As Americans [way-too] slowly come to the realization that COVID-19 is a very real and very present threat, the business world is changing around them at a staggering pace. Stocks nosedived again on Monday, with the three...more
3/17/2020
/ Abuse of Power ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Airlines ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Aviation Industry ,
Business Interruption ,
Capital Markets ,
CEOs ,
Chapter 11 ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Distance Learning ,
E-Commerce ,
Economic Downturn ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Aid ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Services Industry ,
France ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
IRS ,
Lockheed Martin ,
Net Operating Losses ,
OCC ,
PG&E ,
Public Health ,
Recessions ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Stock Prices ,
Tax Code ,
Tax Deductions ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wells Fargo
Despite news of additional COVID-19-related deaths and infections in America, central bankers appear to have bought at least one day of peace for US markets, which posted strong gains on a late surge on Monday, breaking a...more
3/3/2020
/ Apple ,
Banks ,
Best Practices ,
Bid Rigging ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disgorgement ,
Drug Pricing ,
Economic Downturn ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
General Electric ,
Generic Drugs ,
Global Market ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
Novartis ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Oral Argument ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Price-Fixing ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Sandoz ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stock Prices ,
Takeover Bids ,
Wireless Industry ,
Wireless Technology ,
Xerox
Apple announced that the coronavirus outbreak that’s brought Chinese manufacturing to a near-standstill and continues to spread around the world will affect its quarterly sales expectations. The news makes Apple “one of the...more
2/18/2020
/ Alstom ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Bayer ,
Bond Markets ,
Business Interruption ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Liability ,
Dairy Farmers ,
Dairy Farmers of America ,
Data Breach ,
DuPont ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
France ,
Hackers ,
HSBC ,
Internet ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Layoffs ,
Manufacturers ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Monsanto ,
Online Platforms ,
Pesticides ,
Ransomware ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retailers ,
Revenue ,
Toxic Chemicals
Facebook has agreed to pay $550 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit claiming that Zuck & Co.’s use of facial recognition technology violated Illinois’ biometric privacy law. Though the settlement is little more than “a...more
1/30/2020
/ Airplane Accidents ,
Apple ,
Automotive Industry ,
Aviation Industry ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
Boeing ,
Broadcom ,
Canada ,
Class Action ,
Community Reinvestment Act ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Electronic Data Transmissions ,
EU ,
European Parliament ,
Facebook ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
FDIC ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Interest Rates ,
iPhone ,
Loans ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Mexico ,
Microchip Technology ,
OCC ,
Patent Infringement ,
Personal Data ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Pyramid Schemes ,
Quarterly Report ,
Smartphones ,
Social Media ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Statutory Violations ,
Stock Prices ,
Tesla ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wifi ,
Withdrawal Agreement
The OCC announced yesterday that it’s bringing enforcement actions against five former Wells Fargo bank executives as part of their alleged roles in the bank’s sales practices scandal. The agency further revealed that it’s...more
1/24/2020
/ Apple ,
Board of Directors ,
Bribery ,
Broadcom ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Corporate Executives ,
Credit Scores ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cross-Selling ,
Debt ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Currency ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Interest Rates ,
Loans ,
Microchip Technology ,
OCC ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Physicians ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health ,
Racketeering ,
Underwriting ,
Wells Fargo
The City of London has denied Uber’s request to extend its license in the city over concerns for rider safety. The decision puts Uber’s 45,000 drivers there in limbo, though they’ll be able to continue operating while the...more
11/25/2019
/ Airplane Accidents ,
Apple ,
Aviation Industry ,
Black Friday ,
Boeing ,
Brazil ,
Bribery ,
Business Licenses ,
Capital Investments ,
Charles Schwab ,
China ,
Comcast ,
Dow Jones ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Economic Growth ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fannie Mae ,
Federal Bans ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Freddie Mac ,
Gig Economy ,
Housing Market ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Microsoft ,
Novartis ,
Petrobras ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Retail Market ,
Ridesharing ,
Samsung ,
Sharing Economy ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
TD Ameritrade ,
Theft ,
Tiffany and Company ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
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
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
Here’s about as 2019 as we can get in the financial world (with a healthy dose of 1950s-era gender discrimination for good measure): a series of tweets from tech entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson alleging gender...more
11/11/2019
/ Algorithms ,
Alibaba ,
Apple ,
Chapter 11 ,
Climate Change ,
Commodities ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Credit Cards ,
E-Commerce ,
Economic Growth ,
Embedded Tweets ,
Emerging Markets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fees ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Global Economy ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Hong Kong ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Insolvency ,
