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5 Things You Need To Know, Today, on Tuesday 4th January 2022
5. Staff shortages continue to blight retailers and hospitality firms, with one company warning of closures if Covid absences worsen.
Some firms saw 50% of staff off pre-Christmas, one employers' group said.
4. Apple has become the first company to hit a stock market valuation of $3tn (£2.2tn).
The firm's share price has risen by around 5,800% since co-founder and former chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007.
3. UK steel companies have been operating at a significant disadvantage compared to their European rivals since the beginning of 2022.
The EU has done a deal with the US, which took effect on 1 January, to allow companies to export steel to the US without any tariffs meaning British companies still face a 25% tariff on exports to the US.
2. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been convicted of defrauding investors after a months-long landmark trial in California.
Prosecutors said Holmes knowingly lied about technology she said could detect diseases with a few drops of blood, although she denies the charges, which carry a maximum prison term of 20 years each.
1. Footfall across all British retail destinations in the days after Christmas was 24.5% lower than the same week in 2019 as the Omicron variant rapidly spread.
The number of shoppers was also 15% lower than the previous week, with shopping centres seeing the biggest drop.