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The outage isn’t anticipated to have a major impression on gasoline markets until the pipeline stays shut down for a number of days, analysts mentioned.

In an replace Saturday afternoon, the corporate mentioned it has discovered that the cyberattack on Colonial concerned ransomware, a kind of code that makes an attempt to grab pc programs and demand cost from the sufferer to have them unlocked.

Two folks briefed on the probe mentioned the assault seemed to be restricted to data programs and hadn’t infiltrated operational management programs, however cautioned that the investigation was in its early levels.

The corporate mentioned it had engaged a third-party cybersecurity agency to assist with the difficulty, which affected a few of its IT programs, and had contacted federal businesses and regulation enforcement.

FireEye Inc., a U.S.-based cybersecurity agency, is investigating the assault, based on folks aware of the matter. A FireEye spokesman declined to remark.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company, which works with vital infrastructure corporations on cyber protection, didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

It wasn’t clear whether or not the assault was perpetrated by a nation-state actor or prison actor. Attributing cyberattacks is troublesome and may usually take months or longer.

The Colonial Pipeline is the most important refined-products pipeline within the U.S., transporting greater than 100 million gallons a day, or roughly 45% of gasoline consumed on the East Coast, based on the corporate’s web site. It delivers fuels together with gasoline, diesel, jet gasoline and heating oil and serves U.S. navy services.

“At the moment, our main focus is the secure and environment friendly restoration of our service and our efforts to return to regular operation,” the corporate mentioned in a press release. “This course of is already below means, and we’re working diligently to handle this matter and to attenuate disruption to our prospects.”

Colonial spokeswoman Kelsey Tweed mentioned the corporate didn’t have additional particulars to offer right now.

Privately held Colonial is owned by a number of entities, together with models of funding agency IFM Buyers, Koch Industries Inc., KKR & Co. KKR 1.80% Inc. and Royal Dutch Shell RDS.A 1.89% PLC. KKR declined to remark. IFM, Shell and Koch didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

Inventories of gasoline have been readied for the summer time driving season and often get replenished each 5 to 6 days. But when the pipeline stays offline for days, shortages at terminals that obtain gasoline within the southeastern U.S. and Atlantic Coast markets might start to have an effect on retail stations and customers, mentioned Andy Lipow, president of consulting agency Lipow Oil Associates in Houston.

“It’s just like a hurricane occasion the place the pipeline will get shut down, so if it’s for a day or two then the impression will likely be mitigated,” Mr. Lipow mentioned.

The gasoline artery is vital to supplying the northeastern U.S. and different markets, and prolonged shutdowns of the pipeline have brought about gasoline costs to leap.

Gasoline costs rose in 2016 following a Colonial pipeline leak in Alabama that closed the conduit, as they did in 2008 when Hurricane Ike smashed into the Gulf Coast.

It is usually among the many many ageing U.S. pipelines that had been constructed earlier than 1970, having began full operations in 1964.

An outage lasting greater than 5 days might have sharp penalties for gasoline provides, significantly within the southeast U.S., as stock ranges there are pretty tight, mentioned Tom Kloza, world head of power evaluation for Oil Value Data Companies, or OPIS, an IHS Markit firm.

“In case you had been trying on the high 20 public targets that you can actually wreak havoc with by screwing with the software program, the Colonial Pipeline is in that group,” Mr. Kloza mentioned. “It’s a giant deal.”

Nonetheless, areas alongside the northern Atlantic Coast have ample gasoline provides amid an increase in overseas imports, significantly from Europe, he mentioned.

Cyberattacks focusing on vital infrastructure or key corporations, some by suspected overseas actors, have turn into a rising space of concern for the U.S. nationwide safety officers.

Russian hackers, for instance, have been blamed by Western intelligence businesses for quickly downing components of Ukraine’s energy grid within the winter. Pipelines have lengthy been considered as an space of concern for these sorts of assaults, partially as a result of halting their operations can have instant impression.

President Biden in April introduced punitive measures in opposition to Russia, blaming suspected Russian brokers for a month-long hack of the U.S. authorities and a few of America’s greatest companies.

That assault concerned , a network-management expertise agency whose software program was one of many main entry-points for the hackers, however prolonged past its software program. It has been described as one of many worst situations of cyber espionage in U.S. historical past.

U.S. officers in latest months have ramped up warnings about such hacks. The variety of ransomware incidents has risen dramatically through the coronavirus pandemic, cybersecurity consultants say, focusing on colleges, hospitals and corporations.

On Wednesday, Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas mentioned his company is dedicating extra assets to counter ransomware geared toward locking up authorities and private-sector pc networks. And the Justice Division final month introduced a brand new process pressure devoted to ransomware.

“The menace is actual. The menace is upon us. The chance is to all of us,” Mr. Mayorkas mentioned.

Mike Chapple, a cybersecurity knowledgeable on the College of Notre Dame and former Nationwide Safety Company official, mentioned the Colonial Pipeline assault appeared to indicate the hackers had been “extraordinarily refined” or that the programs weren’t correctly secured.

