Google’s Larry Page accused of approving payout without board approval

AirBnB is set to become one of the marquee floatings of stock this year, after the home-sharing company decided to go public. The move comes as demand for home rentals have dropped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chinese fintech giant had expected to raise an unprecedented $35 billion in its stock market debut. But concerns that regulatory oversight could get in the way are now being proven right.

Wall Street jumped on Wednesday, despite the uncertainty over the outcome of the US presidential election. Craig Erlam, senior markets analyst at Oanda, says investors are anxious to avoid a protracted dispute over the results. Also in the show, Business Editor Kate Moody looks at how carmakers and the tech industry could be affected by the outcome. Plus, California voters hand a victory to Uber in a key referendum on the gig economy.

Throughout a particularly challenging year, AFP met people from countries on all continents to take stock of the year 2020, its good and bad times, and to listen to their wishes for the year 2021.

The International Monetary Fund has given a stark warning after "excessive risk-taking" in the markets by investors. Stocks around the world, especially those of tech firms, have surged during the coronavirus pandemic.

Beijing has said it want to foster small and medium-sized businesses by setting up third stock exchange in Beijing. The move comes despite an ongoing regulatory crackdown on China's biggest tech companies.

Corporate stock buybacks hit new record, surpassing 2018. Companies listed on the S&P 500 bought back a record-setting $234.5 billion in shares in the third quarter of 2021, surpassing the previous record of $223 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to preliminary data from S&P Dow Jones Indices.

Stock markets slumped in Asia on Thursday and European shares started the day's trading in the red, after signals from the US Federal Reserve that it could raise interest rates more than three times in 2022. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank's policy committee was "of a mind" to start raising rates in March, and that it would be guided by the economic data. FRANCE 24's Business Editor Stephen Carroll looks at market reaction to the announcements.

The papers cover the positive, and negative, aspects of the COP27 climate deal, with many lamenting that emission cuts did not make the final agreement. The papers are also paying tribute to, and criticising, Qatar's World Cup opening ceremony. Plus, New Zealand discusses age discrimination and Joe Biden celebrates his 80th birthday.

Nationwide protests against China's zero-Covid policy have left investors concerned about the outlook for the country's economy. On Monday morning, both the Shanghai Composite and Hang Seng in Hong Kong were posting losses.

Data from Nigeria's Debt Management Office shows that the country's debt stock grew to 44 trillion naira as of September this year.

The closure of Silicon Valley Bank, followed by Signature Bank, has undermined market confidence and raised recession risk fears. Stocks and equities in Asia dropped amid fears about exposure.