Money

At a McDonald’s drive-thru in a Chicago suburb, customers may notice something different about the voice that takes their orders for Big Macs and fries. “Welcome to McDonald’s, what can I get for you?” it asks in a welcoming, unmistakably feminine tone. While the voice sounds helpful, it’s also stilted and monotonous enough for the

For Kamille Elizabeth, delivering Amazon packages in Wilmington, Delaware feels carefree and comfortable. She has deliveries to make and rules to follow, but says she enjoys being on the road by herself with what she calls a “limited freedom.” But Elizabeth’s work environment is set to change as Amazon announced this month that it has

Foxconn, the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing company best known for assembling the Apple iPhone, is working on an agreement with the California electric car company Fisker to develop an electric vehicle, the companies announced Wednesday. Fisker Inc. went public last year through a SPAC merger with Spartan Energy Acquisition. Founded by car designer Henrik Fisker, the

ViacomCBS has been heavily advertising Paramount+, its new streaming service, with an ad campaign that has some of its biggest stars — everyone from James Corden to Beavis and Butt-Head — on an expedition to scale Paramount Mountain. On Wednesday, consumers and the rest of the streaming world discovered what’s at that mountaintop. In a

Global stocks tumbled Friday as a sharp bond selloff encouraged investors to dump riskier assets. Asian markets followed US stocks lower. Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 4%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed down 3.6% — that index’s worst day in nine months. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 2.8%, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index lost 2.1%.

Beyond Meat has inked two new major new deals, with McDonald’s and Yum Brands, that will bring new plant-based items to fast food menus. The separate distribution agreements announced Thursday will result in “craveable and innovative” new menu choices, the company said — including McDonald’s upcoming McPlant burger as well as plant-protein based pizza toppings,

Americans may be itching to travel again now that more people are getting vaccinated for Covid-19 — and there are several stocks poised to benefit as more people take to the skies and hit the roads. Airbnb, for example, issued an upbeat outlook in its first quarterly earnings report since going public in December. “Travel

German footwear brand Birkenstock is selling a majority stake to L Catterton, a private equity firm backed by Bernard Arnault’s LVMH. The company said in a statement on Friday that L Catterton affiliates including Arnault’s family investment company, Financière Agache, will also invest in the maker of the iconic flat sandals. Arnault is Europe’s richest

Netflix has made progress adding diverse content created by and starring women, Black and Asian people on its platform in recent years, but the streaming service and film studio hasn’t had the same success yet with increasing Latinx representation, according to a new study it commissioned. The Netflix diversity audit was conducted last year by

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved final rules for a new broadband subsidy program that could help struggling families pay for internet service during the pandemic. The agency’s $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit Program provides eligible low-income households with up to a $50 per month credit on their internet bills through their provider until

Hasbro is dropping the honorific “mister” from the “Mr. Potato Head” brand, renaming the shapeshifting plastic spud to the gender-neutral “Potato Head.” It’s a notable change from one of the world’s largest toy makers to untether one of its most famous products from a binary gender identity — something that was far less controversial in

Every Friday, groggy Marvel fans either wake up early or stay up late to follow along with the weekly adventures of streaming’s favorite couple: witchy Wanda Maximoff and her humanoid husband, The Vision, on Disney+’s “WandaVision.” Marvel Studios’ first original series for Disney+ has found a loyal audience, even though new episodes debut at a

India’s economy is out of recession but still a long way from returning to rates of growth seen before the pandemic. Asia’s third biggest economy recorded a rise in gross domestic product of 0.4% in the final three months of 2020, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to official statistics published on

A burst of anxiety is ricocheting across financial markets as Wall Street sets expectations for the next phase of the pandemic, which could take hold this spring and summer as vaccinations rise and coronavirus cases fall. What’s happening: US stock indexes, which have repeatedly hit all-time highs in recent weeks, took a leg lower on

The United Kingdom should introduce special visas and overhaul its stock market rules to allow entrepreneurs to keep control of their companies if it wants to remain competitive in financial technology after Brexit. Those are among the recommendations contained in a new report published on Friday. It is one of several reviews commissioned by the