A collision of forces — automation, e-commerce and stagnating wages — is squeezing retail jobs in the U.S.
Why it matters: With more than 15 million jobs, the retail industry is America's biggest employer. A hit to this sector would reverberate across the economy.
The cities and towns where Walmart gobbles up more than half of all grocery sales are concentrated in the South and the middle of the country, illustrating a broader division in U.S. retail.
Why it matters: Retail has become one of the forces driving American inequality. While some cities build glitzy, revamped main streets and get same-day shipping, others have few options beyond Walmart super-centers and dollar stores.
The total absence of energy and climate questions in last night's Democratic debate didn't prevent the topics from surfacing in noteworthy ways onstage and in the surrounding hubbub.
What happened: Some campaigns saw an opening. Bernie Sanders wove climate into several answers and attacked fossil fuel CEOs who "know full well that their product is destroying this world."
Argentina's "Macrisis," which has sent its currency spiraling lower and cut the value of its bonds by more than half their value, and the implosion of U.S. Treasury yields cost Franklin Templeton’s flagship $100 billion Global Bond Fund $3 billion in the 3rd quarter, public filings data show.
What happened: The fund, managed by Michael Hasenstab, was heavily invested in Argentinian local-currency bonds, which defaulted in August, and a huge short position on U.S. Treasuries, which have seen prices rise significantly, Bloomberg reported.
The Dow turned positive for October after solid earnings from some of the biggest U.S. banks and surprisingly solid earnings from health care companies. Both sectors have lagged the market this year.
What happened: Bank CEOs, including JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon and Citigroup's Michael Corbat, continued to tout the strength of the U.S. consumer.
The outlook for a meaningful U.S.-China trade deal continues to deteriorate, as the House passed a bill supporting protesters in Hong Kong and China reportedly backtracked on part of the deal it agreed to last week.
The big picture: The House bill would require an annual review of whether Hong Kong is truly separate from Beijing to the point that it justifies the special trading status it receives under U.S. law and would implement sanctions against officials "responsible for undermining fundamental freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong."
The Hollywood Reporter placed put Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Bob Iger at the top of its list of the entertainment industry's 100 "most powerful execs, makers and stars."
Why he matters, per THR: "Disney+ leads a wave of billion-dollar Netflix competitors that are transforming the entertainment industry and launching a new age of ambition (and anxiety)."
The stock prices of health care companies shot up Tuesday after UnitedHealth Group and Johnson & Johnson, two of the industry's bellwethers, both posted Q3 earnings that exceeded expectations.
Between the lines: Some of the biggest gains accumulated to UnitedHealth and its health insurance peers. UnitedHealth said its insurance division paid out fewer dollars for medical care than projected, raising hope on Wall Street that other insurers were in the same boat.
Barneys New York, the luxury retailer that filed for bankruptcy in August, reportedly is in talks for a $268 million rescue investment from Authentic Brands Group.
Why it matters: This could keep at least some of Barneys' 7 locations open, while a concurrent licensing deal with Hudson’s Bay Co. would keep the Barneys website afloat and result in Barneys mini-locations being opened inside of Saks Fifth Avenue stores.
Private equity's newest political headache came last Thursday when G/O Media shut down Splinter, a left-wing publication with 7 full-time employees. One day later, Elizabeth Warren placed the blame squarely on G/O Media owner Great Hill Partners.
Why it matters: Warren does have a plan to change private equity, but it wouldn't directly impact Great Hill Partners' ownership of G/O Media.
NBCUniversal has extended its partnership with Apple News to now be the exclusive seller of ads in Apple Stocks, as well as Apple News, executives tells Axios.
Why it matters: The multi-year partnership means that NBCU can sell ads against all the stories in the main feed of Apple Stocks, as well as Apple News for several years. Other publishers can still sell ads again their own articles.
Vox Media now has more than 200 active podcasts that it publishes through the Vox Podcast Network, up from 75 in January, executives tell Axios.
By the numbers: Vox Media Studios President Marty Moe told Axios in February upon signing a multi-million dollar deal with Stitcher that Vox Media’s podcast business is an eight figure business.
News companies are taking advantage of the interest surrounding the impeachment saga by building pop-up newsletters, podcasts and sections solely to cover the day-to-day developments of the impeachment process.
The bottom line: If there's an appetite for more coverage, news companies these days can build products pretty quickly to satisfy it.
Streaming companies are accruing more debt to sustain heavy investments in content, and their leverage is historically high.
Why it matters: While most analysts agree that the debt loads at these companies are manageable for now, some firms are beginning to feel investor pressure to manage rising debt before it gets out of hand.
The stock prices of major health care companies have not kept pace with the broader market so far in 2019, even though the industry is flush with cash.
The bottom line: Medicare for All and other health care reforms floated by Democratic presidential candidates, as well as higher-than-expected medical costs at health insurance companies, have made investors nervous about the future.
MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes addressed on his show Monday reports from Ronan Farrow's new book alleging NBC silenced reporting on sexual misconduct and authorized a cover-up. He noted NBC leadership "vigorously denies" the account but said 1 thing is "indisputable" following Farrow's departure from the network.