“This pipeline shutdown sends the message that core parts of our nationwide infrastructure proceed to be susceptible to cyberattack,” Mr. Chapple mentioned.

If the assault originated from malware or ransomware that contaminated programs, doubtlessly inadvertently, then community points may very well be fastened in a matter of days or perhaps weeks, relying on how properly ready Colonial was to reply to an assault, mentioned Grant Geyer, chief product officer of software program agency Claroty, which focuses on industrial cybersecurity.

But when a nation-state directed the assault, it will require an in depth cybersecurity response to repair vulnerabilities that would function a “backdoor” for infections later.

“Quite a lot of the programs that management industrial environments are managed by, in some instances, antiquated Home windows programs which can be rife with vulnerabilities,” Mr. Geyer mentioned, including the issue is especially acute within the power business.

—Miguel Bustillo and David Uberti contributed to this text.

Write to Collin Eaton at collin.eaton@wsj.com and Dustin Volz at dustin.volz@wsj.com

In the meantime, many meals makers and distributors say labor shortages, provide constraints and excessive freight prices are making it troublesome to ship full, well timed orders for items from cake combine to ramen noodles. Related tensions are mounting all through the U.S. financial system, as industries take care of shortages of provides and issues of reopening companies within the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Costs for a lot of meals, shopper merchandise and different items are rising consequently.

“The availability-chain challenges are nonetheless there,” mentioned Henk Hartong, chief government officer of Brynwood Companions, which owns Hometown Meals Co., the maker of Pillsbury cake mixes and Buitoni pasta. He mentioned wheat prices have soared and shipments for components together with vitamin C for Sunny D are working behind: “It’s not only one factor, it’s all the things.”

Walmart advised suppliers final fall that it will require orders to be 98% full and on time. Suppliers that didn’t comply can be charged 3% of the price of lacking gadgets, based on a September letter from the retail big considered by The Wall Avenue Journal.

“We should enhance product availability,” Walmart’s letter mentioned. Spokeswoman Tara Home mentioned Walmart needs to avoid wasting prospects money and time by having the merchandise they need on-line and in shops.

Meals-distributor Sysco in February alerted suppliers to charges it will start assessing in April for partial orders, billing discrepancies and lacking information reminiscent of dietary info, based on correspondence considered by the Journal. Charges went into impact in April. Sysco additionally advised suppliers it expects them to place its orders forward of these from different prospects.

“We consider all our provider companions topic to those insurance policies have the capabilities to fulfill them,” Sysco spokeswoman Shannon Mutschler mentioned, including that it will assist restaurant prospects as they reopen.

The shift in tone comes as firms are attempting to get again to enterprise as common amid a reopening financial system. Eating places are including again extra seats in eating rooms, grocers are resuming service at salad and hot-food bars, and corporations are bringing again extra folks to the workplace.

Retailers together with Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos. mentioned they’re struggling to safe some items reminiscent of spices and cleansing merchandise like detergent. Albertsons, which operates grocery store chains together with Safeway and Jewel-Osco, has introduced again charges in some classes, CEO Vivek Sankaran mentioned.

“It’s about offering suppliers with higher demand alerts and making issues less complicated,” Mr. Sankaran mentioned.

Whereas the charges are widespread amongst retailers, they’re elevating prices for suppliers on high of upper costs for gasoline, transport, labor and a few uncooked supplies. Producers are already elevating costs for a spread of meals and different shopper merchandise. “Nearly all the things goes up,” mentioned Jagtar Nijjar, director of imports and commodities at distributor Gordon Meals Service Inc.

Sensible Pies is paying as a lot as $4,000 to ship a load of its pizzas, President Season Elliott mentioned, in contrast with round $1,800 in August. Cheese costs have additionally nearly doubled. Sensible Pies is utilizing extra contractors to make and ship a few of its pizzas, which damage revenue however helped meet demand from distributors and retailers. The corporate hasn’t raised costs.

“All of us need the identical factor: to keep away from out-of-stocks,” Ms. Elliott mentioned.

Thang Nguyen-Le, CEO of ramen-noodle model Merely Meals, mentioned he’s dealing with fines for delays and worries retailers might swap to rivals if he can’t ship. He’s paying for refrigerated transport containers and air shipments, although his merchandise don’t require both.

“We’ve received to maintain up shelf area even when it’s at a loss,” he mentioned.

Utah-based distributor Nicholas and Co. was struggling to supply milk and cream, so Nicole Mouskondis, the corporate’s co-CEO, tried to rearrange to purchase milk from a dairy farmer with extra provides. However a scarcity of resin after winter storms closed chemical crops within the Southern U.S. left milk processors unable to acquire the plastic jugs wanted to bottle it.

“There’s a domino impact,” mentioned Ms. Mouskondis, whose firm provides eating places together with Subway and Panda Categorical.

Many eating places haven’t paid for some orders positioned earlier than the pandemic as they request extra meals to reopen. Distributors together with Ms. Mouskondis have put some eating places on fee plans. “You’ll be able to’t repossess lettuce,” she mentioned.