Investors ,
Office Space ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Saudi Aramco ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sharing Economy ,
Social Media ,
Trading Platforms ,
Twitter ,
UBS
Top Tidjane Thiam ally Pierre-Olivier Bouee, Credit Suisse’s COO, has resigned in the wake of an internal probe finding that he “ordered the surveillance of the bank’s former wealth-management chief, Iqbal Khan, without...more
10/1/2019
/ Allergan Inc ,
Apple ,
Bank of America ,
Cancer ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commercial Real Estate Market ,
Credit Suisse ,
CVS ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Endo Pharmaceuticals ,
Exemptions ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Forever 21 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Job Creation ,
Job Descriptions ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Laptop Computers ,
Office Space ,
Opioid ,
Pet Smart ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Popular ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Product Recalls ,
Purdue Pharma ,
Race Discrimination ,
Repossess ,
Retailers ,
Rite Aid ,
Settlement ,
Sharing Economy ,
Shopping Centers ,
Startups ,
Surveillance ,
Tariffs ,
UK Brexit ,
US Trade Policies ,
Walgreens ,
WTO
Well, that was remarkably quick. Just days after WeWork’s board announced that it was considering replacing co-founder Adam Neumann to help clear a path to the work-share-startup’s initial public offering, Neumann stepped...more
9/25/2019
/ Airbus ,
Apple ,
CEOs ,
Chrysler ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Diesel Fuel ,
E-Cigarettes ,
EU ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fiat ,
Heinz ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Kraft ,
Labor Regulations ,
Layoffs ,
Minimum Salary ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Office Space ,
Over-Time ,
Popular ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Sharing Economy ,
Short-Term Loans ,
Startups ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Debt ,
Trade Relations ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Prorogate this, Boris. In an “unprecedented” ruling, the UK’s supreme court deemed the Prime Minister’s Brexit-driven suspension of Parliament “unlawful, void and of no effect” this morning and called on the body to reconvene...more
9/24/2019
/ Apple ,
AT&T ,
Automotive Industry ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Computer Software Workers ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Investigations ,
E-Cigarettes ,
HBO ,
Imports ,
Insider Trading ,
Investigations ,
Investment Banks ,
Japan ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Laptop Computers ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Nissan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Violations ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Travel ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Parliament ,
UK Supreme Court ,
US Trade Policies ,
Volkswagen ,
White Collar Crimes
There’s some surprise market wheeling and dealing afoot this morning. The Hong Kong stock exchange has offered to buy its London counterpart as part of a deal valued at $37 billion that would connect “the established...more
9/11/2019
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Alibaba ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Anbang ,
Apple ,
Big Tech ,
Brokers ,
China ,
Competition ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deregulation ,
Dodd-Frank ,
E-Commerce ,
Economic Espionage Act ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fidelity National Title Insurance Company ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Hong Kong Stock Exchange ,
Hotels ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Internet Retailers ,
Investment Portfolios ,
iPhone ,
Layoff Notices ,
London Stock Exchange ,
Merchants ,
Real Estate Market ,
Ridesharing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State Attorneys General ,
Title Insurance ,
Trade Secrets ,
Uber ,
White Collar Crimes
Friday remarks from Fed Chair Powell in Zurich confirmed the central bank’s dedication to keeping the US economic expansion on track and appear to have signaled the Fed’s plan to cut interest rates for a second time this...more
9/9/2019
/ Apple ,
Big Tech ,
British Airways ,
China ,
COPPA ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Employee Rights ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Reserve ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Government Investigations ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
iPhone ,
Job Creation ,
Job Market ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Opioid ,
OxyContin ,
Pain Management ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Public Offerings ,
Purdue Pharma ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Strike ,
Temporary Employees ,
Unemployment ,
YouTube
Saudi Aramco’s mega IPO plans are back on, and while valuation and other stumbling blocks remain, the kingdom is hoping to raise billions via the public offering as early as next year....more
8/12/2019
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Apple ,
Barnes and Noble ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Bribery ,
CBS ,
China ,
Currency Manipulation ,
Denmark ,
Facebook ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
IMF ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Mobile Apps ,
Official Act ,
Oil & Gas ,
Online Safety for Children ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Saudi Aramco ,
SoftBank ,
Solar Energy ,
Viacom ,
Wine & Alcohol
At this point, pretty much everyone on Wall Street is expecting the Fed to cut interest rates as its FOMC meeting breaks later today. Some thoughts on what’s likely to happen and how the Street could react to the news....more
7/31/2019
/ Apple ,
Capital One ,
China ,
Data Breach ,
Federal Reserve ,
House Flipping ,
Huawei ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Natural Disasters ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Samsung ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Vietnam
Apple is in “advanced talks” to snap up Intel’s smartphone-modem chip business, a portfolio “of patents and staff valued at $1 billion or more.” The deal, should it close, would go far in prepping Apple for the arrival of...more
