Apple supplier Foxconn adjusts production to avoid holiday blues

Apple Inc supplier Foxconn said on Thursday it expected smartphone revenue to fall this quarter and is adjusting production to prevent recent COVID-19 curbs at a massive iPhone factory in China from impacting holiday orders.
Analysis: U.S. retailers may pay the price for ‘extended’ holiday return season

Major U.S. retailers’ longer return policies, launched during the pandemic this year to lure consumers, could leave them facing much higher costs if shoppers bring back a record-setting $112 billion in gifts bought during the extended holiday shopping season.
Exclusive: America’s least-vaccinated states led in-store holiday shopping

American shoppers flocked to brick-and-mortar stores this holiday season, with especially strong sales in several states where the rate of full vaccinations against the COVID-19 virus is less than 60%, according to an analysis of Mastercard SpendingPulse holiday sales data.
Asia stocks, oil prices suffer as Omicron spreads

Asian share markets fell and oil prices slid on Monday as surging Omicron cases triggered tighter restrictions in Europe and threatened to drag on the global economy into the new year.
Striking Kellogg workers could return after Christmas as tentative deal reached

Kellogg Co (K.N) and the union representing striking workers at its U.S. breakfast cereal plants have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract that could pave the way for the employees to return to work two days after Christmas.
Global airlines prepare for Omicron-induced volatility

Airlines are bracing for a fresh round of volatility due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 that could force them to adjust schedules and destinations at short notice and to rely more on domestic markets where possible, analysts say.
COVID-19’s epicentre again: Europe faces fresh reckoning

Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic again, prompting some governments to consider re-imposing unpopular lockdowns in the run-up to Christmas and stirring debate over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame COVID-19.