Leading business groups condemned President Trump following the violence at the Capitol, with the National Association of Manufacturers urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump and "preserve democracy."
Why it matters: Big business is usually friendly territory for President Trump, who falsely claims the election was "stolen" from him and encouraged protestors to march to the Capitol building. But folks are speaking out ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's tenure and insisting the violence cease.
Major news outlets around the world carried news of the demonstrations and mob breach of the Capitol in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, showing how huge of an impact the disruption of democracy in America has on other places around the world.
Twitter has acquired 7-year-old design agency Ueno to help "accelerate the quality and execution of our design and product experiences on Twitter," according to the company's Chief Design Officer Dantley Davis.
The big picture: It's not the first time Twitter has acquired a design agency. The company bought DC-based design agency Nclud in 2012.
President Trump last night signed an executive orderprohibiting transactions with eight Chinese apps, including Ant Group's Alipay, arguing they pose a national security threat.
Why it matters: This is the latest example of ratcheting up economic tensions with China, using private companies as pawns.
There's good news and bad news when it comes to curbing carbon emissions from Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services, courtesy of new analysis from the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Why it matters: Ride-hailing creates new emissions challenges.
The New York Stock Exchange again reversed course Wednesday and announced it would delist three major Chinese telecom companies — China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom Hong Kong.
The backdrop: The NYSE originally announced it would delist the companies on New Year's Eve in order to comply with a White House executive order. The exchange then reversed course late on Monday and said it would no longer delist the telecoms.
Year-end sales numbers are telling Facebook executives that their big bet on hardware is starting to pay off.
Driving the news: Facebook's hardware team found itself just where it hoped to be for the holiday shopping season: under the Christmas tree, with both Quest 2 VR systems and Portal smart screens delivering better-than-expected sales.
The most important 30-day stretch of the year for the television industry begins this weekend on the gridiron.
Why it matters: The 14 most-watched U.S. TV broadcasts of 2021 could take place over the next month: 13 NFL playoff games (up from 11 due to expansion) and Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship.
U.S. bankruptcy filings hit their lowest level since 1986 last year thanks to unprecedented fiscal and monetary support from the Fed and Congress.
By the numbers: Total bankruptcy filings for the year fell to 529,068 filings across all chapters, while total filings in the month of December was 34,304, the lowest monthly total since January 2006, according to a release from legal services company Epiq AACER. The number of total 2020 filings was about 1/3 of the number seen in 2010.
Nearly 60% of Americans withdrew or borrowed money from their IRA or 401(k) during the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey from Kiplinger and digital wealth management company Personal Capital found.
Why it matters: Most U.S. retirement accounts were underfunded already and the survey shows that the pandemic caused a significant number of Americans to pull money out, potentially setting them back even further.
More countries will soon face serious debt problems and likely defaults this year if swift action is not taken, World Bank president David Malpass said Tuesday, calling for debt restructurings and a focus on inequality and investment in the "post-COVID economy."
Why it matters: Malpass is the latest to issue a stern warning about the state of the global economy, calling on creditors, such as China and the Paris Club group of wealthy nations, to share the burden.
Gone are the days of jet-setting for work. Even as we return to offices, the pandemic's effect on business travel will likely last.
Why it matters: The fate of business travel has big ramifications for the economy at large. Its decline could cost millions of jobs, shutter even more small businesses and make your next vacation more expensive.
