SYDNEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Google agreed on Monday to pay a A$55 million ($35.8 million) fine in Australia after the consumer watchdog found it had hurt competition by paying the country's two largest telcos to pre-install its search application on Android phones, excluding rival search engines. The fine extends a bumpy period for the Alphabet-owned internet giant in Australia,...

HOUSTON (Reuters) -When Exxon Mobil and Chevron ( CVX ) report first-quarter results this week, investors will be focused on how falling oil prices have increased the risk to dividends and share repurchases for the rest of 2025. Big Oil has made returning cash to investors through dividends and share repurchases a strategic cornerstone of its efforts to woo Wall...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -As billionaire Elon Musk scales back work for U.S. President Donald Trump, he's laying the groundwork for a major role as a Republican political megadonor in next year's midterm elections, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter. After announcing last week that his cost-cutting role at the White House was mainly done, Musk views his...

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Amazon's ( AMZN ) Prime Day is losing its luster among a critical group: sellers. Some third-party merchants who previously sold China-made goods during Amazon's ( AMZN ) premier July shopping event are sitting it out this year or reducing the amount of discounted merchandise they offer. The planned pullback, which hasn't been previously reported, is a...