Because the Nissan leadership scandal is about as well-contained as Chernobyl in the early days [thanks, HBO], French automaker Renault has voted this morning to remove Chief Executive Thierry Bolloré amid concerns over the...more
10/11/2019
/ Automotive Industry ,
Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Business Valuations ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Capital Rules ,
CFTC ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Commodities ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Electricity ,
Ether ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
General Motors ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Banks ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Lenders ,
Liquidity ,
Personal Data ,
PG&E ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Renault-Nissan ,
Reorganizations ,
Retailers ,
Rollbacks ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Saudi Aramco ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UAW ,
US Trade Policies ,
Victoria Secret ,
Wal-Mart
Senior negotiators from the U.S. and China will officially resume trade negotiations today, “with higher tariffs looming if [they] fail to break a five-month stalemate.” The U.S.’s moves this week to blacklist 28 Chinese tech...more
10/10/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Bed Bath & Beyond ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Economic Downturn ,
Exports ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fidelity Investments ,
Financial Services Committee ,
Government Investigations ,
Imports ,
Internal Controls ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Mesothelioma ,
Netflix ,
Pensions ,
Plan Administrators ,
Private Equity ,
Public Pension ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supply Chain ,
Target ,
Tariffs ,
Teachers ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trading Platforms ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Fed Chair Powell, speaking at an economics conference in Denver yesterday, made news by indicating that the central bank would “once again begin expanding its portfolio of government-backed securities”—a shift in policy...more
10/9/2019
/ Advertising ,
Automotive Industry ,
Blacklist ,
Cambridge Analytica ,
China ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Breach ,
Digital Currency ,
Economic Downturn ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Foreign Currency ,
General Motors ,
Global Economy ,
Government Securities ,
Human Rights ,
IMF ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Manufacturers ,
Money Laundering ,
Netflix ,
New Legislation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Punitive Damages ,
Risperdal ,
Stock Prices ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Twitter ,
Volcker Rule ,
Wall Street
The US has blacklisted 28 Chinese companies—mostly in the tech sector—over China’s “campaign targeting Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in the autonomous region of Xingjiang,” a move that’s drawn both...more
10/8/2019
/ Antitrust Litigation ,
Bitcoin ,
Blacklist ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Currency Exchange ,
Economic Growth ,
Electricity ,
Employee Benefits ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Farms ,
General Electric ,
Internet Streaming ,
NBC ,
Nissan ,
Pensions ,
Price Manipulation ,
Recessions ,
Renewable Energy ,
Retailers ,
RICO ,
Solar Energy ,
Supply Chain ,
Target ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trading Platforms ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Brexit ,
World Bank
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
WeWork’s drama in past weeks—which includes a planned and postponed public offering thanks to rough financials and dicey corporate governance—is prompting the company to consider swapping out founder Adam Neumann as CEO to...more
9/23/2019
/ Banks ,
China ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Corporate Governance ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Employee Definition ,
Extradition ,
Financial Crisis ,
Huawei ,
Independent Contractors ,
India ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Liquidity ,
Lyft ,
Municipal Bonds ,
Office Space ,
Oil Prices ,
Repossess ,
Retailers ,
RMBS ,
Sharing Economy ,
Single Director ,
Social Credit System ,
State Labor Laws ,
Stock Markets ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wal-Mart
Fintech firm Stripe Inc., which “allows internet companies and online marketplaces to accept credit cards for their goods and services and pay out money to the people and firms that sell on their platforms,” just wrapped a...more
9/20/2019
/ AirBnB ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Bribery ,
Capital Raising ,
Carbon Emissions ,
CFTC ,
China ,
Corporate Branding ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Enforcement Programs ,
Exports ,
FinTech ,
General Motors ,
Imports ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Insider Trading ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Money Laundering ,
Money Services Business ,
Opioid ,
OxyContin ,
Pain Management ,
Paris Agreement ,
Payment Systems ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Purdue Pharma ,
RBS ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Virtual Currency ,
Whistleblowers
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
Jobs Report Friday! Here’s what to look for in the numbers – WSJ and Bloomberg and NYTimes The White House has rolled out its “long-awaited plan” to return federal mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private...more
9/6/2019
/ Argentina ,
Capital Raising ,
CFOs ,
China ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Danske Bank ,
Economic Downturn ,
Fannie Mae ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Freddie Mac ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Job Creation ,
Job Market ,
Mortgages ,
Offerings ,
Oil & Gas ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Saudi Aramco ,
Sharing Economy ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment
Google will pay a “record $170 million fine and make changes to protect children’s privacy on YouTube” as part of a deal it reached this week with the FTC and NY AG’s office, both of whom had accused YouTube of “violating the...more
9/5/2019
/ Aetna ,
CFTC ,
China ,
Clearing Agencies ,
Compliance ,
COPPA ,
CVS ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disney ,
Economic Downturn ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Google ,
Health Insurance ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
No-Deal Brexit ,
Online Safety for Children ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Star Wars ,
State Attorneys General ,
Stock Options ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
UK ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wells Fargo ,
YouTube
One can prorogate all one wants, but raise the ire of British MPs, and a price will be paid, my friends. So goes the story for PM Boris Johnson, against whom British lawmakers “rose up” on Monday to “prevent him from taking...more
9/4/2019
/ Airlines ,
American Airlines ,
AT&T ,
Aviation Industry ,
Bank of America ,
CEOs ,
China ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Institutions ,
Global Marketplace ,
Hong Kong ,
HSBC ,
Huawei ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Libor ,
Manufacturers ,
Market Manipulation ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Resignation ,
RMBS ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Wars ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Parliament
The FTC has opened a probe into e-cigarette maker Juul’s marketing practices, including allegations that the company “used influencers and other marketing to appeal to minors”....more
8/30/2019
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
China ,
Construction Industry ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Employee Rights ,
Exports ,
Fashion Design ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hemp ,
Housing Market ,
Huawei ,
Imports ,
Independent Contractors ,
Influencers ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internet Marketing ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Regulations ,
Misclassification ,
NLRB ,
Public Offerings ,
Retail Market ,
Saudi Aramco ,
Saudi Stock Exchange ,
Startups ,
Stock Prices ,
Stock Trades ,
Target ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Parliament ,
Union Organizers ,
White Collar Crimes
Man-of-the-people PM Boris Johnson is set to as the Queen to suspend parliament for 5 weeks in an attempt to squeeze the time for opposition to the October 31st Brexit deadline, a move that’s prompting concerns about a...more
8/28/2019
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Arby's ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Currency Fluctuation ,
Driverless Cars ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Reserve ,
Foreign Currency ,
Google ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Misappropriation ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Papa John's International ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Philip Morris ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Prime Minister ,
Public Benefit Corporation ,
Purdue Pharma ,
Reputation Management ,
Stock-for-Stock Merger ,
Theft ,
Trade Secrets ,
Trade Wars ,
Uber ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Parliament
A bad day for J&J in Oklahoma at the close of the state’s trial against Johnson & Johnson means that the company’s on the hook for upwards of $572 million for its role in the opioid crisis that’s decimated swaths of the...more
8/27/2019
/ Argentina ,
China ,
DEA ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Exports ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Fraud ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Heinz ,
IMF ,
Imports ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Kraft ,
Loans ,
Marijuana ,
Martin Act ,
Nissan ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Resignation ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
US Trade Policies ,
White Collar Crimes
Amgen will pay $13.4 billion in cash to buy psoriasis treatment Otezla, a deal that will “pave the way for Bristol-Myers Squibb to complete its acquisition of Celgene” by addressing “regulatory concerns over their union”....more
8/26/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Amgen ,
Automotive Industry ,
Boeing ,
Bristol-Myers Squibb ,
China ,
Credit Monitoring ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
Economic Development ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Adviser ,
Financial Markets ,
Hasbro ,
Imports ,
Japan ,
Life Sciences ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Product Defects ,
Restitution ,
Solar Panels ,
Suppliers ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Tesla ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Brexit ,
Wal-Mart ,
Wealth Management ,
Wells Fargo
A survey of the country’s most powerful CEOs by the Business Roundtable shows an interesting shift in how they view their top priority—no longer does advancing the interests of shareholders take the top spot. Instead, the...more
8/20/2019
/ Airports ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Big Tech ,
China ,
Disney ,
