Commodities, Business & Shipping (and Tariffs)

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searcher said:
Federal prosecutors want Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton sentenced to 11 years in prison for inflating the price of the electric truck maker’s stock to enrich himself.

The proposed sentence is in line with a presentence investigation report. But it fell well below the 60 years in prison called for based on calculations of the seriousness of Milton’s crimes. The government is also seeking a $5 million fine, forfeiture of a ranch in Utah that was subject of one of three fraud convictions, and an undetermined amount of restitution to investors to be determined after Monday’s scheduled sentencing n U.S. District Court in Manhattan, New York.

Milton, 41, was convicted of one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud in October 2022 following a 3 1/2-week jury trial.

www.freightwaves.com

Feds seek 11-year prison term for Nikola founder

Federal prosecutors want to see Nikola founder Trevor Milton imprisoned for 11 years as punishment for lying to investors.
www.freightwaves.com www.freightwaves.com
Click to expand...

Update.

www.freightwaves.com

Nikola Founder Trevor Milton releases new documentary

Nikola Founder Trevor Milton releases documentary aiming to set the story straight about his fall from leadership.
www.freightwaves.com www.freightwaves.com
 

These researchers are tracking the impact of tariffs on prices in real-time. Here’s how retailers are responding.​

Researchers are tracking the impact of tariffs on consumer prices in real time — and even as trade policy is seemingly continuously tweaked, prices are mostly heading higher.

Alberto Cavallo, the founder of the data company PriceStats and a professor at Harvard Business School, examined with two researchers data that was updated as recently as last week.

They scraped data from “four large” U.S. retailers that they didn’t name, matched products to universal product codes on some 308,000 products, and then ran generative AI models on products where they didn’t have UPCs. The AI model achieved accuracy rates of 88% in classifying products as domestic or imported in a test, and accuracy of 85% in classifying country of origin.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...s-are-responding/ar-AA1GuZir?ocid=socialshare
 
www.ttnews.com

UNFI Hack Leaves Some Whole Foods Shelves Bare - TT

In a June 9 email to customers, a representative said the company is “working toward the goal of returning to full operational capacity by” June 15 or sooner and apologized for any disruption.
www.ttnews.com www.ttnews.com

www.ttnews.com

FMCSA Seeks Input to Revamp Consumer Complaint Database - TT

FMCSA is seeking public input about its planned revision to the National Consumer Complaint Database that handles complaints against unsafe and unscrupulous companies.
www.ttnews.com www.ttnews.com
 

Wall Street Breakfast Podcast: Game On!​

Summary​

  • Nintendo Switch 2 becomes the company's fastest-selling console, with over 3.5M units sold in four days, aiming for 15M units this fiscal year.
  • Dave & Buster's sees early signs of recovery with a back-to-basics strategy, despite Q1 sales decline and mixed earnings reaction.
  • GameStop reports $6.4B in cash and no new Bitcoin purchases, with revenue down but a swing to net income and EPS beat.
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I know Bessant claims his.largest personal portfolio holding is physical gold.

I now wonder if it was him or Elon that purchased all those ASEs last year that drained retail supply?
 

Supply Chains Become New Battleground in the Global Trade War​

SINGAPORE—A key lesson from the latest skirmish in the U.S.-China trade war: The era of weaponized supply chains has arrived.

Earlier this week, Washington and Beijing ended a standoff involving the most potent new tool in superpower statecraft—export controls. As part of a monthslong trade fight, the two sides choked off the supply of such exports as rare earths or semiconductor technology in bid to gain an edge.

So when Chinese and American negotiators finally met in London to discuss a truce, the talk focused far more on dialing back supply-chain curbs than they did on tariffs, market access and other standard trade-negotiation topics.

That shift highlights how the rivalry between the U.S. and China is increasingly about who controls the levers of global economic power. For businesses and investors, the potential for these tools to be used more broadly in the pursuit of geopolitical goals by Washington and Beijing adds another layer of complexity to an economic backdrop already clouded by tariffs.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...global-trade-war/ar-AA1Gy9F7?ocid=socialshare
 

China's Rare Earth Lead Has The US Scrambling | Insight with Haslinda Amin 6/12/2025​

Jun 12, 2025
Insight with Haslinda Amin, a daily news program featuring in-depth, high-profile interviews and analysis to give viewers the complete picture on the stories that matter. The show features prominent leaders spanning the worlds of business, finance, politics and culture.

