Raphael Stevens

An employee picks up orders from the shelves in a warehouse at the newly opened SingPost Regional eCommerce Logistics Hub in Singapore on November 1, 2016.ROSLAN RAHMAN | AFP | Getty ImagesConsumers are flocking online to shop as people seek to avoid crowds due to the pandemic, but getting the goods into the hands of the buyer can be challenging.To seize future opportunities, companies that are selling online need to build on infrastructure that support their businesses, said James Root, senior partner and chairman at Bain Futures, a global think tank of consulting firm Bain & Company.”E-commerce platforms need two pieces of infrastructure: They need great digital payment. The second thing is that they need great supply chain,” he told CNBC. “And that’s both to manage cross-border products coming into a market like Singapore, having swift customs clearance and easy paper processing for that.”Ultimately, convenience is king… It’s the convenience of shopping when I want, where I want. And it’s 24/7.Vaughan Ryansenior partner and chairman, Bain Futures”In-market capabilities that are appropriate” are also needed, Root said.”For example, parcel delivery spots that are near the big blocks of housing, and very good last mile transportation to get products into the hands of consumers at the sorts of speeds that we’re educating our consumers to start to expect now,” he elaborated.When Singapore imposed a “circuit breaker” or partial lockdown at the peak of the Covid-19 crisis last year, it laid bare the delivery and logistical challenges that e-commerce companies face.”Ultimately, convenience is king,” said Vaughan Ryan, managing director of e-commerce Asia Pacific at NielsenIQ. “It’s the convenience of shopping when I want, where I want. And it’s 24/7. So that enables consumers and especially in Singapore, given we’re so digitally minded, to shop more often.”Still, he said: “No one’s moved fast enough.””The consumer has been ahead of the speed of what manufacturers and retailers can do — catching up fast.””There’s still plenty of room for improvement in the logistics management of it all. Even in the immediate movement controller orders in the circuit breaker — the time slots to actually order online weren’t available. That’s improved significantly again… but there’s still a lot of work to be done in this area,” Ryan pointed out.Bridging the gapSingapore-based Ninja Van is one of the fastest-growing last-mile logistics company in Southeast Asia.”We bridge the virtual world and the physical world — you shop for something online, and we make sure it gets delivered to your doorstep, into a locker, to a nearby convenience store,” said Lai Chang Wen, CEO and co-founder of Ninja Van, a courier service in Southeast Asia.He said Ninja Van has turned to social media to help customers track their goods and improve the delivery process to cope with the changing times.”What we believe is more important today is … the ability for us to interact with you on your favorite chat messenger. Whether it’s Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, you choose it, you subscribe — and we’ll give you real time updates as to where your driver is.”Ninja Van’s fleet of delivery vans.Ninja Van”We think that’s a new form of tracking, which kind of fits into the way we use our phones, the way we interact these days, where it’s not overly intrusive, no one’s necessarily calling you,” he said.Ninja Van is currently working with e-commerce sellers in the city-state to overcome some of the supply related disruptions.”What we see as the opportunity coming up over the next few years is: We deal with a lot of these e-commerce sellers, and they import a lot of their goods from overseas — we are helping them deliver (right) to their customers,” said Lai.”Could we also help them with their supply chains? That’s something we’re working on quite a fair bit, on how do we bridge the supply chains of all of these e-commerce sellers,” he added. More

In this articleDOGE.CM=Germany-based travel site GetYourGuide has debuted U.S. offerings and the ability to pay with dogecoin.GetYourGuideGerman travel booking site GetYourGuide marked its expansion into the U.S. market Tuesday with the announcement that it now accepts dogecoin for payment.The Berlin-based firm, which says it’s booked 45 million-plus tours in 170 countries to date, is offering activity, attraction and tour bookings in major American destinations such as Hawaii; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Miami; New Orleans; New York; Orlando, Florida; and San Francisco. In addition to dogecoin, processed via BitPay, the site accepts major credit and debit cards, as well as PayPal and Google Pay.GetYourGuide co-founder and CEO Johannes Reck said in a statement that the firm is “beyond excited” to enter the U.S. market as the world exits Covid pandemic lockdown and people can venture out on holiday again.More from Personal Finance:As travel resumes, here’s why you might use a travel advisorPrice trumps pandemic fears as Americans book travel againSun Belt beach, city stays top travelers summer wish lists”The challenges many faced over the past year sent people into a virtual spiral — Netflix bingeing, increased social app use and a renewed interest in stock and cryptocurrency trading, such as dogecoin,” he said. “Why waste time worrying about hourly fluctuations in doge when we can invest in making memories by experiencing the best of the real world?”GetYouGuide joins a growing list of travel providers accepting dogecoin and various other cryptocurrencies for payment. In April, the Bobby Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, began accepting dogecoin and other cryptocurrencies for overnight stays and event bookings via BitPay.Read more about cryptocurrencies from CNBC ProJPMorgan analyst says this is when you’ll know the bitcoin bear market may be overForget crypto — this is the ‘next big thing’ investors should focus on, according to UBSCramer: Here’s why I bought back into ether instead of bitcoin when crypto stabilized last weekAirfare website Cheapair.com, Latvian carrier Air Baltic and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic have long accepted bitcoin. Expedia stopped directly accepting bitcoin in 2018, but 700,000 Expedia Group hotels and accommodations have been available via booking platform Travala, which accepts 30 cryptocurrencies, since 2020.The 3,500-room Resorts World Las Vegas, which opened Thursday on the Strip as Sin City’s first major new casino resort in a decade, will also take cryptocurrency for select payments through a partnership with U.K. crypto exchange firm Gemini.GetYourGuide’s chief marketing officer, Emil Martinsek, said the firm has something for everyone visiting one of its U.S. destinations, which also include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Tampa, Florida, and Washington, D.C.”No matter if you are an art fanatic, outdoor enthusiast, home chef, adrenaline junkie or an avid traveler wanting to truly get under the surface of your next destination, GetYourGuide is your companion to unlocking the most unforgettable experiences,” he said, in a statement.Offerings include walking tours with local experts, regional culinary tours, cooking and craft classes, “skip-the-line” tickets to iconic attractions, and so-called bucket list experiences. More

