Global dividends reached a first-quarter record of $263.3 billion, rising 7.8% despite concerns about the world economy, according to new research Monday. The Janus Henderson Global Dividend Index said that U.S. dividends totaled a record $122.5 billion during the period, up 8.3%.

Shares of Deutsche Bank hit a record low Monday, down nearly 3%, after UBS downgraded the German lender’s stock to a “sell” rating from “neutral.” Pointing to tough external events and the low interest rate environment, UBS slashed its price target for Deutsche from 7.80 euros ($7.45) to 5.70 euros.

Trade tensions between the U.S. and China stalled a global recovery and are continuing to endanger investment and growth, the secretary general of the OECD warned Monday. “We were in the middle of a recovery when all these decisions about trade started and not only did it stifle the recovery, it basically has produced the slowdown and the potential for greater damage is still there,” Angel Gurria told CNBC.

Google has severed business ties with Huawei, in a stunning move that could threaten the smartphone maker’s global ambitions. The U.S. tech giant has decided to stop licensing its Android operating system to the Chinese telecommunications firm, in order to comply with a U.S. trade blacklist.

General Dynamics shares jumped +2% Monday, following an upgrade by Goldman Sachs analysts. Analysts at Goldman Sachs raised their rating on the aerospace & defense company's stock to buy from neutral.A decline in General Dynamics stock’s valuation relative to its peers, and strengthening margins on its Gulfstream private jet line were cited as factors behind the analysts’ optimism. The analysts reiterated their per-share price target of $204 – which represents a 23% upside from the stock's previous closing price of $166.37.   

Arconic added $500 million more to its share repurchase program. The metal engineering company’s board approved the $500 million share-buyback - which will be added to its existing program of $1 billion, out of of which $100 million remains available through next year. On May 2, Arconic began a $200 million accelerated share repurchase plan.  Analysts expect that Arconic’s full year earnings would come in at $1.74 per share, and  predict earnings per share in the range of $1.59 and $1.83, according to Zacks survey (as reported by Rockland Register).

Ford will go through with its last leg of job cuts in the next couple of months. The automaker announced on Monday that it will slash around 7,000 jobs (~10% of its global workforce) by August.The move is part of a larger restructuring, intended to result in $600 million in annual cost savings for the company. Around 2,300 of the affected people are employed in the United States, according to Ford's spokesman (as reported by Reuters). According to Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett, the job cuts include elimination of close to 20% of upper-level managers - a decision which is apparently   aimed at mitigating bureaucracy and speed up decision making. Most of the workforce retrenchment is scheduled to be completed by  May 24 in North America, and by the end of August in regions including Europe, China and South America.

This followed Baidu’s less-than-expected first quarter earnings reported last week. Adjusted earnings for the quarter came in at 41 cents a share, below analysts’ estimates of 40 cents a share.The company – often touted as the Google of China –  had a 47% year-over-year spike in content costs that touched $917 million, as it bulked up investments in video streamer iQiyi, while its research and development expenses went up 26%.

Lumentum Holdings shares extended their decline Monday, on news of the telecom equipment maker lowering its outlook on current quarter revenue. The company announced that it halted shipments to telecom/electronics giant Huawei, and currently expects revenues for the three months ending in June to range between $375 million and $390 million – below its prior predicted range of $405 million and $425 million. Lumentum has also slashed its earnings per share guidance to a range of 65 cents to 77 cents a share, compared to the previous estimated range of 85 cents to $1.00. Indicating that it aims to comply with the U.S. export regulations vis-a-vis license requirements, the company said, "Lumentum has discontinued all shipments to Huawei effective as of the date the licensing requirements went into effect and cannot predict when it will be able to resume shipments".

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Sunday there was consensus among OPEC and allied oil producers to drive down crude inventories “gently” but his country would remain responsive to the needs of what he called a fragile market.

Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the U.S. government has sought to blacklist around the world.

Huawei has built its own operating system for smartphones and computers in case it is suddenly blocked from using U.S. software from Microsoft and Google, the Chinese company confirmed to CNBC on Friday.

Crude oil prices surged as high as 2% on Thursday as tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia continue to escalate over Saudi-led coalition’s launch of air strikes on Iran in retaliation of the latter’s attack on Saudi’s oil infrastructure. U.S West Texas Intermediate crude settled 85 cents higher at $62.87 per barrel, gaining 1.4% and closing at the highest level in two weeks.Likewise, Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, also surged 85 cents or 1.2%, to close at $72.62 touching its highest level in three weeks. The Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen were launched after the Iranian-aligned movement admitted their drone attacks on two Saudi oil pumping stations earlier in the week.

A settlement worth nearly $6.6 million has been proposed that will go towards restoring Charleston area salt marshes and building oyster reefs. The money will be split among several state and federal agencies and will be used to reimburse administrative expenses related to damage assessment and damage control into the Ashley and Beaufort Rivers and about 100 acres of salt marshes by the phosphate fertilizer industry since the 1800s. Experts admit that the negative impact of phosphate fertilizer industry, apparently the largest in South Carolina, were unknown.The toxic pollutants have caused range of negative responses in the marine and estuarine life including increased mortality, developmental problems, and reproductive issues. The settlement money borne by Exxon Mobil will also go towards restoring other damaged ecosystems and rebuilding marine life.

Currently, Kohl’s focus is mainly on women’s, men’s and children’s clothing with little presence in the home goods category that accounts for only a small part of its overall business. On the other hand, At Home has also been exploring a sale and is already in advanced negotiation stage with private equity firms like Hellman & Friedman.So, Kohl’s goal of acquiring At Home may not finally materialize and the latter may choose to sell to a buyout firm instead. Currently, At Home has a market capitalization of $1.3 billion.

Amazon.com Inc. taking a $575 million investment in Deliveroo, buying into the startup and pitting it directly against Uber Technologies Inc. the European food delivery industry. The London-based startup, which has raised $1.53 billion to date, will use the cash to expand its technology team and network and compete against Just Eat Plc and Uber. Amazon will be joined in the Series G funding round by existing backers T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Management and Research Co. and Greenoaks, Deliveroo said in an emailed statement. Deliveroo said the new funding will partly go towards new innovations in the food sector.

Oil climbed to $73 a barrel on Friday, mainly due to supply cuts and concern of further disruption to Middle East shipments as tensions rise. U.S.Meanwhile, rising tension in the Middle East this week has raised concern about additional supply disruption.  Brent crude was up 43 cents to $73.05 a barrel at 1101 GMT.

A senior official of China’s ruling Communist Party said the trade dispute with the U.S. could reduce China’s growth pace this year by as much as 1 percentage point, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday, citing an unnamed source.  

Sony Corporation SNE 0.04% and Microsoft Corp. MSFT 0.02% announced Thursday afternoon they will partner up on consumer entertainment platforms and artificial intelligence products.

Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is the world's biggest company by revenue and the largest private employer on the globe.When it talks, especially about the global economy, investors and other interested parties tend to take note of what's said.