general news

FRANKFURT—European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde faces a three-pronged challenge this week as she steers Europe’s currency union through an increasingly hostile landscape of surging prices, slowing economic growth and political turbulence.Ms. Lagarde is expected to unveil the ECB’s first interest-rate increase in more than a decade to combat eurozone inflation that is nearing 9%, following—with some delay—other central banks, including the Federal Reserve. At the same time, she…

The world’s only manufacturer of a machine for making advanced semiconductors reported record orders as chip makers continue seeking to boost their production capabilities despite a recent slowdown in demand. Dutch company ASML Holding ASML 1.77% NV said Wednesday that while it faces the same challenges of inflation, supply-chain constraints and recession concerns that many other companies do, it has a big backlog of orders and predicts…

WASHINGTON—The U.S. launched a trade fight against Mexico Wednesday, accusing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government of favoring its state-owned utility and oil company at the expense of American businesses.The U.S. is seeking dispute settlement consultations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement—the first step in what could lead to tariffs on a range of Mexican products. It also represents a challenge by the Biden administration to Mr. López Obrador’s effort to regain…

Abbott Laboratories ABT -2.25% raised its annual earnings guidance after posting higher than expected revenue from Covid-19 testing products. Abbott, based in Abbott Park, Ill., now forecasts $6.1 billion in revenue from sales of Covid tests this year, up by nearly a third from an earlier projection. Most of those sales have already occurred. It expects just $500 million in sales coming in the next few months. Without the…

Meg Fogel arrived early to the NeoCon commercial interior design conference in Chicago and, for the first time in months, headed to the movies. She ordered red wine and a chicken sandwich from her seat and watched Tom Cruise star in “Top Gun: Maverick.”“It was blissful,” said Ms. Fogel, a 40-year-old commercial interior designer. “I didn’t have anyone to be responsible for—or to answer to.” Her daughters, ages 5 and 9, stayed home in Atlanta with her husband…

More companies are offering supply-chain financing to their vendors, a tool that allows them to pay their bills later while also providing suppliers with faster access to cash.Supply-chain financing can boost the cash position of both buyers and sellers. A third party, often a bank, pays a vendor’s invoices but takes a cut. The company pays the bank the amount that was due under the invoice, though at a later date than originally required. The bank’s cut is determined by the company’s credit rating. Supply-chain snarls…

Volvo Car VOLCAR.B -3.66% AB’s transformation into an electric-vehicle maker accelerated in the second quarter, reflecting a broader trend in the auto industry, which has seen sales of EVs and hybrids outperform conventional vehicles in many markets as gas prices rise around the world. The share of pure electric and hybrid vehicles rose sharply to 31% of Volvo’s total sales in the second quarter of the year, even as overall unit sales…

Apple will pay certain groups in a lawsuit between about $50 and $395 over one of its keyboards. Photo: Richard B. Levine/Zuma Press…

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel voted to recommend the use of Novavax Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine, one of the final hurdles before the shot is made widely available in the U.S. Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted Tuesday to recommend the use of Novavax’s vaccine in adults 18 and older. The Food and Drug Administration authorized use of the vaccine in adults 18 years and older last week, but…

Netflix Inc. NFLX 4.55% hasn’t said much about the advertising-supported service it is developing. But advertisers are already plotting how to take advantage of it. Peloton Interactive Inc. PTON 7.01% hopes the streaming giant, which is known for its sophisticated show-recommendation engine, will offer precision targeting so it can reach the audience most likely to buy fitness equipment. Hyundai…