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☆ Amazon has a poor man’s monopoly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The $1.3 trillion retailer run by Andy Jassy was sued on Tuesday by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for alleged anticompetitive practices. She rose to prominence after publishing a paper in the Yale Law Journal in 2017 titled “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox,” which painted the e-commerce giant as a sprawling monopoly that has gone unchecked by traditional antitrust policing. But Chinese competitors like Shein and Temu, which have different cost structures, are starting to encroach on Amazon’s market. It's possible that Khan and the FTC can nail Amazon in court for behaviors that in the past have given it an exclusive edge. Follow @thereallsl on XCONTEXT NEWSThe U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon.com on Tuesday, asking the court to consider forcing the online retailer to sell assets.

Persons: Andy Jassy, Lina Khan, EBITDA, Walmart’s, hasn’t, Khan, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Yale Law, Investors, Walmart, Foods, Amazon.com, Alphabet's Google, Thomson Locations: Arkansas, It’s

☆ Net neutrality may be US regulators’ next quagmire
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jonathan Newton/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - U.S. regulators risk another quagmire. The Federal Communications Commission wants to reinstate net neutrality rules that regulate how traffic flows on the internet. As with antitrust enforcers’ often-frustrated deal crackdown, the agency is stuck in a cycle of trying to litigate future problems, today. Regulators are trying to use yesterday’s tools to address the hypothetical problems of tomorrow. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Jessica Rosenworcel, Jonathan Newton, ’, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Jennifer Saba, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: U.S . Senate Commerce, Science, Transportation Committee, Federal Communications Commission, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Verizon Communications, Netflix, Regulators, X, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Ukraine

☆ Breakingviews: Carmakers will blink first in union standoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Michael Swensen Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Detroit will run out of road before its unions do. In 2019, when a UAW strike closed manufacturing at GM for 40 days, it reduced output by 300,000 vehicles and operating profit by $3.6 billion. The crux of negotiations probably will come down to wages, where Fain said Ford has budged, including the reinstatement of cost-of-living increases. With the UAW prepared to endure, Detroit will be pressured to blink. The union on Sept. 15 initiated targeted walkouts at three plants owned by the three Detroit vehicle manufacturers.

Persons: Sheila McGee, Michael Swensen, Shawn Fain, Fain, Ford, walkouts, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Ford, UAW, REUTERS, Reuters, United Auto Workers, General Motors, GM, Ford Motor, Detroit, Thomson Locations: Louisville , Kentucky, U.S, Detroit, Wells

☆ Carmakers will blink first in union standoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Bernie Sanders’s push for four-day weeks has merit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Bernie Sanders speaks to the crowd as United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and UAW Region 1 Director LaShawn English listen during a rally in support of striking UAW members in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., September 15, 2023. The United Auto Workers on Friday began strikes at Detroit carmakers Ford Motor (F.N), General Motors (GM.N) and Stellantis (STLAM.MI). Sanders voiced enthusiasm for their biggest demand: moving to a four-day workweek while maintaining five-day pay. UAW members pushed for this policy in the middle of the last century during a prior wave of automation. With artificial intelligence poised to reshape white-collar jobs, more workers might come to see things Sanders’s way.

Persons: Bernie Sanders, Shawn Fain, Rebecca Cook, Sanders, Jim Farley, Jonathan Guilford, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, REUTERS, Reuters, Friday, Detroit, Ford, General Motors, X, Thomson Locations: Detroit , Michigan, U.S

☆ Planet Fitness races against rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

View of the Planet Fitness logo at the their location in Clifton, New Jersey, U.S., January 6, 2023. REUTERS/Jennifer Saba Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Planet Fitness (PLNT.N) is struggling to adapt to a high-interest-rate diet. Under Rondeau, Planet Fitness benefited from a post-pandemic exercise rebound, notching annual sales growth of over 40% in the last two years as location count expanded by 13%. Its stock is up 32% this year, while Planet Fitness’s is down by roughly the same amount. Life Time boss Bahram Akradi said his old approach of keeping prices low was a “mistake.” Planet Fitness can fix the same error.

Persons: Jennifer Saba, Chris Rondeau, Rondeau, Fitness’s, Bahram Akradi, Anita Ramaswamy, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Planet, X, Thomson Locations: Clifton , New Jersey, U.S

☆ Big oil lawsuits are riskier than quitting tobacco
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Active pumpjacks from oil wells are pictured at the Inglewood Oil Field, the largest urban oil field in the United States, from the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City, California, U.S., March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - California has been a guidepost to America’s future, and the United States is litigious. Oil companies have thus far stalled litigation by seeking to move cases to federal courts, where national regulations on emissions provide some cover. In April, however, the Supreme Court turned down five appeals by oil companies and others to move cases out of the states. That’s too simple given climate’s differing hit to regions, but it indicates the magnitude of the potential problem in the United States alone.