7/23/2019
/ #MeToo ,
5G Network ,
Apple ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Aviation Industry ,
Boeing ,
Bribery ,
Credit Suisse ,
Data Breach ,
Elon Musk ,
Equifax ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Financial Markets ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Intel ,
Microchip Technology ,
Microsoft ,
Mobile Payments ,
Mobile Services ,
RMBS ,
Sexual Assault ,
Silicon Valley ,
Smartphones ,
Starbucks ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Wall Street ,
White Collar Crimes
OPEC nations met yesterday and agreed to continue their production cutting goals into 2020 in an effort to, according to the experts, “prop[] up prices while demand for oil is weakening”....more
7/2/2019
/ Apple ,
Beer ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Capital Requirements ,
Chapter 11 ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Deutsche Bank ,
ETFs ,
EURIBOR ,
Exploration and Production Assets ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
FinTech ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Nasdaq ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Regulation A ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Startups ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Wars ,
UK ,
US Trade Policies
Sprint and T-Mobile are facing new merger headwinds in the form of a NY & CA state AG-led lawsuit in the Southern District of New York that seeks to block the deal, alleging that it would cost customers of the companies “at...more
6/12/2019
/ Activist Investors ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
China ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Google ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Loans ,
On-Demand Services ,
Raytheon ,
Slack ,
Sprint ,
T-Mobile ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Wells Fargo ,
Wireless Industry
The SEC will vote today on what it’s calling Regulation Best Interest, “which says brokers can’t put their own paychecks ahead of a customer’s needs”—the more-industry-acceptable revision of an Obama-era fiduciary duty rule...more
6/5/2019
/ Anti-Dumping Agreement ,
Apple ,
Automotive Industry ,
Best Interest Standard ,
Brokers ,
Carnival Cruise Lines ,
Code of Conduct ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Violations ,
Federal Reserve ,
FHFA ,
Freddie Mac ,
Imports ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Mexico ,
Mobile Apps ,
Probationary Period ,
Renault-Nissan ,
RMBS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Stocks ,
Tariffs ,
Toyota ,
Unregistered Securities ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wells Fargo
Much more on the suddenly hot topic of Big Tech antitrust oversight, including a negotiated agreement among regulators that will see the DOJ handling Apple and Google while the Federal Trade Commission will take on Facebook...more
6/4/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
China ,
Chrysler ,
Denial of Certiorari ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Development ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fiat ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
France ,
General Motors ,
Google ,
Government Investigations ,
Insider Trading ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Mexico ,
NYDFS ,
OCC ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Renault-Nissan ,
SAC Capital ,
SCOTUS ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tesla ,
Trump Administration
The DOJ is considering joining its European counterparts in targeting Google for potential antitrust violations focused on Google’s “advertising practices and influence in the online advertising industry,” possibly including...more
6/3/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apartments ,
Apple ,
Biotechnology ,
China ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Google ,
Imports ,
India ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
Influencers ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Martin Shkreli ,
Mesothelioma ,
Mexico ,
Online Advertisements ,
Punitive Damages ,
Real Estate Market ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Search Engines ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Volkswagen
We were pretty sure that the Fed would keep interest rates steady as it wrapped its Open Market Committee meetings yesterday, and Fed Chair Powell delivered on that expectation. He also admitted that the same lack of...more
5/3/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Apple ,
Banks ,
Barclays ,
Cambridge Analytica ,
China ,
Credit Cards ,
Debt ,
Delinquent Borrowers ,
Derivative Suit ,
EU ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interest Rates ,
Internet ,
Patent Litigation ,
Political Parties ,
Prime Minister ,
Qualcomm ,
Scandals ,
Secretary of Defense ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Telecommunications ,
Transaction Fees ,
UK Brexit
Zuck and Co. are launching a major platform redesign as Facebook attempts to move beyond years of privacy-related scandals and promote group-based communications rather than the public-square newsfeed....more
5/1/2019
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Alphabet Company ,
Apple ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
E-Commerce ,
Facebook ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Instagram ,
Internet Streaming ,
Lost Profits ,
Music Streaming ,
OCC ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sandbox ,
Share Buybacks ,
Social Media ,
Solar Energy ,
Solar Panels ,
Stock Prices ,
Tesla ,
Warren Buffett
Elon Musk and the SEC have reached an agreement to revise their earlier agreement to settle the latest round of issues caused by Musk’s Twitter habit. Under its terms, a Tesla securities attorney must now “preapprove any of...more
4/29/2019
/ Agribusiness ,
Apple ,
Chevron ,
Commerzbank ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Elon Musk ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exports ,
Farms ,
Financial Markets ,
Ford Motor ,
Germany ,
HSBC ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Mobile Apps ,
National Emissions Standards ,
Occidental Petroleum ,
RMBS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Slack ,
Social Media ,
Takeover Bids ,
Tariffs ,
Tesla ,
Twitter ,
Unicorns