the preferred model for the future, with 51% preferring to spend only half of their time in an office.

Eighty-four percent of respondents said their employer should be responsible for ensuring a better work environment after the pandemic, while 94% of employees felt managers have "met or exceeded" their expectations during the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey revealed a desire to rethink the 9-5 workweek model. Seventy-three percent of respondents said employers should revisit the length of the working week and the hours that employees are expected to work. They suggested that employee contracts evolve to focus more on meeting the needs of the business than on set hours.

"The world of work will never return to the 'normal' we knew before the pandemic struck," said Alain Dehaze, chief executive officer of The Adecco Group. "The sudden and dramatic change in the workplace landscape has accelerated such emerging trends such as flexible working, high-EQ leadership, and reskilling, to the point where they are now fundamental to organizational success." 

Virus at U.S. Meat Plants Hit Minority Workers Hardest (July 7, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Coronavirus infections surged at U.S. meat plants in May from a month earlier, with the brunt of the spread hitting ethnic and minority groups, Bloomberg reported.

COVID-19 was confirmed in 16,233 workers at American meat plants through the end of May, and included 86 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report. The data is an update from a study covering April 9‒27 that identified 4,900 sick workers and 20 deaths related to the virus.

The figures, obtained from 239 facilities in 23 states, show a disproportionate burden of illness and death among racial and ethnic minority groups, the CDC said. Among the 9,919 cases in 21 states that provided information on worker race and ethnicity, 87% occurred among these populations.

While Hispanics make up less than a third of meat-plant workers in the states reporting demographic information, they accounted for 56% of positive cases. Asians make up about 6% of the workforce but 12% of cases.

“Targeted workplace interventions and prevention efforts that are appropriately tailored to the groups most affected by COVID-19 are critical to reducing both COVID-19-associated occupational risk and health disparities among vulnerable populations,” the CDC said.

Regeneron Antibody Gets U.S. Support (July 7, 2:00 p.m. ET)

An experimental antibody therapy from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. received a $450 million contract from the U.S. government to start ramping up production, Bloomberg reported. The move may signal a new plan of attack for the Trump Administration to concentrate on so-called “neutralizing” antibodies that are tailored to mimic immune responses to the virus.

Other companies racing to come up with antibody treatments include AstraZeneca Plc and Vir Biotechnology Inc. in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

Novavax Gets $1.6 Billion U.S. Vaccine Funding (July 7, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Novavax was awarded $1.6 billion from Operation Warp Speed to support large-scale manufacturing of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, Bloomberg reported.

The funds will allow the company to conduct advanced human studies and establish manufacturing to deliver 100 million doses as soon as late 2020, Novavax said in a statement. A final-stage study of its vaccine candidate is planned for as early as this fall, with as many as 30,000 subjects.

U.K. Firms to Cut Jobs When Furloughs End (July 6, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Almost half of businesses taking part in the U.K. government’s coronavirus jobs program expect to let go of furloughed staff when support ends in October, according to Bloomberg.

The problem is more acute for medium-sized businesses, two-thirds of whom say they’ll have to cut jobs when the wage subsidies expire, according to polling by Opinium and the think tank Bright Blue. A quarter of businesses will struggle to increase their share of employee salaries between August and October, the report showed.

Over nine million people in the U.K. have been furloughed since the coronavirus lockdown started in March. To prevent a spike in unemployment and to ease the drop in consumer spending, the government has been paying 80% of salaries, with companies able to top it up to 100%.

Pandemic Is Hurting Infrastructure Funding, New Report Says (July 6, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The coronavirus pandemic is responsible for a drop in user-generated revenue sources for maintenance and construction of the nation's transportation infrastructure, according to a new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The report, "COVID-19’s Impacts on America’s Infrastructure," reviews funding and investment trends for airports, bridges, dams, ports, roads, transit, and water supply. It notes a 49% drop in revenue from the federal Highway Trust Fund in May 2020, compared with May 2019. Additional findings include an estimated $23.3 billion loss in airport revenue due to a 95% decline in domestic air travel, and an estimated decline of 20% to 30% in total annual receipts at the nation's ports.

ASCE calls for passage of multi-year surface transportation reauthorization to address the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, before such authorization expires on September 30, 2020. In the shorter term, it recommends $50 billion in immediate relief for state departments of transportation, "to ensure that bridges, roads, and transit systems remain safe, reliable, and ready for Americans to resume pre-pandemic routines."

Among other recommendations, ASCE urges Congress to authorize $1.5 billion in support of operations and capital costs at seaports, and the appropriation of $1 billion in supplemental funding for the Port and Intermodal Improvement Program.

German Factory Orders Rise Less Than Forecast (July 6, 12:00 p.m. ET)

German factory orders rose less than expected in May even after authorities loosened the coronavirus lockdown, Bloomberg reported.

Orders rose 10.4% in May, following a cumulative slump of more than 37% in the previous two months. The Economy Ministry said that while the data suggest Germany’s industrial recession has passed the trough, “the low level of orders also indicates that the catch-up process won’t be completed for a long time.”

Trump and Companies Clash Over Supply Program (July 2, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Companies involved in a Trump administration effort to provide coronavirus medical supplies described a chaotic and inefficient process and warned of a continuing shortage despite months of efforts, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In recent weeks, medical equipment distributors reported their concerns to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which laid out the concerns in a memo Thursday.

Medical companies received no guidance from the federal government in the first months of the pandemic when they tried to deliver desperately needed protective equipment such as masks and gowns for health-care workers, according to the 13-page memo. Instead, companies were forced to rely on “publicly available information and customer demand to make purchasing and procurement decisions.”

Now, as coronavirus cases surge across the country after months of efforts, “there are still severe shortages of [personal protective equipment] and critical medical equipment,” the memo says.

Trucking, Warehouse Companies Boost Hiring (July 2, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Logistics operators hired at a brisk pace in June as companies serving the e-commerce market brought on more than 80,000 workers and factories started resuming production following coronavirus-triggered shutdowns, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Trucking companies also added 8,100 jobs from May to June, the biggest one-month gain in the sector since September 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Payrolls in the sector are still down about 95,000 from a year ago.

Warehousing and storage companies added 60,500 jobs last month, adding to a hiring surge that has come as consumers stuck in their homes order more goods online — and boosted by recent resurgent factory activity.

Airlines Get U.S. Loans (July 2, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Treasury agreed on loan deals with American Airlines Group Inc. and four other carriers, further bolstering liquidity as the virus all-but killed travel demand, Bloomberg reported. American confirmed it will borrow $4.75 billion to weather the travel crisis caused by the pandemic. Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, SkyWest and Spirit Airlines also reached deals to borrow from the Treasury.

U.S. June Jobs Rise Above-Forecast 4.8 Million (July 2, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The rebound in the U.S. labor market accelerated in June as broader reopenings spurred more hiring, Bloomberg reported, though filings for unemployment benefits remained elevated last week as coronavirus cases picked up. 

Payrolls rose by 4.8 million in June after an upwardly revised 2.7 million gain in the prior month, according to a Labor Department report. The unemployment rate fell for a second month to 11.1%, still far above the pre-pandemic half-century low of 3.5%.

Pandemic's Effects Will Cut Long-Term Energy Demand, Report Says (July 1, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The COVID-19 pandemic promises to "significantly reduce" the long-term global demand for energy, according to the new Energy Transition Outlook report from DNV GL.

The amount of energy required globally by 2050 will be 8% lower than DNV GL's pre-pandemic forecast, the firm said. Efforts to improve energy efficiency, combined with lower economic output caused by the pandemic, are slowing demand. The report predicts "lasting behavioral changes" in travel, commuting and working habits, resulting in less need for fossil fuels by sectors such as transportation and iron and steel production.

The forecast indicates that worldwide CO2 emissions likely have already peaked in 2019. "However, even with peak emissions behind us, and flat energy demand through to 2050, the energy transition is still nowhere near fast enough to deliver on the Paris ambition of keeping global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels," the firm said. "To reach the 1.5-degree target, we would need to repeat the decline in emissions we’re experiencing in 2020 every year from now on."

“This is an opportunity that cannot go to waste," said Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO of DNV GL. "Governments and international regulatory institutions must take this opportunity to make a lasting impact on decarbonization.”

House Clears Extension of Small Business Loan Program (July 1, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The House gave final last-minute congressional approval Wednesday to extending the popular Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses until Aug. 8, hours after the deadline for applications lapsed with more than $130 billion still available, Bloomberg reported.

The Senate had passed the extension Tuesday, shortly before the Small Business Administration was to stop accepting new loan applications at 11:59 p.m. Both chambers used expedited procedures to send the bill to President Trump for his signature.

As of Tuesday, the program has approved more than 4.8 million loans totaling $520.6 billion since it was enacted in March.

Europe Says It Has Enough Covid Drug (July 1, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Countries including Britain, Germany and Switzerland sought to allay concerns that they won’t have sufficient stocks of Gilead Sciences Inc.’s remdesivir, one of two drugs shown to treat COVID-19, after the U.S forged a deal to snap up almost all the supplies for three months, Bloomberg reported.

The U.K. worked with Gilead in May to secure remdesivir in advance and has enough of the medicine to treat every National Health Service patient who needs it, officials said. Switzerland has supplies of the drug set aside for seriously ill patients, according to a government spokesman.

Drop in Ocean Freight Rates Signals Sinking Economy (June 30, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Long-term contracted ocean freight rates fell for the second consecutive month in June, a reflection of the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economy, according to Xeneta.

The firm's latest XSI Public Indices Report finds a drop in rates of 1.8% in June, following a May decline of 1.2%. Carriers have now experienced an 0.2% rate drop since the beginning of 2020, despite historically high levels and four consecutive months of increases through February. Moreover, said Xeneta, "future economic indicators are far from promising."

Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund said carriers have worked hard in recent months to balance supply and demand by removing tonnage, adjusting routes and continuously reviewing rate-making strategies. "What will be key now is can carriers resist the temptation of releasing capacity back into the market in an attempt to win market share? The capacity is there ready to be deployed, but do that too soon, and too rapidly, and the rates could collapse.”

"Rates have held fairly firm so far," Berglund added, "but it remains to be seen how effectively the carriers can fight against such overwhelming odds, and for how long." 

Airbus to Cut 15,000 Jobs (June 30, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Airbus SE embarked on the most extensive restructuring in its history, setting out plans to cut 15,000 civil-aerospace jobs worldwide — an 11% reduction in global headcount, Bloomberg reported.

Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury has said the company’s output will be 40% lower than expected for two years due to a dramatic slump in demand for aircraft, and has previously warned it is bleeding cash.

Trump Ends 'Project Airbridge' PPE Effort (June 30, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The last overseas flight to expedite shipment of supplies through the Trump administration's "Project Airbridge" initiative is scheduled to arrive in Ohio on Tuesday, CNN reported.

Around 249 flights have been completed through Airbridge, an effort launched in March when the U.S. faced dire supply shortages, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Despite a surge in coronavirus cases across the country, Trump administration officials have expressed confidence in the supply of personal protective equipment and ventilators. Still, officials have left the door open for Airbridge to restart if necessary.

China Halts Meat Imports From More Plants (June 30, 12:00 p.m. ET)

China suspended meat imports from more plants as the nation continues to sow confusion in global agriculture markets by suggesting a potential link between the spread of coronavirus and food, Bloomberg reported.

Customs authorities suspended imports from plants in countries including Brazil, Canada and Germany, according to a notice on a departmental website. While China didn’t provide a reason for the suspension, most, if not all, of the facilities had one thing in common: COVID-19 outbreaks.

Amazon to Pay $500 Million in Bonuses for Front-Line Workers (June 29, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon will spend more than $500 million on one-time bonuses for all front-line workers and partners with the company throughout June, The Wall Street Journal reported. The payout comes after the company decided last month to end a short-term pay bump for employees, including those in warehouses fulfilling customer orders.

Full-time employees at Amazon, its Whole Foods Market business and drivers in its contracted delivery program will receive $500, while those in part-time positions will receive $250, said Dave Clark, senior vice president of world-wide operations, in a blog post. Another group of drivers will get $150.

Leaders at Amazon and Whole Foods will receive a $1,000 bonus, and owners running contracted delivery-service operations will get $3,000.

Gilead’s Remdesivir to Cost $2,340 for 5-Day Treatment (June 29, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Remdesivir is one of the first widely used drugs for COVID-19. It received an emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators in May, after a trial found the medicine hastened recovery by about four days in hospitalized patients, Bloomberg reported.

“We wanted to make sure that nothing gets in the way of remdesivir getting to patients,” Gilead Chief Executive Officer Daniel O’Day said in an interview. The price “will make sure all patients around the world have access to this medicine.

Iron Ore Prices to Stay High (June 28, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Top iron ore shipper Australia predicts elevated prices will stay for the rest of 2020 as Chinese demand strengthens and supply is slow to increase, according to Bloomberg.

Iron ore surged past $100 a ton in the first half after disruptions in Brazil curbed shipments just as Chinese mills churned out a record volume of steel. Prices are expected to largely hold at current levels over the remainder of the year, albeit drifting slightly lower in the second half, the Department of Industry, Science, Energy & Resources said in a quarterly report. It boosted the forecast for this year by almost 30% and also raised its 2021 outlook.

China’s U.S. Oil Binge Slowing (June 27, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A second wave of COVID-19 infections in China’s capital is starting to weigh on export prices for American crude, according to Bloomberg. West Texas Intermediate oil for supply in August along the U.S. Gulf Coast is now trading at about 80 to 90 cents a barrel above Nymex futures, down from a nearly $1.15-a-barrel premium last week.

Before the renewed outbreak in Beijing that has now spread to neighboring provinces, buyers in China were snapping up cheap U.S. oil with crude processing at local refineries climbing even higher last month than before the pandemic began. But shipments may take a hit over the next few months after record purchases in May crushed port infrastructure.

Purchases of about 23 million barrels of American crude oil for loading in May were sent to domestic refineries, and only 12 million barrels are en route to China this month, data show.

WHO, Partners to Distribute Vaccines Globally (June 26, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The World Health Organization and two global health nonprofits have announced an $18 billion plan to procure two billion doses of eventual coronavirus vaccines for distribution in developing nations, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The goal is to make sure coronavirus vaccines are distributed equitably among countries and wealthier nations don’t dominate supplies in the early days of their production when stocks are expected to be limited, the WHO said.

The vaccine drive will be spearheaded by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, or GAVI, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI. They will have to raise much of the expected $18 billion cost from donors.

Some 16 vaccine candidates are in human testing and another 125 are in development.

