US Business

The second-largest cinema chain in the U.S. is closing all of its locations nationwide after reopening in August, escalating the pandemic-driven crisis facing the entertainment industry.

A government effort to break up Facebook Inc. from Instagram and WhatsApp would defy established law, cost billions of dollars and harm consumers, according to a paper company lawyers have prepared.

Startups specializing in business-to-business software that are having trouble scaling up or whose founders want to cash out are finding a willing buyer in Joseph Liemandt’s ESW Capital, which has built a Netflix-like subscription service for such tools.

CEO John Stankey is working to convince investors that the deal making executives pursued to fortify AT&T in lean times won’t end up weighing it down—while urging patience for the company’s long-term bets to pay off.

Before the pandemic, the neighborhood used to attract 50 million visitors a year. Now it is feeling the full force of the downturn in real estate, Broadway, tourism and retail; “All of a sudden everything is toxic.”

More workers identified themselves as permanently laid off and unemployed for the long term in September, a sign the labor market’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is likely to be slow and protracted.

Hiring gains slowed sharply headed into the fall as more layoffs turned permanent, adding to signs that the U.S. economy faces a long slog to fully recover from the pandemic.

The Oracle co-founder could score two prizes at once in a TikTok deal: a flashy new customer for the company’s cloud-computing business and a victory over fierce rival Microsoft.

Some auto companies, like Tesla, are getting more involved in making electric-car batteries, while Ford and others favor buying from specialized manufacturers.

Advertisers are mindful of the nation’s mood, offering patriotism during wartime and nostalgia during recessions. Covid-19 offers a new challenge. The nation’s biggest brands are still searching for the right tone.