Reuters Business News

U.S. stocks index futures gave up early gains on Thursday after the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits topped a whopping 6 million as more jurisdictions enforced stay-at-home measures to curb the coronavirus.

Southwest Airlines Co said on Thursday it intends to file an application with the U.S. Treasury department for aid to help it ride out the sharp drop in travel demand caused by the massive lockdowns because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits last week shot to a record high for a second week in a row - topping 6 million - as more jurisdictions enforced stay-at-home measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic, which economists say has pushed the economy into recession.

Ukraine has taken to Twitter to ask Elon Musk to send it ventilators after the billionaire chief executive of Tesla Inc offered to ship them across the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

Aerospace suppliers are drawing up plans to lay off workers as coronavirus quarantines cripple their cash balances - but bailout conditions and fears of losing critical skilled labor are forcing managements to juggle survival and future growth.

As audit season begins for British companies, some auditors stuck at home in coronavirus lockdown are turning to cameras to check clients' inventories, plant and equipment for compiling annual accounts.

Germany is in talks to provide Lufthansa with billions of euros in state aid and could take a stake in the airline, which has grounded more than 90% of its fleet due to the coronavirus pandemic, people close to the matter said.

Investment managers BlackRock and Schroders said they have suspended trading in UK real estate funds aimed at institutional investors, citing difficulty in getting an accurate price for their assets.

World stocks were mixed on Thursday, as the death toll from coronavirus rose and economic pain deepened, with another record week of jobless claims expected in the United States.

Boeing Co Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said on Thursday the coronavirus pandemic was going to have a lasting impact on the global aerospace industry, as he outlined steps for a voluntary layoff plan for employees.

IAG-owned British Airways is expected to announce a suspension of about 36,000 of its employees, BBC News reported on Wednesday.

Crude oil futures jumped 10% on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia and Russia to reach a deal soon to end their oil price war.

Southwest Airlines Co said on Thursday it intends to file an application with the U.S. Treasury department for aid related to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The dollar firmed on Thursday but paused its strong rally of recent weeks after the Federal Reserve helped U.S. currency liquidity in financial markets by making it easier for other central banks to access the greenback.

European cities cracking down on short-term rentals of private homes like those on Airbnb got a boost on Thursday after an adviser to Europe's top court said they have the right to vet such rentals to tackle the shortage of long-term housing.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he has invited U.S. oil executives to the White House to discuss ways to help the industry "ravaged" by slumping energy demand during the coronavirus outbreak and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

EU consumers should be able to sue carmakers in their national courts if they have bought cars with emission cheat devices installed, an adviser to the Court of Justice of the European Union said on Thursday.

U.S. stock index futures climbed on Thursday, a day after Wall Street recorded its steepest fall in two weeks on intensifying coronavirus fears, with investors on edge ahead of another expected jump in weekly jobless claims.

Sweden's H&M said on Thursday it was in talks with tens of thousands of its staff about shortening working hours with the firm among many retailers hit by the coronavirus pandemic and fewer customers in many markets.

The bosses of Volkswagen , BMW and Daimler held a crisis call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday to discuss how to get production restarted, Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Thursday.