INTERNATIONAL
US companies hit by tariffs in China generally support Trump’s approach
Two-thirds of American companies operating in China have experienced disruptions to their business as a result of the protracted trade war between the world’s two largest economies, according to a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China released Tuesday. Still, there remains general support for President Trump’s tough approach to dealing with Beijing, with a narrow majority saying that the tariffs should remain in place or be increased while negotiations to forge a trade deal continue. AmCham has 771 members in China, working in industries ranging from aerospace and pharmaceuticals to energy and health care. Just less than half — 314 — members responded to its annual survey, conducted between Nov. 13 and Dec. 16 last year. It was in the middle of that period that Trump gave China 90 days to agree to a deal or face a rise in tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of its exports to the United States. That 90-day period ends on Friday, but Trump announced Sunday night that he would delay raising the tariffs because ‘‘substantial progress’’ was being made in trade talks. — WASHINGTON POST
REAL ESTATE
Home price increases slowed in December
US home price gains slowed for the ninth straight month in December, reflecting weaker sales and higher mortgage rates that have since declined. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased 4.2 percent from a year earlier, down from 4.6 percent in November, according to a report released Tuesday. Home sales and price increases cooled considerably last year and have been a drag on the economy. Previous price gains have put many homes out of reach for would-be buyers, and a jump in mortgage rates last fall also held back sales, which plunged 8.5 percent in 2018. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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RETAIL
Macy’s to cut 100 vice president jobs
Macy’s announced a multiyear money-saving restructuring program that it says will pare down its management structure and make the department store more nimble in a fiercely competitive environment. The plan would result in cost savings of $100 million. A Macy’s spokesperson said that the job cuts would include the elimination of 100 vice president positions. The department store chain’s move comes as it released fourth-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations on sales and profits. The results, announced Tuesday, come a little over a month after Macy’s reported sluggish holiday sales that spooked Wall Street and sent shares down nearly 18 percent, the department store’s worst one-day decline on record. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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MOVIES
Emma Thompson explains her refusal to work for former Pixar executive accused of misconduct
In a letter to Skydance Media, Emma Thompson outlined why she refused to work with the former Pixar executive John Lasseter and was withdrawing from the animated film ‘‘Luck.’’ Thompson left the project last month shortly after Skydance chief executive David Ellison hired Lasseter, the Pixar cofounder and former Walt Disney Co. animation chief. Lasseter last year was forced out at Disney after acknowledging ‘‘missteps’’ in his behavior with female employees. In her letter to Ellison, Thompson said she felt it was ‘‘very odd to me that you and your company would consider hiring someone with Mr. Lasseter’s pattern of misconduct given the present climate. If a man has been touching women inappropriately for decades, why would a woman want to work for him if the only reason he’s not touching them inappropriately now is that it says in his contract that he must behave ‘professionally?’ ’’ wrote Thompson. ‘‘If a man has made women at his companies feel undervalued and disrespected for decades, why should the women at his new company think that any respect he shows them is anything other than an act that he’s required to perform by his coach, his therapist, and his employment agreement?’’ A representative for Thompson confirmed the letter Tuesday, which was first published in the Los Angeles Times. A spokesperson for Skydance declined to comment. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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AUTOMOTIVE
Peugeot cars to return to North America
The French maker of Peugeot automobiles plans to reintroduce the cars to North American markets. PSA Group, which also makes Citroen, did not say when it expects the 200-year-old Peugeot brand to make it to American and Canadian showroom floors. The company said Tuesday that the return of the Peugeot is part of a 10-year plan announced in 2016, which includes a car-sharing service of more than 500 vehicles introduced in Washington, D.C., last year. The market expansion continues a remarkable turnaround for PSA, which had to be bailed out in 2014. In 2017, PSA bought General Motors’ Opel and Vauxhall brands for $2.33 billion, making it Europe’s No. 2 automaker after Volkswagen. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
INTERNATIONAL
Canada benefits from soybean sales after trade rift
The China trade war that has clobbered US farmers is a boon for their northern neighbors. Canada’s shipments of soybeans to China, the world’s largest buyer, surged to a record 1.23 million metric tons last month, more than four times the amount a year earlier, and up from just over 800,000 tons in December, according to data from the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday. Imports from the United States collapsed to 136,000 tons from 5.8 million tons in January last year. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
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VIDEO GAMES
Former Maryland basketball players say they invented ‘Fortnite’ dance
Two former University of Maryland men’s basketball players are suing the makers of ‘‘Fortnite,’’ claiming the video game’s creators misappropriated a dance they popularized online. The federal lawsuit, filed Monday in Maryland, accuses North Carolina-based Epic Games Inc. of unfairly profiting from the ‘‘Running Man Challenge’’ dance that Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley performed in social media videos and on Ellen DeGeneres’s TV show in 2016. The suit says the ‘‘Running Man’’ dance that ‘‘Fortnite’’ players can purchase for their characters is identical to the dance that Nickens and Brantley created. Other artists, including Brooklyn-based rapper 2 Milly and ‘‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’’ star Alfonso Ribeiro, also have sued Epic Games over other dances depicted in the game. The company didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to an e-mail seeking comment. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTAURANTS
Yelp booked 5.6M reservations for Valentine’s Day
Yelp Inc. is continuing its evolution from a user-generated review platform to meeting the needs of diners who want to plan ahead, walk in for seating, or get food delivered. The review and business-listing company managed 22 million diners booking directly through the Yelp app, a threefold increase year-over-year, according to Internal data released on Tuesday. During the 2019 Valentine’s Day week, Yelp reported its reservation and wait-list software handled 5.6 million diners. — BLOOMBERG NEWS