On Monday, the White House announced its plan to extend a “freeze on ‘green cards’ for new immigrants” and to “suspend H-1B, L-1, J and other temporary work visas for skilled workers, managers and au pairs through the end of...more
6/23/2020
/ CFTC ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Disgorgement ,
Financial Fraud ,
Google ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Infrastructure ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Advertisements ,
Revenue ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Spoofing ,
Stock Markets ,
Trade Relations ,
Trading Platforms ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment ,
Workplace Decontamination
Rising infection rates around the U.S. and the globe are worrying markets, as fear of a second wave of cases linked with the reopening of the economy freaks out traders....more
6/15/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
American Express ,
Apple ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Culture ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Currency ,
Google ,
Hertz ,
Liability ,
Microsoft ,
Nissan ,
Payment Processors ,
PayPal ,
Race Relations ,
Recessions ,
Recovery Plans ,
Small Business ,
Social Distancing ,
Square ,
Unemployment
A proposed class action filed in federal court in California on Tuesday accuses Google of “surreptitiously amass[ing] billions of bits of information—every day—about internet users even if they opt out of sharing their...more
6/3/2020
/ Cancer ,
CARES Act ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Microsoft ,
Monsanto ,
Non-Performing Loans (NPL) ,
Police Brutality ,
Protests ,
Slack ,
Twitter ,
Zoom®
With HBO Max entering the fray today, we’ve got your latest dispatch from the streaming wars, including thoughts on Max’s ability to deliver on its promise to “crush” Netflix despite a very crowded playing field, a spendy...more
5/28/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
AT&T ,
Boeing ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Bonuses ,
Dow Jones ,
Driverless Cars ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Gig Economy ,
Google ,
HBO ,
Hertz ,
Independent Contractors ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internet Streaming ,
Layoffs ,
Lyft ,
Popular ,
Recessions ,
Stock Prices ,
Taco Bell ,
Uber ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wal-Mart ,
Wall Street ,
Warner Music Group
Podcasting megastar (and, for me, “News Radio” jack-of-all-trades) Joe Rogan has signed a multiyear deal to bring his “Joe Rogan Experience” show to Spotify, an agreement that “could be worth more than $100 million based on...more
5/22/2020
/ Apple ,
Automotive Loans ,
Bonds ,
Business Development ,
CARES Act ,
Contact Tracing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit Cards ,
Economic Downturn ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Distress ,
Financial Markets ,
Gig Economy ,
Google ,
Independent Contractors ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
McDonalds ,
Meeting Minutes ,
Mobile Apps ,
Nissan ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Podcasts ,
Software ,
Spotify ,
UK ,
Unemployment ,
Unions ,
United Airlines
Optimism over promising results for a coronavirus vaccine from Moderna helped drive stocks up on Monday after a rough go of it last week....more
5/19/2020
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Beer ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disney ,
Economic Downturn ,
Facebook ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Google ,
JCPenney ,
Leverage Ratio ,
Life Sciences ,
Moderna Inc. ,
Online Advertisements ,
PG&E ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Public Health ,
Retailers ,
SoftBank ,
Stock Prices ,
T-Mobile ,
Vaccinations ,
White-Collar Exemptions ,
Wildfires
The White House and the US airline industry have agreed in principle to a $25 billion bailout after weeks of “haggling” over the terms, including whether the Treasury Department was “effectively turning the grants into loans...more
4/16/2020
/ Bailout ,
Bank of America ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Earnings Reports ,
Economic Downturn ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Fraud ,
Google ,
IMF ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Layoffs ,
Loans ,
NBC ,
Online Advertisements ,
Recessions ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Revenues ,
Theranos ,
Tourism ,
Wells Fargo
The pandemic is bringing rivals Apple and Google together in an effort to develop a system for “tracking through Bluetooth technology the contacts of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, a method the tech giants...more
4/13/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Business Closures ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Downturn ,
Exploration and Production Assets ,
Facebook ,
Farms ,
Financial Markets ,
Google ,
Instagram ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
School Closures ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommuting ,
Trading Policies ,
Unemployment Benefits
Morgan Stanley shook the financial world yesterday with the announcement that it’s planning to drop $13 billion on a deal to purchase online discount brokerage E-Trade—the “biggest takeover by a major American lender since...more
