![Google's decision to institute a coronavirus vaccine policy may set a standard for corporate America as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread [File: Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/walmrt.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
The mandate covers all campus staff as well as market, regional and divisional employees, the retailer said.
Financial Markets
![Exxon earned $1.10 per share in the second quarter, beating market expectations of 99 cents, according to IBES data from Refinitiv [File: Loren Elliott/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/exxon.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
Exxon’s upbeat results show how oil producers are using the rally in prices to cut debt and boost shareholder payouts.
![The rapid snapback in demand has outpaced supply, with companies struggling to fill open positions and acquire the materials needed for production [File: Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/spending2.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
As more places reopened and people got COVID-19 jabs, consumers confidently spent money at restaurants and stores.
![Hopes of a steady post-pandemic rebound in the United States economy have recently lifted Wall Street's main indexes to record highs, but growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus's Delta variant have kept investor sentiment in check [File: Andrew Kelly/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/traders.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
Other tech behemoths – including Apple Inc, Google parent Alphabet Inc, and Facebook Inc – also took a dip.
![The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has faced mounting pressure from Capitol Hill to increase scrutiny of Chinese companies after shares of Didi Global Inc plunged earlier this month, hurting US investors [File: Andrew Kelly/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SEC.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The US Securities and Exchange Commission said such disclosures are at the heart of its mandate to protect investors.
![Even before Amazon’s weak forecast, investors were worried that the company could lose momentum as people revert to pre-pandemic spending habits [File: Amit Dave/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/amazon-1.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The Seattle-based company’s shares fell 6 percent in after-hours trading.
![Founder of messaging giant Kakao Corp Brian Kim now has $1.3bn more than anyone else in South Korea, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, after Kakao shares rose 91 percent in 2021 alone [File: Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/south2.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Brian Kim, who is now worth $13.4bn, upended Samsung’s heir to become Korea’s wealthiest man.
![Nikola Corp founder Trevor Milton (centre right) was 'intensely focused' on the company’s stock price, calling and texting senior executives to 'do something' on days when the shares were falling, the SEC complaint states [File: Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/375381586.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
In a 66-page complaint, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission laid out its case against Trevor Milton.
![Shares fell to $34 in early trading, far lower than the offer price of $38, which was already on the lower end of Robinhood's initial public offering range [File: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/375368873.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The app’s muted Nasdaq debut comes after it was caught in a confrontation between retail investors and hedge funds.
![Consumer spending, the engine of the United States economy, grew by 11.8 percent in the second quarter, however, exceeding expectations [File: Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/gdp.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Supply-chain constraints and labour shortages continue to temper US economic growth.
![The Beijing-based company has been in discussions with bankers, regulators and key investors about ways to resolve regulatory woes since its troubled listing, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter [File: Getty Images/Barcroft Media]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/375350986.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Bloomberg News reported that Chinese regulators were considering serious, perhaps unprecedented, penalties for Didi.
![Melinda French Gates has pledged to spend $1bn towards gender equality projects in the United States, citing low rates of women in leadership positions [File: Michel Euler/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/melinda.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott and the foundation of Lynn Schusterman awarded $40m to gender equity projects.
![Investment app Robinhood's stated mission is to 'democratize finance for all', but critics dismiss the lofty ideal as spin [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2-2.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
As Robinhood debuts on the Nasdaq, educators and teen tipsters advise new investors to do their homework.
![Facebook's total revenue, which primarily consists of ad sales, rose to $29.08bn in the second quarter from $18.69bn a year earlier, according to IBES data from Refinitiv [File: Dado Ruvic/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/fb.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The social media giant did, however, beat Wall Street estimates for the second quarter due to increased ad spending.