In this articleFGMTSLAThe stock market has already picked a winner in the race to mass electric-vehicle production, one market analyst says.Tesla’s lofty valuation — 137 times forward price-to-earnings as of Tuesday’s close — speaks volumes about where investors are placing their bets as legacy auto manufacturers rush to develop their own EV projects, TradingAnalysis.com founder Todd Gordon told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Tuesday.UBS Global Research weighed in on the competition in a Tuesday note, saying Volkswagen, General Motors and Hyundai were “likely to emerge as best EV re-rating stories.” The firm also cut its price target on Tesla’s stock to $660 from $730 and upped its targets for GM and Ford.Ford is having its best year since 2009, and GM its best since 2013. Tesla is having its worst year since 2016.The legacy automakers “will certainly gain market share in the near term on Tesla,” Gordon said.”But if you look at the billions of miles driven that Tesla has plugged into their major data centers compared to what the other EVs have, it’s not even funny,” he said. “The one who has the most data will ultimately be victorious. So, sure, they can gain some short-term market share, but I think longer term, … I think the market is already voting who the winner will be.”Tesla’s stock chart stacks up to the company’s technological potential, Gordon said, adding that he bought on a recent dip.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards”I added a third to my position at about 580 on June 3,” he said. “I’m continuing to be a Tesla bull. This is a long run play that I probably will hold for years to come.”Tesla shares were down just over 1%, at $680.76, on Tuesday.Ford’s chart does stand out as a short-term opportunity, however, Gordon said.The stock has regained ground thanks to strong earnings reports in recent quarters, breaking above a significant long-term downtrend, he said.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards”As long as we hold about $10 or $11, the artist formerly known as resistance now is support,” Gordon said. “That’s sort of any place to buy.”Ford shares ended trading less than half of 1% higher, at $15.01.Tesla found another fan in New Street Advisors Group founder and CEO Delano Saporu.UBS’ own survey found that 43% of respondents in China who intended to purchase an electric vehicle considered Tesla, Saporu noted in the same “Trading Nation” interview.Read more about electric vehicles from CNBC ProUBS cuts Tesla price target by roughly 10%, citing growing competitionWedbush says Tesla faces a ‘moment of truth’ in China with recallHere’s an infrastructure-based way to play the electric vehicle takeover in the next decade”That brand is still strong, even with some of the negative sentiment,” he said. “The other thing that I really like is it’s nearing levels that are pretty low and that growth trade is starting to come back into play now.”That could make for a catalyst in Tesla’s stock, Saporu said, adding that even though Tesla is comparatively expensive, Ford and GM are also “a little bit overbought at this point.””I think we still have a bit to go when it comes to Tesla, and I’m still very bullish on Tesla,” Saporu said.Disclosure: Gordon owns shares of Tesla. Saporu owns shares of Tesla personally and for clients.Disclaimer More

In this articlePAYXMarty Mucci, CEO of payroll provider Paychex, said Tuesday he expects the various factors weighing on the job market to abate before the fourth quarter.”I think we kind of see this all coming together around the September time frame, and I think that will really open up the market to allow people to be able to hire a little bit easier,” he said in an interview on CNBC’s “Mad Money.”As the U.S. economy continues to recover from mass layoffs during Covid-19 lockdowns, a debate has grown about whether federal unemployment benefits have deterred those without jobs from seeking work.Some states have ended the $300 weekly federal payouts. Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri, one of the first four states to end the benefits, said the federal program has “worsened the workforce issues we are facing,” The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.The New York Times reported the same day, however, that cutting the federal benefits has not spurred hiring in Missouri.Mucci said the pace of hiring cannot be blamed on just one thing.”What we’re hearing from our clients is really it’s a combination of many things that [are] making it tough to hire,” he said.Mucci said more Americans feel financially secure through the summer, thanks in part to stimulus payments that went out to most taxpayers and to the strong showing in the stock market. Vaccination rates and concerns about health safety are also playing a role, he added.Another challenge for families is that day care centers and schools are not operating at normal levels, Mucci noted.”I think people are saying right now there [are] all those concerns I mentioned, and when you balance it out I think they’re waiting,” Mucci said. “They’re going to kind of do a little bit of wait and see, and then I think [hiring will] start to pick up again in September.”Questions for Cramer? Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBCWant to take a deep dive into Cramer’s world? Hit him up! Mad Money Twitter – Jim Cramer Twitter – Facebook – InstagramQuestions, comments, suggestions for the “Mad Money” website? [email protected] More