2/21/2020
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Business Interruption ,
CEOs ,
Children's Products ,
Children's Toys ,
China ,
COPPA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E*Trade ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Markets ,
Google ,
Government Investigations ,
Imports ,
Inventory ,
Morgan Stanley ,
Online Advertisements ,
Online Safety for Children ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Software ,
Sprint ,
Spyware ,
State Attorneys General ,
Statutory Violations ,
T-Mobile ,
Takeovers ,
Targeted Digital Advertising ,
UBS ,
Wells Fargo
In a massive win for Amazon (because, again, Jeff NEEDS it), Court of Federal Claims Judge Patricia Campbell-Smith has granted the company’s motion for an injunction halting Microsoft’s work on the $10 billion cloud-computing...more
2/14/2020
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
China ,
Cloud Computing ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financing ,
Google ,
Huawei ,
Indictments ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Injunctions ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Interference Claims ,
Liquidity ,
Microsoft ,
Music Industry ,
Popular ,
Racketeering ,
Royal Bank of Scotland ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Telecommunications ,
Tesla ,
Theft ,
Trade Secrets ,
Trump Administration
UK regulators are probing ties between disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Barclays CEO Jes Staley. The bank’s board is so far standing 100% with Staley, who has expressed “regret” over his relationship with Epstein....more
2/13/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Android ,
Barclays ,
Boeing ,
CEOs ,
Child Abuse ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Facebook ,
Fear of Harm ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fraud ,
Google ,
Government Investigations ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Nissan ,
OFCOM ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Smartphones ,
Sprint ,
Startups ,
Stock Sale Agreements ,
T-Mobile ,
Telecommunications ,
Terrorist Acts ,
Theranos ,
UK ,
Wireless Industry ,
Wireless Technology
Volvo’s owner, Li Shufu, is mulling over a move to combine the carmaker with his publicly traded Geely Automobile Holdings—a play that would take Volvo public and “unify the bulk of billionaire Li’s growing stable of...more
2/10/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Automotive Industry ,
Aviation Industry ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Boeing ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Data Collection ,
Data Management ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Reporting ,
Ford Motor ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Investment Fraud ,
IRS ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Municipalities ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Ransomware ,
Risk Management ,
Safe Harbors ,
Settlement ,
Small Business ,
Software ,
Stock Prices ,
Stock Sale Agreements ,
UAW ,
Union Dues ,
Volvo ,
White Collar Crimes
More detail is emerging on the DOJ’s ongoing antitrust probe into Google, with recent attention to the company’s online ad tools suggesting the topic has become “a major focus of the investigation,” with special focus on “how...more
2/6/2020
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Biotechnology ,
China ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Elon Musk ,
Exports ,
Google ,
Imports ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Nike ,
Olympics ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Popular ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Super Bowl ,
Tariffs ,
Tesla ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
US Trade Policies
It’s all coming up Elon these days for Tesla and its stock. “Positive developments” from the electric carmaker’s battery suppliers helped goose shares even higher, ending the day at $780/share—a nearly 20% gain since Friday....more
2/4/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bank of America ,
Bias ,
China ,
Citigroup ,
Competition ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Corporate Culture ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Elon Musk ,
EU ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Markets ,
FinTech ,
Ford Motor ,
Fuel Efficiency ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interest Rates ,
Merger Controls ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Oil & Gas ,
On-Demand Services ,
OPEC ,
Pay Gap ,
Personal Care Products ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Race Discrimination ,
Search Engines ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sharing Economy ,
Stock Prices ,
Supply and Demand ,
Tesla ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Visa Inc ,
Voluntary Dismissals ,
Wells Fargo
While there’s plenty of other business afoot in D.C. these days, it also happens to have been a pretty big week for trade deals. A day after Phase One with China was inked, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a revised...more
1/17/2020
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Bayer ,