U.S. Durable Goods Orders Surge (June 26, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. orders for durable goods jumped in May by 15.8%, the most since July 2014, after a revised 18.1% decline in April, Bloomberg reported. 

Shipments of core capital goods, a figure economists use to calculate gross domestic product, climbed 1.8% in May. GDP in the second quarter is forecast to post its steepest annualized decline in records dating back to the 1940s. In the first quarter, GDP shrank an annualized 5%, Commerce Department data showed.

Transportation equipment orders jumped nearly 81% in May, including a 27.5% increase in motor vehicles and parts. The value of commercial aircraft bookings rose to $3.1 billion after a decline of $8.6 billion, which reflected order cancellations. Nondefense capital goods orders including aircraft rose 27.1%.

Valued at $194.4 billion, May’s orders remain far short of where they were three months earlier, suggesting a long path to recovery.

BYD Sues Mask Sellers for Alleged Counterfeiting (June 25, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Build Your Dreams (BYD), a maker of technology for electric vehicles that has shifted to manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) in response to the coronavirus pandemic, has filed a federal lawsuit against individuals that it claims are selling counterfeit face masks under its name.

In a suit filed in the U.S. Court, Central District of California in Los Angeles, BYD accuses several parties of "selling, or attempting to sell, counterfeit Personal Protective Equipment to unwitting customers, endangering many on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19."

BYD is seeking unspecified damages, and has promised to donate any award of damages to charitable COVID-19 relief efforts, according to company president Stella Li.

BYD formed Global Healthcare Product Solutions LLC to make masks and medical devices in North America. It now claims to be the single largest manufacturer of respiratory masks in the world, turning out 50 million masks per day. The items are being sold under “BYD” and “BYD Care” trademarks.

"When defendants falsely advertise the masks as being manufactured by BYD, they are deceiving the customers into believing that the masks will function to the specifications required by the government to protect the person ultimately wearing the mask from contracting COVID-19," the company said.

"BYD will not condone bad actors using BYD’s brand recognition and trademarks to deceive and harm the public," it added.

Food Exporters Resist China’s New Restrictions (June 25, 5:00 p.m. ET)

China is tightening restrictions on food imports as it seeks to stave off a resurgence of the coronavirus, but its efforts are meeting resistance from government agencies of major food exporters, according to The Wall Street Journal.

China’s customs authority requested last week that companies sending meat, dairy and other food products to the country sign documents declaring that their food hasn’t been contaminated by the virus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. trade officials initially cautioned American food exporters about signing such documents, since China’s requests for COVID-19 attestations weren’t negotiated as part of trade-policy discussions between the two countries. 

Ultimately, U.S. federal officials this week opted to leave the decision up to exporting companies.

Food exporters in several countries are deliberating over China’s request. Some U.S. industry executives worry that China could use those attestations as a reason for rejecting or delaying shipments. The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said there is no evidence COVID-19 is a foodborne illness and that it is unlikely to spread through food packaging.

Apple Shuts More U.S. Stores (June 25, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Apple Inc. will close 14 stores in Florida, citing a spike in new coronavirus cases, raising total U.S. shop closures to 32, Bloomberg reported.

The company on Wednesday closed its seven retail stores in Houston and last week again shut 11 stores across Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Despite the new closures, Apple has reopened the majority of its 271 U.S. stores.

U.S. Jobless Claims Worse Than Forecast (June 25, 12:00 p.m. ET)

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was higher than forecast for a second straight week, adding to signs that the recovery is cooling amid a pickup in coronavirus cases, Bloomberg reported. Initial jobless claims in regular state programs fell to 1.48 million last week from an upwardly revised 1.54 million in the prior week, Labor Department data showed Thursday. Economists had forecast 1.32 million.

Gartner Survey Reveals a Major Sourcing Shift Out of China (June 24, 8:00 p.m. ET)

A new survey of supply-chain managers by Gartner finds a third of respondents planning to move sourcing and manufacturing out of China by 2023.

The COVID-19 outbreak is one reason for the change, Gartner says. Others include uncertainties caused by the U.S.-China trade war, the resulting wave of tariffs on imports, and a new emphasis by companies on supply-chain resilience.

“Global supply chains were being disrupted long before COVID-19 emerged,” said Kamala Raman, senior director analyst with the Gartner Supply Chain Practice. “Already in 2018 and 2019, the U.S.-China trade war made supply-chain leaders aware of the weaknesses of their globalized supply chains, and question the logic of heavily outsourced, concentrated and interdependent networks. As a result, a new focus on network resilience and the idea of more regional manufacturing emerged.

"But this kind of change comes with a price tag," Raman added, noting that 58% percent of respondents believe greater resilience means additional structural costs to networks.

As a result, she said, U.S. companies will need to adopt new types of automation in the factory to reduce the cost of near- or onshore production. "Some also favor a partial option, such as manufacturing in Asia and moving only the final assembly closer to the customer,” Raman said.

UN Says Battery Metals at Risk of Supply Snags (June 24, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Supplies of lithium and other minerals used in rechargeable batteries are highly concentrated in just a few countries, leaving the raw materials vulnerable to disruption as a boom in electric cars bolsters demand, according to a report from the United Nations.

Nearly 50% of world cobalt reserves are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 58% of lithium reserves are in Chile, and 80% of natural graphite is in China, Brazil and Turkey, Bloomberg reported.

The possibility of political instability and adverse environmental impacts in these countries raises concerns about the security of the supply, posing a risk of tighter markets, higher prices and increased battery costs at a time when low-carbon energy sources are needed to help fight climate change, the UN said. While investing more in green technologies that depend less on critical battery raw materials could help reduce consumers’ vulnerability to supply shortfalls, this would cut the revenues of the nations producing them.

IMF Forecasts Deeper Recession (June 24, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The International Monetary Fund downgraded its outlook for the coronavirus-ravaged world economy, projecting a significantly deeper recession and slower recovery than it anticipated just two months ago, according to Bloomberg.

The fund says it now expects global gross domestic product to shrink 4.9% this year, more than the 3% predicted in April. For 2021, the fund forecast growth of 5.4%, down from 5.8%.

New Data Shows Supply Chains Continuing to Stabilize (June 23, 7:00 p.m. ET)

New data from FourKites shows that supply-chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak appear to be finally leveling off.

The company reports that load cancellations by meat-processing companies have dropped 24% since their peak during the week of April 20, and are now at pre-pandemic levels.

Food and beverage shipments over the past month are essentially stable, showing an increase of just 1%. But they're down 7% when compared with March, when consumers were engaging in panic buying.

Consumer packaged goods shipments rose 9% over the last month, and "remain at elevated levels since their initial spike in demand in early March," FourKites said. However, personal care products, up slightly between mid-April and mid-May, declined 5% in the last month.

"The current pandemic poses a highly fluid situation, given the ongoing uncertainty around the trajectory of infections as more states and businesses reopen," said Vivek Vaid, chief technology officer with FourKites. "We do anticipate that volumes will likely increase over the next four weeks, as the end of the quarter and Fourth of July celebrations will lead to increased demand for shippers in many consumer-focused industries."

Ocean Carrier MOL to Cut Fleet on Shrinking Trade (June 23, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Mitsui OSK Lines, Japan’s largest ship owner, is cutting its fleet by 5% over the next three years on expectations of a deep decline in trade volumes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The cuts will involve 40 vessels, including container ships, dry-bulk carriers, tankers and car carriers. MOL, as the carrier is known, currently operates 800 ships and is one of the world’s biggest seaborne operators.

MOL’s move is the latest in a series of cuts taken by ocean carriers in recent months to deal with a steep decline in shipping demand because of the lockdowns aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus. Container sailings from Asia to Europe and across the Pacific are down at least 25% so far this year, according to Copenhagen-based research group SeaIntelligence Consulting, and several carriers are lined up for government bailouts or preferential loans.

European Car Sales Forecast to Drop 25% This Year (June 23, 2:00 p.m. ET)

European car sales are forecast to drop by a record 25% this year — the steepest on record and the lowest number of cars sold since 2013, when the industry was emerging from a protracted decline following the 2008 financial crisis, Bloomberg reported.

Just 9.6 million vehicles are expected to be sold in the European Union, compared with 12.8 million last year, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said in its first forecast since January, before the health crisis unfolded in the region.

The exact shape of a potential recovery remains unclear as carmakers from Volkswagen AG to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV prepare to announce results next month for what is likely to be a devastating second quarter. France, Germany and Spain have unveiled aid packages for the industry, while Britain’s main automotive trade group called for government support, saying one in six jobs are at risk.

Trump Orders Freeze on Work Visas (June 22, 8:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump signed an order temporarily halting access to several employment-based visas, Bloomberg reported. The order freezes new H1-B and H-4 visas, used by technology workers and their families, as well as L visas for intracompany transfers and most J visas for work- and study-abroad programs, including au pairs, through the end of the year.

The action will also pause some H2-B visas for seasonal workers, with an exception for those in the food-processing industry, according to a senior administration official who briefed reporters Monday. The issuance of new green cards will also remain halted through the end of the year.

Amazon.com Inc. called the order “short-sighted,” saying immigrant tech labor could help the U.S. economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Toyota Says Japan Factories Returning to 90% (June 22, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Toyota Motor Corp. expects to ramp up production further in Japan during July as it restarts factories, reaching 90% of its targeted output level, Bloomberg reported.

Six production lines will see suspensions during July for a total of 16 days, compared with 25 closed lines and 133 days of stoppage in June, the Japanese automaker said.

The pandemic has forced carmakers around the world to shutter showrooms and factories, weighing on earnings. Although Toyota has halted some domestic factories from April through June, it won’t change its plan to produce at least 3 million cars annually in the country, Mitsuru Kawai, Toyota’s chief human resources officer, told shareholders earlier this month.

European Airline Crisis Worse Than Previously Estimated (June 22, 12:00 p.m. ET)

New projections from the International Air Transport Association indicate a deteriorating picture for European airlines, with the U.K. suffering the steepest passenger shortfall and Spain taking the biggest hit to the wider economy, Bloomberg reported.

Europe’s five leading aviation markets will together lose 150 million more travelers this year than forecast at the start of lockdowns in March, according to the trade group. The slump in revenue will steepen accordingly, with the decline versus 2019 sales approaching $30 billion in the U.K., the world’s third-largest aviation market after the U.S. and China, compared with an original estimate of just over $20 billion.

Turn to job losses, and Spain’s huge tourism industry means it’s set to suffer most. Close to 1 million people in posts directly reliant on aviation may find themselves out of work there, 233,000 more than first envisioned. In the U.K., the job-loss estimate increased by 331,000.

The hit to gross domestic product is now forecast to total $245 billion across the six countries worst affected. That’s $70 billion more than originally estimated and bigger than the entire economy of Portugal or Greece.

China Fuels Angst Over Meat (June 21, 4:00 p.m. ET)

China’s suspension of imports from a Tyson Foods Inc. plant stoked concerns over the broader implications for U.S. and global meat exports during the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

All products from the facility in Springdale, Arkansas, where Tyson is based, that are about to arrive in China or are at ports will be seized by customs. The suspension announced Sunday reversed a decision a few days ago, when officials said food was unlikely to be responsible for a fresh virus outbreak in Beijing. Tyson on Friday said 13% of its workers tested positive for the virus at plants in northwest Arkansas.

The move is a potential new threat to meat plants that have seen slaughter disruptions because of the virus. In the U.S., hundreds of workers have become ill, and dozens have died. There’s also been a recent uptick in infections at facilities in Brazil and Germany.

CDC Kits ‘Likely Contaminated,’ HHS Study Says (June 21, 12:00 p.m. ET)

One of two test kits developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to detect the “first wave” of the coronavirus failed because some reagents were “likely contaminated,” according to a Department of Health and Human Services review reported by the Washington Post.

Development of kits began in early January, on a rush basis, and the reagents — needed to determine final results — may have been exposed in late January, according to the report. Lab processes may have been insufficient to prevent the contamination risk, although “it is likely that time pressure also contributed,” the report found.

Shopify, BlackBerry Team With Canada on Tracing (June 18, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Canada is partnering with Shopify Inc. volunteers and BlackBerry Ltd. on a contact-tracing application for COVID-19 as cases in the country breached 100,000, Bloomberg reported.

Prime Minister Trudeau said users will be able to upload their test results voluntarily onto the app. All data will be kept anonymous, with no location or personal information collected.

The push for contact tracing comes as the pandemic reached a milestone in Canada: more than 100,000 cases. While the rate of new infections has been receding — new cases in Ontario have been under 200 for five straight days — the country now has about 8,255 deaths.

Congress Mulls New Business Aid (June 18, 2:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. lawmakers rolled out proposals to help restaurants and other small businesses still dealing with the outbreak, Bloomberg reported, as a relief program is set to end on June 30 and Congress weighs more stimulus.

Legislation was introduced to create a $120 billion bailout fund for small food and beverage establishments, as well as a separate proposal to allow any remaining funds from the Paycheck Protection Program to be used for small firms that need the most help.

Container Rates Between China and U.S. On the Rise (June 17, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Consumer demand sparked by the reopening of stores in some states caused ocean container rates from China to the U.S. to rise this week, with record gains on at least one leg, according to Freightos Group.

Prices on the China-to-U.S. East Coast route topped $3,000 per 40-foot equivalent unit (TEU) for the first time since July, 2019. And from China to the U.S. West Coast, rates hit a two-and-a-half-year high. In the case of the latter route, a 50% increase over the end of May set a record for monthly gains, as recorded by FreightWaves' Weekly FBX Report.

June is the first month to see implementation of two successive general rate increases since January 2019, "which is all the more striking for happening in such a low demand environment," Freightos said.

The firm noted that many industry observers are hesitating to call the latest results the beginning of a sustained economic rebound, given other indications that consumer spending "will not come roaring back any time soon" due to persistence of the coronavirus pandemic.

"This, of course, makes the spikes throughout June even more remarkable," Freightos said.

Ford Salaried Employees Can Work From Home for Rest of Year (June 17, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Ford Motor Co. is again extending its work-from-home arrangements for U.S. salaried workers in response to employee requests to keep working remotely, Bloomberg reported.

The automaker will begin surveying salaried employees June 18 to determine work arrangements for 2021, it said in a statement. For the remainder of this year, white collar workers have the option to work remotely, in the office or a combination of both.

This is the second time Ford has pushed back plans to bring salaried workers back into offices. Hourly workers returned to factories a month ago and some have tested positive for the virus, although Ford has said the contagion was contracted outside its facilities. Workers at two factories producing Ford’s top selling vehicle, the F-150 pickup, have pushed back, saying the automaker isn’t doing enough to ensure their safety.

