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5 Things You Need To Know, Today, on Wednesday 16th February 2022
5. Airbnb says travellers are starting to return to cities, after staying away since the start of the pandemic.
Globally, the number of nights booked in cities in the last three months of last year nearly matched 2019 levels with the company reporting a record $55m (£40.6m) profit for the fourth quarter.
4. Disney has appointed Mike White, an executive, to specifically lead the entertainment giant's strategy for the metaverse.
Technology giants, including Facebook owner Meta and Microsoft, are pouring billions of dollars into the metaverse.
3. The UK car industry has called for a watchdog to oversee electric car charging prices and the availability of charge points.
The growth in electric vehicles sales is outstripping the rollout of charging points, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.
2. Latest figures show that the UK unemployment rate fell to 4.1% while job vacancies hit a fresh record high, however wage growth continued to lag behind the rising cost of living between October and December.
Wages rose, but when taking inflation into account, pay showed a 0.8% fall from a year earlier, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
1. Global markets have rallied on hopes that military tensions over Ukraine could ease after Russia said it was recalling some of its troops from the country's border.
Exchanges in Italy and Germany climbed roughly 2%, France's CAC 40 jumped 1.8% and London's FTSE 100 gained 1%.