Some restaurant chains have advised distributors they may very well be fined for late deliveries, Ms. Mouskondis mentioned, and a few have changed longtime suppliers with rivals that say they will procure the products they want.

Suzanne Rajczi, CEO of New York-based distributor Ginsberg’s Meals, mentioned she is over-ordering many items to enhance her probabilities of having merchandise her prospects request. She is struggling to supply blue cheese, for instance, as a result of cheese makers final 12 months decreased inventories of sorts like Gorgonzola and Roquefort, which take months to age.

“I can’t make blue cheese any faster,” Ms. Rajczi mentioned.

Write to Jesse Newman at jesse.newman@wsj.com, Jaewon Kang at jaewon.kang@wsj.com and Annie Gasparro at annie.gasparro@wsj.com

The Pfizer vaccine is the most-administered of the three Covid-19 vaccines cleared to be used within the U.S. and more and more is on the market world wide. Pfizer raised its vaccine gross sales forecast from $15 billion earlier this yr as extra nations signal provide agreements.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the best way Pfizer has began 2021,” Pfizer Chief Govt Albert Bourla mentioned on a convention name with analysts.

The 2-dose shot, which Pfizer developed with BioNTech SE, contributed $3.5 billion to the corporate’s $14.6 billion general gross sales through the first three months of the yr, Pfizer mentioned. Stripped of one-time objects, Pfizer’s adjusted revenue within the quarter was 93 cents a share.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet had been forecasting an adjusted revenue of 78 cents a share on gross sales of $13.62 billion.

Analysts mentioned Pfizer’s Covid-19 quarterly vaccine gross sales exceeded expectations, a pattern they are saying will proceed the remainder of the yr. Nonetheless, analysts cautioned that it’s unclear how lengthy Pfizer, which splits Covid-19 vaccine gross sales with BioNTech, may maintain the income at such a excessive stage.

Pfizer says it expects international demand for Covid-19 vaccines will stay for not less than a number of years, and an rising variety of well being consultants say that annual booster photographs could also be wanted to keep up safety.

Pfizer and BioNTech have shipped greater than 430 million doses to greater than 90 nations. Nations already are lining up for extra Pfizer provides past 2021, Pfizer mentioned. Pfizer mentioned it has entered into provide agreements with Israel to provide thousands and thousands of doses subsequent yr, and with Canada to provide as much as 125 million doses in 2022 and 2023.

Covid-19 vaccines are in excessive demand internationally because the pandemic accelerates in nations together with India and Brazil. They’re reporting file numbers of deaths amid a surge of coronavirus infections that has overwhelmed their healthcare methods. Whereas nations such because the U.S. and Israel are near vaccinating giant majorities of their populations, poorer nations are struggling to get their rollouts going.

Vaccine gross sales in 2021 nonetheless may exceed the $26 billion forecast, which displays the 1.6 billion doses that the corporate is below contract to ship. Pfizer and companion BioNTech say they will manufacture as much as 2.5 billion doses this yr and not less than three billion subsequent yr.

Pfizer mentioned it might ask the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration for full approval of the Covid-19 vaccine to be used in individuals 16 years and older this month, which might permit the corporate to market the vaccine on to the general public. The FDA licensed the shot in December on an emergency foundation due to the urgency of the pandemic and since the corporate wanted to gather not less than six months of information on topics from its 44,000-person pivotal research.

Pfizer mentioned it’s enrolling topics for a research testing a tweaked model of its vaccine that targets the extra harmful pressure first recognized in South Africa. Pfizer and BioNTech have mentioned lab exams present that the vaccine generates a weaker immune system towards the variant whereas nonetheless offering safety. Preliminary outcomes are anticipated in July.

In the meantime, Pfizer mentioned it expects preliminary outcomes of a research evaluating a 3rd dose of the vaccine in July, and can search emergency authorization later that month.

Pfizer and BioNTech are ready on selections from U.S. and European regulators, who’re contemplating whether or not to authorize the vaccine for youngsters as younger as 12 years outdated.

Pfizer says it’s engaged on methods to make the vaccine extra accessible and simpler to deal with by vaccine directors. Pfizer final week submitted information to U.S. regulators and requested the vaccine be saved at refrigerated temperature for as much as one month.

Pfizer says it expects to ask the U.S. to approve in August a format of the vaccine that will not require vaccinators to combine the vaccine with diluent, making the vaccine extra handy to manage. This could permit for the vaccine to be saved at commonplace freezing temperatures for as much as 10 weeks or at minus 50 to minus 70 for six months, Pfizer mentioned.

The vaccine’s temperature necessities have been an impediment for small and rural vaccination websites within the U.S. and overseas. The photographs are transported at ultracold temperatures to make sure they continue to be efficient, though they are often saved at commonplace freezing temperatures for as much as two weeks.