Persons: Bing Guan, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: Inglewood Oil Field, Baldwin, REUTERS, Reuters, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, State, Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, American Petroleum Institute, Thomson Locations: Inglewood, United States, Culver City , California, U.S, California, Saudi Arabia, San Francisco

☆ Ford’s boss evokes empty threats in union battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Ford Motor (F.N) boss Jim Farley is breaking out the "B" word. In a Thursday interview with CNBC, Farley said that pay-rise demands from the United Auto Workers would have driven Ford “bankrupt” if implemented back during 2019 contract negotiations. For now, using “bankrupt” and “Ford” in the same sentence seems like an empty threat. Even in the event of a prolonged strike, Ford has a buffer. The company is sitting on $10 billion of cash net of debt and $47 billion in total liquidity.

Persons: Phil Noble, Jim Farley, Farley, “ Ford ”, Ford, wishlist, Jonathan Guilford, Lauren Silva Laughlin Sharon Lam, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Ford, REUTERS, Reuters, CNBC, United Auto Workers, General Motors, X, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, North America

☆ U.S. Incomes Fall for Third Straight Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Gwynn Guilford | Paul Overberg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/economy/u-s-incomes-fall-for-third-straight-year-7b8293c6

Persons: Dow Jones, 7b8293c6

☆ GameStop’s success doesn’t belong in a meme
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Sept 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Meme-stock success might look more whimper than bang. GameStop (GME.N), the poster-child for pandemic-era retail-trader enthusiasm, reported second-quarter results on Wednesday that showed losses narrowing and positive, if miniscule, adjusted EBITDA. It’s an improvement on the path to sustainability, especially compared to other retail darlings like bankrupt Bed Bath & Beyond. Hardware sales fell 18% from the prior quarter, as the after-effects of supply shortages fade. GameStop’s share price may still be well above 2019 levels, but its ambitions are as low as ever.

Persons: hasn’t, Ryan Cohen, Jonathan Guilford, Hong Kong, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, GameStop, X, Hong, Thomson Locations: Grapevine , Texas

☆ Intel’s Tower deal sidesteps competition snafu
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

On Tuesday, $155 billion chip giant Intel (INTC.O) inked a new partnership with Tower Semiconductor (TSEM.TA), which Intel boss Pat Gelsinger recently gave up on acquiring for $5 billion. The deal will see Tower spend $300 million on equipment at Intel’s New Mexico campus, bolstering Gelsinger’s nascent chip-manufacturing-for-hire services. Intel ended its year-and-a-half-long quest to acquire Tower in August, after failing to win sign-off from Chinese antitrust enforcers. Signed in February 2022, the deal was aimed at strengthening Intel’s pivot into manufacturing chips designed by others by bringing in Tower’s know-how. By signing up Tower as a partner, Gelsinger wins a chunk of its business without the trouble of competition roadblocks.

Persons: Pat Gelsinger, Gelsinger, Jonathan Guilford, Hong Kong, Lauern Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: Intel, Reuters, Tower Semiconductor, Intel’s, X, Hong, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Mexico, Tower’s

☆ Job Gains Eased in Summer Months, Unemployment Increased in August
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Gwynn Guilford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Hiring Cooled This Summer. Here’s What to Focus On in August’s Jobs Report.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Gwynn Guilford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Job Gains Eased in Summer Months; Unemployment Increased in August
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Gwynn Guilford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ AI frenzy’s feedback loop stuffs Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Aug 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The ducks on Wall Street are quacking for artificial intelligence, and that means Nvidia (NVDA.O) gets fed. Under co-founder Jensen Huang, Nvidia has built a business that dominates the design of specialized chips that are an essential component in training AI systems. Alphabet is already investing $7 billion a quarter, and promised last month it would ramp capital spending further as it beefs up in AI. While companies talk up the potential of AI, it hasn’t yet generated much revenue, even for prime booster Microsoft. Should Wall Street sour on AI, Nvidia’s valuation would look overstuffed.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Amy Hood, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Nvidia, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Google, Thomson

☆ Coinbase’s stablecoin bet pegs to wishful thinking
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The crypto exchange will take a minority stake in Circle Internet Financial, issuer of stablecoin USDC. Such tokens, designed to track the U.S. dollar, haven’t delivered on promises of transforming finance. Coinbase already earns interest from reserves backing USDC through a partnership with Circle, and doesn’t expect any new major financial benefit. Meanwhile, U.S. legislation to regulate the tokens is stalled, and PayPal’s (PYPL.O) stablecoin launch last month drew criticism from Representative Maxine Waters, among others. Coinbase, meanwhile, is cozying up to pillars of traditional finance like BlackRock (BLK.N).

Persons: haven’t, Coinbase, Maxine Waters, Brian Armstrong, Anita Ramaswamy, EY’s loveless, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, U.S ., Wall Street Journal, BlackRock, Twitter, TPG, Thomson

Will ParkerWill Parker writes about the housing and residential rental market for The Wall Street Journal. He was previously a reporter and special projects editor at the Real Deal, where he focused on the intersection of New York City real estate and politics.

