Amazon a juggernaut? Quarterly sales and profit prove how indispensable tech giants have become to our society. In the midst of a pandemic, Big Tech mostly shows gains....more
8/3/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Arbitration ,
Big Tech ,
Bitcoin ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Data Breach ,
Employment Litigation ,
Financial Markets ,
Hackers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Jeffrey Epstein ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Oil & Gas ,
Patent Infringement ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
Rape ,
S&P ,
Share Buybacks ,
SoftBank ,
TikTok ,
Twitter ,
Uber ,
United Airlines
Consumer spending at stores and auto dealerships increased in June, the second straight month, but the recent uptick in coronavirus cases could slow future growth....more
7/20/2020
/ Banks ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Breach ,
Data Storage ,
Dow Jones ,
Economic Growth ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Hackers ,
Nasdaq ,
Netflix ,
NFL ,
Oil & Gas ,
Personal Data ,
Russia ,
S&P ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Stock Prices ,
Twitter ,
Vaccinations
Gilead Sciences Inc. reports that its remdesivir virus treatment has been positively correlated with a 62% reduction in death risks compared with the standard of care in an initial analysis....more
7/13/2020
/ Clinical Trials ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Economic Growth ,
Financial Markets ,
Gilead Sciences ,
IEA ,
iPhone ,
Mobile Apps ,
Oil & Gas ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
S&P ,
Spotify ,
Stock Prices ,
Supply and Demand ,
Surveillance ,
Tesla ,
TikTok ,
Tinder
The Federal Reserve has “temporarily restricted shareholder payouts by the biggest banks,” preventing stock buybacks and barring increases in dividend payments in the third quarter. ...more
6/29/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Bribery ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dividends ,
Dow Jones ,
Driverless Cars ,
Economic Downturn ,
Fashion Industry ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Gap Inc ,
Kanye West ,
Microsoft ,
Nasdaq ,
Novartis ,
Oil & Gas ,
Restaurant Industry ,
S&P ,
Share Buybacks ,
Supply and Demand
American Airlines Group Inc. stated that it plans to pledge its loyalty program “as collateral for a $4.75 billion government loan as it seeks to shore up capital to manage through the coronavirus pandemic.” The company...more
6/15/2020
/ Agribusiness ,
American Airlines ,
Apple ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bid Protests ,
Capital Markets ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DoorDash ,
EU ,
Excessive Noise ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Fifth Amendment ,
First Amendment ,
Food Supply ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Google ,
Law Enforcement ,
Microsoft ,
Patent Infringement ,
Pending Litigation ,
Police Brutality ,
Popular ,
S&P ,
Semiconductors ,
Sonos ,
Trump Administration ,
Wireless Technology
The U.S. market is improving, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs. For some perspective, “[t]he economy shed 22.1 million jobs combined in March and April.” So, we have a ways to go before we’ve fully recovered. ...more
6/5/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Biometric Information ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Donald Trump ,
Elon Musk ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Free Speech ,
Freedom of Information ,
Google ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Iran ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Job Creation ,
Joe Biden ,
Political Campaigns ,
S&P ,
Settlement ,
Sick Leave ,
Trade Secrets ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment
Google cut costs by rescinding offers to more than 2,000 contract workers due to the strains of the pandemic....more
6/1/2020
/ 529 Plans ,
Capital Markets ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Charter Communications ,
Comcast ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Dow Jones ,
Driverless Cars ,
Google ,
GrubHub ,
Independent Contractors ,
Investment Portfolios ,
Joint Task Force ,
Layoffs ,
Nasdaq ,
OSHA ,
Popular ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
S&P ,
Samsung ,
Silicon Valley ,
SoftBank ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber ,
Viacom ,
Workplace Safety
Uber Technologies Inc. will eliminate 3,700 jobs. This equates to the company shedding a quarter of its workforce. Rumors are also circulating that Uber “is in talks to buy rival Grubhub Inc.”....more
5/19/2020
/ Alibaba ,
Chapter 11 ,
Cloud Computing ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
FedEx ,
Financial Markets ,
GrubHub ,
Hospital Mergers ,
JCPenney ,
Layoffs ,
Microsoft ,
Moderna Inc. ,
NASA ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
SoftBank ,
Stock Prices ,
Supply Chain ,
Uber ,
Vaccinations
Tesla sues to reopen its California factory; Elon threatens to move the company out of state. The company asked a federal judge to reopen the factory, arguing that the “local government’s insistence that it remain closed . ....more
5/12/2020
/ Airlines ,
Bitcoin ,
Business Closures ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dow Jones ,
Elon Musk ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Nasdaq ,
Oil & Gas ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Stock Prices ,
Tesla
J.Crew filed for bankruptcy protection; the company’s lenders have agreed to “convert $1.65 billion . . . into equity.” Neiman Marcus Group Inc. and J.C. Penney are also on the bankruptcy path, already entering talks with...more
5/4/2020
/ Berkshire Hathaway ,
Blue Bell Creameries ,
Capital Markets ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Economic Downturn ,
Elon Musk ,
Embedded Tweets ,
Equal Pay ,
FDA Approval ,
Felonies ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Contamination ,
Food Recalls ,
Food Supply ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
J Crew ,
Listeria ,
