Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren wants to "break up" growing tech monopolies owned by Amazon, Google and Facebook because they stifle innovation and hurt small businesses. The Massachusetts senator on Friday published "Here's How We Can Break Up Big Tech." Her plan would require regulators to break up several massive mergers including Facebook's ownership of Instagram, as well as Amazon's $13.7 billion deal two years ago to acquire grocer Whole Foods. "Today’s big tech companies have too much power  –  too much power over our economy, our society and our democracy," Warren said in the essay.

President Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed Tariff Man, is set to become the $100 Billion Man. Read More...

According to a recent report in Wall Street Journal, Amazon is considering opening dozens of grocery stores across the U.S. at a cheaper price point than Whole Foods.Other stores will be opened in shopping centers based in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. With this news, existing grocery stores like Walmart (WMT), Kroger (KR), Target (TGT), BJs (BJ), Costco (COST), and Sprouts (SFM) have all taken a hit. Amazon has already signed two more leases for other grocery locations by early 2020.

The company reported annual revenue growth of 22% to $19.6 billion (134.8 billion RMB) beating estimates by $210 million, according to its latest Q4 report. Non-GAAP net income of JD for the quarter rose 67% to 749.9 million RMB ($109.1 million), or $0.07 per ADS, which beat the estimates by $0.12.Compared to Q4 2017, the results of Q4 2018 showed deceleration in JD's annual growth in GMV (gross merchandise volume), active customers, and revenue.  But JD expects a revenue rise of 18% to 22% in the first quarter, matching Wall Street expectations.

Etsy Inc ETSY 0.03% shares are soaring after reporting a fourth-quarter earnings beat. Read More...

  This new draft seems to be following the footsteps of China where local tech giants like Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent are being nurtured with foreign tech companies having restricted operational mobility within the country. To create a similar market for the India e-commerce sector, the 41 page draft encourages setting up of data centers and server farms within the country, a move that will not only create more local jobs but also push foreign e-commerce companies for full compliance with the newly drafted regulations.For example, foreign e-commerce players would now have to become registered business entities in India to be able to sell in the country. This move to boost local e-commerce market is timely as this sector is predicted to reach $200 billion by 2026 mostly due to rising incomes as well as the rising use of internet, especially with the growing penetration of smartphones.

Amazon is fast becoming a player in the logistics and shipping industry, as the company recently expanded Amazon Air to include 50 new planes and several new regional hubs, including a $1.5 billion hub opening in northern Kentucky in 2021. The move is to handle 26% of the Company’s shipping of online orders through its dedicated air network.By bringing shipping in-house, this will be reduced to about $6 per box which means even cheaper products along with faster deliveries. Currently Amazon Air has planes at 21 U.S. airports and it's opening new regional hubs this year in Fort Worth, Texas, Wilmington, Ohio, and expanding one in Rockford, Illinois.

Amazon is apparently upping the ante against video streaming leader Netflix. Planning to release 30 original movies every year and having splurged a record $47 million for the rights to stream Sundance Film Festival’s five independent films, Amazon seems gung-ho on beefing up content and boosting subscriber growth for its video streaming portal Prime. Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke, who joined the company in May, indicated (in an interview to The Hollywood Reporter) that expanding Prime membership and attracting new members were among her primary goals for the streaming platform.Apple Inc. has reportedly invested more than $1 billion into producing original content this year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

For years, rumors have been building of Amazon.com's (NASDAQ:AMZN) intentions in logistics and delivery.The company has added fulfillment and logistics services to the list of competitors in its 10-K report, and has unveiled a program called Amazon Shipping, whereby the company picks up and delivers other shippers' packages. In recent earnings calls, CFO Brian Olsavsky has also begun talking more about the company's ambitions in logistics. Read More...

Amazon is one of the world's most valuable companies, valued at nearly $800 million, and the e-commerce giant pulled in $232.9 billion in global revenue in 2018. And yet, Amazon's federal tax bill this year: $0.READ MORE...

Amazon has decided it won't build its so-called HQ2 in New York.The company abruptly pulled out of the deal that would have brought approximately 25,000 jobs to the city. Local politicians and activists objected to the nearly $3 billion in incentives promised to what is already one of the world's richest, most powerful companies. "We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion — we love New York," the online giant retailer said in a blog post announcing its withdrawal. Amazon announced in November that it had chosen the Long Island City section of Queens for one of two new headquarters, with the other in Arlington, Virginia.

Amazon has secured central London retail space for its checkout-free Amazon Go food stores concept, according to trade publication, The Grocer.This is expected to be the company's first expansion of its automated convenience shops outside the United States. Amazon currently sells food in Britain through its Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pantry and Amazon Prime Now services.

Amazon and General Motors are currently negotiating a deal valued at $1 - $2 billion with Rivian Automotive LLC, a Michigan-based start-up specializing in electric pickup truck manufacturing.If the negotiations conclude successfully, a deal could be announced as early as this month. Tesla, currently the world’s biggest electric car maker, may have a tough time competing with this deal as it is already struggling to balance the production and profits of its flagship Model 3 sedan.

India could lose a vital U.S. trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States, amid a widening dispute over its trade and investment policies, people with close knowledge of the matter said. Read More...

Last December, the Indian government published a circular that prohibits Amazon and Flipkart from selling a companies' products if they have an equity stake in the company.Amazon's e-commerce presence in the country is at a nascent stage, and the region has huge growth potential. According to global consultancy firm PWC, India's e-commerce market is expected to cross the $100 billion mark by 2022, with online retail and travel holding more than a 90% share. Amazon has already invested roughly $5 billion in the market and plans to pour in an additional $2 billion into its Indian wing.

One man’s clearance aisle is another man’s treasure. So goes the mantra for Ryan Grant, a 30-year-old entrepreneur whose company notched over $6 million in sales last year, in part by buying items at his local Walmart and reselling them on Amazon. READ MORE...

A private survey on China's manufacturing sector showed on Friday that factory activity contracted more-than-expected in January — confirming views that the world's second-largest economy started the new year on soft footing. Read More...

E-commerce giant -- and the second most valuable public company in Asia after Tencent -- Alibaba Group’s quarterly report confirmed record slow growth.Third-quarter revenue notched 117.28 billion yuan ($17.47 billion), compared with 83 billion yuan a year earlier — owing to the weakening impact of Chinese economy and a damaging Sino-U.S trade war.  Alibaba’s sales are often considered a benchmark to evaluate consumer spending across the world, and diminishing sales are concerning for  investors, as they are proof of the pressures the company is facing. However, net income rose 33% to 30.96 billion yuan, beating forecasts and sending Alibaba's stock up by about 1.6% in pre-market trade. Typically, Alibaba’s highest sales come from its biggest online sales event, "Singles' Day," that even surpasses the combined sales figure of U.S.’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

China is expected to report on Monday that economic growth cooled to its slowest in 28 years in 2018 amid weakening domestic demand and bruising U.S. tariffs, adding pressure on Beijing to roll out more support measures to avert a sharper slowdown.Read More...

Chinese foreign direct investment into the U.S. plummeted for a second year in a row, according to new data.Read More...