Persons: Will Parker Will Parker Organizations: Wall Street, Real, New York Locations: New, New York City

☆ Private equity bites off mostly what it can chew
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Private equity firms notched nearly $300 billion of acquisitions worldwide through Aug. 15, according to Dealogic data. Deals in the $1 billion to $5 billion range are running closest to the same pace as 2022. STG, for example, secured a loan to value of more than 40% from private lenders. With capital tighter, it’s easy to understand why buyout firms are pursuing humbler deals more likely to exceed the minimum returns investors expect. GTCR’s plan to buy 55% of Worldpay at a $17.5 billion valuation requires an equity check equivalent to 15% of the buyout firm’s assets.

Persons: Simon & Schuster, STG, Clayton, Rice, Banks, Ares Capital’s, hasn’t, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: KKR, New York Stock Exchange, Reuters, Avid Technology, GTCR, TPG, Francisco Partners, Bain Consulting, Thomson, & $ Locations: New York, U.S, can’t, Dubilier

☆ China does Intel a small favor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Intel (INTC.O) can thank China later. The chipmaker on Wednesday terminated its $5.4 billion acquisition of Tower Semiconductor (TSEM.TA), after failing to secure approval from the country’s State Administration for Market Regulation. Beijing’s trustbusters are providing a helpful escape route from the intensifying technology trade war. Reuters GraphicsAdding Tower would have helped Intel boss Pat Gelsinger with his strategic pivot to making semiconductors designed by others. Tower uses old technology, however, while Intel’s new customers, including the U.S. Department of Defense and Qualcomm, want cutting-edge fabrication.

Persons: Pat Gelsinger, MaxLinear, China’s, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Dow Jones Industrial, Intel, Reuters, Tower Semiconductor, Administration, Market, NXP Semiconductors, U.S . Department of Defense, Qualcomm, Wall Street Journal, Motion Technology, Cisco Systems, Acacia Communications, Thomson Locations: San Diego , California, China, country’s, Washington, Beijing

☆ Salesforce cage-rattlers leave in profitable peace
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - For activist investors in Salesforce (CRM.N), the low-hanging fruit should suffice. Fast growth and big-ticket acquisitions that Salesforce boss Marc Benioff had pursued turned anathema last year. The stock price roughly halved, falling faster than the Nasdaq-100 Technology Sector Index (.NDXT). Benioff eventually acquiesced, slashing 10% of the workforce, disbanding the deals committee and unveiling a $20 billion stock buyback plan. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Porte, Jeff Smith’s, Dan Loeb’s, Marc Benioff, ValueAct, Benioff, Jonathan Guilford, Exor’s Philips, Bain, BoE, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, Reuters, Big Tech, Nasdaq, Profit, Elliott Investment Management, Twitter, FC Barcelona’s, Messi, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Salesforce, Salesforce’s

☆ After Pulling Inflation Down, Gasoline and Food Threaten to Nudge It Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Gwynn Guilford | Will Parker | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/after-pulling-inflation-down-gasoline-and-food-threaten-to-nudge-it-up-51cba41f

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Big Tech is mostly leaping a low bar: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone in front of a displayed Apple logo in this illustration taken, July 26, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationNEW YORK, Aug 10 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The stock market’s mood increasingly hinges on the vagaries of tech giants like Meta, Amazon and Apple. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how most of their recent earnings held up – even if only compared to muted expectations for their core businesses. Listen to the podcastFollow @JMAGuilford on TwitterSubscribe to Breakingviews’ podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Microsoft, REUTERS, Reuters, Meta, Apple, Twitter, Thomson

☆ ICE cuts tortuous path through frosty trustbusters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A screen displays the logo for Black Knight on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 4, 2022. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission agreed on Monday to drop a lawsuit against Intercontinental Exchange’s (ICE.N) $11.7 billion acquisition of mortgage technology provider Black Knight (BKI.N). ICE, as the New York Stock Exchange operator is known, said in May 2022 that it would snap up Black Knight for $13.1 billion. ICE’s Encompass processes nearly half of originations in the United States, with Black Knight’s Empower in second place, according to the FTC. ICE originally said on May 4, 2022, that it had agreed to buy Black Knight for $13.1 billion.

Persons: Knight, Brendan McDermid, Black, Lina Khan, Khan, litigate, Black Knight, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Oliver Taslic Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Reuters, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Intercontinental, Black, FTC, ICE, UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare, Exchange, Constellation Software, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United States

☆ Need to Hire Workers in a Hot Job Market? Let Them Do Some Remote Work
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Gwynn Guilford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/need-to-hire-workers-in-a-hot-job-market-let-them-do-some-remote-work-506f72e6

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Cracking the IPO window is a tall task: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

REUTERS/Lucas JacksonNEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Sandal-maker Birkenstock is among those angling to defy a downturn in stock-market debuts. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss how corporate hopefuls on both sides of the Atlantic are trying to thaw the deepest freeze on public listings since the pandemic. Listen to the podcastFollow @JMAGuilford on TwitterSubscribe to Breakingviews’ podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. Editing by Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, Oliver Taslic Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, YORK, Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S

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