Quarterly gross sales additionally rose in Pfizer’s divisions for oncology, inner medication and hospital merchandise, together with gross sales of different medication in its portfolio. Gross sales for blood thinner Eliquis rose by one-quarter from a yr in the past to $1.6 billion, whereas gross sales for coronary heart drug Vyndaqel almost doubled to $453 million.

The pandemic slowed gross sales of another Pfizer merchandise. Gross sales of pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar 13 fell 20%, partially as a result of individuals had been making fewer wellness visits to their medical doctors. Breast-cancer drug Ibrance’s income gross sales had been flat as financial hardship led extra sufferers to purchase the breast-cancer drug via Pfizer’s patient-assistance program.

Over the previous yr, Pfizer has pared down its secondary enterprise traces to concentrate on new-drug improvement. In November, the corporate accomplished a deal to spin off its Upjohn section, which centered on generic and off-patent medication.

Larger vaccine gross sales boosted Pfizer’s outlook for the complete yr. The corporate now expects complete income of $70.5 billion to $72.5 billion in 2021, with an adjusted revenue of $3.55 to $3.65 a share. Pfizer’s earlier income forecast had guided for gross sales of $59.four billion to $61.four billion, with an adjusted revenue of $3.10 to $3.20 a share.

Write to Jared S. Hopkins at jared.hopkins@wsj.com and Matt Grossman at matt.grossman@wsj.com

The Wall Road Journal earlier reported the potential sale of Verizon’s media belongings to Apollo. Verizon VZ 0.80% Media, which largely struggled to develop in opposition to Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Fb Inc., generated $7 billion in income final yr.

Apollo’s technique for the enterprise revolves round getting extra income from every of its 900 million lively month-to-month customers. Verizon’s VZ 0.80% positioning of the media enterprise as a complement to its core cell enterprise—geared toward serving to it add subscribers and scale back the quantity of people that stop—meant it hasn’t pursued some alternatives to maximise the worth of every asset, executives on the private-equity agency mentioned.

For instance, Yahoo has been a preferred platform for sports activities betting, however isn’t formally licensed to host playing. Apollo, nonetheless, is licensed in additional than 200 jurisdictions for playing.

“This can be a typical Apollo deal in that these are very iconic, {industry} main, companies, however they want just a little tender loving care,” David Sambur, the agency’s co-head of personal fairness, mentioned in an interview.

Verizon Media’s income has elevated greater than 10% over the previous two quarters, helped by rebounding demand from advertisers trying to faucet an internet buying growth through the coronavirus pandemic. Digital-ad gross sales are anticipated to speed up within the coming months as customers begin spending additional cash on journey and different actions.

Different suitors beforehand confirmed curiosity in shopping for off sure items of the media unit, which incorporates web sites corresponding to TechCrunch and Yahoo Finance, however weren’t keen to make a proposal for the entire portfolio, in accordance with an individual aware of the matter.

For Apollo, shopping for your complete portfolio means needing to have a view on the best way to run every of the various properties. The agency makes a speciality of doing such advanced offers and has centered on boosting development at different web corporations it owns, together with online-photo-services firm Shutterfly Inc.

Verizon Chief Government Hans Vestberg mentioned in an interview the corporate’s long-term technique to offer “network-as-a-service” to prospects over fiber-optic and mobile connections made the media enterprise a greater match underneath new homeowners. He portrayed the sale as an end result years within the making.

“We prioritize our investments with the community,” Mr. Vestberg mentioned on Monday. “This conclusion got here a reasonably very long time in the past.”

Verizon collected a few of the internet’s best-known manufacturers beginning in 2015 with its buy of AOL, adopted by its 2017 acquisition of Yahoo. AOL’s then-chief, Tim Armstrong, known as the brand new enterprise a brilliant channel for advertisers to achieve a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of customers. The corporate on the time touted an lively consumer base of multiple billion folks.

Executives framed the newly named Oath enterprise in its place method for entrepreneurs to achieve potential prospects exterior of a digital ecosystem dominated by Google, Fb and Amazon.com Inc. However the stitched-together media group couldn’t sustain with its expertise rivals’ explosive gross sales development, and Verizon in 2018 wrote down about half of the worth of the media manufacturers it had acquired.

In 2018, Verizon named Mr. Vestberg CEO, choosing a telecom-industry veteran with a penchant for sketching out engineering ideas on whiteboards for its prime job. The Swedish transplant has spent little time discussing media and has extra usually touted the cellphone provider’s plan to spice up income by means of the development of a next-generation wi-fi community. Verizon has been shrinking the media unit, reducing jobs and promoting off its Tumblr running a blog platform and HuffPost information operation.

Guru Gowrappan, the present head of Verizon Media and a former Yahoo govt, will proceed to run the enterprise after the deal. The companions count on the transaction to shut within the second half of the yr.

The media division, which employs about 10,000 folks, began with 14,000 staff in 2017. Verizon as an entire employed about 132,000 employees on the finish of 2020.

