Rental car giant Hertz (HTZ) is making a strategic move into the online used car market, announcing a partnership with e-commerce behemoth Amazon (AMZN). Hertz will become the first fleet dealer on Amazon Autos, allowing consumers to browse, finance, and purchase thousands of its pre-owned vehicles directly through the online platform. The initiative will initially roll out in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle, with plans for expansion to 45 Hertz Car Sales locations nationwide. This collaboration aims to significantly expand Hertz's retail operations and diversify its revenue streams, while also marking a notable expansion for Amazon's nascent automotive business. Following the announcement, Hertz's shares experienced a jump, while other used car retailers like Carvana (CVNA) and Vroom (VRM) saw their stock prices decline.
In the burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) sector, Chinese tech giant Xiaomi's (XIACY) EV division is projected to turn a profit by the second half of 2025. CEO Lei Jun confirmed the ambitious target, positioning Xiaomi EV to potentially become the fastest Chinese automotive brand to achieve profitability, outpacing rivals such as Nio (NIO) and Xpeng (XPEV). In the first quarter of 2025, the EV business recorded RMB 18.1 billion ($2.5 billion) in revenue, with an operating loss of RMB 500 million ($69.5 million). The company has demonstrated strong performance, delivering over 28,000 vehicles in May, marking its eighth consecutive month exceeding 20,000 deliveries, and plans to launch its new YU7 model in July 2025.
Meanwhile, the energy markets saw oil prices rise following a significant drawdown in U.S. crude oil inventories. Data indicated a 3.2 million-barrel decrease in U.S. crude stockpiles, surpassing analysts' expectations. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled around $63, and Brent crude traded near $67. Despite this bullish signal, market sentiment remains cautious due to projections from the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasting a supply glut in 2025, influenced by OPEC+ output decisions and former President Donald Trump's trade policies.
In other financial news, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic stated that the cryptocurrency market, while expanding rapidly, is not yet large enough to pose a significant threat to overall financial stability. Research by Federal Reserve System economists suggests that investors in stablecoins exhibit similar behaviors to money market fund investors during periods of market stress, often shifting from riskier assets to those perceived as safer.
Chilean state-owned copper miner Codelco announced its El Teniente mine is expected to produce 316,000 metric tons of copper this year. This production forecast comes despite a deadly collapse at the site in late July, an incident estimated to cost the company $340 million.
Finally, the global green bond market, including Japan's ESG bond issuance, has experienced a downturn, with Japan's issuance falling by 8%. Global green bond sales reached a three-year low of $132.37 billion in the January-April period of 2025. This decline is largely attributed to global economic uncertainties and the lingering "shadow" of former U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, including potential tariff hikes and his administration's focus on boosting oil and gas production, which contrasts with decarbonization efforts and can increase the cost of issuing green bonds.
Additionally, Coca-Cola Mexico is set to invest $85 million to expand its Jugos del Valle-Santa Clara plant in Jalisco.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.