What’s going on? China announced plans to break up payment app Alipay on Monday, as the country’s tech sector crackdown really starts to leave its mark. What does this mean? Alipay – which boasts more than a billion users – is known as the go-to platform for everything from ordering food to processing payments. Now, though, it

What’s going on? Three of America’s biggest airlines warned last week that a rise in coronavirus cases will impact profits this winter, but you should subscribe to their podcast to hear what they really think. What does this mean? The Delta variant has been on the rise in the States, and it looks like it’s putting everyone off their

What’s going on? Data out on Friday showed the UK economy grew just 0.1% in July, and that notoriously stiff upper lip looks like it’s starting to tremble. What does this mean? July’s growth was one-tenth of what it was the month before, but at least there’s a small caveat: June was the tail-end of a remarkably strong second

What’s going on? Data out on Monday showed that prices of energy have surged to record highs in Europe, but just remember: with great power comes great responsibility. What does this mean? The demand for energy picked up coming out of the pandemic, but providers didn’t seem to get the memo in time: there have

What’s going on? 2021 is on track to be a record-breaking year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A), after companies took advantage of their hot vax summer to really let loose. What does this mean? Firms have struck $4 trillion worth of deals since the start of 2021 – more than twice as many as they had done

What’s going on? Here’s a new wrinkle in China’s once smooth recovery: data out on Wednesday showed China’s manufacturing activity shrank in August for the first time since April 2020. What does this mean? It looks like China’s economy is finally losing steam after having outperformed its rivals’ during the pandemic: a widely followed manufacturing