Lyft is letting go of its self-driving car unit, Level 5—reaching a deal with Toyota’s Woven Planet subsidiary for $200M, with an additional $350M in payments over the next 5 years. Lyft revealed that “unloading Level 5 would...more
4/27/2021
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Credit Suisse ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Driverless Cars ,
Elon Musk ,
Federal Contractors ,
Lyft ,
NASA ,
Outer Space ,
SiriusXM ,
SpaceX ,
Tesla ,
Toyota
Bitcoin’s back (and no, it never really left), thanks to a rally this morning that pushed its value up as much as 10% at one point in early trading today. Elon Musk’s weekend tweeting and news that presumptive top NFL draft...more
4/26/2021
/ Apple ,
Banks ,
Big Tech ,
Bitcoin ,
China ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit Suisse ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Executive Compensation ,
Infectious Diseases ,
iPhone Tracking ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Mobile Apps ,
OCC ,
On-Demand Services ,
Panasonic ,
Popular ,
Railways ,
Slander ,
Underwriting Agreements ,
Virtual Currency
A Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing on Thursday turned into an airing of grievances session for smaller tech companies focusing on their issues with Apple and Google’s app stores and their “stranglehold on the business of...more
4/22/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Apple ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Buyouts ,
Credit Suisse ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Ford Motor ,
Google ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Microchip Technology ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Advertisements ,
Private Equity ,
Supply Chain
The latest round of quarterly results from Netflix shows that while the grand-daddy of streaming “still rules” that universe, a combination of upstart and old-guard rivals “have cut into Netflix’s share of viewers’...more
4/21/2021
/ Alibaba ,
Apple ,
Big Tech ,
Blockchain ,
Boeing ,
China ,
CMBS ,
Corporate Sales Transactions ,
DBRS ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
iPhone ,
Luxury Goods ,
Microsoft ,
Netflix ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Procter & Gamble ,
Rating Agencies ,
Retail Price Maintenance (RPM) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Most eyes in the labor world are on Birmingham, Alabama, where the NLRB is hand-counting the 3215 ballots cast by workers in Amazon’s Bessemer, AL warehouse on whether to unionize. Though results could be released later...more
4/9/2021
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
China ,
Credit Suisse ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internet Streaming ,
iPhone ,
Labor Relations ,
Music Industry ,
Netflix ,
Plant Based Products ,
Procter & Gamble ,
SoftBank ,
Sony ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Targeted Digital Advertising ,
Unions ,
Vaccinations
After more than half a year without a leader, the WTO is poised to welcome its “first woman and first African” to the role in the form of Nigerian economist and former finance minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. ...more
2/16/2021
/ American Express ,
Apple ,
Biden Administration ,
Big Tech ,
Bristol-Myers Squibb ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit Cards ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Downturn ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fraudulent Marketing ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Interest Rates ,
Investment Portfolios ,
Nissan ,
OCC ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Recovery Plans ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Sanofi ,
Severe Weather ,
Small Business ,
Tesla ,
White Collar Crimes ,
WTO
Friday’s “anemic” jobs report (just 49,000 jobs added in January, and precious few of those in the private sector) “underscored the pandemic’s brutal damage to the job market” and likely made President Biden’s sale of his...more
2/8/2021
/ Alphabet Company ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Biden Administration ,
Boeing ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Defamation ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
DTCC ,
Elon Musk ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Ford Motor ,
General Electric ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Popular ,
SoftBank ,
Stock Trades ,
Super Bowl ,
Twitter ,
Unemployment
New CBO projections suggest that even without additional Congressional aid, the “American economy will return to its pre-pandemic size by the middle of this year.” While encouraging, the report offers cold comfort for the...more
2/2/2021
/ Apple ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Downturn ,
Economic Growth ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Ford Motor ,
GameStop ,
GME ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mobile Apps ,
Recovery Plans ,
Reddit ,
Relief Measures ,
Robinhood Financial
Moved by Covid’s bite out of the energy industry, oil behemoths ExxonMobil and Chevron Corp. have held talks about joining forces, “testing the water for what could be one of the largest corporate mergers ever.” ...more
2/1/2021
/ Apple ,
Chevron ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
GameStop ,
General Motors ,
IMF ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Mobile Apps ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pay Gap ,