The automaker, which has denied that safety protocols are inadequate, said delaying salaried workers’ return helps ensure there’s enough personal protective equipment for factory employees, who can’t work remotely.

Aspen Works to Ensure Supply of Promising Drug (June 17, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. is working to ensure it can manage demand for the generic anti-inflammatory drug it makes that was shown to improve survival in COVID-19 patients, according to Bloomberg.

Africa’s biggest drugmaker has set up a team to assess how much of the 60-year-old drug dexamethasone it can supply and by when, CEO Stephen Saad said. The low-cost, widely used medicine — also made by rivals including Mylan NV and Merck & Co. — is the first treatment to show life-saving promise for those very ill with the disease, according to data released Tuesday by the University of Oxford.

“Demand needs to be managed in a carefully calculated way,” Saad said.

Mexico Keeps Migrant Workers From Canada Farms (June 17, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Mexico plans to keep migrant workers from traveling to Canada amid a wave of coronavirus outbreaks on farms, threatening a labor squeeze in that country’s fruit and vegetable industry as harvests start to ramp up, Bloomberg reported.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry announced a “temporary pause” on migrant workers traveling to Canada while protocols and sanitary situations are reviewed.

Union Says Ship Crews Can Stop Work (June 16, 8:00 p.m. ET)

The International Transport Workers’ Federation said it will now support ship crews’ rights to stop working, even if that comes at the cost of disrupting global trade, Bloomberg reported.

The change in messaging comes after it says governments took insufficient action to facilitate the repatriation of around 200,000 seafarers and exempt them from COVID-19 travel restrictions by designating them “key workers.” The federation and its affiliated unions also called on crews not to agree to contract extensions starting Tuesday.

“Enough is enough,” ITF President Paddy Crumlin said in a statement. “We have to draw a line in the sand and today is the day that we make it crystal clear to governments, that from June 16, seafarers are going to start enforcing their right to stop working and to return home. No more contract extensions.”

Airlines Need More Government Relief, IATA Says (June 16, 7:15 p.m. ET)

The global airline industry needs more government aid in order to survive what's expected to be a difficult winter, the International Air Transport Association said.

Airlines are expected to post a loss of $84.3 billion in 2020, IATA noted, adding that government-supplied financial relief is a "lifeline" to many carriers.

Most airlines make their money in the northern summer season, while winter is a struggle to remain profitable in the best of times, IATA said. It cited research conducted in the first week of June that showed travelers displaying increased caution about returning to normal levels of travel. Only 45% said they intend to resume flying within a few months of the pandemic subsiding, while 36% said that they would wait six months. That compares with April of this year, when 61% said that they would return to travel within a few months of the pandemic subsiding, and 21% were planning to wait about six months. 

"Airlines in the Northern hemisphere rely on a strong summer season and a predictable booking curve to get them through the lean months," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer. "But neither of these conditions are in place, and airlines will need continued help from governments to survive a hard winter."

The airlines' ability to achieve financial and operational flexibility "equals survival,” he added.

UK Stores Reopen, But Will Still Lose Money This Year (June 16, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The reopening of stores in the United Kingdom will only provide retailers with a "short-lived" boost, and they will still lose around $46.5 billion this year, according to GlobalData.

Approximately 44.8% of UK consumers have boosted their online purchases during the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in an expected increase of 14.3% in online non-food expenditures. But the rise in online spending won't make up for a drop in physical store purchases, which still account for the "vast majority" of total sales, said GlobalData lead analyst Sofie Willmott.

With continuing concerns about financial and physical health, consumers will continue to exercise caution despite the reopening of stores, GlobalData said.

“Clothing is the product area that most visitors are looking forward to shopping for, as they start to anticipate a return to social activities and buy into new season trends," Wilmott added. "However, we expect clothing and footwear to be the worst-hit sectors this year with spend predicted to fall over 30% as shoppers are unlikely to buy more to make up for their lack of purchases across March, April and May.”

U.S. Retail Sales Rose Record 18% in May (June 16, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 17.7% in May from a month earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported. It was the biggest increase in records dating back to 1992. 

Still, retail spending remained below pre-pandemic levels in May, totaling $485.5 billion compared with $527.3 billion in February. From a year earlier, retail sales were down 6.1% in May.

May’s month-over-month jump followed the largest monthly drop on record in April, a revised 14.7% decline. 

China Starts Intensive Testing of Imported Meat (June 16, 2:00 p.m. ET)

China’s customs authorities started testing all shipments of imported meat for the coronavirus, while officials in some major cities are also checking the products at domestic markets, after a fresh outbreak of the pathogen was linked to a wholesale seafood and meat market in Beijing, Bloomberg reported.

Port authorities are conducting nucleic acid tests on all shipments of imported meat, said a trading executive with a major supplier, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Customs officials have also started testing every consignment within shipments, instead of just taking some samples, he said.

Gloves Boom Spawns New Billionaires in Malaysia (June 15, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Malaysia, a country that produces about 65% of the world’s supply for rubber gloves, now counts at least four billionaires whose fortunes were made in the industry — including two new ones this year alone, according to Bloomberg. Thai Kim Sim of Supermax Corp. was the latest to join the club, with a net worth estimated at about $1 billion.

A jump in demand due to the coronavirus outbreak has propelled shares of companies making protective gear, suddenly turning the Southeast Asian nation into a hotspot for creating ultra-wealthy individuals within the sector. Top Glove Corp., the world’s biggest maker of the product, Hartalega Holdings Bhd. and Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd. have all benefited. 

Global demand for rubber gloves could grow 11% to 330 billion pieces this year, two-thirds of which is likely to come from Malaysia, the country’s rubber glove manufacturers association estimates.

Cotton Growers Face Supply Glut (June 15, 5:00 p.m. ET)

Cotton growers are facing a growing supply glut as shoppers are slow to return to stores, threatening to halt a recovery in prices from a decade low, according to Bloomberg.

Companies such Hennes & Mauritz AB are struggling to regain pre-virus sales levels and the owner of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank is mulling bankruptcy protection. China’s retail sales in May fell more than analysts forecast, illustrating the challenge of getting shoppers back to stores as economies reopen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week cut its 2020-2021 world consumption forecast by 1.8%, and raised its estimate for August 2021 global reserves to the second-highest since at least 1960.

U.S. States See Drop in Tax Revenue (June 15, 11:00 a.m. ET)

Tax collections will fall by more than 30% in at least 10 American states due to COVID-19, Bloomberg reported.

On average, states will suffer a 20% decline in tax revenue, according to a report from researchers at Arizona State and Old Dominion universities. New Jersey and New York have already reported sharp declines, while California is implementing higher taxes on corporations to help deal with the revenue shortfall.

Morgan Stanley Economists See V-Shape Recovery (June 14, 9:30 p.m. ET)

Morgan Stanley economists say the global economy is in a new expansion cycle and output will return to pre-coronavirus crisis levels by the fourth quarter, according to Bloomberg. 

“We have greater confidence in our call for a V-shaped recovery, given recent upside surprises in growth data and policy action,” economists led by Chetan Ahya wrote in a mid-year outlook research note.

AstraZeneca, EU Nations Reach Vaccine Supply Deal (June 14, 12:00 p.m. ET)

AstraZeneca Plc says it will provide up to 400 million doses of a vaccine it’s developing with Oxford University to Europe starting at the end of the year, Bloomberg reported. The company said it struck an agreement with the Inclusive Vaccines Alliance spearheaded by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. It’s reached similar agreements with the U.K., U.S. and global vaccine groups.

Aluminum Glut Revives Financial Crisis-Era Storage Trade (June 12, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Wall Street banks and investors are joining commodity traders in stockpiling aluminum, an unconventional way to make money at a time when returns on bonds are historically low, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The pandemic hit the aluminum market hard by triggering a downturn in the auto and aerospace industries, two big buyers of the metal. A surfeit of metal pushed benchmark aluminum prices down 12% this year, to $1,582 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange.

It also revived interest in hoarding aluminum to sell at a later date, a trade that became controversial after the 2008-09 financial crisis. With metal readily available, the price of buying aluminum has fallen below the cost of paying for the material now and taking delivery later.

At current prices, traders can earn an annualized return of about 2% from stashing aluminum in a warehouse. The trade is particularly popular in Europe and Asia, but less widespread in the U.S. because of tariffs on aluminum imports.

Texas Oil-Export Terminals Start Up Even as Shipments Tumble (June 12, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Even as the pandemic continues to hammer global demand for U.S. crude, Buckeye Partners LP expects to start loading ships with oil for export in the second half of July — after receiving crude at its South Texas Gateway terminal in the Port of Corpus Christi about a month earlier than planned, Bloomberg reported.

At least 15 other terminals have started exporting U.S. crude in recent years, encouraged by record shale production and growing demand for barrels in Asia. In April, Mercuria Energy Group-backed Pin Oak Terminals became one of the latest to start exports at its Corpus Christi terminal.

The launch of the Buckeye and Pin Oak terminals at a time like this signals that exporters believe demand will eventually recover, said Pin Oak Chief Executive Corey Leonard. While both projects were under development years before the current health emergency — with shippers, contracts and finance already lined up — they could have deferred their commission by a month or two if market conditions called for it. Instead, they’re pushing ahead.

U.S. to Issue 96 Million Face Masks to Plane, Train Passengers (June 12, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. government plans to distribute 96 million cloth face coverings for free to people riding on planes, trains and public transportation systems, Bloomberg reported.

The Transportation Department says it will provide 86.8 million masks to airports and 9.6 million to 458 transit agencies and Amtrak. Most airlines and transit systems already require masks, though enforcement has been spotty.

The Transportation Department is working with the Health and Human Services Department, it said in a press release. The cloth coverings were obtained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and will be distributed in the coming weeks.

Oil Dives the Most in Six Weeks (June 11, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Oil fell the most since late April as economic uneasiness iced U.S. stock markets, threatening to spoil crude’s recovery from a historic drop below zero, Bloomberg reported.

The market is grappling with record high U.S. oil inventories and an uneven demand rebound as signs mount that a second wave of the pandemic could be taking hold in some states. Oil’s recovery has been driven by production cuts and the easing of pandemic-related lockdowns.

EPA Tells Amazon, EBay to Stop Shipping Unproven Covid Goods (June 11, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The Trump administration is ordering Amazon.com Inc. and EBay Inc. to stop selling unproven or unsafe disinfectants — including products falsely marketed as killing COVID-19, Bloomberg reported.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued orders to the two companies directing them to stop selling or distributing 70 products, including sprays, lanyards and other gear sometimes touted as “preventing epidemics.”

Under the EPA orders, the companies are obligated to take the products off their websites and certify they have done so. Failure to comply with the stop-sale notices could expose the companies to civil penalties of as much as $20,288 per sale.

U.S. Jobless Claims Continue Gradual Drop (June 11, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits continued to only gradually ease last week despite a stream of business reopenings, underscoring the longer-term labor market challenges, according to Bloomberg.

Initial jobless claims for regular state programs totaled 1.54 million in the week ended June 6, down from 1.9 million in the prior week, Labor Department figures showed. Applications for unemployment insurance have fallen consistently each week since peaking at the end of March, but the volume of weekly filings is still more than double the worst week during the Great Recession.

Brazil Coffee Exports Tumble (June 10, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Brazil, the world’s top coffee producer, registered the lowest monthly exports in almost two years, stoking concerns that global demand may ebb as economies reel from the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Green-coffee shipments in May fell to 2.68 million bags, down 23% from a year earlier, to the lowest since July 2018.

While the drop in shipments reflects lower output last year, when crops entered the lower yielding half of a biennial cycle, it may also reflect trader caution over demand.

Food Production Changes Needed, UN Says (June 10, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The United Nations says the pandemic has signaled an urgent need to change the way food is produced to help contain hunger and develop environmentally sustainable supplies, Bloomberg reported.

The combined effects of the COVID-19 crisis, government measures and the emerging global recession risk a worldwide food emergency and in the long-term could disrupt how food systems function, the UN said in a policy brief. That could lead to consequences for health and nutrition on a scale not seen for more than half a century, it said.

Imports Rising at U.S. Ports, But Still Below Last Year (June 9, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Import volumes at U.S. containerports in April were higher than the previous month, but still below the levels of last year, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

U.S. ports monitored by the report handled 1.61 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). That was down 7.8% from a year earlier, but up 17% from a four-year low registered in March, and notably better than the 1.51 million TEUs previously expected.

The report's authors expect to see a similar pattern for each month from May through October — higher volumes than previously forecasted, but less than the same period of 2019. Imports for the six-month period from April through September are expected to total 9.74 million TEUs, a 3% improvement from the 9.46 million TEUs expected a month ago.

“The numbers we’re seeing are still below last year, but are better than what we expected a month ago,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF's Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy. “It may still be too soon to say but we’ll take that as a sign that the situation could be slowly starting to improve. Consumers want to get back to shopping, and as more people get back to work, retailers want to be sure their shelves are stocked.”

Airline Industry Forecast to Suffer Record $84 Billion Loss (June 9, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Airlines will post a record collective loss this year that will be more than twice that suffered after the 2008 global economic slump, Bloomberg reported. Carriers will lose $84 billion in 2020 and almost $16 billion in 2021, according to the International Air Transport Association, the industry’s main trade group. That compares with a $31 billion loss after the last recession.

25,000 U.S. Stores May Close in 2020 (June 9, 12:00 p.m. ET)

As many as 25,000 U.S. stores could close permanently this year after the pandemic devastated an industry where many mall-based retailers were already struggling, Bloomberg reported.

The number would shatter the record set in 2019, when more than 9,800 stores closed their doors for good, according to a report from retail and tech data firm Coresight Research.

Retailers Using Inventory to Combat COVID-19 Disruptions (June 8, 8:00 p.m. ET)

A new study finds retailers using inventory as a way to buffer against disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the study, conducted by WMG, The University of Warwick and Blue Yonder, 61% of retailers were relying on inventory for that purpose. Fifty-eight percent said "a high degree" of manual intervention was needed to respond to fluctuations in demand and supply.

“Using inventory to buffer against the disruption of COVID-19 was the most common strategy deployed by retailers," said Jan Godsell, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy at WMG, University of Warwick. "This provides the greatest certainty of supply but comes at a cost. In contrast, only just over a quarter (29%) of retailers relied on suppliers with more agile manufacturing and distribution networks, which is a potentially more resource-efficient and resilient response."

When it comes to the treatment of suppliers, retailers' behavior varied sharply. Thirty-seven percent were delaying payments to suppliers, and 30% were making early payments.