Business Valuations ,
Canada ,
Cancer ,
Comcast ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Foreign Relations ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Germany ,
Google ,
Huawei ,
Imports ,
International Trade Disputes ,
Internet Streaming ,
Mexico ,
Monsanto ,
NAFTA ,
Online Advertisements ,
Pesticides ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Raids ,
Social Media ,
Stock Markets ,
Stock Prices ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
WhatsApp ,
WTO
Sunday’s release of a long-awaited Labor Department final rule on joint employment spells trouble for workers hoping to “sue large companies for wrongdoing by contractors or franchisees.” The rule reverses Obama-era policies...more
1/13/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Alphabet Company ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bench Trial ,
Boeing ,
CEOs ,
Class Action ,
Climate Change ,
Controlling Employer ,
Corporate Culture ,
Cybersecurity ,
Damages ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Compensation ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FinTech ,
Franchisee ,
Franchises ,
Franchisors ,
General Motors ,
Google ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Innovative Technology ,
Internal Communications ,
Investment Fraud ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Nissan ,
Oil & Gas ,
Online Banking ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Resignation ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Socially Responsible Investments ,
Software ,
Startups ,
UK ,
USAA ,
Vulnerability Assessments ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wells Fargo ,
Workplace Romances
Home speaker maker Sonos has sued Google, accusing the company of “infringing on five of its patents, including technology that lets wireless speakers connect and synchronize with one another.” Sonos had originally partnered...more
1/8/2020
/ Aircraft ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Boeing ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CEOs ,
Class Action ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
DaimlerChrysler ,
Data Breach ,
Demotions ,
Digital Taxes ,
Distributors ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
France ,
Franchises ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Google ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Hostile Environment ,
Imports ,
Insider Trading ,
Institutional Investors ,
International Tax Issues ,
Local Revenues ,
McDonalds ,
Misleading Impressions ,
Non-Public Information ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Popular ,
Race Discrimination ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Safety Training ,
Search Engines ,
Securities Violations ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Wireless Technology
The US and China have reportedly reached an initial agreement on the “final terms of a phase one trade deal, moving both countries closer to signing a pact that” the White House originally announced in October and averting...more
12/13/2019
/ Antitrust Violations ,
China ,
Competition ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debit and Credit Card Transactions ,
Debt ,
Digital Wallets ,
Economic Growth ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Exports ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Franchisee ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Google ,
Imports ,
Joint Employers ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Manufacturers ,
McDonalds ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Gaming ,
PayPal ,
Political Campaigns ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Prepaid Payment Products ,
Revenue ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Unemployment ,
US Trade Policies ,
Venmo
CBS and Viacom are back together again. The deal to reunite the former partners, which closed late yesterday, was pushed by National Amusements’ chief Shari Redstone since 2016 and hasted along recently by the precipitous...more
12/5/2019
/ Alphabet Company ,
Amazon Web Services (AWS) ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Baseball ,
Big Tech ,
Business Valuations ,
CBS ,
CEOs ,
Chrysler ,
Cloud Computing ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Consumer Complaint Management ,
Electricity ,
Equipment Failure ,
Expedia ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fiat ,
Google ,
Hedge Funds ,
Infrastructure ,
Insider Trading ,
Italy ,
Minority Shareholders ,
OCC ,
PG&E ,
Repossess ,
Resignation ,
Search Engines ,
Software ,
Stock Prices ,
Viacom ,
Wells Fargo ,
Wildfires
Google announced late Tuesday that co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are “stepping down from executive roles at Google’s parent company, Alphabet.” Google CEO Sundar Pichai will now helm both operations, while Page and...more
12/4/2019
/ Agribusiness ,
Alphabet Company ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Board of Directors ,
Cannabis Products ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Exports ,
Farms ,
Financial Institutions ,
Fishing Industry ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Google ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hedge Funds ,
Hemp ,
Huawei ,