Verizon didn’t specify how it will use the sale proceeds, although executives have beforehand mentioned they might make debt funds a precedence. The cellphone provider’s borrowing swelled this yr after it dedicated roughly $53 billion to safe wireless-spectrum licenses auctioned by the Federal Communications Fee.

Different telecommunications corporations are likewise reassessing their priorities. The Journal has reported that AT&T Inc. final yr started to discipline bids for a lot of the digital-ad enterprise previously referred to as Xandr. The unit, which incorporates operations acquired from the AppNexus digital-ad trade for $1.6 billion in 2018, has elevated gross sales however has failed to satisfy executives’ aggressive targets.

—Ben Mullin and Micah Maidenberg contributed to this text

Write to Miriam Gottfried at Miriam.Gottfried@wsj.com and Drew FitzGerald at andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com

Stockholdings amongst U.S. households elevated to 41% of their whole monetary belongings in April, the best degree on document. That’s based on JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Federal Reserve knowledge going again to 1952 that features 401(okay) retirement accounts. JPMorgan’s Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, who analyzed the info, attributes the elevated allocations to appreciating share costs alongside inventory purchases.

The keenness for shares comes as market volatility has been edging decrease and the S&P 500 has hit 25 data this 12 months, fueled by a stellar earnings season and the prospect of an financial restoration that’s speedier than many predicted. In the meantime, stimulus checks have fueled a document rise in family incomes, boosting spending and serving to propel the restoration.

Within the coming week, the month-to-month jobs report and earnings outcomes from corporations like Uber Applied sciences Inc. will present clues in regards to the power of the restoration.

Thousands and thousands of recent brokerage accounts have been created throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and a few traders who first tried their arms at inventory or choices buying and selling over the previous 12 months have caught round, including to their investments. Monetary advisers and cash managers stated their shoppers have grown extra snug holding shares as they witnessed the highly effective rally over the previous 12 months, with some even questioning why they want bonds of their portfolios with yields nonetheless so low.

The steadily rising market—just lately lifted by spectacular earnings from corporations like Fb Inc. and Alphabet Inc. —has drawn much more traders in. Retail shoppers at Financial institution of America Corp. have purchased shares for 9 consecutive weeks, whereas hedge funds and different huge traders have just lately fled the inventory market, analysts on the financial institution stated in an April 27 word.

Damon White, a 44-year-old doctor assistant primarily based in Sewell, N.J., stated he began studying about shares and choices by means of social media platforms like TikTok whereas he was furloughed from his job final 12 months.

He’s again at work however says he nonetheless incessantly checks in on his investments, just lately pouring 1000’s extra into the market, significantly in shares like Apple, Tesla Inc. and American Airways Group Inc., bringing his whole stockholdings to greater than $400,000.

“It was nerve-racking once you’re placing in a considerable sum of money,” Mr. White stated. However, “when you have a fast finger, you’ll promote…and also you’ll lose out in the long run.”

He doesn’t maintain any bonds and plans to maintain placing cash into shares.

Many particular person traders haven’t been deterred by the market’s swoons. Information from analysis agency Vanda Analysis present that particular person traders have a tendency to purchase extra shares when the S&P 500 is down 1% on the day than when it’s up by the identical quantity, and that their resolve to purchase throughout selloffs has strengthened throughout the pandemic. Some have even borrowed to amplify their stock-market bets.

David Sadkin, a accomplice at Bel Air Funding Advisors who oversees $4.6 billion for rich shoppers, stated the share of their cash that’s sitting within the inventory market has elevated to about 65% from roughly 45% final 12 months, whereas he has whittled down investments in bonds. As his bondholdings mature, he has steadily reinvested the cash into shares.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury word settled at 1.632% Friday, up from round 0.915%, the place it began the 12 months, however nonetheless a low degree traditionally.

“To be able to obtain our shoppers’ objectives, we have to tackle extra threat,” Mr. Sadkin stated. “We intend to proceed to reallocate into threat belongings whereas rates of interest keep this low.”

Different traders have been much more aggressive. A survey by the American Affiliation of Particular person Buyers confirmed that traders’ allocations to the inventory market hit round a three-year excessive of 70% in March. And margin debt—or cash that traders borrow to purchase securities—stood at a document as of March, Monetary Business Regulatory Authority figures present.

Randy Lee, a 31-year-old software program engineer primarily based in Lansing, Mich., stated he was initially drawn to the fast thrills of choices buying and selling, witnessing his small investments roughly double or triple inside hours.

Now, he says he nonetheless performs within the choices market but in addition holds “boring” shares like Royal Caribbean Group and Kraft Heinz Co.

Jolted by the uncertainty of the pandemic, he additionally began stashing away more cash in his retirement account. He doubled his biweekly contributions to the account and opened a Roth IRA account, which he has added to in current weeks. Most of his holdings are within the inventory market.

“I simply by no means had that a lot time to only sit at dwelling and take a look at these things,” stated Mr. Lee. “What higher place to create cash like everybody else than to start out taking part in the inventory market.”

