As the U.K. went into nationwide lockdown this spring, the words “unprecedented” were trotted out to explain everything from pubs being closed to national clap-alongs for health care workers. But for the National Grid, the country’s electricity operator, “unprecedented” meant blowing through one record after another, often years ahead of schedule: max solar capacity in […]

Small businesses have waited—and waited. On Friday, the Small Business Administration and the Treasury finally released the PPP forgiveness application, an 11-page document with details that answered, and stirred, questions for small businesses and the CPAs and lawyers advising them. “We at least have a worksheet, if you will, to start the process,” notes Eric […]

Sanofi Chief Executive Officer Paul Hudson’s suggestion that the U.S. may get the French drugmaker’s coronavirus vaccine first sparked outrage in France, with one government minister calling the prospect “unacceptable.” “For us, it would be unacceptable that there be privileged access for this or that country on a pretext that would be a financial pretext,” […]

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek reiterated previous gripes he’s had with Apple during an interview this week, saying its platform is still not open enough to third-party apps like the Sweden-based music streamer. But according to the cofounder of high-end speaker and home audio company Sonos, Spotify operates an even-more closed ecosystem than Apple. In a […]

This is the web version of the Bull Sheet, Fortune’s no-BS daily newsletter on the markets. Sign up to receive it in your inbox here. Happy May Day, everyone. It will be a lighter than normal trading session as stock exchanges across Europe and Asia are closed for International Workers’ Day. But fear not, dear international […]

It looks like selling plenty of Alexander McQueen dresses for $13,500 and Kiton men’s biker jackets for $10,795 won’t be enough to spare Neiman Marcus from seeking bankruptcy protection. The iconic 113-year-old retailer—which has struggled for years and is now pushed to the edge by the pandemic forcing its stores to close indefinitely—is reportedly close […]

Most businesses were well prepared for their employees to work-from-home en masse, a new survey shows. As states enacted stay-at-home orders and business closures to slow down the spread of the virus in mid-March, a Fortune-Adobe CIO Survey asked 200 chief information officers about this transition to remote working. Turns out companies were confident in […]

Depicting the blue state–red state divide about half a century early, FX on Hulu drama Mrs. America, which premieres Wednesday, shows how a conservative Illinois housewife named Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) fought ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment championed by New York feminists including Ms. magazine founder Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne), politician Bella Abzug (Margo […]

Subscribe to Outbreak, a daily roundup of stories on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on global business, delivered free to your inbox. Yet another feature of the federal government’s coronavirus stimulus package is struggling to work as intended. This time, it’s the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s provisions around mortgage forbearance. […]

Subscribe to Outbreak, a daily roundup of stories on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on global business, delivered free to your inbox. Airlines grappling with their biggest peacetime crisis face a European Union legal headache after offering customers vouchers instead of immediate refunds for flights canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumer groups say the […]