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
Jobs report Friday again. Here’s what to look for in the numbers [and let’s temper those expectations, okay?]...more
10/4/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Defamation ,
Disney ,
Economic Development ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Freedom of Expression ,
Gig Economy ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
Insurance Industry ,
Japan ,
Job Creation ,
Layoffs ,
Mass Shootings ,
MGM ,
Mobile Apps ,
Settlement ,
Social Media ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Uber ,
Unemployment ,
US Trade Policies ,
Volkswagen ,
WTO
A drone attack on Saudi Aramco oilfields this weekend affected 5% of global production and sent “energy prices substantially higher” late Sunday and early today. Analysts don’t anticipate a “severe shock to energy markets and...more
9/16/2019
/ Aerospace ,
Bank of New York (BNY) Mellon ,
Bias ,
BlackRock ,
Boeing ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt ,
Derivative Suit ,
Drones ,
Drug & Alcohol Abuse ,
Drug Distribution ,
Economic Growth ,
Energy Market ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
General Motors ,
Global Economy ,
GSE ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investors ,
J Crew ,
Junk Debt ,
Labor Relations ,
Leveraged Loans ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
Opioid ,
OxyContin ,
Pain Management ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacies ,
Purdue Pharma ,
RMBS ,
Safety Standards ,
Saudi Aramco ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Strike ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Brexit
Paul Singer’s Elliott Management hedge fund revealed a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T and, along with it, a healthy-skepticism of the company’s 2018 purchase of Time Warner and general calls to divest as part of a 24-page letter...more
9/10/2019
/ Activist Hedge Funds ,
Activist Investors ,
Anti-Bribery ,
Appeals ,
AT&T ,
Competition ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Economic Downturn ,
En Banc Review ,
Facebook ,
Fannie Mae ,
FHFA ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Currency ,
Freddie Mac ,
Gig Economy ,
Google ,
GSE ,
Independent Contractors ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Lyft ,
Marketing ,
Misclassification ,
Monopolization ,
Nissan ,
No-Deal Brexit ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Recessions ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Ridesharing ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Share Price ,
SoftBank ,
Time Warner ,
Uber ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Vaping
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
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
Apparently hoping to urge China off of its new go-slow tactic, the White House is applying its maximum pressure campaign again, announcing yesterday that the US will “impose a 10 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion...more
8/2/2019
/ Antitrust Investigations ,
Aviation Industry ,
Bank of England ,
Barclays ,
Benchmarks ,
Boeing ,
Bondholders ,
China ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Foreign Currency ,
General Electric ,
Hedge Funds ,
Interest Rates ,
Job Creation ,
Layoffs ,
Puerto Rico ,
Restructuring ,
Stock Markets ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Unemployment ,
US Trade Policies
The European Central Bank announced on Thursday that is likely to revive the quantitative easing program aimed at “pump[ing] money into the region’s financial system,” a major reversal from just 6 months ago, when the ECB...more
7/26/2019
/ Airports ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Cancer ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Debt Collectors ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Facebook ,
GDP ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Monsanto ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Quantitative Easing ,
Quarterly Report ,
Southwest Airlines ,
Sprint ,
T-Mobile ,
Toxic Chemicals ,
Toxic Exposure
Facebook and the FTC have agreed to terms on a settlement addressing the social network’s privacy violations in recent years. Along with the previously reported $5 billion fine, the deal will require Facebook to “add new...more
7/25/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Aviation Industry ,
Big Tech ,
Boeing ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Services Committee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Municipal Bonds ,
Nissan ,
Personal Data ,
Retail Market ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SoftBank ,
SunTrust ,
Tesla
Netflix has been priming markets for bad news, and it delivered on Wednesday, reporting the loss of 126,000 paid U.S. subscribers in Q2—the company’s first domestic decrease since it started its streaming service 12 years...more
7/18/2019
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Bernie Madoff ,
China ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cryptocurrency ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Huawei ,
Internet Streaming ,
Investment Fraud ,
Netflix ,
Qualcomm ,
Quarterly Report ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
US Trade Policies
EU regulators announced today that they’ve been conducting an investigation into Amazon and “how it collects and uses data from third-party sellers who appear on the retailing giant’s website” with an eye to potential...more
7/17/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
CMBS ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Transfers ,
Data-Sharing ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Elon Musk ,
EU ,
European Central Bank ,
Facebook ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Government Investigations ,
Hedge Funds ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Personal Data ,
RMBS
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is the latest prominent government official to express concerns about Facebook’s coming Libra launch. Speaking at a briefing yesterday, Mnuchin focused on national security issues related to...more
7/16/2019
/ Agribusiness ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Bayer ,
Broadcom ,
Cancer ,
Charles Schwab ,
China ,
Chipotle Grill ,
CMBS ,
Cryptocurrency ,
E-Commerce ,
Facebook ,
Farms ,
Fraud ,
Monsanto ,
National Security ,