Market Manipulation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Patent Litigation ,
Soccer ,
Stock Prices ,
Stock Trades ,
Tesla ,
Tyson Foods ,
Warren Buffett ,
Workplace Safety
Amazon asking customers to buy less! The pandemic has forced businesses, both winners and losers, to act “in unusual ways”....more
The U.S. Jobs Report Will Be Ugly: The March jobs report will likely show the worst numbers in the “post-World War II era,” and “it is playing out in a matter of weeks,” not years. One study suggests the U.S. has lost 27.9...more
4/3/2020
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Business Closures ,
Cell Phones ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
Financial Markets ,
Furloughs ,
Google ,
Layoffs ,
Martin Shkreli ,
Musical Sound Recordings ,
Oil Prices ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
SoftBank ,
Spotify ,
Standing ,
Stock Prices ,
Tesla ,
Tracking Systems ,
Unemployment ,
Videoconference
The fallout of COVID-19 continues: “S&P 500 futures fell nearly 4%;” the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes fell to 0.788%; Brent crude fell by 4.6%; the stimulus and fiscal relief package hit a roadblock in the Senate; and...more
3/23/2020
/ Airlines ,
Aviation Industry ,
Bailout ,
Business Closures ,
Business Interruption ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Markets ,
Hotels ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Martin Shkreli ,
Monopolization ,
Oil Prices ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Public Health ,
S&P ,
SoftBank ,
Stock Prices ,
Trade Wars
U.S. stocks continue to tumble, sinking by “8.1% at the open, triggering a 15-minute trading halt;” “Brent crude sank below $30 a barrel;” treasuries surged despite major moves from the Federal Reserve; and market sentiment...more
3/16/2020
/ Airlines ,
Amazon ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Bitcoin ,
Bonds ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Downturn ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Grocery Stores ,
Oil Prices ,
Price Gouging ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retailers ,
Stock Prices ,
Trump Administration ,
Whole Foods
Big Tech companies using facial recognition software have begun to support “’precision regulations’ that don’t allow mass surveillance.” Lawmakers in New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Michigan, and California are considering...more
3/9/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Big Tech ,
Boeing ,
China ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Downturn ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Equity Markets ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Records ,
Mobile Apps ,
New Regulations ,
Oil Prices ,
Personal Data ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
S&P ,
Startups ,
Surveillance ,
World Health Organization
Stocks rebounded with the S&P 500 making gains for the second time in three days and 10-year Treasury yields fell below 1%; analyst suggest the market upswing was caused, in part, by the Democratic primary results showing...more
3/4/2020
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
CEOs ,
Chrysler ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Dismissals ,
Fiat ,
Financial Markets ,
General Electric ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Indexing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Fraud ,
Negligent Misrepresentation ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Resignation ,
S&P ,
Securities Fraud ,
Startups ,
Stock Prices ,
Third-Party Service Provider ,
Token Sales
Wells Fargo & Co. agreed to pay a total of $3 billion to resolve criminal and civil investigations by the DOJ and SEC. Wells Fargo admitted “that it took millions in wrongful fees and interest, misused customer information...more
2/24/2020
/ Analytics ,
Audi ,
Boeing ,
Capital Markets ,
China ,
Cloud Computing ,
Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Culture ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Crude Oil ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Employee Misconduct ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Futures ,
Gold ,
Google ,
Huawei ,
Intuit ,
Investment ,
Layoffs ,
Marijuana ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SoftBank ,
Sprint ,
T-Mobile ,
Wells Fargo ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Wireless Technology ,
World Health Organization
On Tuesday, a U.S. federal tax court began hearing arguments regarding Facebook’s 2010 tax bill. The IRS valued Facebook at $13.8 billion, while Facebook reported only $6.5 billion. The final tally could potentially cost...more
2/19/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Airbus ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Boeing ,
Business Valuations ,
Cell Phones ,
Clorox ,
Commodities ,
Competition ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Dish Network ,
Dismissals ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Financial Markets ,
Gag Orders ,
General Mills ,
Grocery Stores ,
Huawei ,
Investor Protection ,
Investors ,
IRS ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Licensing Rules ,
Machine Learning ,
Marketing ,
Mobile Apps ,
Natural Resources ,
NDAA ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Rare Earth Metals ,
Retail Market ,
Rolls-Royce ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Tax Liability ,
Telecommunications ,
Water
Big-Tech/Antitrust Update: the FTC has demanded information from Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Alphabet Inc. regarding acquisitions of small firms over the past 10 years that may have been...more
2/12/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Alphabet Company ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Apple ,
Big Tech ,
Child Abuse ,
China ,
Commodities ,
Corruption ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Futures ,
Germany ,
Huawei ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Microsoft ,
Nissan ,
Oil & Gas ,
