Independent thinking for complex markets and current events
Sellers are noticeably scarce on Manhattan’s Canal Street a day after a mass of federal agents questioned street vendors and sparked spontaneous protests. Some who ventured out Wednesday are disheartened or riled by the sweep. (AP Video: David R. Martin).
The Defense Department is quietly reshaping its AI strategy. Behind the scenes, officials are testing new systems to reduce reliance on outside vendors like Palantir Technologies. The shift comes despite Palantir’s recent $795 million contract boost for its Maven Smart System, which now totals $1.3 billion through 2029. That expansion was approved in May 2025, …
🇬🇧🎄London’s Christmas market shop vendors told not to use the word ‘Christmas’ to be more inclusive and instead use the words ‘Winter Market.’ “Something to do with religion. They cannot say Christmas.” 🎥 @benleo444 @GBNEWS pic.twitter.com/I7z9Wk8Mvk — Oli London (@OliLondonTV) December 23, 2024
In the months before Bed Bath & Beyond declared bankruptcy last April, the former home goods titan was trapped in a crushing cycle. The retailer had been failing to pay its vendors on time, if at all. During the pivotal holiday season, some began requiring payment when goods were delivered or refusing orders altogether, which …
A Queens neighborhood in New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s congressional district was likened by locals to a “third world” country with people selling goods on the sidewalks and prostitutes openly soliciting sex. The widely vibrant and diverse communities of Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in northwestern Queens appear to have descended into an open …
NYC just passed new laws banning vendors from certain parts of the city. Officials herald this as a win for pedestrians, but to the hundreds of small businesses that now must move out or shut down, and uncertain future awaits.