RMBS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Senate Banking Committee ,
Subsidiaries ,
Symantec ,
Target ,
Tariffs ,
Toxic Exposure ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
USAA ,
Wal-Mart ,
Wealth Management
Late Friday, the Federal Trade Commission hit Facebook with a $5 billion fine for the social media company’s range of privacy violations over the past few years....more
7/15/2019
/ Aerospace ,
Airbus ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Bank of America ,
Boeing ,
China ,
Commodities ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Restructuring ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Deregulation ,
Economic Downturn ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Futures ,
Huawei ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Labor Regulations ,
Layoffs ,
Merrill Lynch ,
Metals ,
Morgan Stanley ,
Puerto Rico ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Social Media ,
Spoofing ,
Telecommunications
The big takeaway from Day 1 of Fed Chair Powell’s Congressional testimony is that a July rate cut is still definitely on the table, despite last week’s strong US jobs numbers. As the Times puts it, “That the Fed is...more
7/11/2019
/ 1MDB ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bitcoin ,
Capital Raising ,
Corruption ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Digital Currency ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
France ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Huawei ,
Illegal Tipping ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Insider Trading ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Regulation A ,
S&P ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sexual Assault ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
UNESCO ,
Unfair Trade Practices Act ,
White Collar Crimes
Lots more details on what turned out to be something of a bloodbath for Deutsche Bank employees around the world, with the bank starting to make good yesterday on its plans to cut nearly 18,000 employees worldwide – NYTimes...more
7/9/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
China ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Global Economy ,
Innovative Technology ,
Investment Funds ,
Layoffs ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Software ,
UK ,
Volkswagen
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
Ford announced major cuts to its European workforce yesterday, announcing that it would reduce its overall headcount there by 1/5 (or about 12,000 workers), roughly half of whom are salaried employees. Ford first revealed the...more
6/28/2019
/ Bitcoin ,
Bonds ,
Capital Gains ,
Data Breach ,
Equifax ,
Facebook ,
Ford Motor ,
G20 ,
Job Creation ,
National Security ,
Native American Issues ,
Nissan ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment
The DOJ has jumped on board claims made in existing civil class-action lawsuits and is considering criminal price-fixing charges against “some of the biggest American poultry companies, including Tyson Foods and Pilgrim’s...more
6/27/2019
/ Activist Investors ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Bitcoin ,
China ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Breach ,
Data-Sharing ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Facebook ,
Food Supply ,
G20 ,
Google ,
Imports ,
Oil & Gas ,
Patient Privacy Rights ,
Price-Fixing ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
Tyson Foods ,
US Trade Policies
In case you haven’t had your eye on matters of global intrigue of late, figured we’d get you a bit caught up so that you know why your gas prices are heading north in the next couple of weeks....more
6/17/2019
/ Alternative Investment Funds ,
AT&T ,
Corporate Bonds ,
Credit Suisse ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Deficit Reduction ,
Facebook ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Italy ,
Judges ,
KPMG ,
MasterCard ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
PayPal ,
Plant Based Products ,
Recusal ,
RMBS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Tariffs ,
Taxi Cabs ,
Time Warner ,
Tyson Foods ,
Uber ,
Unfair Pricing ,
Visa Inc ,
Wall Street
A round of internal Facebook emails produced in response to an FTC probe appear to show that the company’s “potentially problematic privacy practices” had filtered their way up to the very top of the social networking...more
6/13/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Class Action ,
Climate Change ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Facebook ,
Fannie Mae ,
Federal Reserve ,
FHFA ,
Freddie Mac ,
House Flipping ,
Huawei ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
Internal Communications ,
Investment Fraud ,
Privacy Laws ,
Real Estate Market ,
Social Security ,
Telemarketing ,
Trump Administration ,
Trust Funds ,
Verizon
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
Recent San Francisco-federal court decisions from Judge Vince Chhabria suggest that the “dozens” of lawsuits accusing Facebook of violating users’ privacy for its own profit (many of which stemmed from the Cambridge Analytica...more
5/30/2019
/ 5G Network ,
Agribusiness ,
Bond Markets ,
China ,
Chrysler ,
Commodities ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Ericsson ,
Facebook ,
Farms ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fiat ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Global Economy ,
Huawei ,
Nokia ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Renault-Nissan ,
Social Media ,
Sprint ,
T-Mobile ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommunications ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Retaliation ,
Trade Wars ,
US Trade Policies ,
Wireless Industry ,
Wireless Technology
FCC Chair Ajit Pai gave his agency’s stamp of approval to the pending $26 billion T-Mobile/Sprint merger on Monday, helping move the deal towards completion based on pledges from the companies to develop “a robust 5G network...more
5/21/2019
/ 5G Network ,
Adidas ,
Bitcoin ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
Facebook ,
FCC ,
Financial Markets ,
Fines ,
Ford Motor ,
Foreign Banks ,
Forex ,
Google ,
Huawei ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Layoffs ,
Market Manipulation ,
Nike ,
RBS ,
Secured Overnight Funding Rate (SOFR) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sprint ,
T-Mobile ,
Tariffs ,
Telecommunications ,
UBS ,
US Trade Policies ,
Virtual Currency