business

6/24/24

The more companies talk about labor, the tighter the market

Good news for people who pay attention to what companies are saying on earnings calls: what they say might actually mean something.

Parsing transcripts from public company earnings calls from 2002-2024, researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found a very high correlation between mentions of labor issues on earnings calls and actual labor market tightness. They found that when companies are talking about labor issues, they are typically talking about them in a negative sense. “As a result, we can interpret an increase in mentions of labor issues as a situation in which firms are facing more labor issues, rather than resolving existing ones,” the researchers wrote.

That gives economists another tool in their toolbox when it comes to diagnosing labor market tightness, in addition to typical measures like the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed workers.

U.S. Labor Market Tightness and Labor Issues Index — Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, S&P Global, St. Louis Fed researcher calculations (stlouisfed.org)

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Alphabet’s YouTube said it’s paid out over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the past four years — cementing its place as one of the internet’s biggest talent magnets. The Google-owned platform, which turned 20 this year, credited connected TVs as a major driver of growth.

YouTube said the number of channels earning over $100,000 from TV screens has surged over 45% in the past year alone. Meanwhile, ad revenue for YouTube grew double digits in Q2 to $9.8 billion, topping the Street’s estimates.

business

11h

Webtoon surges after Disney plans to invest and partner in digital push for brands like Marvel and “Star Wars”

Webtoon Entertainment shares jumped 36% in premarket trading Tuesday after Disney said it’s buying a 2% stake in the digital comics platform. The investment is part of a deal to bring Marvel, “Star Wars,” Pixar, and 20th Century Studios titles into a new streaming-style app run by Webtoon. The offering will launch in Q4 across the US and nine other countries.

“With a new platform that will combine our product and technical expertise with Disney’s full comic catalog, we’re giving new and longtime fans all over the world a new way to discover these legendary characters and stories,” said Junkoo Kim, founder and CEO of Webtoon Entertainment.

The platform is expected to host more than 35,000 titles, mixing archived comics with Webtoon originals. Disney+ perks could also be on the table, giving the service a natural tie-in to Disney’s broader streaming play.

The arrangement isn’t final yet: Disney’s stake and the platform details are still under negotiation. But with Webtoon’s ~155 million monthly active users, the partnership gives Disney a mobile-friendly channel for its comics while Webtoon gains the ultimate IP access.

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Hyunsoo Rim9/15/25

business

9/12/25

Amazon is testing adding GM electric vans to its EV delivery fleet dominated by Rivian

Rivian may have some competition in its electric delivery van division: Bloomberg reports that Amazon is testing a small number of GM’s BrightDrop vans for its fleet.

According to Amazon, the test currently only includes a dozen of the vehicles. Amazon’s fleet also contains EVs from Ford, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz.

GM debuted BrightDrop in 2021, but the vehicles have struggled to sell and piled up on GM lots due to high prices and steep competition. GM began offering up to 40% rebates on the vehicles this year.

The test comes as Rivian struggles through tariffs and the end of EV tax credits. Earlier this year, it lowered its annual delivery outlook by about 13%. As of June, Amazon said it has more than 25,000 Rivian vans across the US. Earlier this week, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the company is still on track to deliver 100,000 vans to Amazon by 2030 and is “thinking about what comes beyond” that initial target.

GM has sold 1,592 BrightDrop vans through the first half of the year, more than the full-year total it sold in 2024.

Amazon Tests GM EV Delivery Vans in Bid to Meet Climate Goals

Amazon Tests GM EV Delivery Vans in Bid to Meet Climate Goals

GM debuted BrightDrop in 2021, but the vehicles have struggled to sell and piled up on GM lots due to high prices and steep competition. GM began offering up to 40% rebates on the vehicles this year.

The test comes as Rivian struggles through tariffs and the end of EV tax credits. Earlier this year, it lowered its annual delivery outlook by about 13%. As of June, Amazon said it has more than 25,000 Rivian vans across the US. Earlier this week, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the company is still on track to deliver 100,000 vans to Amazon by 2030 and is “thinking about what comes beyond” that initial target.

GM has sold 1,592 BrightDrop vans through the first half of the year, more than the full-year total it sold in 2024.

Chris Stokel-Walker9/12/25

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