Money

In a year of widespread and often devastating hardships, no business or industry came through 2020 untouched by the Covid-19 pandemic. But for some key sectors, the news wasn’t all bad. Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers in 2020 and a preview of what the year ahead might bring. Winner: Housing The

The United Kingdom on Wednesday become the first country to approve the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. The shot is cheaper and easier to distribute than alternatives, and is expected to play a crucial role in boosting the global economy next year. AstraZeneca said the first doses were being released Wednesday, and

Sears has made it through another holiday shopping season. Just barely. Once the nation’s leading retailer up through the 1980s, the company that now owns the Sears and Kmart chains emerged from bankruptcy less than two years ago. It avoided another trip to bankruptcy court this year as the Covid-19 pandemic sent department store chains

Intel has been going through a rough patch and now a major activist investor wants to help right the ship. Daniel Loeb, chief executive of hedge fund Third Point LLC, wrote a letter to Intel Chairman Omar Ishrak on Tuesday calling on the chipmaker to hire an investment adviser to explore “strategic alternatives” aimed at

President Donald Trump’s ability to scramble American political lines continues even from the golf course, with House votes Monday showing that his feverish hold over the GOP — and US government — is hurtling toward a humbling end. But be warned: Following along could induce some whiplash. The House of Representatives took a pair of

President Donald Trump’s favorite newspaper has turned against him. The New York Post, in an editorial that got the front-page, giant-font treatment on Monday, told Trump he needs to give up his baseless fight to overturn the presidential election result. “Mr. President … STOP THE INSANITY,” read the front page of the tabloid, famous for

Boeing 737 Max has returned to passenger service in the US this morning for the first time since two fatal crashes grounded the jet in March 2019. American Flight 718 departed the Miami International Airport at approximately 10:40 ET this morning. American Airlines is initially using the airliner on a single route between Miami and

Ifi Akpandak has a new venture he hopes will make it easier for Americans to find and support Black-owned restaurants in their local communities. The 29-year-old VueBox co-founder and CEO launched a company called Brava in New York City a week ago after realizing over the summer that many of his friends and colleagues looking

Amazon, Google’s parent Alphabet, and UPS all hope to one day deliver large amounts of goods by drone. New US government rules clear some hurdles to making that dream a reality. The Federal Aviation Administration finalized new rules for small, unmanned drones on Monday that could pave the way for expanded commercial uses of the

US stocks closed at record highs on Monday after President Donald Trump signed a pandemic stimulus deal that includes $600 checks for Americans. There’s a chance that even bigger payments could be on the way. The House of Representatives has passed a measure to increase the stimulus checks for people under a certain income level

A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. You can sign up for free right here. If someone managed to sleep through the Trump years, and asked me what they’d missed, I’d start with “enemy of the people.” Why? Because Trump’s demonization of the media explains almost everything. He convinced his

The Trump administration isn’t giving up on its campaign against TikTok just yet. The US government on Monday appealed a decision handed down by a federal judge earlier this month that prevented authorities from fully implementing its restrictions against the popular short-form video app. The appeal challenges a Dec. 7 preliminary injunction from US District

President Donald Trump reversed course on Sunday, signing into law a massive $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and government funding bill that he had objected to at the last minute. That signature does two important things for the US economy: It averts a government shutdown that was set to begin on Tuesday, and extends billions of

The Boeing 737 Max is set to carry US passengers for the first time in nearly two years on Tuesday, when American will use the jet on a round-trip route from Miami to New York. It will be a pair of notable flights for the 737 Max, which was grounded from March 2019 through November

More than 190,000 ceiling fans have been recalled because the fans’ blades can detach while in use. King of Fans, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company that makes the 54-inch Mara ceiling fans, announced the recall on Wednesday after receiving 47 reports of blades detaching, according to a statement from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.