Imports ,
Infrastructure ,
Lands End ,
Parent Corporation ,
Popular ,
Price-Fixing ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Resignation ,
Retail Market ,
Sears ,
Stock Markets ,
Stock Prices ,
Suppliers ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
The merger craze keeps on keeping on, with news that Ebay’s selling secondary ticket marketplace StubHub to Viagogo, a smaller rival with a strong presence in Europe helmed by StubHub’s co-founder Eric Baker, for more than $4...more
11/26/2019
/ Accounting ,
Activist Investors ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Bank Fraud ,
Bank of England ,
Black Friday ,
Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
Business Litigation ,
Business Valuations ,
Citigroup ,
Corporate Culture ,
Corporate Governance ,
CVS ,
Data Management ,
Data Security ,
E-Commerce ,
eBay ,
Event Tickets ,
Failure to Comply ,
General Electric ,
Google ,
Government Investigations ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Holidays ,
Internal Controls ,
Internet Retailers ,
Mail Fraud ,
Pharmacies ,
Privacy Policy ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Ridesharing ,
Startups ,
Uber ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Wire Fraud
More than a bit of drama in the auto world yesterday, with General Motors suing rival Fiat Chrysler, accusing it of “bribing United Auto Workers officials to gain competitive advantages in contract negotiations.” The UAW’s...more
11/21/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Anti-Union Actions ,
Apple ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bribery ,
CEOs ,
Charles Schwab ,
China ,
Chrysler ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Competitive Advantage ,
Consultants ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Corruption ,
Employee Rights ,
Exemptions ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fiat ,
Financial Markets ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Motors ,
Google ,
Insurance Industry ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
PayPal ,
Price-Fixing ,
Resignation ,
Retail Market ,
Retaliation ,
Rewards Programs ,
Sherman Act ,
Startups ,
Statutory Violations ,
Strike ,
Tariffs ,
TD Ameritrade ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UAW ,
Unions ,
US Trade Policies ,
White Collar Crimes
Saudi Aramco’s slow trickle of IPO-related information continued this weekend, including its goal of setting overall company market value at a staggering $1.7 trillion. The figure, though massive, is still well short of the...more
11/18/2019
/ Aircraft ,
Airplane Accidents ,
Algorithms ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Automobile Recall ,
Automotive Industry ,
Aviation Industry ,
Bailout ,
Bank of America ,
Boeing ,
Bonds ,
Business Valuations ,
Capital Raising ,
China ,
Chrysler ,
Citibank ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
FedEx ,
Fiat ,
Ford Motor ,
Foreign Banks ,
General Motors ,
Google ,
Hong Kong Stock Exchange ,
Huawei ,
Information Sharing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internet ,
Investment ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Metals ,
Municipal Bonds ,
Nissan ,
Office Space ,
Oil & Gas ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Price-Fixing ,
Racketeering ,
Saudi Aramco ,
Search Engines ,
Search Results ,
Settlement ,
Sharing Economy ,
Software ,
Spoofing ,
Stock Markets ,
Strike ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wells Fargo
Sending a shot across the bow of the gig economy, New Jersey is seeking nearly $650 million from Uber for “years of unpaid employment taxes for its drivers, arguing that the ride-hailing company has misclassified the workers...more
11/15/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Bias ,
Carbon Emissions ,
China ,
Cloud Computing ,
DaimlerChrysler ,
Data Collection ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal Contractors ,
Firearms ,
Foreign Policy ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Google ,
Harvard University ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Mass Shootings ,
Media ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Research ,
Mercedes-Benz ,
Microsoft ,
Misclassification ,
Mobile Apps ,
NAFTA ,
Newspapers ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Shareholder Votes ,
Smith & Wesson ,
Startups ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
Venture Capital ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wells Fargo
Fed Chair Powell was far from the main attraction on the Hill yesterday, but hey, let’s keep it on topic here and note his belief that the U.S. economy is performing well even as certain risks—including “sluggish growth...more
11/14/2019
/ Activist Investors ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Data Breach ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exports ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Food Supply ,
Google ,
Hackers ,
Imports ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Interest Rates ,
Mexico ,
Mortgage Servicers ,
Ocwen ,
Office Space ,
Oil & Gas ,
PEMEX ,
Ransomware ,
Removal At-Will ,
Separation of Powers ,
Sharing Economy ,
Single Director ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies