Voluntary redundancy. Boeing will be offering its employees a voluntary redundancy plan, including early retirement, to offset the financial impact of the coronavirus health crisis, Reuters reports.

Amazon wins. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in favor of Amazon in its dispute with Coty's German subsidiary. It said that the U.S. online retail giant was not liable for counterfeit products stored without its knowledge by third-party sellers.

Juul is out of reach for Atria. The Federal Trade Commission announced that it filed a complaint to compel Altria, owner of the Marlboro and other brands, to sell its stake in electronic cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs, saying it was harming competition.

Sandoz abandons a divestment. Novartis agrees not to divest Sandoz's US dermatology and generics portfolio to Aurobindo. The Swiss company points out that this decision was taken by the US Trade Representative and that the US Trade Representative did not respond in a timely manner. The deal was originally announced in September 2018 for $1 billion, of which 10% is contingent on meeting certain targets.

AF-KLM, BA and Lufthansa are adapting. British Airways (International Consolidated Airlines) should announce the "suspension" of 32,000 employees, according to the BBC, after an agreement with the Unite union. This represents the suspension of activity of 80% of the group's cabin, ground, engineering and administrative staff. For its part, Lufthansa is still negotiating public credit lines, while rumors are circulating about a possible entry of the German state into the capital. Finally, the French government has reiterated its intention to support Air France-KLM.

A year's respite for Carnival, but at what price. Carnival has raised $6.25bn, via debt at a very high rate (11.5% for 2023 bonds!) and new shares at a depressed price ($8). On Wednesday, the stock lost a third of its value to close at $8.80 in the United States. The group said that the funds raised will enable it to meet its financial obligations for one year. Like air transport, the cruise sector is very badly affected by the current crisis, since it is at a standstill.

Stricter controls. The United States is reportedly preparing to tighten controls on the export of American technological equipment to China. Recently, notably around the Huawei case, it has emerged that the exemptions enjoyed by certain transactions have enabled Chinese players to legally recover technological equipment produced in the United States.

The internal market under threat. Already severely shaken, US airlines may face restrictions on domestic flights. In the same sector, the U.S. Treasury has selected several U.S. investment banks to advise it on a plan to support air transport. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines announced that it will file a request for financial assistance with the Treasury Department regarding disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Consolidation is resuming. The Board of Directors of Bolsas y Mercados Españoles accepts SIX Group's takeover offer. The Swiss group is therefore the winner, for lack of fighters, since Euronext had given up its position in the face of the takeover proposal at €2.8 billion. BME was the last major independent mid-sized stock exchange operator in Europe.

In other news. T-Mobile US announced its official merger with Sprint, a $23bn deal. Nissan Motor is leaving its US plants idle until the end of April. Meyer Burger introduces short-time working at its Thun and Hauterive sites. In Berlin, Angela Merkel holds a crisis meeting with the heads of the major German car manufacturers (BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen). H&M negotiates reduced working hours with its teams.