Reuters Business News

Caution gripped Asian share markets on Monday on expectations a busy week of corporate earnings reports and economic data will drive home the damage done by the global virus lockdown, while U.S. crude prices took an early spill.

U.S. Democrats and Republicans are near agreement on approving extra money to help small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic and could seal a deal as early as Monday, President Donald Trump said, despite hopes for a deal on Sunday.

Crude oil futures fell in electronic trading on Sunday evening, with U.S. futures touching levels not seen since November 2001, extending last week's weakness on the back of sliding demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 164,000 people worldwide.

Crude oil futures fell in electronic trading on Sunday evening, with U.S. futures touching levels not seen since November 2001, extending last week's weakness on the back of sliding demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 159,000 people worldwide.

Facebook Inc is planning to launch a gaming mobile app on Monday focused mainly on live game streaming in a bid to take on Amazon.com Inc's Twitch, Google's YouTube and Microsoft Corp's Mixer services, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

The U.S. stock market has rebounded swiftly despite a raft of terrible economic news, driven by a massive boost from the Federal Reserve, hopes of a successful reopening of the economy and possible coronavirus treatments, as well as investors' fear-of-missing-out. But not everyone is buying the bounce.

Amazon will keep its six warehouses in France closed until at least April 22 after a stand-off with unions over sanitary conditions amid the coronavirus outbreak, it said on Sunday.

U.S. banks are pushing the Federal Reserve to change the terms of a $600 billion lending program for small and medium-sized businesses, including reducing minimum loan sizes and allowing more flexibility on underlying reference rates, industry groups said.

Amazon.com Inc has started to use thermal cameras at its warehouses to speed up screening for feverish workers who could be infected with the coronavirus, employees told Reuters.

The novel coronavirus may do to U.S. office rentals what e-commerce did to malls, or so goes a line of thinking running through commercial real estate circles.

Dwindling supplies of carbon dioxide from ethanol plants are sparking concern about shortages of beer, soda and seltzer water - essentials for many quarantined Americans.

Over two frantic weeks, the U.S. government pledged $350 billion to Main Street businesses across America desperate for cash after coronavirus lockdowns.

Investors gearing up for another week of corporate earnings may give more weight to the words of company executives than headline-grabbing numbers, as Wall Street seeks evidence that corporations can weather the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

A U.S. judge on Friday put on hold a suit by Amazon.com Inc challenging the Pentagon's decision to award a $10 billion contract to Microsoft Corp .

Walmart Inc said on Friday it would hire 50,000 more workers at its stores, clubs and distribution centers to meet a surge in demand for groceries and household essentials from consumers stockpiling during the coronavirus outbreak.

Ford Motor Co on Friday raised $8 billion from corporate debt investors to shore up its cash reserves as the coronavirus outbreak pummeled vehicle sales and production, resulting in an estimated loss of about $2 billion for the first quarter.

Netflix Inc has increased the amount of money in its coronavirus emergency relief fund by $50 million, bringing the total for displaced production workers to $150 million, a company spokeswoman said on Friday.

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc , the world's largest movie theater operator, said on Friday it has enough cash to withstand a global suspension of operations until a possible partial reopening of its locations in July.

General Motors said on Friday it had started delivering the first batch of 54 ventilators to U.S. hospitals treating severely ill COVID-19 patients.

Gilead Sciences Inc on Friday increased enrollment target by 3,600 for a trial testing its experimental drug, remdesivir, in severe COVID-19 patients, a day after a media report said the drug was showing promise.