The US economy ended 2021 on a sour note with a worse-than-expected employment report that underscored the challenges awaiting President Joe Biden in the new year as the Omicron variant runs rampant and his legislative agenda stalls.

US private payrolls increased more than expected in December, pointing to underlying labor market strength, but sky-rocketing Covid-19 infections could slow momentum in the months ahead.

Federal Reserve officials last month were concerned about the Omicron impact, but believed the US economy had recovered enough from the pandemic downturn that interest rate hikes could come sooner than expected, according to minutes of the December meeting released Wednesday.

German industrial orders rebounded in November after a sharp drop in October, official data showed Thursday, despite persistent shortages in raw materials and components weighing on the sector.

Indonesia on Thursday revoked thousands of permits for mining, coal and forestry as the government battles to rein in its vast resources sector.

Japan’s services sector activity expanded at a slower pace in December as growth in new and outstanding business softened and expectations for the 12 months ahead eased to a four-month low.

Britain’s car manufacturing stalled last year on pandemic fallout including a semiconductor shortage, despite record demand for greener electric vehicles, industry data showed Thursday.

World food prices jumped 28 per cent in 2021 to their highest level in a decade and hopes for a return to more stable market conditions this year are slim, the UN’s food agency said on Thursday.

Indonesian coal miners were due to hold talks with government officials on Wednesday on a ban on the country’s coal exports that has unnerved global markets for the fuel and triggered energy security concerns in some major economies.

Germany’s antitrust regulator on Wednesday classified Google a company of “paramount significance across markets”, a move paving the way for the authorities to clamp down on any potentially anti-competitive activities.

US telecom companies and airlines have been fighting for weeks over the potential impact of 5G wireless services on aircraft, in stark contrast to the rollout of new-generation services elsewhere, which has broadly gone ahead without airing new safety concerns.

The buyer of a $145,000 tuna at Tokyo’s traditional New Year auction said Wednesday he hoped the purchase would “brighten” a Covid-hit 2022.

US financial firms have been more proactive than other industries in encouraging employees back to the office, but those plans have come under renewed scrutiny due to the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The US government on Tuesday said it had won its fight with Ottawa over restrictions in the Canadian dairy market, claiming victory in the first-ever dispute under the revamped North American free trade pact.

The euro zone’s economic recovery stuttered in December as a renewed wave of Covid-19 infections curtailed growth in the bloc’s dominant service industry, a survey showed on Wednesday, and could weaken further if tighter restrictions are imposed.

Oil prices slipped below $80 a barrel on Wednesday after OPEC+ producers stuck to an agreed output target rise for February and investors assessed the impact of a spike in Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant.

US manufacturing activity slowed in December amid a cooling in demand for goods, but supply constraints are starting to ease and a measure of prices paid for inputs by factories fell by the most in a decade.

Apple became the first US company to hit $3 trillion in market value, briefly reaching the landmark on Monday in the latest demonstration of the tech industry’s pandemic surge.

Oil prices were largely steady on Tuesday as investors expected major producers to agree to stick to their planned output increase at their meeting later in the day amid diminishing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Sri Lanka unveiled a $1.1 billion targeted relief package Tuesday to help consumers pay soaring food costs as an economic crisis bites.