China's Rare Earth Lead Has The US Scrambling | Insight with Haslinda Amin 6/12/2025​

 

Stock futures fall as Trump threatens unilateral tariffs: Live updates​

Stock futures fell early Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened setting unilateral tariffs on trading partners in two weeks.

S&P 500 futures lost nearly 0.3%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were down 0.2%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were also lower by 179 points, or 0.4%.

Dow component Boeing lost more than 5% in premarket trading after an Air India Dreamliner 787 crashed after takeoff with 242 passengers on board. Shares of Oracle surged more than 9% after the company reported fiscal fourth-quarter results that beat on the top and bottom lines and indicated more cloud growth ahead.

More:

 
Fearnleys Week 24

www.drewry.co.uk

World Container Index - 12 Jun

12 Jun 2025: Drewry’s World Container Index remained stable at $3,543 per 40ft container this week.
www.drewry.co.uk www.drewry.co.uk

Baltic Exchange Dry Index - Price - Chart - Historical Data - News

Baltic Dry rose to 1,904 Index Points on June 12, 2025, up 9.55% from the previous day. Over the past month, Baltic Dry's price has risen 48.75%, but it is still 1.96% lower than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this...
tradingeconomics.com tradingeconomics.com
 
splash247.com

Shipping on edge as Israel and Iran fight fire with fire - Splash247

Israel launched wide-scale strikes against Iran this morning, targeting nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders, stating that the operation will continue “as long as necessary”. Immediately thereafter, Iran vowed “severe punishment for Israel” and has sent more...
splash247.com splash247.com
 

The Real U.S.-China Trade Fight Isn’t About Exports​

About the author: Marc Chandler is chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex, a division of First Financial Bank.

U.S.-China trade talks are focused on export controls and tariffs, but at a deeper level they are about the future of the Pax Americana formed after World War II. A corporate-driven globalization emerged as businesses adapted to U.S. hegemony, currency dominance, and protectionism. At stake now is whether China can follow the same path as the U.S., even while the American public begins to rebel against that model.

Pax Americana transformed global commerce through a distinct form of economic integration built on foreign direct investment, transfer pricing, and intrafirm trade—the movement of components, services, and intellectual property among subsidiaries of the same corporation. As Europe and Asia rebuilt, U.S. companies found their exports threatened by a strong dollar and foreign protectionist measures. Their solution was to invest directly in foreign production facilities. Illustrating this shift, General Motors, Ford Motor, and IBM established manufacturing operations throughout Western Europe, reducing exchange rate challenges and trade barriers while maintaining corporate control. This approach prioritized ownership over traditional trade.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...-t-about-exports/ar-AA1GDt6E?ocid=socialshare
 

Dow futures fall 400 points after Israel strikes Iran, spiking oil prices: Live updates​

U.S. stock futures tumbled early Friday after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Iran, pushing energy prices higher and adding another complication at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 423 points, or 1%. S&P 500 futures dropped roughly 0.9%%, while Nasdaq 100 futures lost 1.1%.

The market drop happened as Israel’s defense minister Israel Katz declared a special state of emergency following an Israeli attack on Iran. Two U.S. officials said that there is no U.S. involvement or assistance, according to NBC News.

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Ford CEO says rare earths shortage forced it to halt production​

Ford CEO Jim Farley said that a rare earth minerals shortage is hurting production and caused the automaker to temporarily shut down one of its plants last month, according to an interview with Bloomberg TV.

Rare earth minerals, which are a set of 17 metallic elements, are integral to automobile production, and enable features like windshield wipers, seat belts and speakers to function. About 90% of the U.S.'s rare earth minerals come from China, the world's largest producer of rare earths, according to data from the Geological Survey.

China has leveraged its grip on rare earths and their widespread utility amid a trade war with the U.S. In April, Beijing announced greater export controls on the materials — a sticking point in tariff negotiations — along with other retaliatory trade measures. The controls require businesses to apply for a license to export rare earths, which U.S. automakers say they have been struggling to secure.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...-halt-production/ar-AA1GFKtr?ocid=socialshare
 
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