Reuters Business News

Dunkin' Brands Group Inc on Thursday said it will ease royalty and advertising fee payments for franchisees in the United States and Canada, while McDonald's Corp is in talks to reduce some payments for franchisees.

The board of French carmaker Renault will meet on Friday to discuss the coronavirus outbreak and its effect on operations, three sources close to the company said.

General Motors Co said on Thursday that it will suspend operations at its plant in Mexico's San Luis Potosi state from March 20 to April 13 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Brazil's coronavirus death toll rose to seven on Thursday, including the first fatalities in tourist hotspot Rio de Janeiro, as Latin America's largest nation closed more borders to visitors and the foreign minister waded into a diplomatic spat with China.

Some Amazon sellers say the online retailer's abrupt decision to stop receiving non-essential inventory in response to the coronavirus pandemic could strangle the sales they need to make payments on their Amazon loans.

(This March 18 story corrects in seventh paragraph to clarify dress code is relaxed for operations staff but not Chase branch staff)

Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley has resigned from Boeing Co's board after opposing its bid for government financial assistance due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon's recovery from recent heart surgery is going well and the face of the U.S. banking industry could be back to work as soon as mid-April, a source said on Thursday.

French luxury goods maker LVMH , which last year agreed to buy Tiffany & Co for $16.2 billion, is considering buying shares of the U.S. jeweler for less on the open market, Bloomberg News reported https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-19/lvmh-is-said-to-consider-buying-tiffany-shares-on-open-market on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

A Republican proposal introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday would grant up to $58 billion in secured loans to help passenger and cargo airlines hit by the coronavirus crisis, but bar cash grants and could result in the government getting equity stakes.

JPMorgan Chase & Co said in a regulatory filing on Thursday that James Bell and Laban Jackson have decided to retire from board.

U.S. stocks managed to post gains on Thursday after recent steep losses as policymakers around the world took further emergency actions to try to help financial markets cope with deep coronavirus-driven economic damage.

Airbnb Inc has received inquiries from potential investors who want to acquire a stake in the U.S. home rental company in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

By Sarah Young, Costas Pitas, Giulio Piovaccari and Elvira Pollina

The leading U.S. airline trade group and dozens of other U.S. aviation industry trade groups on Thursday called for immediate grants, unsecured loans and limited tax measures to ensure the industry's ability to survive the spread of coronavirus.

Activist investor Starboard Value is pressuring eBay for the second time in two years and said on Thursday that it plans to install four directors on the e-commerce company's 14-member board.

Catholics around the world joined Pope Francis in praying the rosary on Thursday night to ask God to end the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more people in Italy than anywhere else.

As the coronavirus pandemic threatens to bring U.S. economic activity to a halt, American businesses are jockeying for a financial lifeline from President Donald Trump's administration and Congress.

Ford Motor Co on Thursday moved to hoard cash on its balance sheet, drawing down $15.4 billion from two credit lines and suspending its dividend, in a move to bolster reserves to ride out damage to its business from the coronavirus pandemic.

The trade group for U.S. auto parts makers on Thursday asked the government for emergency grants "to keep the doors open," tariff relief and other assistance to cope with mounting pressures from the coronavirus crisis.