Premium whisky prices slump as weak global economy hurts taste for luxury
Value of ‘fine and rare’ single malts sold at auction falls 7%, tarnishing status as alternative haven asset
Luxury goods
Amazon’s purchase of iRobot could restrict competition, EU regulator warns
Roomba maker’s shares fall after formal objection to $1.45bn acquisition
Ecommerce
Volkswagen executives warn works council of job cuts
Head of German carmaker’s flagship brand tells unions not enough profit being made to finance EV transition
Electric vehicles
ECB to discuss earlier end to bond purchases, says Christine Lagarde
Pandemic-era €1.7tn stimulus programme had been due to wind down by end 2024
Central banks
Solar energy: charge of the light brigade will rally renewables
With more slack in its supply chain, solar is a better bet than wind
Renewable energy
Our embrace of the end of privacy comes at a cost
I was wrong to assume that liberal indifference to our actions would be the ultimate consequence of online living
Social Media
Mountain Warehouse plans spree of new stores after returning to profit
Outdoor clothing retailer says there is ‘life left’ in UK high street as it plots aggressive expansion
Travel & leisure industry
Tesla sues Swedish state in effort to circumvent union action
Carmaker’s lawsuit seeks to enable it to collect registration plates for new vehicles directly as postal workers block delivery
Electric vehicles
Schaeffler raises Vitesco offer as it pushes into electric vehicles
Billionaire Schaeffler family is trying to acquire the rest of the German group
Mergers & Acquisitions
OpenAI’s business ambitions need a rethink
The new board needs to make sense of a company that was at risk of biting off more than it can chew
Artificial intelligence