The survey received responses from 105 retailers from Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Electric-Vehicle Maker Reopens Plant With COVID-19 Protections (June 8, 7:45 p.m. ET)

BYD, a manufacturer of electric vehicles, has begun the reopening of a plant in Los Angeles County with stringent safety protocols for the protection of workers from the COVID-19 virus.

Located in the city of Lancaster, California, the plant makes all-electric transit buses and motor coaches. The phased opening follows guidelines for safe operations set by the state, county and city. They include:

• Social distancing, including markings at all crowd-gathering places.
• Screening and monitoring, including non-contact body-temperature scanning before anyone can enter the plant.
• Disinfection and sanitation, including regular sanitation of common and touch-prone areas, and promoting the use of sanitizers.
• Prevention and awareness, including requiring the use of personal protection equipment such as masks and gloves for all employees, and promoting safety awareness through training, posters, and memos.
• Promoting safety practices at home for workers, such as sanitizing personal vehicles, avoiding gatherings, and "frequent and vigorous" hand washing.

Half of Americans Want Meat-Free Options After Industry’s Crisis (June 8, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. meat industry crisis that saw thousands of sick workers, surging prices and grocery-store shortages is leading half of Americans to consider plant-based options, according to new research reported by Bloomberg.

A poll taken By Rethink Priorities in conjunction with the Humane Society of the United States at the end of May found that 52% of respondents think the food industry should focus more on meat-free foods to help reduce shortages. The survey of 998 people also found that half of respondents don’t think the meat industry cares about the health of its workers, and 65% don’t think it cares about the treatment of animals.

Plant-based proteins are already seeing a pandemic bump after coronavirus outbreaks forced closures at some of America’s largest packing plants. Soy-based burger maker Impossible Foods Inc. and pea-based meat imitator Beyond Meat Inc. have spread into grocery stores across the U.S., and buying of meat alternatives had tripled from a year earlier in the eight weeks ended April 25, according to Nielsen data.

Pandemic Won’t Alter Supply Chains for Now, Shipping Giant Says (June 8, 1:00 p.m. ET)

There will be little change to global supply chains in the aftermath of the coronavirus — at least in the short term — according to Michel Sirat, chief financial officer of the world’s third-largest container company.

Marseille-based CMA CGM expects to see a 15% volume contraction in the second quarter, which will be the lowest point of the year, Sirat told Bloomberg. After that, volumes “should be up in all recovery scenarios.” Any moves to alter supply chains are likely to be slow and customers will continue to buy goods in China post-pandemic, he said.

Sirat was speaking as CMA CGM released first quarter earnings that showed it swung to a net income of $48 million from a $43 million net loss a year earlier. Revenue was $7.19 billion in the first quarter, down 3% compared to the same period of last year, according to a statement. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization jumped 25% to $973 million over the same period, mainly due to cost cutting measures put in place in 2019.

The company recently secured a 1.05 billion euros loan, 70% backed by the French state. The guarantee on the loan came with few conditions apart from a commitment not to issue a dividend this year and to pay suppliers on time, Sirat said.

Drugmakers Look Beyond Covid (June 7, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Two of the drugmakers behind the most prominent responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are looking into the possibility of a combined future as economies emerge from lockdowns, Bloomberg reported.

AstraZeneca Plc, co-developer of one of the fastest-moving experimental vaccines, has made a preliminary approach to Gilead Sciences Inc., maker of the only U.S.-approved treatment, according to people familiar with the matter. If they decided to pursue a merger, it would be the biggest deal ever in the sector.

The mere suggestion of a blockbuster merger is a sign the industry is getting back to something resembling business as usual. Even successful COVID-19 treatments or vaccines are unlikely to be big moneymakers, meaning drugmakers face the return of old pressures to gain scale and boost innovation, or risk becoming targets.

Trump Says He’ll Ask Congress for Extra Stimulus (June 5, 4:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump said he’ll ask Congress to pass more economic stimulus, including a payroll tax cut, even after the government reported a surprise improvement in U.S. unemployment on Friday, Bloomberg reported.

“We’ll be asking for additional stimulus money because once we get this going it’ll be far bigger and far better than we’ve ever seen in this country, that includes as of three or for months ago,” Trump said in remarks at the White House to celebrate the jobs report.

House Democrats passed an additional $3.5 trillion stimulus bill last month, aimed largely at assisting states and hospitals battered by the coronavirus outbreak. But Republicans controlling the Senate have rejected that proposal and plan to wait until late July before considering their own alternative.

U.S. Jobless Rate Falls (June 5, 2:00 p.m. ET)

America’s labor market unexpectedly rebounded in May, signaling that the economy is picking up faster than thought from the depths of the pandemic-induced slump, Bloomberg reported.

Nonfarm payrolls rose by 2.5 million after a 20.7 million tumble the prior month that was the largest in records back to 1939. The jobless rate fell to 13.3% from 14.7%.

Nuvocargo Reports Pandemic's Impact on U.S.-Mexico Border Crossings (June 4, 7:15 p.m. ET)

Freight moving from the U.S. into Mexico is experiencing lengthy delays due to the coronavirus pandemic at one crossing, but shorter-than-usual transit times at another, according to Nuvocargo, a digital freight forwarder and customs broker.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the crossing from Mexico to the U.S. at Santa Teresa, New Mexico typically took about 15 mins. Now the wait can range from one to four hours, Nuvocargo said.

On the other hand, it said, the crossing from Mexico to the U.S. at Laredo, Texas is currently taking between one and a half and two hours, versus two to three hours before the pandemic. The speedup is the result of a drop in traffic at that busy crossing, from around 12,000 vehicles per day to just 4,000.

A manufacturer of hand sanitizer is experiencing northbound border inspections averaging six hours, versus about three hours previously. "In addition, [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] releases are sometimes taking days, when they used to take no more than 24 hours, because border inspections for medical supplies are much more thorough than they used to be," Nuvocargo said.

The company added that its closest trucker partners in Mexico have had to furlough or terminate nearly half of their drivers, and have cut salaries for administrative staff by 50 percent.

Logistics Workers Face Health Challenges (June 4, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The health of logistics workers is being endangered by inadequate sick leave and other employer policies, a new report from Quinyx finds.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, 78% of logistics workers came to work sick, said Quinyx, a provider of workforce-management software. During the pandemic, the number was still significantly high — around 14%.

The reason, the company said, was a lack of alternatives. Just 6% of the surveyed logistics workers have paid sick time. And 29% believe that taking more than one consecutive sick day is a fireable offense.

The survey revealed deep dissatisfaction by workers about their employers' labor policies. Half said they don't feel valued by their companies, and 61% have considered leaving their jobs.

A third of respondents said they failed to receive adequate training by employers on how to do their jobs effectively during the pandemic.

European Central Bank Expands Bond Program (June 4, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The European Central Bank has unveiled a new €600 billion ($677 billion) bond buying program, in a larger expansion of stimulus measures than many investors had expected, the Guardian reported.

Purchases will continue until the end of June 2021, the ECB said in a statement.

U.S. Acts to Clean Up Jumbled Data (June 4, 2:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services introduced new guidance to provide a better picture of COVID-19 testing efforts, particularly in terms of race, gender and ZIP code.

The quality of government data has been faulted for months, Bloomberg reported, particularly as evidence emerges that minority communities have been affected the most by the virus. The new guidance standardizes reporting of test data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including on fields such as gender and type of test performed. Laboratories must comply by Aug. 1.

Brett Giroir, a top HHS official who oversees testing efforts, said that “most of these fields are not reported at all by hospital labs and rarely by large commercial labs,” which have performed the bulk of the U.S. testing.

Amazon Workers Sue Over Virus Spread (June 4, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A group of Amazon.com Inc. warehouse employees sued the online retail giant, claiming its working conditions put not only them at risk of contracting the coronavirus but also their family members, including one who died, Bloomberg reported.

Employees “were explicitly or implicitly encouraged to continue attending work and prevented from adequately washing their hands or sanitizing their workstations,” the lawsuit says. Within a month, a plaintiff’s cousin, whom she lived with, died after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

The suggestion that working conditions at the facility contributed to a specific third-party death distinguishes Wednesday’s lawsuit from other coronavirus-related complaints filed against Amazon in recent months.

Conference Board Eyes a Future of More Teleworking (June 3, 7:30 p.m. ET)

A new survey of human-resource leaders by The Conference Board finds 77% of respondents expecting a shift toward more teleworking, even a full year after the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

The Conference Board surveyed more than 150 H.R. managers, mostly from large American companies. They foresaw more employees working from home at least three days a week. The percentage was highest in professional and office workplaces, and somewhat lower in industrial and manual services.

Thirty-seven percent of companies with a larger number of remote workers before COVID-19 said they were seeing increased employee productivity now.

"A shift toward more remote working will have major implications for H.R. departments,” said Robin Erickson, principal researcher with The Conference Board. “Among other changes, they will be able to recruit workers from a broader geographic pool and will need to hire and promote those who can inspire remote teams.”

In the months ahead, companies relying on industrial and manual-services workers are far more likely to implement furloughs with benefits, conduct permanent layoffs, require employees to use paid vacation or time off, and cut wages, the survey also found.

Merchant Fleet Faces Shortfall of Officers (June 3, 7:15 p.m. ET)

The global merchant fleet is likely to experience a widening shortfall of officers to crew its ships, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd.

The crisis is likely to occur despite the worldwide dampening of demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Drewry said. "This is due to the reduced attractiveness of a career at sea and rising man-berth ratios which will inflate future manning costs."

Drewry's latest Manning Annual Review and Forecast estimates a global officer shortage equating to around 2% of overall demand, "though presently this is masked by the temporary idling of vessels due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, once the merchant fleet is fully reactivated, this shortfall will re-emerge and represent a tightening of supply conditions compared to 2019 when the market was estimated to be in broad balance."

"Seafaring is no longer the attractive occupation it once was, as competition from shore-based roles intensifies and the lifestyle with its associated mental health challenges becomes less appealing,” said Drewry’s senior manning analyst Rhett Harris. “The COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a further blow to the occupation’s reputation with high profile news stories of stranded crews and enforced longer tours of duty.”

White House Works With Seven Drugmakers in Vaccine Push (June 3, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The White House is working with seven pharmaceutical companies as part of its “Warp Speed” coronavirus vaccine program. They include Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc., and the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca Plc, as well as two other firms, according to Bloomberg.

Operation Warp Speed seeks to compress a vaccine process that is typically years long into a matter of months, in part by spending as much as $10 billion on research, manufacturing and agreements to guarantee purchase of the vaccines.

Germany Agrees to $146 Billion Stimulus Plan (June 3, 5:00 p.m. ET)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition agreed to a 130 billion-euro ($146 billion) stimulus package to help Europe’s biggest economy recover from the coronavirus crisis, Bloomberg reported. The deal includes tax relief for companies, money for families, car-sales incentives and aid to municipalities.

Air Freight Demand Plummets, But Capacity Is Still Short (June 2, 7:15 p.m.ET)

Demand for global air freight plummeted 27.7% in April from the same period of 2019, but there still wasn't enough capacity to meet it, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Global air freight capacity, measured in available cargo ton kilometers (ACTKs), shrank by 42% in April compared to the previous year, IATA said.

The industry's cargo load factor (CLF) was up 11.5 percentage points in April, the largest increase since tracking began. "The magnitude of the rise suggests that there is significant demand for air cargo which cannot be met owing to the cessation of most passenger flights," IATA noted.

"The result is damaging global supply chains with longer shipping times and higher costs," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. "Airlines are deploying as much capacity as possible, including special charter operations and the temporary use of passenger cabins for cargo. Governments need to continue to ensure that vital supply lines remain open and efficient."

De Juniac said government red tape, in the form of permitting delays, border blockages and inadequate ground infrastructure, "is preventing the industry from flexibly deploying aircraft to meet the demands of the pandemic and the global economy." The problem is especially acute in Africa and Latin America, he added.

Flower and Garden Retailers Optimistic on Industry Recovery (June 2, 7:00 p.m. ET)

In a new survey of flower and garden retailers from 27 countries, 71% believe that growers will "soon" recover following the coronavirus pandemic.

That finding contrasts sharply with the outlook of the previous survey, in which 70% of respondents said they expected to see many growers go out of business by the end of 2020. The surveys were conducted by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) and FloraCulture International (FCI).

Most countries in the survey have re-opened garden centers (96%) and florist shops (85%), in many instances ahead of other retail outlets. "This recognition of garden retailers as an ‘essential’ service and a safer shopping environment is a great boost for the industry," AIPH commented.

Seventy-eight percent of garden retailers still expect this year's sales figures to be worse than last year. At the same time, 46% anticipate that demand for plants and flowers in the weeks ahead to be higher than in the previous year. "There is a clear sense of optimism for the future coming through the responses, as many are hoping to claw back at least some of the sales lost during this time," AIPH said.

Tyson Says 591 Plant Workers Test Positive (June 2, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Tyson Foods said it would resume limited production on June 3 at an Iowa plant that had an outbreak of the coronavirus, according to a statement.

At the Storm Lake plant, 591 workers tested positive out of 2,303 that were tested, the company announced Tuesday. More than 75% of the positive cases are asymptomatic.

Separately, at the company’s Council Bluffs plant, 224 tested positive out of its 1,483 employees.

Qatar Airways Demands Flexibility on Aircraft Deliveries (June 2, 1:00 p.m. ET)

The head of Qatar Airways called on the world’s two major planemakers to ease demands that ailing carriers accept delivery of new aircraft, Bloomberg reported, saying their future relationship was at stake.

Airbus SE and Boeing Co. should accept delivery deferrals until at least 2022, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said in an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg TV.

“What is important is for Boeing and Airbus to show their customers that they are not only there with them in good times, but also in bad times,” Al Baker said. “If they don’t oblige, they will permanently lose us as a customer.”

FEMA, MarAd Supplying Face Masks to Maritime Workers (June 1, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Workers at U.S. ports and in related maritime transportation roles are scheduled this week to begin receiving federal shipments of 2.4 million reusable cloth face masks.

The masks will be distributed to an estimated 400 maritime transportation entities nationwide, including coastal and inland ports, marine terminals, tug and barge lines, vessel pilots, dredging operations and logistics providers. They are part of an effort by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to keep essential businesses working during the coronavirus pandemic. Other federal agencies involved in the project included the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) and Department of Homeland Security’s Maritime Sector Coordinating Council (MSCC) Task Force.

The American Association of Port Authorities advocated for distribution of the protective gear to maritime workers. The group is also pushing for passage of S. 3728, the Critical Infrastructure Employee Protection Act of 2020, which would include the maritime sector as a priority group for the next allocation of personal protection equipment (PPE).

