The daily business briefing: June 28, 2016
Global stocks rise after Brexit plunge, VW agrees to $14.7 billion cheating-scandal settlement, and more
1. Global stocks rise after two days of heavy post-Brexit losses
Dow futures jumped by more than 1 percent early Tuesday as global stocks rebounded after two days of heavy losses blamed on Britain's vote to exit the EU. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 lost 2 percent early Monday before regaining some ground. On Friday, global equity markets lost $2.08 trillion in value in the biggest global stock sell-off ever. The previous record one-day loss of $1.9 trillion came on Sept. 29, 2008 shortly after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
MarketWatch The Washington Post
2. VW agrees to pay $14.7 billion to settle claims in diesel scandal
Volkswagen has agreed to pay $14.7 billion to settle U.S. lawsuits over its diesel emissions cheating scandal. The proposed agreement, which will be filed Tuesday in San Francisco, would include up to $10 billion to buy back cars at pre-scandal values or fix them to meet emissions standards, and give owners up to $10,000 extra per car. The auto maker also will pay $2.7 billion in fines to the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, and spend $2 billion on clean-emissions technology.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Ratings agencies downgrade U.K. over Brexit fallout
Standard & Poor's Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings on Monday cut the U.K.'s credit rating, citing uncertainty and market turmoil following British voters' decision to leave the EU. S&P reportedly downgraded the U.K. from a AAA rating to AA, while Fitch knocked it down from AA+ to AA. "Fitch believes that uncertainty following the referendum outcome will induce an abrupt slowdown in short-term GDP growth, as businesses defer investment and consider changes to the legal and regulatory environment," the ratings agency said.
4. Perdue announces new animal welfare practices
Perdue, the fourth largest poultry producer, on Monday unveiled an overhaul of its animal welfare practices that will change the way it treats its chickens. The company is committing to standards similar to those in Europe, such as letting its birds spend time in sunlight. The changes will be extended over the next few years to all of Perdue's chickens, which numbered 676 million last year. "This is my second flock with the sunlight," said Karen Speake, whose family raises chickens for Perdue. "They're much happier birds."
5. U.S., Canada, and Mexico to make clean energy pledge
The U.S., Canada, and Mexico plan this week to commit to getting half of their electricity from clean energy sources by 2025, U.S. and Canadian officials said Monday. The pledge is expected Wednesday when President Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto meet in Ottawa for this year's North American Leaders Summit. Canada already gets 59 percent of its electricity from hydropower, but the U.S. and Mexico have a long way to go due to their current reliance on fossil fuels.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Meet Youngmi Mayer, the renegade comedian whose frank new memoir is a blitzkrieg to the genre
The Week Recommends 'I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying' details a biracial life on the margins, with humor as salving grace
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Will Trump fire Fed chair Jerome Powell?
Today's Big Question An 'unprecedented legal battle' could decide the economy's future
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Sri Lanka's new Marxist leader wins huge majority
Speed Read The left-leaning coalition of newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won 159 of the legislature's 225 seats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published