Operation & Maintenance ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sexual Violence Policies ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Strategic Enforcement Plan ,
Telecommunications ,
Television Broadcast Stations ,
Television Programming ,
Tourism ,
Trade Relations ,
Twitter ,
UK ,
Wall Street ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Wireless Devices ,
Wireless Industry ,
Wireless Technology
Boeing Co.’s 737 MAX aircraft face continued problems from “potentially hazardous wiring.” European regulators want the manufacturer to relocate some of the wiring to prevent “potential short circuit[s], which in a worst-case...more
2/3/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Aviation Industry ,
Boeing ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Corporate Taxes ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Global Economy ,
Google ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Job Applicants ,
Mexico ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Multinationals ,
Office Space ,
On-Demand Services ,
Online Advertisements ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Safe Harbors ,
Search Engines ,
Sharing Economy ,
Tax Liability ,
Travel Ban ,
Uber
Apple stock has surged over the past year, but consumers are divided over the stock price’s future. Apple’s software services and hardware products create an identity crisis that impacts the company’s future valuations....more
1/28/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Alphabet Company ,
Apple ,
Attorney General ,
Automotive Industry ,
China ,
Chrysler ,
Data-Sharing ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Earnings Reports ,
Facebook ,
Fashion Industry ,
Fiat ,
Financial Markets ,
Foreign Relations ,
Futures ,
Heinz ,
Huawei ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Kraft ,
Mergers ,
Mobile Apps ,
Peugeot ,
Pharmacies ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Samsung ,
Search Engines ,
Social Media ,
Stock Prices ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
US Trade Policies ,
Video Recordings ,
Vine
Malware goes commercial. Last year, Jeff Bezos’ phone was hacked after he received a message on WhatsApp containing a line of malware code. The incident has shed light on the malware, aka spyware, industry. Companies sell...more
1/23/2020
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automotive Industry ,
Business Valuations ,
Climate Change ,
Crude Oil ,
Data Breach ,
Economic Downturn ,
Elon Musk ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Foreign Markets ,
Fuel Supply ,
Global Market ,
Hackers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
IBM ,
Interest Rates ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Lost Wages ,
Malware ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
Physicians ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Reinstatement ,
Retaliation ,
Risk Management ,
Social Media ,
Spyware ,
Tariffs ,
Teaching Hospitals ,
Tesla ,
US Trade Policies ,
Volkswagen ,
WhatsApp ,
Whistleblowers
BlackRock Inc. will sell out of all companies “that get more than 25% of sales from thermal coal.” This threshold, however, won’t affect larger, diversified miners—which includes some of the biggest coal shippers....more
1/14/2020
/ Airbus ,
Aircraft ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Data ,
Boeing ,
Books ,
Casinos ,
China ,
Cloud Computing ,
Coal ,
Coal Industry ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
DNA ,
Dow Jones ,
E-Commerce ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Markets ,
Hospitality Industry ,
India ,
Infrastructure ,
Investment Trust Companies ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Life Sciences ,
MGM ,
Microsoft ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Pentagon ,
Popular ,
Publishers ,
Real Estate Investments ,
REIT ,
Sears ,
Stock Prices ,
Trade Relations ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wells Fargo
Facebook wages a war on misinformation. On Monday, Facebook announced it will start removing videos altered by artificial intelligence that are likely to mislead people into thinking that a subject of the video made...more
1/7/2020
/ Air Pollution ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Arrest Warrants ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automotive Industry ,
Big Data ,
Blackberry ,
China ,
Corporate Financing ,
Data Collection ,
Data Management ,
Deep Fake ,
Environmental Policies ,
Financial Markets ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Motors ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
IKEA ,
Imports ,
Information Technology ,
Intel ,
Iran ,
Lost Sales ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Nissan ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
Perjury ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Qualcomm ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Retail Sales ,
Risk Management ,
Sales Tax ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Social Media ,
Stock Prices ,
Stream of Commerce ,
Takeovers ,
Tariffs ,
Tesla ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Treasury Markets ,
Trucking Industry ,
Trucking Regulations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Video Recordings ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Wrongful Death ,
Xerox
Boeing’s 737 MAX faces an uncertain future. Boeing is considering at least a temporary halt to its 737 Max production “as regulatory clearance for the grounded jet’s return looks increasingly likely to slip beyond January...more
12/16/2019
/ Aircraft ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Automation Systems ,
Banks ,
Boeing ,
Brokered Deposits ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
China ,
Competition ,
DuPont ,
Economic Damages ,
Facebook ,
FDIC ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
Fracking ,
Housing Market ,
Independent Audits ,
Investment ,
Mobile Apps ,
Oil & Gas ,
Personal Data ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Renault-Nissan ,
Social Media ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
US Trade Policies