Amazon has been a boon to small businesses, enabling mom-and-pop sellers to reach millions of consumers. But in the next few months, that could change. Bulk orders by Amazon will dry up for thousands of mostly smaller suppliers as the internet giant cuts costs by focusing wholesale purchasing on major brands. The mom-and-pops will have to sell their wares on Amazon one buyer at a time.—David E. Rovella Here are today’s top storiesA summer from hell is coming for millions of U.S. airline passengers, thanks to a confluence of events that are making airlines nervous. Apple, Nike and other U.S. companies that count on China for a major part of their growth have targets on their backs. Bloomberg created the Tesla Tracker, predicting Model 3 demand following the electric car’s rollout. Now we’re moving to the next stage. The unwillingness of Exxon Mobil and Chevron to venture beyond their fossil fuel business in the face of global warming will be tested Wednesday when shareholders vote on climate change proposals. The Supreme Court sidestepped the fight over abortion rights Tuesday, but Noah Feldman writes in Bloomberg Opinion that Associate Justice Clarence Thomas laid the foundation for a war to come. Bloomberg Businessweek reports on how, in the Middle East, the enemy of your enemy can still be an enemy. What’s Joe Weisenthal thinking about? The Bloomberg news director is looking at Bitcoin’s pre-history. On the latest episode of Odd Lots, Bloomberg talks with David Chaum, a crypto pioneer who’s been working on anonymous digital money since the early 1980s. His original vision was a bit different from Bitcoin. What you’ll need to know tomorrow What you’ll want to listen to tonightOne afternoon in the early 1980s, a longtime employee of Associated Fabrics Corp. in Manhattan saw his boss walk in with a stranger. The visitor roamed the warehouse floor, taking notes. He returned often in the coming days and weeks, communicating only with company’s owner, Marty Markowitz. The employee finally asked the man who he was. “He introduced himself as Isaac Stevens,” the worker said. But Stevens went by another name: Isaac Steven Herschkopf, Markowitz’s psychiatrist. Like Bloomberg’s Evening Briefing? Subscribe to Bloomberg.com. You’ll get our unmatched global news coverage and two premium daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close, and much, much more. See our limited-time introductory offer. Need something to binge-listen? Check out our new podcast! From Wondery and Bloomberg, “The Shrink Next Door” is a story from Joe Nocera about power, control and spending three decades seeking help from someone who pretty much turns out to be the wrong person. Listen on Wondery, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Download the Bloomberg app: It’s available for iOS and Android. |