He’s optimistic about shares, significantly after seeing the tech behemoths report document earnings final week. However he does fear a couple of market crash sooner or later and has purchased some cryptocurrencies, which he views as a hedge in opposition to a downturn.

He isn’t alone—the rising costs of all the things from lumber to dogecoin to shares has triggered worries a couple of market bubble. And to some analysts, the exuberance surrounding the inventory market is flashing a warning signal.

“Retail traders have made some huge cash on many issues together with equities over the previous 12 months. In some unspecified time in the future, given how excessive their fairness allocation is, the danger is that they determine to get out and take earnings,” stated Mr. Panigirtzoglou, a managing director at JPMorgan. “That’s successfully what occurred earlier than in 2000.”

Write to Gunjan Banerji at Gunjan.Banerji@wsj.com

The biggest European oil firms, BP PLC, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Complete SE, all reported income earlier within the week after enduring big losses final 12 months.

“That restoration, which we had anticipated taking place sooner or later in time, is going on earlier than we anticipated,” Exxon Chief Government Darren Woods stated in an interview Friday. “As economies are reopening and rebounding faster, in some locations, than anticipated, we’re seeing a requirement response.”

Oil firms endured one in all their worst years on file in 2020, as Covid-19 lockdowns choked off demand for oil and gasoline as street and air site visitors fell precipitously. Exxon reported its first annual loss in trendy historical past in 2020 of about $22 billion.

However cautious optimism has been mounting that world financial exercise might return to pre-pandemic ranges later this 12 months as vaccines turn out to be extra extensively out there around the globe.

Chevron Chief Monetary Officer Pierre Breber stated that demand for gasoline and diesel was practically again to pre-pandemic ranges, and that jet gasoline is the final remaining overhang, with sturdy indicators that home air journey within the U.S. is selecting up.

“As we glance ahead, the following couple of quarters look superb,” Mr. Breber stated in an interview. “We be ok with our potential to generate money.”

Chevron’s web earnings was down about 62% from the identical quarter final 12 months, however was a considerable enhance from a $665 million loss within the earlier quarter. Exxon’s $2.7 billion revenue in contrast with a $610 million loss a 12 months in the past. BP’s revenue greater than tripled from the earlier quarter to almost $4.7 billion, and Shell reported a revenue of virtually $5.7 billion.

Share costs for the world’s largest vitality firms have moved in tandem with oil costs which have rebounded markedly in current months. U.S. oil costs are up about 77% over the previous six months, whereas the shares of Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell are collectively up about 60%.

On Thursday, U.S. oil costs neared a six-week excessive of about $65 a barrel however fell round 2.6% Friday as merchants eyed a construct in crude and gasoline stockpiles. The share costs of Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell have been collectively down practically 2% Friday.

The optimism about oil and gasoline demand rebounding is being tempered by considerations about quickly rising Covid-19 case numbers in India and South America, stated Bjornar Tonhaugen, an analyst at Rystad Power. Decreased financial exercise in India alone could sap as a lot as 900,000 barrels of oil a day from world demand, in accordance with Rystad.

“For the second optimism helps costs, however each dealer’s eyes are on India,” Mr. Tonhaugen stated. “The oil bulls are out once more nevertheless it’s uncertain that they’re having a assured and calm sleep.”

In response to rising income, Chevron, BP and Shell boosted their payouts to buyers. On Wednesday, Chevron elevated its quarterly dividend by 4%, whereas Shell additionally raised its dividend 4%, the second enhance since slashing it final 12 months. BP stated it could purchase again $500 million of shares. Complete and Exxon held their dividends flat.

The weeklong freeze in Texas that left tens of millions with out energy in February affected income for lots of the firms, which each produce oil within the state and personal vegetation there to transform the hydrocarbons into fuels and plastics.

Chevron’s refining and chemical models reported $5 million in income, down from $1.1 billion a 12 months in the past, which Chevron CEO Mike Wirth attributed to the February storm and persevering with impression of the pandemic. In complete, the storm reduce about $300 million from its revenue, Chevron stated.

Exxon stated the intense climate diminished earnings by practically $600 million. In the meantime, analysts attributed the sturdy efficiency of BP’s buying and selling unit to its potential to capitalize on substantial value fluctuations in the course of the storm.

Regardless of the bettering situations, Chevron has pledged to maintain capital expenditures austere. Mr. Wirth stated capital spending decreased 43% from final 12 months in the course of the quarter, citing its company restructuring final 12 months that noticed as a lot as 15% of its workforce laid off. Exxon additionally has pledged fiscal restraint, saying its plan to chop annual capital spending by about 30% stays unchanged.

Some buyers are deeply skeptical of the trade however climbing commodity costs, in accordance with Paul Sankey, an impartial oil and gasoline analyst. Many of the firms’ share costs are nonetheless buying and selling under their pre-pandemic ranges as buyers consider the corporations’ plans to navigate tightening world laws on carbon emissions.