In this articleSHOP-CASmall business is emerging as a key driver in the U.S. economic rebound, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein told CNBC Tuesday.”What we are seeing is that entrepreneurship is now part of the global recovery story,” he said in a “Mad Money” interview with Jim Cramer. “Small business is going to lead the charge in bringing our cities and communities back to where we were pre-pandemic.”Thousands of small businesses were forced to temporarily suspend their operations or permanently close down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many are still struggling to recover, even as the broader U.S. economy continues to rebound and the stock market keeps setting record highs.Finkelstein also announced earlier in the day Shopify, which hosts online stores and offers retail point-of-sale systems, is preparing to drop commissions on a portion of sales that developers make. It’s a part of the Canadian company’s plan to beef up its client base in part by eliminating the 20% cut it takes on the first $1 million clients collect through its marketplace.”That means that if you built an app on Shopify, your first $1 million is all yours,” Finkelstein said. “That is really important because we believe in this idea of building a real ecosystem, and we want thousands — and tens of thousands — of developers building on Shopify.”Questions for Cramer? Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBCWant to take a deep dive into Cramer’s world? Hit him up! Mad Money Twitter – Jim Cramer Twitter – Facebook – InstagramQuestions, comments, suggestions for the “Mad Money” website? [email protected] More

A Fox News channel sign is seen on a television vehicle outside the News Corporation building in New York City, in New York.Shannon Stapleton | ReutersFox News agreed to pay a record $1 million to settle an investigation by the New York City Commission on Human Rights into what a panel called a “culture of pervasive sexual harassment and retaliation at the network.”The settlement with Fox News is “the first of its kind against a major news network by a civil rights enforcement agency in the country,” the commission panel said in a news release Tuesday revealing the agreement.As part of the settlement, the conservative news channel agreed for the next four years to waive forced arbitration clauses in employee contracts related to workplace complaints brought under the city’s human rights law.Those clauses block employees from filing certain claims or disputes in lawsuits in court, and instead compel them to have an arbitrator hear their allegations. That arrangement can prevent the media and the public from learning about the claims.The deal also requires Fox to hold regular sexual harassment prevention and bystander training sessions for all city-based employees, including executives.And the network must put in place a multi-tiered system for reporting discrimination and harassment complaints for at least two years, the commission said.The $1 million fine is the highest civil penalty amount ever ordered for violations of the city’s Human Rights Law, the commission said in a press release.”Our settlement today demonstrates that in New York City no one is above the law,” said Carmelyn Malalis, chair of the NYC Human Rights Commission.The changes to Fox’s mandatory arbitration rules should be seen “as a model for future policy” for employers seeking to boost transparency and accountability, Malalis said.In a statement, Fox News Media said it is “pleased to reach an amicable resolution of this legacy matter.””FOX News Media has already been in full compliance across the board, but cooperated with the New York City Commission on Human Rights to continue enacting extensive preventive measures against all forms of discrimination and harassment,” the statement said.A series of high-profile workplace scandals in recent years involving the top brass at Fox — including former network chairman and CEO Roger Ailes and former marquee talk-show host Bill O’Reilly — prompted calls for investigation from advocates in New York.Ailes stepped down in 2016, shortly after being accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit brought by former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson. Ailes died in May 2017 at age 77.Suzanne Scott took over in 2018 as CEO of Fox News Media.In a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Scott — who had been at the network for more than two decades — said she “felt devastated for the women who work here” and “wanted to do everything I could to heal this place.”But Nancy Erika Smith, a New Jersey lawyer who represented Carlson in her suit against Ailes, accused Scott and Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch of creating “a toxic work environment, for women especially, and others, and now they have to pay for it.””Ending mandatory arbitration is a great way of doing that because silencing victims has been their M.O. since 1996,” said Smith, who has represented other women who worked at Fox in separate lawsuits.”I don’t see how we change Murdoch. I don’t see how you change Suzanne Scott,” Smith said.”But ending mandatory arbitration will stop silencing the victims.”Smith said that several of her clients cooperated with the commission investigation.In an additional statement, Fox News Media said that it has “worked tirelessly to completely change the company culture over the last five years.””Under the leadership of CEO Suzanne Scott, the network has implemented annual, mandatory in person harassment prevention training, created an entirely new reporting structure, more than tripled the size of our HR footprint, started quarterly company meetings and mentoring events, as well as implemented a zero tolerance policy regarding workplace misconduct for which we engage outside independent firms to handle investigations,” the company said.”No other company has implemented such a comprehensive and continuous overhaul, which notably, earned FOX News Media recognition as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the first time in its existence, a testament to the many cultural changes that Ms. Scott has instituted during her tenure as CEO,” Fox’s statement said. More