Reddit ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Stock Trades ,
Zero-Emission Vehicles
GameStop’s continuing surge this week has gone from something of a lark to a collective small-trader effort to stick it to Wall Street hedge funds and institutionalists, with share-price fundamentals discarded entirely in...more
1/28/2021
/ Apple ,
Bitcoin ,
Boeing ,
Chrysler ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Downturn ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fiat ,
Financial Markets ,
GameStop ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Interest Rates ,
iPhone ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Market Manipulation ,
Netflix ,
Quarterly Report ,
Reddit ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Short Selling ,
Stock Prices
The Fed’s Open Markets Committee meeting wrapped on Wednesday, and in remarks following the meeting, Fed Chair Powell called the case for fiscal policy right now “very, very strong,”—a not-so-subtle nudge to Congress to act...more
12/17/2020
/ Accounting Fraud ,
Apple ,
AT&T ,
Bitcoin ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Google ,
HBO ,
Infectious Diseases ,
iPhone Tracking ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Monopolization ,
Online Advertisements ,
Relief Measures ,
Roku ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
EU and British authorities unveiled new proposals this week to “crimp the power of ‘gatekeeper’ platforms like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, which policymakers argue deserve more oversight given their outsize...more
12/16/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Bonds ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Counterfeit Goods Regulation ,
Cyber Espionage ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FOMC ,
Google ,
Hate Speech ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internet Retailers ,
Investment Management ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Microsoft ,
Online Advertisements ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Relief Measures ,
Stock Markets ,
UK ,
Vanguard
Because too much of a good thing is always trouble (especially on Wall Street), market watchers are warning of a new tech bubble after Airbnb’s monster IPO on Thursday. The home-sharing app’s shares rose more than 112% to...more
12/11/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Big Tech ,
Bitcoin ,
Bonds ,
Competition ,
Cookies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Privacy ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Stimulus ,
France ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
MassMutual ,
MasterCard ,
Online Platforms ,
Pornography ,
Trade Agreements ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Unemployment ,
Visa Inc
Tuesday’s Senate Committee hearing with Fed Chair Powell and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin showed the growing rift between the two over their views of “challenges facing the United States economy in the months ahead.” ...more
12/2/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
BlackRock ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disney ,
Economic Downturn ,
Entrepreneurs ,
European Central Bank ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Lame Duck Session ,
Microchip Technology ,
Recovery Plans ,
Salesforce ,
Slack ,
TikTok ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
The FAA has once again given Boeing the green light to send its troubled 737 Max models into the sky, “20 months after it was grounded following two fatal crashes blamed on faulty software and a host of company and government...more
11/19/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Aviation Industry ,
Boeing ,
Coca Cola ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Discrimination ,
E-Commerce ,
Economic Downturn ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Glass Ceiling ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
iPhone ,
IRS ,
Jeffrey Epstein ,
Layoffs ,
MLB ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stock Prices ,
Target ,
Tax Court ,
Victoria Secret
In a major shift (and with antitrust regulators breathing down its neck), Apple is halving the App Store fee it charges developers (from 30% to 15%) who produce “as much as $1 million in annual revenue from their apps and...more
11/18/2020
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
App Store ,
Apple ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Downturn ,
Federal Reserve ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Mars ,
Pharmacies ,
Retail Sales ,
Trading Platforms ,
Vaccinations
TikTok parent ByteDance, flying under the radar as other recent events have shoved the White House’s battle with the company to the back burner, has “asked a U.S. appeals court for additional time to work out a potential...more
11/12/2020
/ Alibaba ,
Apple ,
Biden Administration ,
Boeing ,
Casinos ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E-Commerce ,
EU ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Job Creation ,
Silicon Valley ,
Social Media ,
TikTok ,
Unemployment
The European Union has unveiled a new antitrust probe and accompanying charges against Amazon over alleged the “use of non-public business data from independent sellers on its marketplace that could benefit the company’s own...more
