Kohl's Restarting Stock Buybacks, Dividend Amid Activist Pressure

The department-store chain is facing pressure from a group of shareholders who want the company to add directors with retail experience, consider a sale-leaseback of some of its real estate holdings and reduce inventories, among other changes.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/kohls-restarting-stock-buybacks-dividend-amid-activist-pressure-11614692376?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Hertz Floats Bankruptcy Exit Led by Certares, Knighthead

The rental car company also wants to exploit favorable debt markets to exit bankruptcy by the end of the second quarter.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/hertz-floats-bankruptcy-exit-led-by-certares-knighthead-11614686794?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Andrew Cuomo's Apology: Right and Wrong Ways to Say I'm Sorry

Crisis communications professionals weigh in on the New York governor’s reaction to sexual-harassment allegations.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/andrew-cuomos-apology-right-and-wrong-ways-to-say-sorry-11614688994?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Biden's CFPB Pick to Focus on Borrowers Struggling During the Pandemic

Rohit Chopra, President Biden’s pick to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, says he will seek to protect Americans struggling with debt amid the coronavirus pandemic from potential abuses by lenders.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-cfpb-pick-to-focus-on-borrowers-struggling-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-11614686406?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Target Keeps Growing at Rivals' Expense

Retailer says comparable sales jumped 20.5% last year and it gained $9 billion in sales from competitors.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/pandemic-boosts-targets-growth-at-rivals-expense-11614684877?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Meet the Home-Rental Firm Turning Tenants Into Homeowners

Promise Homes offers counseling and financial literacy programs to all of its tenants, dangles monthly rent discounts to tenants who boost their credit scores and offers counseling to help them do so.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-the-home-rental-firm-turning-tenants-into-homeowners-11614681001?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Puff Bar Defies Fruity E-Cigarette Crackdown

In an effort to sidestep FDA rules on fruity, disposable vaporizers, e-cigarette brand Puff Bar says it is using nicotine that isn’t derived from tobacco.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/puff-bar-defies-fda-crackdown-on-fruity-e-cigarettes-by-ditching-the-tobacco-11614681003?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

CVS, Walgreens Look for Big Data Reward From Covid-19 Vaccines

Chains are collecting data from millions of customers as they sign up for shots, enrolling them in patient systems and having recipients register customer profiles.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/cvs-walgreens-look-for-big-data-reward-from-covid-19-vaccinations-11614681180?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Facebook's Hardball Move in Australia Comes With Risks

Facebook won concessions from the Australian government, but the news blackout could prompt further scrutiny as other countries consider requiring the company to pay for news.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebooks-hardball-move-in-australia-comes-with-risks-11614681007?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Angelina Jolie Sells Winston Churchill Painting for $11.6 Million

Churchill’s only World War II painting was a gift to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/angelina-jolie-sells-winston-churchill-painting-for-11-6-million-11614643118?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Oil Trade Group Is Poised to Endorse Carbon Pricing

The American Petroleum Institute said the move to put a price on carbon emissions would be a step toward meeting terms of the Paris climate accord.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-trade-group-considers-endorsing-carbon-pricing-11614640681?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Ant Group Boss Tries to Quell Employee Discontent With Promise of Eventual IPO

The executive chairman also said the company would look for ways to help workers monetize some of their shares after the company was forced to call off its listings.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/ant-group-boss-tries-to-quell-employee-discontent-with-promise-of-eventual-ipo-11614660089?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Boy Scouts Offer Sex-Abuse Settlement, Aiming for End to Bankruptcy

The youth organization’s chapter 11 plan would set up a settlement trust to evaluate abuse claims and administer payments, drawing on assets contributed by the Boy Scouts.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/boy-scouts-offer-sex-abuse-settlement-aiming-for-end-to-bankruptcy-11614650357?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Fed's Barkin: 'Daylight on the Horizon' for Economy

Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin said in an interview he remains optimistic the U.S. economy will continue recovering from the coronavirus pandemic this year and that rising government bond yields don’t worry him much.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/feds-barkin-daylight-on-the-horizon-for-economy-11614594602?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Salesforce CIO and Team Help Write, Test Return-to-Work Software

Salesforce.com is writing and testing new software designed to help businesses return to physical offices in the wake of the pandemic.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforce-cio-and-team-help-write-test-return-to-work-software-11614600000?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Offices Can Glimpse Their Future at the Mall

How will office valuations be affected by the decline of the five-day commute? Shopping malls could provide some answers.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/office-can-glimpse-their-future-at-the-mall-11614599358?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Big Companies Disclose Details on Gender, Race in Workforces

Prompted by last summer’s protests and prodded by regulators and investors, more executives and boards are publicly sharing gender or race breakdowns, many for the first time.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/big-companies-disclose-details-on-gender-race-in-workforces-11614594601?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

Tech Tips to Help Score a Covid-19 Vaccine Appointment

Setting up alerts and browser tools helped our columnist schedule time slots for eligible friends and family members in a variety of states.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-tips-to-help-score-a-covid-19-vaccine-appointment-at-cvs-rite-aid-walgreens-and-more-11614594600?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

China's Factory Activity Falls to Weakest Level in Nine Months

The country’s official gauge of factory activity retreated more than expected as manufacturers suspended production during the Lunar New Year holiday.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-factory-activity-expands-less-than-expected-in-february-11614499831?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f

China Got Its Economy Growing Again, but a Shortfall in Babies Will Be Harder to Fix

Some economists say a shrinking workforce threatens China’s chances of overtaking the U.S. as the world’s largest economy.

source https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-got-its-economy-growing-again-but-a-shortfall-in-babies-will-be-harder-to-fix-11614488414?mod=pls_whats_news_us_business_f