Universal Postal Union Shares Impact, Advice (June 1, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The Universal Postal Union has released a report of “near-future scenarios” for the sector, in order to provide policymakers and postal operators with insights and suggestions on the way forward.

International postal supply chains are feeling unprecedented pressure, the group says, with cross-border exchanges decreasing 21% between late January and mid May compared to the same period last year. 

Survey Shows Widespread Concern for Supply-Chain Preparedness (June 1, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Half of U.S. businesses say they’ll be making supply-chain changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey by standards body BSI Group. The majority of the 800 respondents began to feel the impact in March.

About 30% of respondents say that at least 10% and up to 50% of their workforce will remain working remotely after the pandemic — with 25% of respondents citing employee safety as their top concern.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents called their businesses “well prepared,” but most rated their preparedness for supply-chain disruptions about average. More than a third had no business continuity plan in place.

Airbus Set to Reassess Output (June 1, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Top Airbus SE executives are planning to assess additional measures that may be necessary to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Among the topics to be discussed at a meeting this week are production rates for the plane-maker’s top-selling A320-series narrow-body jet.

Airbus slashed output by about a third in April to cope with cratered demand from airlines that have parked planes because of the virus. At the time, the planemaker said it would aim to produce 40 of the single-aisle A320s per month, and reassess once it determined whether the recovery was “V-shaped” or “L-shaped.”

China to Supply Virus Test Kits, Masks to Africa (June 1, 10:00 a.m. ET)

China will supply millions of coronavirus test kits and masks to Africa to help the continent deal with the pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

African nations have 142,289 cases of COVID-19, with 4,084 deaths from the disease, according to data from the Africa Centre for Disease Control & Prevention. The continent has experienced shortages of diagnostic equipment and therapeutic medical supplies.

China will ship as many as 30 million test kits, 10,000 ventilators and 80 million masks a month to Africa, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping about securing the supplies last week.

Trump Says U.S. to Sever WHO Ties (May 29, 3:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump said the U.S. will sever ties with the World Health Organization, the United Nations body he accuses of failing to provide accurate information on the spread of the coronavirus that broke out in China, Bloomberg reported.

“Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving, urgent global health needs,” Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House. “The world needs answers from China on the virus. We must have transparency.”

The U.S. contributes more than $450 million to the WHO, Trump said.

Vaccine Unlikely to Kickstart U.S. Economy, Survey Says (May 29, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Investors think Moderna Inc.’s experimental COVID-19 inoculation wouldn’t be enough to unlock the economy, Bloomberg reported. An Evercore ISI survey of over 100 investors — more than half of whom specialize in health care — found there’s a 43% probability that Moderna’s vaccine would be sufficient to set the U.S. economy alight, analyst Joshua Schimmer wrote in a note. Still, a majority expect the next update on mRNA-1273 will be positive and predicted emergency use authorization will be granted in the fourth quarter and regulatory approval in 2021.

U.S. Consumer Spending Falls Most Ever (May 29, 12:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. consumer spending plunged in April by the most on record after the pandemic halted purchases of all but the most essential goods and services, Bloomberg reported.

Household outlays fell 13.6% from the prior month, the sharpest drop in Commerce Department records back to 1959. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 12.8% decline.

Container Rates Holding Steady Despite Pandemic (May 28, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Ocean freight rates for containerized goods held relatively steady in May, defying analysts' expectations of a severe drop, according to Xeneta.

The company's XSI Public Indices Report showed only a 1.2% decline in long-term contracted ocean freight rates in May, despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. That follows an increase of 0.7% in April.

Xeneta attributed the April rise, following a decline of 0.5% in March, to "proactive strategies" of containership operators, including the withdrawal of selected capacity from the trades and numerous cancelled sailings.

"That approach continues to mitigate damage, while the gradual opening of national economies is giving some room for optimism," said Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund.

“Given the debilitating effects of the pandemic on global economic activity, there may have been a belief that rates would freefall, but not so,” Berglund said. “Owners have been quick to remove surplus capacity and as some, particularly European, countries cautiously reopen, we’re seeing carriers, such as those in THE Alliance [Hapag-Lloyd, Yang Ming, and Ocean Express Network], announce plans to reinstate sailings."

The company crowdsources its data from major shippers and covers more than 160,000 port-to-port pairings.

House Votes to Extend Small Business Loan Program (May 28, 4:30 p.m. ET)

The House voted Thursday to give small businesses financially strapped by the COVID-19 crisis more flexibility to spend forgivable loans for payrolls and expenses from the government’s popular Paycheck Protection Program, Bloomberg reported.

The 417-1 vote sends the measure to the Senate, which may seek changes. The bill’s sponsors say urgent action is needed because the eight-week period when proceeds must be spent for loans to be forgiven will begin expiring Friday for the first loan recipients after the Small Business Administration program opened April 3.

The House measure would give companies much more time to spend the money — within 24 weeks or until the end of the year, whichever comes first — and still qualify to have their PPP loans forgiven. Businesses would also have up to five years, instead of two years, to repay any money owed on a loan and could use a greater percentage of proceeds on rent and other approved non-payroll expenses.

U.S. Jobless Rolls Shrink for First Time (May 28, 1:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. states’ jobless rolls shrank for the first time during the pandemic in a sign people are starting to return to work, even as millions more Americans filed for unemployment benefits, Bloomberg reported.

Continuing claims, which tally Americans’ ongoing benefits in state programs, fell to 21.1 million for the week ended May 16, Labor Department figures showed Thursday. Initial jobless claims for regular state programs totaled 2.12 million in the week ended May 23, to bring the 2 1/2-month total above 40 million.

Separate data showed that U.S. orders for durable goods sank sharply for a second month in April as the pandemic wreaked havoc on the manufacturing industry.

G20 Fiscal Packages Exceed $4.68 Trillion, Report Says (May 27, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Cumulative fiscal response to the coronavirus pandemic from G20 member states has reached more than $4.68 trillion, according to data gathered and calculated by Buyshares.co.uk.

Japan has had the highest fiscal response at $996.45 billion — 19.5% of the country’s 2019 gross domestic product. The United States has the second-highest response at $562.1 billion — about 11% of the country’s GDP. The next highest are Australia, Canada and Brazil, while Mexico and South Africa are lowest — both at less than 1% of their GDPs. 

U.S. Delays Environmental Fines for Corporations (May 27, 6:00 p.m. ET)

Ten corporations that agreed to a total of $56 million in civil penalties for allegedly breaking environmental laws are not being required to make payments under a pause granted by the U.S. government, the Guardian reported.

The companies polluted air and water, including in communities already vulnerable to toxic pollution like East Chicago, Indiana, according to legal proceedings.

The companies will not be required to pay penalties before June 1, although they have the option to do so.

Latin American Coffee Growers Under Threat (May 27, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Demand shortages have put pressure on farmers in coffee-producing countries, especially growers and small roasters within the $18-billion-a-year industry, according to Modern Farmer.

Latin American producers, who grow much of the beans imported to America, have been battling the environmental impacts of climate change and coffee rust for years, but now COVID-19 is disrupting supply chains and endangering the American coffee imports they rely on.

While large coffee houses like Maxwell House and Folgers can weather small rises in production costs or a short lack of demand, the lack of demand might not only sink small specialty coffee importers and roasters, but irreversibly impact the communities that grow high-end beans.

Additionally, labor to harvest coffee beans has been reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Colombian coffee production was down 28 percent last month compared to April 2019.

Philippines Can Benefit From Supply-Chain Disruption: Central Bank (May 27, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Philippine Central Bank Governor Benjamin Diokno says the nation can benefit from disruption to global supply chains caused by COVID-19, and has called on the government to do more to attract foreign investors, according to Bloomberg.

The Philippines, which is primarily linked to global networks through electronics and machinery exports, has an opportunity as the pandemic prompts countries to redirect trade and relocate production, Diokno said in a statement.

“In the long run, the escalation of the U.S.-China trade war and the coronavirus pandemic could have a positive impact on the Philippine economy,” Diokno said, adding that both events could prompt firms to cut dependence on any single country.

Global Port Throughput 'Bounced Back' in March, Drewry Says (May 26, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Global container-port throughput "bounced back" in March, following a steep decline in February caused by a combination of the Chinese New Year and the coronavirus outbreak, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants Limited.

Comparing March activity to January, 2012, with a base of 100 points, Drewry reported a increase to 124.5 points for the month, following a 20-point decline in February. Nevertheless, the level was still six points lower than in March of 2019.

Of all regions, China saw the largest monthly growth of more than 40 points in March, 2020, a 44.3% increase. But that was around 7.3 points (5.2%) lower than in March, 2019.

"A proportion of this gain can be attributed to ports handling the backlog of cargo that had been held up in February, but by late March, 2020, Chinese factories were re-opening," Drewry noted.

The North America throughput index further declined by 5.5 points (4.5%) in March, following a steep fall in February. The index was 18 points lower (13.4%) than in March, 2019.

Drewry's index sampled activity at 220 ports worldwide, representing over 75% of global volumes.

FourKites Sees Supply-Chain Improvements Nationwide (May 26, 6:15 p.m. ET)

Load volumes are up and freight delays down across the nation, according to new data from FourKites.

As panic buying abates, dwell times for freight at key points around the country are shrinking by 10% to 20%, FourKites reported. Meanwhile, aggregate load volumes are up 10% over the past four weeks.

"As the shopping frenzy has slowed and congestion at facilities has let up, operators have had a chance to reset, adjust to the new normal and create efficiencies at the site level," said FourKites chief technology officer Vivek Vaid. "This includes improving the check-in process, instituting measures to ensure social distancing/driver safety, and using technology to manage critical appointments and enhance collaboration between carriers, drivers and vendors."

FourKites expressed confidence that load volumes will continue to climb steadily, "though at what pace is very much uncertain — especially in light of U.S. states beginning to lift shelter-in-place restrictions that were put i place in March," Vaid said.

British Forwarders Urge Extension to Brexit Transition (May 26, 6:00 p.m. ET)

The British International Freight Association, representing U.K. freight forwarders, is urging an extension of the transition period for the country to leave the European Union.

BIFA cited the coronavirus pandemic as a contributing factor to a shortage of trained U.K. customs officials that would need to be in place in order for the transition to be completed by the start of 2021.

The group said the majority of its members support an extension of the transition period if the U.K. and EU are unable to agree on the details of the withdrawal by December 31.

BIFA director general Robert Keen called the group's statement “a clear message to Government that BIFA members and the clients that they serve have great reservations over whether they will have the capacity to handle the major changes to the U.K.’s trading relationship at the start of 2021, such as new customs documentation and procedures.”

Half of respondents to a BIFA survey said they lack the staff needed to undertake required customs-related work after January 1, while 60% said they didn't have sufficient time to train new recruits.

“With very little progress to date on key negotiating points in the formal talks, and with many of the civil service resources previously assigned to support negotiations reallocated to deal with the coronavirus emergency response, it would be very risky and unwise not to seek an extension," Keen said.

U.S. Aims to Boost Tests Sharply (May 26, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The Trump administration has released coronavirus testing targets for May, an aggressive expansion that would have some states doubling, quadrupling and even, in the case of Puerto Rico, completing 5.6 times the number they had done through late April, according to Bloomberg.

The White House announced on May 11 that states had set the goals in partnership with the Trump administration, but didn’t release specifics. The breakdown of targets by state was released Sunday as part of a testing plan outlined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a report to Congress.

The HHS plan calls for about 12.9 million tests this month. States are nearly two-thirds of the way to meeting that goal, with roughly 8.3 million administered as of Monday, according to the Covid Tracking Project, a volunteer initiative to track virus data.

Apple to Reopen 100 More U.S. Stores (May 26, 3:00 p.m. ET)

Apple Inc. will reopen about 100 more retail stores in the U.S. this week, with more than half offering curbside pick-up service only, Bloomberg reported. The move adds to about 30 U.S. store reopenings from earlier this month. The company has about 270 retail locations in the U.S.

Stores that let customers inside require temperature checks, social distancing and masks, Apple has said.

Cuomo Calls for Canada-to-NYC Power Line (May 26, 2:00 p.m. ET)

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling for new power lines from upstate and Canada to reinvigorate the state’s ravaged economy and promote clean energy, Bloomberg reported.

The plan includes installing cables to bring wind and solar power down from the state’s rural regions to New York City and its suburbs, Cuomo said Tuesday during a news conference. He’s also seeking to expedite a plan to deliver hydropower from Canada through a transmission project that’s been in the works for years.

The proposals come as coronavirus cases are slowing in New York, prompting calls to revive the economy in the state hit hardest by the virus. Cuomo said that investing now in major infrastructure projects, including energy and transportation, would accelerate economic growth.

Brazil to Toughen Beef Rules (May 26, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Brazil, the biggest exporter of beef and chicken, plans to introduce new safety standards to avoid the kind of mass processing disruptions that caused meat shortages and price spikes in America, Bloomberg reported.

The national guidelines will incorporate requirements from local authorities and labor prosecutors, Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias said in an interview. Until now, the industry has been operating under protocols set with the federal government.

While the Brazilian industry has avoided major disruptions so far, prosecutors and local authorities have halted a handful of facilities over safety concerns. On Monday, Marfrig Global Foods SA said 25 workers at a plant in Mato Grosso state tested positive and at least one died.

A meatpacking supply-chain rupture would hurt local consumers at a time that Brazil becomes the new global virus hotspot. It could also tighten supplies in global poultry and beef markets.

Morgan Stanley Sees Slight Signs of 'Normalization' (May 25, 7:15 p.m ET)

Transportation carriers, shippers and brokers are seeing signs of possible "normalization" in the industry, according to the latest COVID-19 survey from Morgan Stanley Research.

The new survey of 400 companies suggests that "we are turning the corner," Morgan Stanley said, while being careful to stress that the gains in confidence are small, and that "we are by no means out of the woods yet."

Approximately 86% of all respondents said the current impact and intensity of the coronavirus pandemic remains elevated, a decrease of around 1% from two weeks earlier.

Those seeing a "High" impact now account for just 39% of all responses, versus 46% in the prior update. Expectations also improved slightly for the coming 12 months.

"This could be our most stable update since conducting this survey," Morgan Stanley said, adding that "signs point to the market beginning to enter a new normal."

Forter Reports Increase in E-Commerce Fraud During Pandemic (May 25, 7:00 p.m. ET)

A new report from Forter has revealed a significant increase in attempted e-commerce fraud against retailers during the month of May.

