Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses the growing need for and increasing sophistication of cybersecurity tools, given that we live in a world where all of our connected machines can be targeted by hackers and cyberthieves.
• The flow of income tax refunds to US consumers is getting back on track following a slow start this year that had some worried that consumers might have less to spend at retailers already struggling with dwindling mall traffic and harsh competition from Amazon.
• Amazon could inflict roughly the same amount of cumulative pain on its competitors over the next three years as it did over two decades as a public company. However, analysts predict that growth of the company’s North America segment will slow to 16% in 2018 and decelerate in each of the following years.
• German retailer Lidl has announced that it plans to launch in the US this summer, with the first 20 stores to open in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The company intends to have at least 100 stores running on the East Coast within 12 months of the launch.