Economic Downturn ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Statements ,
General Electric ,
Huawei ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Lyft ,
OCC ,
Overstatement of Basis ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Revenue Growth ,
Ridesharing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber ,
Volcker Rule ,
Wall Street ,
Whistleblowers
The White House is reportedly extending the temporary license for some US businesses to work with Huawei, a move that would likely help smooth the way for trade negotiators between the US and China to see their way back to...more
8/19/2019
/ Banks ,
CFTC ,
China ,
Citibank ,
Commodities ,
Economic Downturn ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Germany ,
Huawei ,
Kraft ,
Motion for Sanctions ,
Price Manipulation ,
Quarterly Report ,
Recessions ,
Ridesharing ,
RMBS ,
S&P ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Settlement ,
SoftBank ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommunications ,
Temporary Licenses ,
Trade Negotiations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber ,
Venture Capital
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Rupert Hogg has resigned in order to “take responsibility” a week “after the carrier was rebuked by China for staff involvement in the anti-Beijing protests rocking Hong Kong.” Hogg...more
8/19/2019
/ Aviation Industry ,
Banks ,
Capital One ,
China ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Markets ,
Government Investigations ,
Hackers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Home Rule States ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Labor Regulations ,
Marriott ,
Opioid ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Profits ,
Proposed Rules ,
Protests ,
Purdue Pharma ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Resignation ,
State Attorneys General ,
Stock Prices ,
Subpoenas ,
Trade Wars
Wall Street’s post-tariff-delay jubilance was short lived, as an inverted bond yield curve reared its ugly head yesterday, sending shares plummeting on a brutal day across all markets....more
8/15/2019
/ Accounting Fraud ,
Alibaba ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Basketball ,
Bernie Madoff ,
China ,
FCC ,
Financial Markets ,
General Electric ,
Prospectus ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Recessions ,
Securities Violations ,
Sharing Economy ,
Sprint ,
T-Mobile ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Warren Buffett ,
Whistleblowers
In the internal battle between keeping China off balance and keeping Wall Street happy, the White House has decided once again to focus on the latter, walking back the latest tariff escalation by postponing promised...more
8/14/2019
/ Banks ,
CBS ,
China ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Credit Scores ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Data Management ,
Facebook ,
Fannie Mae ,
Freddie Mac ,
Generation Z ,
Imports ,
Instagram ,
Libor ,
Mortgages ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Evasion ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Viacom
A volatile August on Wall Street has insiders asking whether we should be taking our cues from 1998 or 2007.
With that in mind, our financial term of the week is “countercyclical capital buffer,” a wonkish special for you...more
8/13/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Automotive Industry ,
Big Tech ,
Bonds ,
Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
Capital Requirements ,
CBS ,
China ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Breach ,
Deregulation ,
Donald Trump ,
Economic Downturn ,
Educational Institutions ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Embedded Tweets ,
ETFs ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
General Motors ,
Oil & Gas ,
Predatory Lending ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Retail Market ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Silicon Valley ,
Social Networks ,
Student Loans ,
Tariffs ,
Tumblr ,
Verizon ,
Viacom ,
Volcker Rule ,
Volkswagen ,
Wall Street
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
Uber went big on Thursday. Unfortunately, for everyone (including fans of cinnamon gum and oversized gingers) it was Big Red, as the ride-hailing company posted a $5.2 billion loss for Q2—its largest ever since it began...more
8/9/2019
/ 1MDB ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Currency Fluctuation ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronic Records ,
Facebook ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Financial Crimes ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Heinz ,
Huawei ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Kraft ,
Malaysia ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Quarterly Report ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Reputation Management ,
Trade Wars ,
Uber
Les Wexner, the billionaire CEO of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works parent company L Brands, has accused his former money manager and confidant, Jeffrey Epstein, of misappropriating “vast sums of money” from Wexner and...more
8/8/2019
/ Amazon ,
America Invents Act ,
Banks ,
Bonds ,
Broadcom ,
China ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Reserve ,
FedEx ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Markets ,
Foreign Currency ,
Government Agencies ,
Huawei ,
Misappropriation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Rating Agencies ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Shipping ,
Symantec ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Victoria Secret ,
Wall Street ,
Wealth Management ,
White Collar Crimes