By now you've probably read about the troubles at Away, the smart luggage "unicorn" whose c0-founding CEO just stepped down after a damning story in The Verge about her leadership style.
Yes, but: You also might have read that the CEO, Steph Korey, was subsequently pushed out by investors who had long sought her ouster. According to three sources close to the situation, this is untrue.
The U.S. and China agreed to a "phase one" trade deal on Friday, which President Trump touted in a series of tweets.
The state of play: The deal averts a new round of tariffs scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 15, and a Chinese official said that the U.S. would reduce its tariffs on Chinese goods in stages, per Bloomberg. The deal includes an agreement from China to increase imports from the U.S. and purchase agricultural goods.
Democratic candidate Andrew Yang noted that the heavy ad spend from his fellow 2020 contenders, billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, reflects "a very poor track record," of prior self-funded candidates, but stopped short of outright criticizing them, Yahoo reports.
The big picture: The two billionaires in the race have collectively spent more than $181 million in TV ads so far. The other Democratic candidates have spent about $28 million combined, according to data consulting company Kantar.
The U.S. Army is planning to finance mines and processing plants to establish a domestic supply of rare-earth minerals, which are used in weapons and electronics, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters.
Why it matters: The investment comes in response to a threat from China, which processes most of the world's rare earths, to stop exporting them to the U.S. amid the ongoing trade war.
Fox News host Chris Wallace delivered a vehement critique of President Trump on Wednesday, accusing him of engaging in the most "direct sustained assault" on the free press in U.S. history, The Guardian reports.
Why it matters: Wallace's comments come amid a schism between Fox News' daytime anchors, who have largely stuck to straight news reporting, and primetime opinion hosts, who tend to fervently defend the president.
Hulu on Thursday rolled out "binge" ads that only appear for users who are binge-watching a certain TV series. The ads are co-branded with Hulu in an effort to make them feel less intrusive and commercial than regular TV ads.
Why it matters: Hulu Vice President and Head of Advertising Platforms Jeremy Helfand says that in total, 50% of ad-supported viewing hours on Hulu take place in a binge-watching fashion.
Fed chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the new U.S. trade deal with Mexico and Canada should remove some trade policy uncertainty, and that it's a positive factor for the economy.
Yes, but: However, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups have been registering their unhappiness with the trade deal in recent days.
Investors can expect higher stock prices but also a lot of potential potholes in 2020, according to the investment forecasts of major asset managers.
What they're saying: "[I]n 2020 the margin for error — and opportunity — will likely be as small as it’s been in a very long time," top strategists at State Street Global Advisors wrote in their 2020 outlook.
The historic outflow from equity funds this year likely has a lot to do with the aging demographics of the U.S., analysts at the Investment Company Institute say.
What it means: Shelly Antoniewicz, ICI's senior director of industry and financial analysis, says that the record flows out of U.S. and global equity funds and into bond and money market funds largely reflect older Americans' desire for safety.
