| | Applications to start new U.S. businesses tumbled last week, the latest indication that stringent measures to control the spread of the novel coronavirus had brought the economy to its knees. | | | Lagardere gained almost 13% on Thursday after Les Echos reported the French multimedia conglomerate could get help from French tycoon Vincent Bollore and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, who heads finance group Fimalac, in its fight with Amber Capital. | | | World stock markets seesawed while bond yields retreated on Thursday as dire U.S. jobless data underscored a deepening downturn amid the coronavirus outbreak and tamped down investor hopes a listless economy would soon be back on its feet. | | | The Nasdaq rose in afternoon trading on Thursday as Amazon.com and Netflix surged to record highs, while worries about first-quarter earnings weighed on the Dow and limited gains in the S&P 500. | | | Activist shareholders are likely to scale back campaigns in the coming weeks as target companies brace for a deep recession and their favorite calls for change - ranging from mergers to returning cash - are ignored during the coronavirus pandemic. | | | The U.S. Transportation Department said on Thursday it had rejected most requests by Jetblue Airways Corp and Spirit Airlines to halt additional flights in the wake of the pandemic that has sent passenger traffic down by 95%. | | | The novel coronavirus may do to U.S. office rentals what e-commerce did to malls, or so goes a line of thinking running through commercial real estate circles. | | | California's Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted on Thursday to approve the merger of wireless carriers T-Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp, marking the final approval for a $23 billion deal which closed on April 1. | | | Activist investor Starboard on Thursday ended its proxy fight at eBay by withdrawing its four director nominees four days after the ecommerce company named a new chief executive. | | | U.S. small businesses may need as much as $500 billion a month to fully ensure their survival through the widespread closures and disruptions slamming their revenue during the coronavirus crisis, Atlanta Federal Reserve bank President Raphael Bostic said Thursday. | | | | |