Earlier this month, President Biden pledged to chop U.S. emissions by about 50% from 2005 ranges by 2030, concentrating on greenhouse gases from energy vegetation, buildings and the transportation sector. Mr. Woods stated Friday that Exxon is partaking with officers on local weather coverage and has urged the federal government to set a value on carbon, which it says would spur funding in carbon-reducing applied sciences.

Mr. Sankey stated the trade delivered poor outcomes for years from their core oil enterprise earlier than the pandemic, leaving some to doubt they’ll reap income from renewable vitality or applied sciences to cut back carbon emissions, which among the firms have promised to do.

“Their observe file isn’t adequate for them to get into a brand new theme, as a result of they did so poorly on the outdated one,” Mr. Sankey stated.

Write to Christopher M. Matthews at christopher.matthews@wsj.com

The European Fee, the EU’s high antitrust enforcer, on Friday issued a cost sheet in opposition to Apple that claims the iPhone maker squeezed rival music-streaming apps by requiring them to make use of Apple’s in-app funds system to promote digital content material. The case stems from a criticism by Spotify Expertise SA, SPOT -0.58% which competes with Apple’s music-streaming service.

As well as, EU regulators say Apple “distorted competitors” by limiting how app builders can inform customers about cheaper methods to subscribe exterior the app. Apple’s in-app fee system imposes a 30% fee on purchases inside lots of the hottest apps.

“This case is concerning the central position of app shops within the digital economic system,” Margrethe Vestager, who’s answerable for competitors enforcement on the European Fee, mentioned at a press convention Friday. “An app retailer can change into a gatekeeper, particularly if there is just one app retailer accessible in a cellular ecosystem.”

In response, Apple took purpose at Spotify, saying the corporate has been profitable, even after eradicating paid subscriptions from its iOS app with a purpose to keep away from Apple’s charges. “On the core of this case is Spotify’s demand they need to be capable to promote various offers on their iOS app, a follow that no retailer on the earth permits,” an Apple spokesman mentioned. “The Fee’s argument on Spotify’s behalf is the other of truthful competitors.”

Previously, Apple has defended its follow of taking a lower of some gross sales by the App Retailer, and mentioned it desires competing apps to thrive.

Apple may have an opportunity to argue its case earlier than the European Fee renders a choice. If discovered responsible, Apple may face a superb of as much as 10% of its annual income and be compelled to regulate its enterprise practices, although it may additionally enchantment any determination in court docket.

Spotify, for its half, painted its criticism as a part of a broader battle. On Friday, Horacio Gutierrez, Spotify’s head of worldwide affairs, described the EU fees as “a important step towards holding Apple accountable for its anticompetitive conduct, guaranteeing significant selection for all customers and a degree taking part in area for app builders.”

App builders have change into more and more outspoken in opposition to Apple over its App Retailer charges at problem within the EU fees, arguing that your complete mobile-app ecosystem is at stake. Subsequent week a federal court docket will hear a lawsuit from Epic Video games, which alleged Apple abused its dominance by kicking “Fortnite” out of the App Retailer for skirting Apple’s fee system.

In February, Epic Video games additionally lodged an antitrust criticism in opposition to Apple with the European Fee on comparable grounds, which the fee mentioned it’s inspecting.

“We won’t stand idly by and permit Apple to make use of its platform dominance to regulate what ought to be a degree digital taking part in area,” Epic founder and Chief Government Tim Sweeney mentioned on the time.

Apple has countersued Epic within the U.S. and rejected its claims within the EU. In response to the EU criticism, Apple described Epic’s determination to go round Apple’s in-app fee guidelines that apply to all builders as “reckless conduct” that “made pawns of consumers.”

The EU fees come because the variety of instances in opposition to giant tech firms is rising on either side of the Atlantic. Within the U.S., the Justice Division, Federal Commerce Fee and plenty of U.S. states have filed antitrust lawsuits in opposition to Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Fb Inc.

The EU, which formally opened the App Retailer case final 12 months, can be probing Apple over its remedy of fee suppliers and app builders in its Apple Pay system, in addition to its imposition of its in-app funds system for competing suppliers of digital books.

On the time, Apple mentioned it required all builders to comply with strict pointers and is dedicated to a “truthful and degree taking part in area for all builders.”

The EU case deepens the bloc’s long-running battle with Apple over tax and competitors points. In 2016, the European Fee ordered Apple to repay 13 billion euros, equal to $15.7 billion, however Apple gained a court docket enchantment of that order final summer season. The fee has appealed to the bloc’s highest court docket.

On the core of the EU case in opposition to Apple is a query that’s more and more being requested by antitrust regulators and specialists globally: What obligations ought to be positioned on firms that serve hundreds of thousands of companies and billions of customers with companies that within the eyes of many have change into important?

Underneath explicit scrutiny are firms that function platforms utilized by hundreds of different companies. In November, the EU issued fees in opposition to Amazon.com Inc. for allegedly unfairly competing in opposition to retailers that promote items by way of its retail web site.

Amazon disputed the allegations and mentioned it will have interaction with the fee “to make sure it has an correct understanding of the details.”

