UK employee numbers surge above pre-pandemic level

British employers added a record 241,000 staff last month, lifting the total number of employees on company payrolls to just above the level before Britain first went into a COVID-19 lockdown last year, official data showed on Tuesday.

Factbox: Universal to list as music streaming picks up

Vivendi (VIV.PA), the French media conglomerate, is spinning off Universal Music Group, the largest part of its business and the label behind singers such as Taylor Swift, in a listing on the Euronext stock exchange in Amsterdam.

Shares lifted by prospect of lower rates for longer

Global shares posted their longest winning streak in three months on Monday, aided by the chance of low interest rates for longer in the United States and talk of more stimulus in Japan and China, while oil slid as the Saudis cut prices for Asian customers.

Oil rises on declining inventories and weaker dollar

Oil prices edged higher on Thursday, supported by a sharp decline in U.S. crude stocks and a weaker dollar, though gains were capped by an OPEC+ decision to stick to its policy of gradually increasing output.