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Walmart will increase prices due to Donald Trump’s trade war


despite this week's agreement between the US and China to reduce punitive tariffs... Walmart will try to keep food prices in check after years of food inflation, McMillon said. But he said there are new tariff pressures for products it has to import, such as bananas from Costa Rica and coffee from Colombia... McMillon's warning on Thursday came as Walmart reported a 4.5 per cent annual increase in comparable sales in its eponymous US business in the three months to the end of April, surpassing the 3.7 per cent increase expected by Wall Street analysts, according to Visible Alpha... Mexico, Canada, Vietnam and India are Walmart's main sources of imports, along with China... Walmart reported that its e-commerce business - which includes sales from its own inventory and from third-party merchants using its platform - grew 22% year-on-year and was profitable both in the US and globally for the first time. Trade war jitters prompted shoppers to accelerate purchases of certain items in an effort to beat tariffs, potentially distorting the picture of consumer demand

E-CommerceFruit and vegetablesInflationWalmart
 

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The Internet is now, also in our country, the main means by which citizens inform themselves (AgCom Information System Observatory)


which published its annual report with data for 2023 and trends for 2024 in March 2025. ✔ Why it matters: for the first time, television loses its leading position among the information media (46.5% of the population) 21 percentage points less in the comparison between 2023 and 2019. The primacy of the Internet as an information medium is confirmed for all age groups, with the exception of the over-65s. ✔ An important detail: 50.5% of those who are subscribed to at least one social network declare that they find out about news and information on social networks earlier than on other media, in particular thanks to notification systems and what the AgCom Observatory defines as "digital word of mouth". ✔ The general picture: Italian citizens inform themselves online mainly through social networks (19.8% of the population) and search engines (17.9%). Also far behind are the online versions of newspapers and magazines: 11.8%. ✔ Yes, but: only 6.6% of Italians say they have subscribed to at least one online newspaper, while among those who have not subscribed, only 14.4% show any intention of subscribing to the internet version of a newspaper sooner or later; the vast majority, however (85.6%) have no intention of doing so in the future either Source

Antitrust
 

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Beef prices in the US continue to rise


As ranchers face the leanest herds in 70 years A years-long drought in the American West has dried up pastures and created a shortage of calves... The average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $5.79 in US cities in March, up 12.8 per cent from last year and the highest on record, according to Labour Department data. The price of raw beef steaks also hit all-time highs, reaching $10.98 per kilo. A years-long drought in the American West has dried up pastures and US farmers have steadily reduced their herds, creating a shortage that has driven up the price of calves and, consequently, other beef products. Labour and insurance costs have also risen, and although cattle weights are higher than ever before, this is not enough to compensate for the collapse in cattle numbers... Inflation is low (2.3%) but is likely to rise soon with the tariffs.

InflationMeat
 

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Nestlé : Perrier from mineral water to simply drinking water? Faced with many problems Nestlé Waters would like to sell its water for 5 billion


The Prefect of Gard has indicated that the controversial treatments used by Nestlé in its Gard factory are not allowed. Under these circumstances,it remains to be seen whether the historic Perrier site will be able to continue draining mineral water or simply drinking water. At the same time: Nestlé would like to sell its water division for $5 billion. The company reportedly mandated Rothschild to advise on the sale of the water segment. Among the potential brands to be sold is San Pellegrino. To understand the affair and delve deeper, among feces, pesticides, frauds and false testimonies read : Nestlé's water activities under accusation : the scandal that, in Italy, nobody wants to talk about. p.s.. : on Perrier 'mineral water' (or not) extension until 7 August, when the prefect of Gard will make his final decision. As of today, the multinational has to dismantle an illegal microfiltration system. Written on 10 May, updated on 12 May 2025

NestlèPesticidesWater
 

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From Uniqlo to Temu: Japanese buyers make a generational change


Chinese platforms have broken through barriers once considered impenetrable Temu and Shein because they offer products at prices as much as 90% lower than Japanese retailers. Japan has long been known as a retail graveyard, where even global giants like Tesco, Walmart and Carrefour have failed. The rise of Chinese platforms signals a fundamental shift in one of the world's most closed consumer markets. Historically, the retail and e-commerce sector in Japan has been defined by its insularity. Local groups such as Aeon, Uniqlo and Rakuten have long dominated, thanks to intricate supply chains, loyal customer bases and favourable regulatory environments. Cultural factors add another layer of difficulty for foreign players, from the long-standing preference for domestically manufactured products to geopolitical tensions, particularly among the older generation. Yet a surprising reversal of this trend has been taking place in recent years. Chinese companies, including PDD Holdings' Temu and Shein, have broken through barriers once considered impenetrable, offering products at prices as much as 90% lower to local retailers. Chinese-ownedTikTok is preparing to enter the Japanese online shopping market in the coming months, signalling a further deepening of the Chinese retail push in the country...

CarrefourE-CommerceLocalismTescoWalmart
 

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Overall, Chinese exports grew in April


This morning the Chinese chinese import-export data for April (remember that Trump's official announcement of duties took place on 2 April) Export from China to USA -21% in April (-2.5% YTD) US imports to China -14% in April (-4.7% YTD) Overall Chinese exports grew in April with strong contributions from Asean🇮🇩🇵🇭🇹🇭and Europa🇪🇺 the number of cargo ships travelling from China to the US dropped dramatically towards the end of the month Read about it here but also here

 

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Disney and Google


Disney 10.76% after announcing more foot traffic and higher spending at its parks Alphabet (Google) closed at -7% speaking in court for an antitrust case against Alphabet Eddy Cue an Apple manager said that for the first time in history the volume of Google searches passing through Safari (Apple's browser) has dropped the main reason is the growth in the use of the various AI systems for searches remember that Alphabet is worth about $1.8tn and 90% of its revenues come from searches

AntitrustStreaming