“We support the Biden administration’s focus on making bold investments in American infrastructure,” Bezos said. “We recognize this investment will require concessions from all sides — both on the specifics of what’s included as well as how it gets paid for.”
It’s a notable announcement — especially given that Amazon has been criticized for paying little or no income tax in recent years. The company reported a US federal tax liability of $1.8 billion in 2020, compared to net income for the year of $21.3 billion.
Amazon’s willingness to increase its tax burden comes as the company has been forced to play defense on a number of other fronts.
The online retailer has clashed with lawmakers in recent weeks over a union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. Ballots are still being counted, but the vote could mark a huge win for organized labor and upend how the company engages with hundreds of thousands of US workers.
In his shareholder letter, Dimon wrote that America is “clearly under a lot of stress and strain” thanks to the pandemic, racial inequality, the rise of China and “the divisive 2020 presidential election, culminating in the storming of the Capitol and the attempt to disrupt our democracy.”
The influential Business Roundtable has pledged to fight higher corporate taxes, which it claims will make US companies less competitive. But it’s noteworthy that Amazon has decided to direct its focus elsewhere.
Coinbase reports huge growth ahead of Wall Street listing
The latest: The digital currency exchange estimated Tuesday that it brought in $1.8 billion in revenue during the first three months of the year. That’s up from $1.3 billion for all of 2020.
Between January and March, the price of bitcoin — the most popular crypto coin — jumped from less that $30,000 to more than $58,000, while the price of ethereum more than doubled.
“We have seen all-time high crypto asset prices drive elevated levels of user activity and trading volume on our platform,” Coinbase chief financial officer Alesia Haas said in an investor call.
Watch this space: California-based Coinbase is the highest profile company in the crypto space to go public, and its direct listing on the Nasdaq, which is scheduled for next Wednesday, is getting lots of attention.
But regulation of the crypto space remains a big risk. Last month, Coinbase reached a $6.5 million settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over claims it delivered false or misleading information about transactions and that a former employee made manipulative trades.
“We are subject to an extensive and highly-evolving regulatory landscape and any adverse changes to, or our failure to comply with, any laws and regulations could adversely affect our brand, reputation, business, operating results, and financial condition,” the company warned in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Topps is going public as trading cards boom
The pandemic has fed a resurgence in the popularity of trading cards, with the hobby attracting both a new wave of young adherents and a stream of professional investors hunting for returns.
The deal would value Topps at $1.3 billion.
Topps has been a publicly-traded company several times throughout its many decades in business. Most recently, it was taken private in 2007 by an investment firm run by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. That deal was worth $385 million.
The industry has also received a boost from the craze over non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. Topps recently expanded its business to sell digital editions of its player cards, each with a unique digital token built on blockchain technology. That creates a scarcity that makes them more valuable to collectors.
Up next
The meeting of G20 finance ministers and central banks governors wraps up with a press conference at 10 a.m. ET.
Also today:
- The latest data on US crude oil inventories posts at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Minutes from the most recent Federal Reserve meeting arrive at 2 p.m. ET.