In December, the EU additionally proposed a brand new invoice that will impose new necessities on so-called gatekeeper companies, outlined as firms with excessive earnings and market capitalizations with greater than 10,000 energetic enterprise clients or 45 million energetic finish customers within the bloc.

If the legislation is handed, one thing that might take years, gatekeeper firms would face obligations, comparable to not tying the power to entry certainly one of their companies to buying for one more core service. Violators can be topic to fines of as much as 10% of their annual world-wide income, and even orders to be damaged up in some instances.

Write to Sam Schechner at sam.schechner@wsj.com

Seattle-based Amazon is ready to report first-quarter earnings after markets shut on Thursday. Analysts polled by FactSet on common predict $104.5 billion in quarterly income and per-share earnings of $9.54. The corporate stated in February that it expects first-quarter gross sales between $100 billion and $106 billion—sharply greater than the $75.5 billion it posted a 12 months earlier—and working earnings between $three billion and $6.5 billion.

Amazon’s first quarter is usually slower than its previous end-of-year outcomes, that are aided by vacation purchasing gross sales. But the corporate has exceeded expectations in current quarters. It shattered gross sales information final 12 months as homebound Individuals turned to its supply providers. The corporate’s inventory worth rose 76% in 2020.

Amazon’s dominance in on-line retail additionally parallels the energy of Amazon Internet Companies, the enterprise line that rents server capability and software program instruments to different firms. AWS is Amazon’s essential revenue middle, although its current progress has slowed because the cloud models of Microsoft Corp. MSFT -1.32% and Google have moved aggressively to enroll new clients. AWS Chief Govt Andy Jassy is ready to take over as Amazon’s CEO within the third quarter after Jeff Bezos stated in February that he would depart the position to develop into govt chairman.

The corporate’s promoting enterprise has additionally develop into a serious participant in its business. The fast-developing unit has put Amazon in competitors with Google’s and Fb Inc.’s FB 5.63% main advert companies.

The coronavirus pandemic helped Amazon, Fb and Google develop even stronger, with the tech titans for the primary time accumulating nearly all of all advert spending within the U.S. final 12 months, The Wall Road Journal reported in March. Amazon additionally lately stated it is going to start streaming the Nationwide Soccer League’s Thursday-night video games by 2023, a deal that can increase Amazon’s advert {dollars} and compete extra immediately with conventional tv broadcasters.

“What we at all times get again to with Amazon is the optionality—they’ve a number of companies firing off,” stated John Blackledge, an analyst with funding agency Cowen Inc. Mr. Blackledge stated with the pandemic’s finish in sight, traders are wanting to see Amazon ramp up its one-day transport choices.

Amazon’s earnings comply with robust performances by its massive tech friends this week. Google guardian Alphabet Inc. GOOG 1.35% set gross sales information for the primary quarter, fueled by a surge in digital advert spending, whereas Microsoft posted a 19% enhance in quarterly gross sales due to robust demand for its cloud and videogame providers. Apple Inc.’s AAPL 0.16% revenue greater than doubled to $23.6 billion due to surging gross sales of recent, higher-price iPhones and pandemic-induced shopping for of merchandise corresponding to Mac computer systems and iPads.

The nation’s largest tech firms recorded staggering progress final 12 months as shoppers and companies relied extra on on-line purchasing, software program and cloud providers, in addition to their sensible units and video streaming. The mixed income for Amazon, Google, Fb, Apple and Microsoft grew by one-fifth, to $1.1 trillion. Their collective market capitalization soared to nearly $eight trillion on the finish of 2020, in contrast with about $5 trillion on the finish of 2019.

Amazon’s achievements have come as regulators enhance their deal with the corporate’s market energy. Congress has thought-about important modifications to antitrust legal guidelines that would make it simpler for the federal government to problem sure enterprise methods and practices or pressure tech giants to separate traces of enterprise. Final 12 months, a congressional panel discovered Amazon had amassed “monopoly energy” over sellers on its website, bullied retail companions and improperly used vendor information to compete with rivals. Amazon has stated that it’s incorrect to presume that success can solely be the results of anticompetitive habits and that it’s targeted on conserving costs decrease for shoppers.

The corporate has additionally handled activism from staff. It stated Wednesday that it’s elevating wages for its hourly staff, offering greater than 500,000 of its staff with pay will increase of between 50 cents and $three an hour. The upper wages had been introduced after staff at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama voted this month to not kind a union. Greater than 70% of staff who voted on the facility rejected unionization, making certain for now that Amazon would retain full management over the way it manages and pays staff in addition to what it expects from staff in warehouses.

Regardless of the victory on the Alabama warehouse, Mr. Bezos stated the corporate goals to enhance the way it handles its workforce. In his final annual letter to shareholders as CEO, launched this month, Mr. Bezos stated Amazon is working to invent options to cut back the variety of accidents at warehouses. He defended the corporate towards accusations by critics that it treats its staff unfairly.

Write to Sebastian Herrera at Sebastian.Herrera@wsj.com