It won’t get much better than low single digits going forward. The next few years will see low growth by historic standards but not to a disastrous extent.

The up-and-coming shopping app Temu made waves with its Super Bowl ad debut this year, airing its 30-second spot with a cheery “Shop Like a Billionaire” tagline several times on Fox during and after the broadcast of the big game. Here’s what you need to know.

Instagram is shutting down its livestream shopping business: The move is the latest sign of US shoppers' disinterest in livestream commerce.

There’s often a perception that markets in Asia developed digital offerings far faster than the US and Europe—that’s only partially true in retail.

Alibaba’s retail ecommerce sales in China were nearly twice that of Amazon’s worldwide in 2022, at $1.229 trillion compared with about $657 billion, per our estimates. Latin American competitor Mercado Libre had significantly less ecommerce sales, at nearly $35 billion.

China’s protest flashpoint: Citizens are taking to the streets in the most significant protest against the Communist Party’s tightening grip since the Tiananmen crisis. Geopolitical strife could shut down the world’s factory.

TSMC commits to building high-end chips in US: The global chip production landscape could shift as fabs find homes in US cities, but economic uncertainty could pause expansion plans.

Many US companies are cutting their investments in China: The country’s COVID-related lockdowns have led many retailers and brands to shift manufacturing elsewhere to avoid disruptions.

China’s prolonged COVID-19 shutdowns lead to factory escapes: With cases spiking, manufacturers like Foxconn are turning to bonuses to keep production moving, but some workers are running away.

The repercussions of China’s leadership overhaul: Markets in China, Hong Kong, and New York plunge over worries that Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power could further confound investment in Big Tech.

Apple’s manufacturing shift from China: The iPhone maker is looking to India and Vietnam to manufacture its most profitable products—a sign that Apple’s long time reliance on China’s manufacturing could be coming to an end.

China blasts $52B CHIPS Act: Beijing is calling out the US’ efforts to boost chipmaking, citing violation of fair market practices. Manufacturers are caught in the middle of an intensifying conflict.

TikTok’s growth could be stifled by ties to China: Intense demand and repeated scandals have the company twisted in a knot.

Focusing on TikTok: As the social video platform cuts jobs around the world and deals with the departure of its chief security officer and accusations of data harvesting, we weigh in on what’s next.

China has set the pace for livestream shopping, but it’s catching on elsewhere around the world. Join our analyst Bill Fisher as he hosts analysts Man-Chung Cheung and Karin von Abrams to discuss some of the successes, road bumps, and opportunities in this space.

Over the course of 2021, the Chinese government promulgated two groundbreaking laws governing the country’s digital economy. The Data Security Law (DSL) and the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) were introduced throughout H1 and implemented in H2.

Super apps in Asia, such as WeChat, Alipay, and mobile messaging app Line, have dominated ecommerce and online services in the region for years. Now, some Western apps are trying to build their own super apps by creating marketplaces next to their core financial, social, or delivery services. Most of these apps use a combination of monetization methods, including commissions and ad serving.

China’s economic woes squeeze smartphone growth: The largest market and producer of smartphones, rocked by monthslong lockdowns, is holding back global production and sales for the remainder of the year.

Didi gets short shrift, again: Forced to delist from NYSE, the ride-hailing giant was made an example of by Beijing’s ruling. Now that China is loosening controls, Didi remains in delisting limbo.