In its latest report on e-commerce trends during the COVID-19 pandemic, Forter noted a 179% rise in attempted account-takeover attacks during the month. In addition, it identified an increase in the sophistication of various types of fraud, including policy and promotional abuse, loyalty and gift-card fraud, and buyer-seller collusion. Incidents of returns abuse, by contrast, were down 22%, although the firm said it expects an increase in that activity as well, as merchants extend returns policies amid the virus outbreak.

"With the surge of new consumer traffic, fraudsters are looking to exploit vulnerable touchpoints where security and fraud prevention aren’t as robust," Forter said.

The COVID-19 report also identifies select product categories that saw a marked rise in transaction volume during the month, including grocery and delivery (up 236%), beauty and personal care (235%), eyewear (648%) and jewelry (17%).

The report covers only consumer buying patterns in digital channels. "Although some industries — including food and beverage and grocery and delivery — are indeed seeing increases in online purchasing volumes, these spikes in activity do not necessarily offset the very real pains they are feeling due to the closures of their brick-and-mortar locations," Forter said.

Pandemic Downturn Frees Up Canada Rail Logjam (May 22, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A backlog of grain is almost gone from farms on Canada’s Prairies after the coronavirus outbreak damped demand for rail transport of goods from sectors including manufacturing and construction, Bloomberg reported.

Railways handled record-high volumes of wheat, canaola and other crops, according to the Western Grain Elevator Association. Exports are surging through the Port of Thunder Bay, and the number of ships waiting for grain in Vancouver has tumbled 43% from a peak in March.

In early March, grain shipments to ports trailed year-earlier volume by more than 1 million metric tons after rail blockades in protest of TC Energy Corp.’s planned Coastal GasLink project. The delays added to a backlog of crops stuck in the Prairies stemming from a late harvest and a week-long strike at Canadian National Railway Co. in November. Farm analysts had anticipated the backlog would take six months to clear.

Shopify Joins Twitter in Permanent Work-From-Home Shift (May 21, 4:30 p.m. ET)

Shopify Inc. will allow its 5,000 employees to work from home indefinitely, according to Bloomberg. The Canadian e-commerce giant plans to keep its offices largely closed for the rest of the year as it re-designs its space and adjusts to a remote work environment. Offices will be limited to 20% to 25% capacity after that.

CEO Tobi Lutke said he would “absolutely” feel comfortable allowing Shopify employees to work from home permanently. That follows a similar plan from Twitter Inc. last week. Banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and are also reducing office capacity, at least in the short-term, as they try to maintain physical distancing in the wake of the pandemic.

Apple, Google Technology to Notify Users of Exposure (May 21, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Apple and Google have released long-awaited smartphone technology to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus, The Guardian reported.

The companies announced the unprecedented collaboration last month, and say 22 countries and several U.S. states are already planning to build voluntary phone apps using their software.

The software relies on Bluetooth wireless technology to detect when someone who downloaded the app has spent time near another app user who later tests positive for the virus.

Senators Press Forward With Small-Business Loan Extension (May 21, 1:00 p.m. ET)

An architect of the small-business Paycheck Protection Program is pushing for a quick Senate vote on extending the program Thursday before the chamber leaves for a Memorial Day recess, Bloomberg reported.

Senator Marco Rubio, chairman of the Small Business Committee, said he is “increasingly optimistic” there will be bipartisan support to lengthen the current eight-week time period during which businesses must use the loan money to pay employees and for other expenses to have the loan forgiven.

The Senate may vote Thursday on such a change by unanimous consent, which allows expedited consideration of legislation, according to a person familiar with the plans. The length of the extension hasn’t yet been determined, but Rubio said in a video posted on Twitter Wednesday that he expected to pass a measure extending the loan-forgiveness period to as many as 16 weeks.

Women’s Job Cuts May Shave $1 Trillion Off Global GDP (May 21, 12:00 p.m. ET)

A potential $1 trillion could be lost from global growth as female workers fall out of the workforce during the coronavirus, according to Bloomberg.

Of 44 million workers in vulnerable sectors, about 31 million female workers face potential job cuts compared to 13 million men, underscoring that women globally are more vulnerable to losing their jobs during the crisis, says a new analysis by Citigroup Inc. The assessment excludes China, with the figure likely to be higher if the world’s second-largest economy was included.

Citi estimates more than 220 million women are in sectors vulnerable to job cuts amid the pandemic. If approximately 31 million women in six key sectors lost their jobs, that could mean an equivalent loss to real global GDP of as much as $1 trillion.

Ozone Pollution Has Barely Decreased (May 20, 6:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. air pollution declines aren't nearly as large as early indications suggested, according to an NPR analysis of six years of Environmental Protection Agency data.

In some cities, the amount of one pollutant, ozone, has barely decreased compared with levels over the past five years, despite traffic reductions of more than 40%. Ground-level ozone, or smog, occurs when the chemicals emitted by cars, trucks, factories and other sources react with sunlight and heat.

NPR analyzed more than half a million air pollution measurements reported to the EPA from more than 900 air monitoring sites around the country. In most places, ozone pollution decreased by 15% or less — an indication that improving air quality will take much more than cleaning up tailpipes of passenger cars.

U.S. Retail Sales to Fall 6.5% in 2020 (May 20, 4:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. retail sales could be down at least 6.5% this year, according to new estimates reported by CNBC — nearly three times the 2.2% sales drop in 2009 after the Great Recession.

Companies expected to struggle the most include apparel retailers, department store operators, luxury chains and direct-to-consumer brands, according to market research group Euromonitor. J.C. Penney, J.Crew and Neiman Marcus have already filed for bankruptcy. 

Consumer spending tumbled a record 16.4% in April, according to a government report. Clothing stores took the biggest hit, with sales down 78.8%.

Farmers Cleared to Euthanize Millions of Pigs (May 20, 3:00 p.m. ET)

A plan to euthanize up to 10 million pigs by mid-September has been approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a letter to the National Pork Producers Council.

The letter responded to NPPC's request for the division to look over its plan and ensure it was in compliance with antitrust regulation. As a result of capacity restrictions at pork packing plants, euthanizing potentially 700,000 hogs per week "will be unavoidable" and a coordinated industry response is necessary to ethically euthanize as few as possible, NPPC said. 

Producers are now permitted to "work at the direction of the USDA and state agriculture agencies to achieve humane and efficient euthanization of hogs that have grown too large to be processed and are thus unmarketable," the DOJ said.

U.S. Mulls Paying Companies to Pull Supply Chains From China (May 20, 1:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. lawmakers and officials are crafting proposals to push American companies to move operations or key suppliers out of China that include tax breaks, new rules and carefully structured subsidies, according to Reuters.

Interviews with a dozen current and former government officials, industry executives and members of Congress show widespread discussions underway — including the idea of a “reshoring fund” originally stocked with $25 billion. No lawmaker has publicly embraced the fund, but several congressional aides acknowledged it is part of the broader discussion in Congress.

Both Republicans and Democrats are crafting bills to decrease U.S. reliance on China-made products, which accounted for some 18% of overall imports in 2019. Lawmakers also hope to include reshoring provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, a $740 billion bill setting policy for the Pentagon that Congress passes every year.

IATA Proposes "Layered Approach" to Passenger Health for Resuming Flights (May 19, 7:30 p.m. ET)

The International Air Transport Association has proposed a detailed "layered" approach for restarting passenger flights following the COVID-19 crisis.

The report specifies implementation of a series of temporary biosecurity measures, from pre-flight through arrival at destination airports.

IATA said it foresees the need for governments to collect passenger health data in advance of travel. Measures proposed at the departure airport include temperature screening, physical distancing, face coverings, and sanitization of high-touch areas.

On the plane, IATA calls for face coverings, scaled-back cabin service, deep cleaning of the cabin, and restrictions on congregating while in flight.

At the arrival airport, passengers would encounter temperature screenings, automated customs processing, health declarations, and contact tracing.

This is the greatest crisis that aviation has ever faced," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and chief executive officer. "A layered approach has worked with safety and with security. It’s the way forward for biosecurity as well.”

CBRE Sees Big Demand for Industrial Distribution Space (May 19, 7:15 p.m. ET)

The restructuring of supply chains in response to the coronavirus pandemic will spur demand for 400 to 500 million additional square feet of industrial distribution space, according to CBRE Group, Inc.

In a new report, CBRE said businesses will seek additional warehouse space for inventory to guard against potential severe disruptions in the future.

As a result, "the downward trend in inventory-to-sales ratios since the early 1990s could reverse as manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers store materials and products closer to manufacturing centers and consumers," CBRE said.

The projection of additional warehousing requirements assumes a 5% increase in business inventories. In addition, CBRE said, it's likely that businesses will be looking to position inventories closer to consumer and manufacturing locations, which will in turn drive demand for more space.

Markets with easy access to seaports could find themselves with limited space options, CBRE said. "This likely will benefit inland hub markets, including the Inland Empire, Atlanta, Pennsylvania I-78/81 Corridor, Memphis, FL I-4 Corridor, Greenville and Central Valley, CA."

Pandemic Buying Causes Surge in Pasta Purchases (May 19, 7:00 p.m. ET)

Domestic sales of durum wheat are up 25% this year, as consumer buying behavior shifts in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Columbia Grain International.

Consumers are stocking up on high-quality semolina pasta as lockdowns continue, the company reported. The trend reflects an increase in purchases of shelf-stable items, with buyers looking to economize in a time of high unemployment and shut-down businesses.

“The pandemic has inspired Americans to try new things and make changes to their dietary habits and eating patterns,” said Kurt Haarmann, Senior Vice President of Grains and Oilseeds for Columbia Grain International. “Consumers are stocking up on pasta to cook at home in new and different ways, and the longer the stay-at-home orders last, the longer term that trend will be.”

The demand spike for dried pasta and noodles has also boosted demand for wheat, causing wheat prices to rise across the U.S. and Europe, Columbia Grain said.

The company said it was uncertain whether wheat sales will remain at current levels through the rest of this year. But with the meat industry continuing to suffer from plant shutdowns, affecting the availability and price of meat, Columbia Grain predicted that consumer spending on plant-based proteins and wheat-based pastas will rise.

McDonald’s Workers Sue (May 19, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Five Chicago-area McDonald’s employees have sued the restaurant chain, claiming they are being forced to work “in close proximity” to potentially infected co-workers and customers, and that McDonald’s and its franchise restaurants “are failing to take important steps to contain the virus, such as providing adequate protective equipment, hand sanitizer, and safety training for employees, or enforcing safety protocols,” Bloomberg reported. 

McDonald’s managers have told workers to reuse gloves, accused employees of trying to steal gloves, and claimed that there’s no need to physically distance if they restrict contact with others to under 10 minutes, according to the lawsuit. The workers, who are seeking class-action status for their claims, say the company’s actions violate state nuisance and negligence laws.

McDonald’s said in a statement that it has updated nearly 50 safety procedures, including “wellness checks, protective barriers, adhering to social-distancing guidelines for customers and crew, using gloves and masks, increasing the frequency of hand washing and moving to contactless operations.”

Trump Announces Rules for $19 Billion Farmer Bailout (May 19, 12:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump announced rules for a $19 billion coronavirus farm aid package, Bloomberg reported, covering a broad swath of U.S. agriculture that producers can begin claiming by next week.

Farmers who suffered a 5% or greater price loss will be eligible for direct payments of as much as $250,000 per person, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.

The coronavirus pandemic has pummeled farmers, already struggling from years of depressed prices amid a global commodity glut and the president’s trade war with China. Dairy farmers have been dumping milk they cannot sell. Hog farmers have been forced to destroy market-ready animals and leave them in compost heaps as slaughterhouses closed or slowed production because of employee illness.

U.S. Factory Production Drops by Most in 100 Years (May 18, 4:30 p.m. ET)

U.S. factory production plummeted in April by the most in records back to 1919, Bloomberg reported. Output slumped 13.7% from the prior month after a revised 5.5% decrease in March, Federal Reserve data showed, and overall industrial production dropped 11.2%.

Manufacturers in the U.S. were among the first to experience the pandemic’s economic drag as producers fell victim to supply-chain disruptions, a severe weakening in exports market and a drop in domestic demand.

The Fed’s report also showed capacity utilization, which measures the amount of a plant in use, slid to 64.9%, the lowest in records back to 1967. At manufacturers alone, utilization dropped to 61.1%, an all-time low in data to 1948.

The industrial production report traces its roots back to the Woodrow Wilson administration. In 1919, when the nation was transitioning to a peacetime economy after World War I, the Fed began publishing monthly production data for a variety of goods. Three years later, it developed indexes of industrial activity within manufacturing, mining and agriculture.

The Fed said the production indexes were adjusted to account for the output of ventilators at motor vehicle assembly plants. Some car parts manufacturers are making ventilators at previously idled plants, the report said.

EU Plans $543 Billion Fund (May 18, 2:30 p.m. ET)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to support a 500 billion-euro ($546 billion) aid package to help the European Union recover from the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg reported.

The proposal marks a significant step in efforts to shore up the European project and a potential win for Macron, who’s been calling for Germany and the richer northern states to do more to help those in the South who’ve suffered most. The sums involved would dwarf the commission’s existing debt issuance, a sign of Merkel’s determination to keep the EU together.

A final deal will need the backing of all 27 members. The European Commission is expected to submit its proposal May 27.

Moderna Vaccine Shows Promising Early Signs (May 18, 12:30 p.m. ET)

An experimental vaccine from Moderna Inc. showed promising early signs that it can create an immune-system response in the body that could help fend off the virus, according to Bloomberg.

The first human trial was primarily designed to look at the safety of the shot and showed no major warning signs in a small phase 1 trial, the company said in a statement Monday. The trial is being run with the U.S. government, and Moderna plans to continue advancing it to wider testing.

China’s Virus Vaccine Will Be Shared (May 18, 12:00 p.m. ET)

President Xi Jinping says China will make its coronavirus vaccine a global public good once one is available, Bloomberg reported.

Xi’s comments come amid growing concern that countries will put national interests first in the quest for a virus. The World Health Organization is pushing a proposal that aims to ensure broad access to COVID-19 treatments and vaccines while offering an appropriate reward to creators.

U.S. Chamber Launches Digital Resources Center (May 17, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created a Digital Resources Center, to guide employers in reopening their businesses in a safe and sustainable manner, as they emerge from the COVID-19 lockdown.

Elements of the new center include a six-question sample questionnaire for employee screening, a four-page small-business reopening playbook, a compilation of industry-specific guides to reopening, and state-specific health guidelines.

"The Chamber’s new resource center will help businesses as they prepare for a new normal, and how our nation’s public and private sectors manage this transition will determine how quickly we can stage an economic comeback," said U.S. Chamber president Suzanne Clark.

