US department store chain Nordstrom said it was on track to eke out a quarterly profit despite a sharp decline in holiday season sales. The Seattle-based company said net sales over the nine weeks to the start of January fell 22 per cent from a year ago.
Thirteen US states have confirmed the presence of the fast-spreading variant of coronavirus that was first detected in the UK, with Wisconsin and New Mexico on Wednesday becoming the latest places to join the expanding list.
The US budget deficit swelled to $573bn at the end of last year driven by a fiscal stimulus package aimed at helping households and businesses weather the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The deficit widened by 61 per cent from a year ago in the fiscal first quarter that runs through December, the Treasury said.
Portugal is to impose a national lockdown from midnight on Thursday, requiring people to stay at home, shutting down most shops and services and enforcing remote working as…