WSJ News Exclusive
S&P Global is nearing a deal to acquire IHS Markit for about $44 billion, people familiar with the matter said. A deal would combine two of Wall Street’s largest data providers.
WSJ News Exclusive
The president-elect intends to nominate a diverse group of economic advisers to serve alongside Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen.
Foot traffic plunged by half amid the pandemic while online sales rose 22% from a year ago. Consumers turned to Amazon and big-box chains that offer one-stop shopping.82
The weekend after Thanksgiving met expectations that it would be the busiest travel period in the U.S. since the pandemic began.
The car maker’s Lordstown plant was once a symbol of economic might. It’s now a symbol of the economic struggles of those in factory jobs, with many of its former workers leaving their families behind in Ohio in search of good pay and benefits in other states.496
WSJ News Exclusive
Airbnb is planning to target a range of around $30 billion to $33 billion when the home-rental startup kicks off its investor roadshow. DoorDash, meanwhile, plans to target a range of around $25 billion to $28 billion.
Friday’s killing of one of Iran’s most important nuclear scientists has dealt a setback to the country’s nuclear program, but the U.S. and its allies still face major challenges in trying to constrain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Business & Finance
The addition to the S&P 500 of a $555 billion company prone to huge price swings is so daunting that S&P is considering adding Tesla’s weight over two trading days.159
A penchant for risk-taking has rejuvenated leveraged and inverse ETFs, as investors hunting for bigger returns take bold gambits that have the potential for big gains and even bigger losses.34
Platinum is attracting renewed interest as a global push for cleaner energy and waning demand for gold promise to lift demand for the metal.
Streetwise
The all-important Treasury market is a holdout in reflecting increased economic optimism from Covid-19 vaccine news.87
The continuing economic stress and stock-market volatility stemming from the pandemic has moved women to join group chats to talk about emergency funds, investing and financial goals.39
World
Heard on the Street
Real-world driving data from connected cars is both a treasure trove and a mine-field for auto insurers. Big banks’ efforts to deal with financial technology challengers offer some useful lessons.
Measures intended to thwart the sole Russian-owned ship capable of completing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline recently advanced in Congress. Approval could mark a win for Ukrainian officials who saw the pipeline as a threat to their country.109
Gauges of China’s manufacturing and nonmanufacturing activity climbed to their highest levels in three and eight years, respectively.
U.S.
To chart the extent of the pandemic, The Wall Street Journal’s trackers show the areas where infections are rising fastest, and totals for countries around the world.
Governments went into the downturn with fat reserve funds and have benefited from federal aid. Barring a quick economic recovery or another round of stimulus, state and local officials could have to make more cuts.
President Trump accused federal law-enforcement agencies run by his own appointees of ignoring his unproven claims of mass election fraud, as his legal setbacks continued to mount.
The president-elect has vowed to bring sweeping changes to education and to reverse some of the civil rights-related moves made under President Trump.
Life & Arts
Masks, social distancing and public-private partnerships can help mass transportation systems weather the impact of the Covid pandemic.1
The soccer goalkeeper became the first woman to play a down of football in one of the five major conferences.
A retired mortgage banker’s Model B Rear-Entrance Tonneau helped launch an iconic car company in 1904, and establish Detroit as America’s car capital.37
Landscape and garden designer Luciano Giubbilei finds a new creative retreat in the former home of a Mallorcan country potter.
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