Counterfeit

It's reality check time and we are opening the holiday-shortened trading week in a bear market in the S&P 500 after U.S. stocks had their worst week last week since March of 2020. The Federal Reserve hiked the federal funds rate by three quarters of a percent last week as it tries to cool inflation. I know, I said that would be "out of character" and "off script" on last week's podcast . So, you know the situation is pretty serious, and the Federal Reserve does not have inflation under control. No central bank does, for that matter. It's going to take aggressive interest rate hikes to get to what the Fed calls a normal rate environment (3.4%), which means we may very well see another 75 basis point hike at the Fed's next meeting in July. While that 3.4% may be normal, if you look at the last 50 years, it is not normal when you look at the past decade, which has been characterized by accommodative monetary policy via low interest rates and low inflation well under 2%. This is new … [Read more...] about Investing in Wine With the NBA’s Elite Players

PETALING JAYA: Many people are willing to risk buying parallel medicines online to treat chronic illnesses. Among the reasons cited for such purchases is the lower price for treating long-term illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure.But many are unaware of the danger of using medications that come from the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Thailand. Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations interim president-elect Lim Jack Shen said these parallel medications were sold openly on Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp despite not acquiring approvals from the Health Ministry. “Previously, the parallel medicines were available on ecommerce sites but due to the vigilance of the authorities and cooperation from such platforms, the matter was resolved. “Once purchased, the medications are sent to the country via hand carry luggage or parcels. It is very difficult to check every parcel in the country due to the high volume handled every day. “People buy them as they are … [Read more...] about Experts: Chronic illness medicine bought online may put health at risk

How far would you go to beat your competition ? Some Amazon sellers are using questionable tactics--flagging legitimate products as counterfeits and flooding product pages with fake reviews--to hurt rivals' listings and wipe out their competitors , The Wall Street Journal reports . Some have even bribed Amazon employees in the U.S. and India to gain access to internal company data, though these workers have since been fired, according to the report. While the Seattle-based e-commerce titan uses artificial intelligence to stop bad actors before they strike, there are still a few schemes that get past the machines. Here are four ways Amazon scammers are undercutting the competition, as reported by WSJ. 1. Tainting products with phony infringements Merchants are flagging legitimate products as counterfeit or as infringing trademarks. When Amazon removes the listings from its platform while the items are under review, customers can no longer find … [Read more...] about 4 Amazon Seller Scams You Should Watch Out For

Williams-Sonoma has an Amazon problem, so it's taking the company to court to solve it. Last week, the San Francisco-based home goods retailer filed a lawsuit accusing Amazon of both selling counterfeit products on its platform and copying Williams-Sonoma's  proprietary designs for its own private label brand, The Washington Post reports . While it is third-party retailers who allegedly sell counterfeit products on Amazon--a problem the company has dodged by citing its role simply as a middleman between buyer and seller--Amazon is actively marketing counterfeit goods as "by Williams-Sonoma," the lawsuit alleges. Williams-Sonoma also alleges Amazon copied two of its chair designs, the "Orb" and the "Slope." "To protect the integrity of its brand, [Williams-Sonoma] does not license [its brand] in connection with online retail services," reads the complaint, adding that the way Williams-Sonoma's products are advertised on Amazon's platform creates "a strong … [Read more...] about Amazon’s Third-Party Sellers Just Landed the Company in Hot Water