The Chamber said it will routinely update the resources as additional guidance and information become available.

UNCTAD Predicts Sharp Drop in Trade in Q2 (May 17, 6:45 p.m. ET)

Global trade levels will experience a quarter-on-quarter decline of 27% in the second quarter of this year, according to projections by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The coronavirus pandemic was responsible for a 3% drop in global trade in the first quarter, according to UNCTAD data included in a joint report by 36 international organizations.

The report says the drop in global trade is being accompanied by sharp decreases in commodity prices, which have "fallen precipitously" since last December.

UNCTAD cited plummeting fuel prices, down 33.2% in March, as the main reason for the overall decline. Prices of minerals, ores, metals, food and agricultural raw materials dropped by less than 4% in that same month.

Trump Seeks 90-Day Viral Supply Stockpile (May 15, 2:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump’s administration plans to keep 90 days of medical supplies in the national stockpile to help gird against future flare-ups of the coronavirus pandemic as the U.S. starts to reopen, Bloomberg reported.

In addition to bolstering the federal storehouse of crucial supplies like ventilators and respirator masks, the president’s plan — being billed as the Strategic National Stockpile 2.0 — calls for entering into contracts with companies to maintain a flow into the stockpiles, similar to the way the Defense Department manages its supply chains, according to senior administration officials.
The stockpile will also include testing supplies that weren’t maintained in the past. 

Under the new system, the government will collect information on the manufacturing of supplies, what hospitals have available on their shelves and how quickly hospitals are using supplies, officials said.

Amazon Redeploys Drone Employees to Make Face Shields (May 15, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon.com is mass-producing face shields for healthcare workers using engineering tools and expertise borrowed from its drone unit, Bloomberg reported. 

The company says it will sell the face shields on its website at cost, at a price to be announced, starting “in the next few weeks.” Amazon has already given some 10,000 units of its newly designed face shields to healthcare organizations and plans to donate an additional 20,000, according to a company blog post. 

The products are being built at Amazon’s drone engineering facilities in Washington state — using a machine that normally cuts carbon fiber for drone parts to slice screens for the face shields — as well as by contract manufacturers elsewhere. 

The designs, which Amazon is giving away for free, are based on work by a 3-D printing hobbyist group in Washington. They have been approved by the National Institutes of Health.

Trump Extends U.S. Telecom Order Aimed at Huawei, ZTE (May 14, 6:00 p.m. ET)

President Trump has extended for another year an executive order declaring a national emergency and barring U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by firms posing a national security risk, Reuters reported. The order invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which gives the president the authority to regulate commerce in response to a national emergency that threatens the U.S. 

Lawmakers said Trump’s 2019 order was aimed squarely at Chinese companies like Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp.

The department has issued a series of extensions of the temporary license and previously extended it until April 1. Huawei, the second-largest maker of smartphones, is also a major telecoms equipment company that provides 5G network technology.

Since adding Huawei to an economic blacklist in May 2019, citing national security concerns, the Commerce Department has allowed it to purchase some U.S.-made goods in a move aimed at minimizing disruption for its customers, many of which operate wireless networks in rural America.

Fourth USDA Inspector Dies (May 14, 3:00 p.m. ET)

A fourth U.S. Department of Agriculture food safety inspector has died from COVID-19, according to Bloomberg, amid an outbreak of the virus in the nation’s meat processors.

The inspector was located in Dodge City, Kansas. The USDA confirmed the death in a statement Thursday without addressing the cause.

Union officials have criticized the department for providing inadequate protection to inspectors as coronavirus swept through the nation’s meatpacking plants. Inspectors in early April were left to buy their own masks. The department now has enough face masks to provide them for all inspectors, said a USDA official.

As of Tuesday, 123 USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service employees were under self-quarantine due to coronavirus exposure and another 171 field employees were absent from work due to a COVID-19 diagnosis, according to a USDA statement earlier in the day.

Maersk Warns of 25% Slump in Volumes (May 14, 2:00 p.m. ET)

A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S says the fallout from COVID-19 will drive volumes down by as much as 25% this quarter, Bloomberg reported. The world’s largest container line controls about one-fifth of the global fleet used to transport goods by sea.

The signal follows a warning from the World Trade Organization last month that the pandemic could result in the worst collapse in international trade flows since World War II.

Copenhagen-based Maersk said the coronavirus pandemic has already “had a significant impact on the activity level.” The company now sees the global container market contracting this year, compared with a previous forecast for growth of somewhere between 1% and 3%.

China Supply Chain Issues Subsiding, German Industry Group Says (May 14, 12:00 p.m. ET)

German engineering industry association VDMA has withdrawn its 2020 production forecast for a decline of 5% as coronavirus hits the entire sector, Reuters reported, but it said supply-chain problems in China were subsiding.

“It’s also gratifying that the outlook for the next three months has brightened somewhat on both the demand and supply side,” VDMA added in a statement.

FMCSA Extends Suspension of HOS Rule for Truckers (May 13, 7:30 p.m. ET)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extended until June 14 its suspension of Hours-of-Service (HOS) limitations for truck drivers carrying shipments and people considered essential to responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension was due to expire on May 15.

FMCSA's original declaration, issued on March 13, followed President Trump's declaration of national emergency in response to the pandemic.

"This extension of Emergency Declaration addresses national emergency conditions that create a need for immediate transportation of essential supplies, equipment and persons, and provides necessary relief from [federal safety regulations] for motor carriers and drivers engaged in the transport of essential supplies, equipment and persons," FMCSA said.

The action provides regulatory relief for motor carriers transporting medical equipment and supplies; items for sanitation and protection against infection from the virus; food, paper products and groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores; and raw materials related to such items.

U.K. Consumer Mood Is Becoming More Positive (May 13, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The U.K. population is feeling more optimistic about coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 34.9 percent of consumers expecting the situation to improve over the next month, according to analytics company GlobalData. 

Data taken from GlobalData’s monthly surveys of 2,000 nationally representative U.K. consumers conducted in early April and early May shows that, following seven weeks in lockdown, the British public are starting to feel more optimistic about the future. Just 8.5% expect the situation to get a lot worse over the next month in stark contrast to almost 30% of consumers in April.

Improved sentiment may benefit non-food retailers as consumers start to regain confidence about their income and financial situation. However with many workers still on furlough leave or without a job, and with reopening plans still uncertain, most consumers will remain cautious with their discretionary spending, the report warned.

U.S. Buys Meat, Dairy From Farmers (May 13, 3:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is rolling out this week a relief program announced in April to purchase $3 billion of meat, dairy and produce from farmers and ranchers, CNBC reported.

The move is part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute agricultural products to those in need. The USDA has approved $1.2 billion in contracts with producers.

World's Largest Syringe Maker Warns of Potential Shortage (May 13, 1:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. medical device company Becton Dickinson says manufacturers need to ramp up now to ensure production of up to 1 billion syringes needed to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine, according to NBC News.

“Waiting until a vaccine is available will be too late," said Troy Kirkpatrick, a spokesman for the world's largest manufacturer of syringes. "There is not capacity in the global industry to manufacture hundreds of millions or billions of syringes and needles in a month or two.”

The warning reinforces that of public health official and whistleblower Rick Bright, who said earlier this year that the nation’s stockpile of needles and syringes contains “a mere 2%” of the number needed.

BIFA Takes Logistics Training Program Online (May 12, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) is taking its training program for the freight and logistics industry online.

BIFA said it will begin using web-based video conferencing in response to the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and the consequent inability to conduct face-to-face in-classroom training.

Initially, the online training program will consist of 18 freight and customs-related topics spread over nine modules, with more subjects to be added in time, BIFA said. Students will receive workbooks for each module. All interactive online training will feature live trainers with more than 25 years of freight and customs experience.

Demand for the training increased fourfold in 2019, in part because of concerns over Brexit, and the release of government funds for educating the industry on knowledge of customs declarations.

U.K. Wage Subsidy Program Extended (May 12, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak extended the U.K.’s furlough program through the end of October, Bloomberg reported, as the government sought to ensure as many jobs as possible survive the coronavirus lockdown.

Sunak said there will be no changes to the program until the end of July, when more flexibility will be injected to allow employees to work part-time, with their wages split between the state and employers. He promised more details on how the program will be modified by the end of May.

“This scheme has been a world leading economic intervention, supporting livelihoods and protecting futures,” Sunak told the House of Commons on Tuesday. He said 7.5 million jobs have been protected, benefiting almost a million employers.

Separately, data showed the number of Britons seeking Universal Credit welfare payments is still running at more than double its pre-virus average. The Department for Work and Pensions said it received almost 25,000 new declarations a day on average in the week through May 5, taking the total since restrictions on activity were first imposed on March 16 to almost 2.5 million.

New York to Limit Company Fees for Online Food Delivery (May 12, 3:00 p.m. ET)

New York’s City Council is set to approve emergency restrictions on fees charged by companies such as Grubhub Inc. and DoorDash Inc. amid a flourish of demand for online food-delivery, Bloomberg reported.

The council vote on Wednesday would bar charging restaurants delivery fees exceeding 15% per order, and limit fees for marketing or other services to 5% per order, with violators fined up to $1,000 per restaurant per day. Another bill would prohibit companies from charging restaurants for phone calls that don’t result in orders, carrying $500 penalties.

The laws would remain in effect for 90 days after the emergency is lifted and restaurants are able to accept in-house diners. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday he supports the laws.

Boeing Lost 255 Orders Through April (May 12, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Boeing Co.’s net sales this year shrank by 255 jets through April as airlines shelved expansion plans and canceled orders for the grounded 737 Max, Bloomberg reported.

The planemaker didn’t gain any new orders last month and delivered only six planes — four of them 787 Dreamliners, according to data posted on its website Tuesday. The number of sales lost this year reached 516 when accounting, for example, for orders from customers in financial distress.

Already in crisis because of the beleaguered Max, Boeing is now attempting to counteract the wide-ranging effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, including parts shortages and plunging demand. The company temporarily closed factories in Washington and South Carolina for several weeks as the illness spread among workers. Overseas deliveries have slowed because of the hassle of possible quarantines for pilots who fly new jets home from the U.S.

U.S. Pharmacopeia Offers Free Access to Resource Guide on COVID-19 Treatments (May 11, 8:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) is offering expanded free access to technical expertise and resources for aiding scientists, developers and manufacturers battling the COVID-19 virus.

New users requiring tests, assays and guidelines now have six months of free access to USP-NF, an online source of medicine quality standards.

USP's tests and methods address such common issues as suitability, validation, contamination control, stability testing and qualification of raw materials.

In addition, USP scientific staff are offering to help troubleshoot quality-related challenges commonly encountered during development and scale-up of medicines.

USP is an independent, not-for-profit, nongovernmental source of information and standards relating to medicinal drugs, food ingredients and dietary supplements.

Honda, Toyota to Reopen U.S. and Canada Plants (May 11, 12:00 p.m. ET)

Honda Motor Co. has resumed operations at its vehicle and auto-parts factories in the U.S. and Canada, joining a caravan of other carmakers restarting North American production this month for the first time since mid-March, Bloomberg reported.

The automaker says it will gradually ramp up output and stagger its reopening to allow workers to get used to new safety practices, including temperature checks and social-distancing measures. Honda closed plants on March 23 as the coronavirus outbreak forced the shutdown of virtually all auto manufacturing on the continent.

Toyota Motor Corp. also plans to reopen U.S. plants from May 11, while Nissan Motor Co. on Thursday said it would delay its restart indefinitely while it evaluates market demand and the readiness of its supply base. Detroit’s three automakers have announced plans to resume production in the U.S. beginning May 18.

Korea Warns of Trade Pain That Will Shift Supply Chains (May 11, 10:00 a.m. ET)

The coronavirus pandemic will hammer South Korea’s exports more than the financial crisis did, prompting a major rethink of global supply chains, Bloomberg reported.

The export sector will suffer deeper and longer-lasting pain, but the realignment of supply lines could also end up favoring South Korea as companies look for more secure sourcing of parts, said Sung Yun-mo, Korea’s trade, industry and energy minister.

With Korea’s exports seen as a barometer for global trade, Sung’s comments suggest economies around the world need to brace for a harder trade hit from COVID-19 and a wave of factory relocations that will present both risks and opportunities.

Port of Oakland Playing Host to Three Laid-up Cruise Ships (May 10, 6:45 p.m. ET)

The Port of Oakland has agreed to provide berthing for three laid-up cruise ships operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines.

The vessels are expected to remain at berth for two to three months. They will idle with crew only and have not been exposed to the coronavirus, the port said.

Two of the ships were scheduled to arrive on May 9 and tie up at the port's Outer Harbor Terminal, which is currently not in use for container shipping. A third was expected on May 10 and will dock on the Oakland Estuary at Howard Terminal, which the port no longer considers to be large enough for container operations.

Approximately 100 cruise ships worldwide are seeking safe harbors in which to wait out the pandemic. An estimated 80,000 crew members are currently aboard passenger liners at sea and awaiting berth space, the port said.

“We’re a container port, but we’re still in the shipping business,” said port Executive Director Danny Wan. “These ships are under federal requirements to report health concerns, and we understand that they haven’t had a history of coronavirus, so we’ll do what we can to help.”

Job Losses Worst Since Great Depression, Economist Says (May 10, 6:30 p.m. ET)

The latest jobs report reflects the worst economic conditions in the U.S. since the Great Depression, according to Michael Hicks, an economist at Ball State University.

The April jobs report put the nation's unemployment rate at between 10% and 14.7%, the highest national rate since the 1930s.

Most of the losses occurred in sectors that continued to experience low demand after the loosening of shelter-in-place orders, Hicks said. “This strongly suggests that the [coronavirus] disease, not government action, is the cause of economic distress. Thus, regardless of state action to relax shelter-in-place rules, the economy will continue to experience Great Depression levels of stress until COVID-19 vaccinations or treatments are available."

Of the 20.6 million workers reported to be unemployed in the past month, 18 million reported that they were experiencing temporary layoffs. "This signals the expectation that they may regain their jobs as conditions improve,” Hicks said.

Target Looks to Boost Same-Day Delivery With Deliv (May 8, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Target is in the process of buying technology assets from the same-day delivery service Deliv, NBC News reported, as the retailer looks to speed up deliveries during the pandemic. 

Deliv’s technology won’t be rolled out immediately. But it could be useful in Target’s long-term efforts to transform its supply chain, the startup said.

Deliv is in the process of shutting down its operations, The Wall Street Journal reported this week, providing Target the opportunity to buy the company's technology.