11/11/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Biden Administration ,
Big Tech ,
Boeing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Protection ,
Dow Jones ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Markets ,
Food Supply ,
Infectious Diseases ,
iPhone ,
Junk Bonds ,
Labor Law Violations ,
McDonalds ,
Nasdaq ,
Retaliatory Tariffs ,
S&P ,
SoftBank ,
Stock Prices ,
Vaccinations ,
WTO ,
Zoom®
Wall Street had another come-to-Jesus day over the troubling recent Covid trends, as surging cases throughout the U.S. and across Europe drove markets to their worst performance since June....more
10/30/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Apple ,
Boeing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Downturn ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Markets ,
Google ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
iPhone ,
Layoffs ,
Oil Prices ,
PayPal ,
Qualcomm ,
Stock Prices ,
Tiffany and Company ,
Trump Administration ,
Twitter
The Google antitrust waiting game wrapped on Tuesday with the DOJ filing a federal D.C.-based lawsuit against the Alphabet unit, accusing the company “of using several exclusive business contacts and agreements to lock out...more
10/21/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Bribery ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corruption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Exclusive Dealing Agreements ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Google ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Mobile Apps ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Relief Measures ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Trump Administration ,
Unregistered Securities
ConocoPhillips is doubling down on its commitment to the Midland basin by buying Concho Resources Inc. in “an all-stock transaction valued at $9.7 billion,” even “as the American shale-drilling industry is facing a downturn...more
10/19/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
British Airways ,
China ,
ConocoPhillips ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Data Breach ,
Deficit Reduction ,
E-Commerce ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Markets ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
iPhone ,
National Security ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oracle ,
PACs ,
Political Campaigns ,
Popular ,
Recovery Plans ,
Social Networks ,
SoftBank ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Stock Prices ,
TikTok ,
Trump Administration ,
UK
The WTO—already on shaky ground with the White House—did little to endear itself on Tuesday with a decision giving the EU “permission to impose tariffs on $4 billion worth of American products annually in retaliation for...more
10/14/2020
/ 5G Network ,
Airbus ,
Aircraft ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Bank of America ,
Boeing ,
Citigroup ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
E-Commerce ,
EU ,
Google ,
Investment Funds ,
iPhone ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Libor ,
Meat Processing Plants ,
Movie Theaters ,
Poultry ,
Price-Fixing ,
Quarterly Report ,
Retaliatory Tariffs ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Tariffs ,
Theranos ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
US Trade Policies ,
WTO
New Disney CEO Bob Chapek made one of his biggest moves yet since taking the reins, announcing a realignment “of its business divisions on Monday that placed the focus squarely on Disney+ and its other streaming services as...more
10/14/2020
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon ,
Apple ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disney ,
E-Commerce ,
Economic Downturn ,
Farms ,
Federal Aid ,
Financial Distress ,
Financial Markets ,
Holidays ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Internet Streaming ,
Movies ,
Presidential Elections ,
SoftBank ,
Stock Prices ,
Target Company ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Wal-Mart
Big Friday win for Apple in its ongoing battle with Epic Games, as N.D. Cal. Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Cook & Co. didn’t “need to reinstate the popular video game Fortnite in its App Store,” a blow to...more
10/12/2020
/ App Store ,
Apple ,
Bonds ,
British Airways ,
CEOs ,
Competition ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Economic Downturn ,
Electronic Trading ,
EPIC ,
EU ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fraud ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Investment ,
Layoffs ,
Main Street Lending Programs ,
Mobile Apps ,
Netflix ,
Payment Systems ,
Popular ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retailers ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Small Business ,
Venmo
Here’s a fun little exercise. Pull up a chart of Tuesday's market activity, and see if you can pinpoint the exact moment the White House announced to the world that it was pulling support for another Covid stimulus bill...more
10/8/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Apple ,
Banks ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Financial Stimulus ,
General Electric ,
Google ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Monopolization ,
Relief Measures ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trade Deficit ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Wells Notice