Business news 2022

The states with the lowest minimum wage are Georgia ($5.15) and Wyoming ($5.15) – but.employers who are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must still pay the $7.25 Federal minimum. Twenty-one states will raise their minimum wage on January 1, 2022, and four more states will raise their minimum wage later in the year. Georgia and Wyoming are not among them.

New year brings minimum wage hikes to 21 states
The wage floor in California and New York will hit $15 for many workers in 2022.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-y...b04b42ab6818ca

COVID. Inflation. High gasoline prices. Supply chain disruptions. Not a good way to start the new year.

The economy is booming. Five reasons that could change in 2022.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/31/econo...022/index.html

Not surprisingly, Morgan Stanley will not admit to any wrongdoing.

Morgan Stanley to pay $60 million to resolve data security lawsuit

https://www.reuters.com/markets/fund...it-2022-01-02/

General Motors Corporation was founded in 1908 and now owns Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Chevrolet. Toyota was founded in 1937 in Koromo, Japan. The town was renamed Toyota on January 1, 1959.

Toyota beats General Motors in US sales; GM had led every year since 1931

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...s-gm-us-sales/

The CW was founded in January 2006 and was named after the first initials of CBS and Warner, which each own 50% of the network – but probably not for much longer.

ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia reportedly exploring sale of The CW

https://nypost.com/2022/01/06/viacom...ale-of-the-cw/

Okay, maybe this self-driving tractor will be able to plow a field – but will it be able to milk the cows, gather eggs from the hens and pick corn off the stalks?

John Deere gets close to self-farming farms with autonomous tractors coming later this year

https://www.businessinsider.com/john...ractors-2022-1

Meta could wind up having to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. Or not.

FTC attempt to break up Facebook's parent company can proceed, judge rules
A lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission claims Meta participated in "anti-competitive conduct" and violated antitrust laws.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/feder...b04e9d84df179e

Netflix was founded in 1997 in Scotts Valley, California as a DVD rental service. Netflix launched a streaming service in 2007 and began producing its own programming in 2013. Shares of Netflix closed today at 525.69, a gain of 6.49 (1.25%).

Netflix hikes subscription prices in US and Canada by $1-$2 a month

https://nypost.com/2022/01/14/netfli...us-and-canada/

Activision was founded in 1979 in Sunnyvale, California. Among their first video games were Boxing, Skiing, Freeway, Fishing Derby, Stampede and Barnstorming. Among their most successful game series are Spider-Man, Tony Hawk, Crash Bandicoot, Transformers, Guitar Hero, Call Of Duty and Soldier Of Fortune. In 2008, Activision merged with Vivendi Games, the parent company of Blizzard Entertainment, and formed Activision Blizzard. And today.....

Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion

https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/18/2...duty-overwatch

"Rehabilitated, you say? Sorry, we don't believe you."

Amazon, Whole Foods can be sued by murderer rejected for delivery job

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/news...job/ar-AATcKTk

Last week, Johnson & Johnson reported making $93.8 billion in sales in 2021. This $590 million settlement will not hurt them. Not in the least. Shares of Johnson & Johnson closed today at 170.88, a drop of 1.41 (0.82%).

Native American tribes reach $590 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over opioids
The tribal settlements are part of more than $40 billion worth of settlements, penalties and fines rung up over the years by companies over their role in opioids.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/triba...b04f9a12c34cf5

Spirit Airlines was founded in 1983 in East Detroit as Charter One Airlines and moved its headquarters to Miramar, Florida in 1999. Spirit is the largest low-cost passenger carrier in North America.

Frontier Airlines buying Spirit in low-cost carrier deal
The $2.9 billion cash-and-stock deal will allow the combined airline to be more competitive against its larger rivals.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-fr...b09170e9d3aee8

Six magazines acquired by IAC last year will cease print publication and be online only. Around three hundred people will lose their jobs. Many of IAC's 19 other magazines – including People, Southern Living and Better Homes & Gardens – will see reductions in the number of pages.

Entertainment Weekly, InStyle and four other Meredith magazines will cease print publications

https://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...dith-magazines

ViacomCBS has rebranded as Paramount Global. The company owns CBS Television, CBS Films, CBS Sports Network, Smithsonian Network, Showtime, Paramount+, Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Pocket Books and Atria Books. Paramount Pictures Corporation was founded in 1914 by Utah theater owner William Wadsworth Hodkinson. It is the second oldest movie studio in the United States. (Universal Pictures was founded in 1912.)

ViacomCBS is renamed Paramount in a nod to its past and streaming future

https://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...reaming-future

"I like Pepsi but you know what would make it even better? Adding nitrogen to it." Said nobody ever.

Nitro Pepsi, the first ever nitrogen-infused cola, hits stores this March

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddri...rch/ar-AAUdK5z

Dozens of American companies – including Nike, Exxon, Ford, Volvo, Boeing, Disney, Harley-Davidson and Google Maps – are suspending sales in Russia in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now in its seventh day. An estimated 2,000 Ukrainian civilians and 4,500 Russian soldiers have died so far.

Apple halts sales in Russia, bans propaganda apps over Ukraine war

https://nypost.com/2022/03/01/apple-...r-ukraine-war/

The Family Dollar chain was founded in 1959 in Charlotte, North Carolina and now has stores in every state except Alaska, Hawai'i, Oregon and Washington. Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015. Dollar Tree also acquired Family Dollar's rats.

400 Family Dollar stores closed after a rat infestation. It's part of a troubling pattern.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/04/busin...ree/index.html

Amazon has 24 "brick-and-mortar" bookstores in the United States. All will be closing, along with all the Amazon 4-Star and Amazon Pop Up stores in the US and UK.

Amazon to shut its bookstores and other shops as its grocery chain expands

https://www.reuters.com/business/ret...ps-2022-03-02/

Stolichnaya vodka – the name loosely means "capital city," referring to Moscow – was first manufactured in 1944. Since 2000, the vodka has been made in Latvia. The company's headquarters is in Luxembourg. Less than 1% of vodka consumed in the US comes from Russia.

Stoli vodka announces rebrand
CNN, Mar 5 2022 1:44 PM ET

The maker of Stolichnaya vodka has announced a major rebrand in direct response to its founder's "vehement position" against the Putin regime and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The vodka, famously marketed as Russian, will now be sold and marketed simply as Stoli.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/05/busin...sia/index.html

A growing number of companies are suspending sales in Russia in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. McDonald's has temporarily closed its 850 restaurants in Russia but will continue to pay their 62,000 employees. The war, now in its 13th day, has left more than 13,000 civilians and military personnel dead, according to Reuters.

McDonald's, Starbucks and Coca-Cola leave Russia

https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/08/busin...sia/index.html