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The U.S. Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly backed a $2 trillion bill aimed at helping unemployed workers and industries hurt by the coronavirus epidemic, as well as providing billions of dollars to buy urgently needed medical equipment.

The U.S. Senate voted late Wednesday 96-0 to give the U.S. aviation industry $58 billion in aid, half in the form of grants earmarked to cover some 750,000 employees' paychecks, in a badly needed lifeline for an industry facing the worst travel downturn in history.

A two-day equities rally lost momentum on Thursday, and investors sold riskier currencies, as stimulus negotiations dragged on in Washington and investors fretted over a likely spike in U.S. jobless claims.

Airbnb Inc on Wednesday held a phone meeting with bankers to discuss extending an existing $1 billion debt facility as the home rental start-up grapples with a slowdown due to the coronavirus, a source who participated in the meeting said. 

Airbnb Inc hosts in the United States could get some relief from a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill that is nearing a vote in Congress, the home-rental startup said on Wednesday.

McDonald's Corp said on Wednesday it would temporarily remove some items from its U.S. menu as it focuses on simplifying operations in the face of the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak.

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc , the world's largest theater operator, has placed its chief executive and all of its corporate employees on furlough to preserve cash during the coronavirus outbreak, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

SoftBank Group Corp's shares fell 8% in early trade on Thursday, ending a 55% rally in the stock, after Moody's downgraded the tech conglomerate's debt rating by two notches over plans to sell prime assets into a volatile market.

Delta Air Lines Inc and Air New Zealand Ltd said they would offer cargo charter services on passenger planes to boost revenue as the U.S. Senate neared a vote on a bill to give its carriers $58 billion in aid, including payroll support.

Asian stock markets made a cautious start on Thursday following two days of rallies, as investors await the passage and details of a $2 trillion stimulus package in the United States to combat the economic fallout from the coronavirus.

Oil prices were mixed on Thursday following three days of gains, with the prospect of rapidly dwindling demand due to coronavirus travel bans and lockdowns offsetting hopes a U.S. $2 trillion emergency stimulus will shore up economic activity.

Kat Volpe laid out an exercise mat and tried to sync her iPhone with her big screen TV for a fitness class webcast on Instagram last week during New York's coronavirus lockdown.

Vehicle sales in U.S. states that implemented lockdown orders to curb the spread of the coronavirus will drop 80% or more, analysts said on Wednesday.

Asian stock markets were poised for a cautious start on Thursday following two days of rallies, as investors await the passage and details of a $2 trillion stimulus package in the United States to address the economic fallout from the coronavirus.

Billionaire investor William Ackman, who hedged his Pershing Square Capital management portfolio weeks ago to guard against coronavirus-inspired panic selling, told investors his private hedge fund is making money this year, an investor said on Wednesday.

Investment banks are dusting off models from the 2008 financial crisis to gauge the right time to buy back into stock markets that have plunged 30% from their February record highs because of the coronvirus crisis.

The S&P 500 rallied for a second straight session on Wednesday as the U.S. Senate appeared near a vote on a $2 trillion package to support businesses and households devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

As the coronavirus pandemic pushes India into a lockdown, the call centres and IT services firms that function as the world's back office are struggling to piece together work-from-home solutions and other business-continuity plans.

Billionaire investor William Ackman, who hedged his portfolio weeks ago to guard against coronavirus-inspired panic selling, told investors that his private hedge fund is making money this year, an investor said on Wednesday.

Canadian oil and gas companies are urging Ottawa to free up credit and cash to help them survive the twin shocks of COVID-19 spread and a crude price war, pitching ideas ranging from tax deferrals to backstopping bank loans.