Brick-and-mortar retailers that have seen their businesses upended, and some literally destroyed, by the rise of e-commerce finally had a moment of vindication last week: The U.S. Supreme Court, in a landmark 5-4 ruling, basically gives states the green light to have online retailers collect sales tax just like any local retailer.

At least three U.S. coal shipments on their way to China may end up casualties of the escalating trade dispute after Beijing said it would impose steep tariffs that may kick in before the ships reach their destinations.

Few people consider used plastic to be a valuable global commodity. Yet China has imported 106 million tons of old bags, bottles, wrappers and containers worth $57.6bn since 1992, the first year it disclosed data. So when the country announced last year that it finally had enough of everybody else's junk, governments the world over knew they had a problem. They just didn’t know exactly how large it was.

A vague mention of Amazon.com Inc’s interest in any sector might be enough to send investors into a tizzy, but the top executive of U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. is unperturbed.