The 10 biggest business stories on Tuesday January 26

EasyJet passenger figures up; Dixons Carphone to close 134 UK stores

Easyjet has cancelled all flights to the Red Sea resort up to and including 6 January (PA)

1. Markets are on the slide again. Hong Kong's Hang Send index is down about 2.7 per cent at 18,820, while Japan's Nikkei 225 is 2.35 per cent lower at 16,708. Meanwhile, Crude Oil fell below $30 per barrel overnight.

2. JPMorgan Chase & Co will pay $1.42 billion in cash to resolve most of a lawsuit accusing it of draining Lehman Brothers of critical liquidity in the final days before that investment bank's September 2008 collapse.

3. More people are eating at McDonald’s, the fast-food chain reported better-than-expected quarterly same-restaurant sales, up 5 per cent, helped by the launch of all-day breakfasts in the United States and recovering demand in China.

4. Young people are spending more time online than watching television for the first time, according to an annual survey tracking children's media behaviour in the UK.

5. British insurers will reveal the proportion of claims that result in payouts on Tuesday for the first time. The data, compiled by the Association of British Insurers, will show how many claims were successful in the motor, home and travel insurance categories, the Financial Times reports.

6. Dixons Carphone is closing 134 stores as part of plans to transform its property portfolio. The new concept stores had been planned since the merger of Dixons and Carphone Warehouse in 2014.

7. EasyJet has reported an 8.1 per cent rise in passenger numbers as capacity grew by 7.3 per cent to 17.8 million seats. The low-cost airline says it expects full year profit to be in line with expectations although revenues were slightly lower in the quarter at £930 million against £931 million a year earlier.

8. Marston's known for its Pitcher & Piano bars and Pedigree ales, said comparable sales rose 3 per cent at its own managed pub restaurants, as it posted record sales over the key Christmas fortnight for the fourth consecutive year.

9. Travellers in France face disruptions on Tuesday as taxi drivers and air traffic controllers join a strike of the country’s civil servants. Airline workers are demanding better pay and pensions, and taxi drivers continue to protest against car-hailing apps such as Uber.

10. A US judge on Monday said he would approve American Apparel plan to exit bankruptcy and rejected a takeover attempt from Dov Charney, the teen retailer's founder and ousted chief executive.