Imports to See Double-Digit Summer Declines (May 8, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Imports at major U.S. retail container ports are expected to see double-digit year-over-year declines this spring and summer as the economic effects of the pandemic continue, according to a report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

U.S. ports handled 1.37 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in March, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was the lowest volume since 1.34 million TEU in March 2016 — down 9.1 percent from this February and down 14.8 percent year-over-year. 

“Much will depend on consumers’ willingness to return to spending,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “Our view is that second-quarter economic growth will be significantly worse than the previous quarter, but we continue to expect recovery to come in the second half of the year, especially the fourth quarter and into 2021. This is based on the big and somewhat tenuous assumption that there is no second wave of the virus.”

Consumer Brands Association Announces Supply-Chain Council (May 7, 7:30 p.m. ET)

The Consumer Brands Association has launched a coordinated effort of more than 35 trade associations to address short- and long-term supply-chain challenges made apparent by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Critical Infrastructure Supply Chain Council (CISCC) aims to advance U.S. policies that strengthen the country’s supply chains and ensure the timely flow of critical goods. It will also serve as a forum for best practices and to “anticipate, spotlight and address future supply chain challenges” according to a statement.

Container Imbalances, Service Cancellations Likely to Continue, Drewry Says (May 7, 7:00 p.m. ET)

The oceangoing container trades are likely to experience further imbalances of equipment and voyage cancellations in the second quarter, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd.

Shipping containers began getting stuck at Chinese ports in February, as a result of declining exports due to the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, Drewry noted. Sluggish demand, coupled with numerous voyage cancellations, have made it difficult for carriers to ensure the availability of equipment in key markets. "With most countries opting for a complete lockdown, repositioning of containers is becoming challenging for liners," the firm said.

Drewry said it expects the continuing container imbalance to have "a significant impact" on freight movements in the second quarter of this year. In addition, carriers are likely to step up the voiding of sailings to minimize losses, "thus eroding service reliability."

Making matters worse for shippers is an increase in the number of ships temporarily removed from service altogether. As of the end of March, Drewry reported, 8.2% of total containership fleet capacity stood idle. That compares with 5.1% at the beginning of January.

The firm said it expects container markets to remain volatile "until we see a combination of 1) evidence of successful virus containment; 2) clarity on the net economic impact; and 3) a concerted global policy response."

U.S. Chamber Offers Guide to States' Reopening Policies (May 7, 6:30 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has released an interactive map displaying state-by-state guidelines for reopening businesses across the country.

The map contains information on American businesses in 29 states where governors have begun reopening local economies. Approaches vary from state to state in areas such as health screening, social distancing, protective gear, childcare, and sectors that are being permitted to resume operations.

“The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for American employers who are working hard to protect their employees and customers as they navigate a safe and sustainable return to business,” said Neil Bradley, the U.S. Chamber's executive vice president and chief policy officer. “It is absolutely critical for employers to have uniform guidelines that can be practically implemented as they move to reopen.” 

The Chamber said it will update the map as new guidelines become available.

FDA Pulls Approval of Chinese Masks (May 7, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reversed a decision to allow the emergency use of dozens of N-95 face masks made in China, after government testing found many didn’t work properly, Bloomberg reported.

The agency had authorized use of the masks to help address shortages of personal protective equipment, on the condition that their effectiveness was verified by independent testing labs. That policy, put in place April 3, is being reversed based on testing by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that found many of the masks failed to meet filtration standards.

Paid Sick Leave Law Doesn't Cover Warehouses, Amazon Told Workers (May 7, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Amazon workers in southern California’s industrial heartland say the company’s policies are forcing sick employees to work and that warehouses are refusing to comply with a state paid sick leave law meant to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks, according to The Guardian.

Workers in the Los Angeles area say they fear losing their jobs if they are ill and stay home, after Amazon ended a policy allowing unlimited unpaid time off during the coronavirus crisis. The workers said they could now be fired if they miss shifts, and raised concerns the reversal will result in sick and vulnerable people showing up for shifts because they can’t risk termination. Employees also shared emails showing that Amazon has dismissed some paid sick leave requests by claiming a California law intended to provide supplemental sick leave during the pandemic does not apply to warehouses.

At least four Amazon warehouses in the region have recorded COVID-19 cases.

Survey Reveals SMB Payments Most Affected by Virus in April (May 6, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Construction and maintenance were among the small and medium-sized business (SMB) sectors hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic in April, according to new data from payments company Plastiq.

The survey revealed a 71% decline in payment volume among construction and maintenance SMBs during that month. Commercial rent suffered a 31% drop.

Certain other industries, by contrast, saw sharp increases in payment volume: healthcare (48%), food and beverage (45%), and wholesale/distribution (31%).

Average SMB spending declined by 21% in April, due to reduced business activity from shelter-in-place orders. Plastiq also said it saw "an uptick in questions regarding what bills can be put on credit."

There was a notable spike in new SMB activations among food and beverage (22% percent higher than in January) and hotel, restaurant and leisure industries (146% higher).

EU Floats Equity Support for Companies Hit by Virus (May 6, 5:00 p.m. ET)

The European Commission will propose an instrument to prevent companies across the continent from going bust.

“We have provided major liquidity support to companies, but as the economy is in such a deep recession, we also need to see how we can provide a direct or rather indirect equity response,” EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. Details of the plan, due to be unveiled in the coming weeks, are still being discussed, he said.

The latest proposal to dig the bloc out of a deep recession would be backed from a pool of common funds. The aim is to restore a level-playing field between deep-pocketed member states such as Germany that have showered their firms in state aid and the likes of debt-addled Italy that can’t match that spending power.

Industry Consolidation to Blame for U.S. Meat Shortages (May 6, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Declining meat supply throughout the U.S. is largely the result of industry consolidation, a report in Foreign Policy says.

In beef production, for example, just three companies account for two-thirds of the market. At the factory level, closing one large processing plant results in the loss of over 10 million beef servings in a single day, according to a White House fact sheet.

“We don’t have a crisis of supply right now. We have a crisis in processing,” said Christopher Leonard, author of The Meat Racket, in an interview with Bloomberg. “This is 100% a symptom of consolidation.” 

In Europe, the continent hit worst by the coronavirus pandemic, the top 15 meat companies account for just 28% of production.

Pfizer Starts Vaccine Trials (May 6, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Pfizer Inc. has administered the first U.S. patients with its experimental vaccines to fight COVID-19, part of a bid to shave years off of the typical time it takes to develop a new inoculation, Bloomberg reported. The trials are being conducted at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“The short, less than four-month time-frame in which we’ve been able to move from preclinical studies to human testing is extraordinary,” CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.

Amazon's COVID-19 Investment Strategy Puts Pressure on FedEx, UPS (May 5, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Amazon's move to invest $4 billion in fighting the COVID-19 virus has created a challenge to potential rivals FedEx and UPS, according to a report by Morgan Stanley Research.

A large portion of Amazon's investment is going toward wage increases, purchase of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing and the enforcement of social distancing, as well as the hiring of 175,000 new employees. By contrast, FedEx is only hiring 5,000 new employees, and UPS is making no additions to staff as a direct result of the virus outbreak, Morgan Stanley noted.

"This either shows that UPS/FDX are not benefitting from e-commerce growth anywhere as much as [Amazon], or it shows that the decline in other customer volumes is offsetting any e-commerce gains (as demonstrated by UPS’s 1Q result)," the firm said.

"It is clear that [Amazon] is benefiting from COVID-related volume growth given the investments and sacrifices they are making to cope with it," Morgan Stanley said, adding that when surging e-commerce volumes return to normal, the company could possibly use its resulting excess capacity to insource volumes or launch its own third-party logistics service.

Amazon might further benefit from the perception among customers that its packages are safer and cleaner to handle during the pandemic, Morgan Stanley said.

Bulk Shipping Group Urges Crew Changes (May 5, 6:30 p.m. ET)

The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (Intercargo) is urging the dry bulk shipping industry to prioritize crew changes and relieve stranded seafarers, Riviera Maritime Media reported. 

Many seafarers have served their four- to nine-month tours of duty but are unable to leave their vessels even after 12 months or longer, according to Intercargo, which provides consultation to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

“Maritime authorities of port states should join with their immigration departments to … permit crew change without undue restrictions in their ports to ensure safety at sea and of their territorial waters” said Intercargo Vice Chairman Jay Pillai. 

The pandemic has left an estimated 1.6 million seafarers stranded onshore or unable to leave their vessels.

U.S. Trade Plummeted in March (May 5, 4:00 p.m. ET)

U.S. exports of goods and services plunged in March by a record 9.6% to $187.7 billion, while imports fell 6.2% to $232.2 billion — the most in 11 years, Bloomberg reported.

The overall gap in goods and services trade widened to $44.4 billion from a revised $39.8 billion in February, according to Commerce Department data. 

Foreign trade was already diminishing heading into the pandemic, and now, faced with supply chain disruptions, a previously incomprehensible surge in unemployment and a drop off in demand, the world’s largest economy has pulled back more dramatically. 

Costco, Kroger Limit Meat Sales (May 5, 2:00 p.m. ET)

Costco is the latest retailer to implement purchasing limits on fresh meat because of the slowdown at processing plants, according to CNN Business.

The company announced it's limiting shoppers to three items of beef, pork and poultry products to "help ensure more members are able to purchase merchandise they want and need."

Kroger, the country's largest supermarket chain, announced a similar rule last week. The limits are because of high demand from shoppers while top meat suppliers are temporarily closing their factories because workers are falling ill.

Not Enough Air Capacity for Postal Services, Industry Groups Warn (May 4, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Air capacity for handling postal business is currently insufficient due to a sharp reduction in passenger flights, the International Air Transport Association and Universal Postal Union have warned.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, airlines have cut passenger flights by 95%. At the same time, demand for e-commerce shipments has risen by 25% to 30%, as customers replace in-person shopping with online purchasing.

IATA and UPU urged governments "to facilitate the flexibility that airlines need to meet this critical demand by removing border blockages to ensure trade flows continue, avoiding unnecessary regulations and fast tracking the issuance of permits for chartered operations. Additionally, ensuring adequately trained staff are available to process and clear the mail upon arrival is essential."

"It’s vital that everything is done to support the smooth movement of mail, which is an important component of society,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

U.S. Beef Output Is Down More Than Shutdowns Suggest (May 4, 3:00 p.m. ET)

American beef output is down a lot more than plant closures suggest — a sign that slowdowns at facilities will continue to keep meat supplies tight even when some production lines reopen, Bloomberg reported.

Cattle slaughter dropped 37% last week from a year ago, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. That far outstrips the 10% to 15% in capacity that’s been halted with meat plants closed after coronavirus outbreaks among employees. Hog slaughter was down 35%, also topping the shutdown figure of 25% to 30%.

While many plants have stayed open, they’ve still been forced to slow output as producers combat a loss of labor. Social-distancing measures will also likely keep output trailing normal levels even as facilities reopen under President Trump’s executive order.

Top pork producer Smithfield Foods is reopening a hog-processing plant in South Dakota on Monday that had been closed since April 12 — asking 250 employees to return. That’s down from 3,700 workers normally, with some 1,000 workers either sick with the virus or in quarantine. 

Cuomo Announces Seven-State Purchasing Coalition (May 4, 1:30 p.m. ET)

New York Governor Cuomo has announced the creation of a coalition of seven neighboring states in the Northeast to purchase medical equipment and personal protective equipment, CBS News reported. 

New York will join New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to purchase the equipment as a block, eliminating competition between them to drive down prices.

GM Autonomous Vehicles Boost Bay Area Food Banks (May 4, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Cruise, the self-driving car unit majority owned by General Motors, has made another foray into autonomous delivery by using its fleet of test vehicles in the San Francisco Bay area to help food banks transport meals, Bloomberg reported.

Two cars are pulling up to SF New Deal and SF-Marin Food Bank, loading up on pre-boxed meals and making contact-less deliveries, according to the company. It’s delivered more than 3,700 meals, while volunteer safety drivers wearing proper personal protective equipment supervise.

The vehicles are another indication of how interested self-driving companies are in moving goods around autonomously. Cruise started a pilot with DoorDash early last year, and Waymo, the unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., has said that autonomous trucking could catch on faster than robotaxis.

Procurement Managers Moving Quickly to Cope With COVID-19 (May 3, 8:00 p.m. ET)

Procurement managers of major companies are moving quickly on a number of fronts to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey from Inverto.

Inverto, a subsidiary of the Boston Consulting Group, surveyed more than 100 procurement managers across multiple industries. Eighty-six percent said they were already confronted by bottlenecks caused by the pandemic, "and expect the situation to become more serious in the future."

More than 90% of respondents said they had already planned or taken measures to make their companies "crisis-proof." Actions cited included setting up control committees to manage supply risks on a daily basis (75%), finding new suppliers (86%), reducing all short- and medium-term investments (83%), and implementing stricter cash-management policies to maintain liquidity (78%).

At the same time, managers said they faced a "considerable" amount of implementation challenges associated with distressed suppliers, refining budgets, implementing alternative supply, and reducing operating expense.

“To date, companies have had a short-term focus on crisis response, which should now shift to addressing inherent cost structures and demand patterns,” said Lance Younger, managing director of Inverto U.K.

World Economic Forum Releases Blockchain Toolkit (May 2, 4:00 p.m. ET)

The World Economic Forum has released a Blockchain Deployment Toolkit to help organizations maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of the technology — and improve future pandemic preparedness.

Drawing on the global expertise of more than 100 organizations, the toolkit aims to help companies manage the complexities of deploying blockchain to improve “trust, transparency and integrity” in supply chains, the forum says. 

“There are many lessons to learn from the current pandemic and this toolkit is a starting point for improving long-term pandemic preparedness and accelerating an economic recovery led by public-private cooperation,” said Nadia Hewett, blockchain and digital currency project lead for the World Economic Forum.

Gilead Drug Cleared by FDA (May 1, 4:00 p.m. ET)

Gilead Sciences Inc.’s experimental antiviral drug has been cleared by U.S. regulators for emergency use in COVID-19 patients, Bloomberg reported.

The drug, remdesivir, has shown positive results in helping hospitalized patients recover more quickly. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the drug under an emergency use authorization, a shortcut step by which the agency can bring products to market without full data on their safety and efficacy.

Walmart Introduces Express Delivery (May 1, 1:00 p.m. ET)

Walmart has announced a new service that delivers store items to customers’ doors in less than two hours.

The company accelerated the development of the service in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, piloting Express Delivery in 100 stores since mid-April, Walmart said in a statement. The service will expand to nearly 1,000 stores in early May and will be available in nearly 2,000 total stores in the following weeks.

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