Global stock markets and oil prices plunged Monday after a squabble among crude producers jolted investors who already were on edge about the surging costs of a virus outbreak. The main stock indexes in London and Frankfurt dropped by more 8 per cent at the opening. Tokyo closed down 5.1 per cent while Sydney lost…

Reports of a new decline in advertising spending due to the coronavirus outbreak are just the latest insult to the downtrodden newspaper business struggling to catch its breath in what has seemed like an endless epidemic of change. In Europe, where COVID-19 is now spreading, media groups are already reporting a sharp drop in ad spending from the…

Miss something this week? Don’t panic. CBC’s Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need. Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday. Plant-based? Compostable? What you need to know about bioplastics Bioplastics are plastics that can be: But many of them are still ending up in landfill. In this week’s episode of Marketplace, we…

North American manufacturers and retailers haven’t yet experienced widespread disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak. But contingency plans are in effect for industries that use Chinese suppliers — which, these days, means a lot of different businesses. China was Canada’s second biggest source of imports in 2019, trailing far behind the U.S. (which supplies half of what…

Tim Hortons says it is scrapping paper cups for its upcoming Roll Up The Rim contest due the novel coronavirus outbreak. The coffee-and-doughnut chain is removing all of the contest’s paper cups over health concerns around staff handling items recently gripped and sipped by customers who are returning them for prizes. Tim Hortons does not identify COVID-19…

As the coronavirus continues to spread globally, there’s a growing chance that it may affect your travel plans. If you’re booking a trip or contemplating cancelling your current one, here’s what you need to know right now. Will my insurance cover me? Many Canadians are discovering that — much to their surprise — their trip cancellation insurance doesn’t…