YouTube amps up its podcast investment: A new dedicated podcasting page will solidify its place as a serious competitor for Spotify and Apple.

Macy’s is making moves. It’s expanding its Toys R Us shop-in-shops to every Macy’s location and will open four smaller-format off-mall stores this fall.

The smartphone sector’s continued decline: Smartphone shipments have declined for the fourth consecutive quarter. Global uncertainty, lack of innovation, and increasing cost drive down demand.

Introducing cheaper, helium-powered space tourism: World View’s $50,000 space flight tickets could be the beginning of affordable space tourism. But finding appealing launch sites might trigger controversy.

Potential privacy catastrophe: Oracle is accused of creating dossiers on billions of users and their personal information and making billions off the list in what could be a massive privacy violation.

Here’s an outlook on how franchises will fare in the coming months.

eBay’s growth depends on its ability to dominate narrow niches: That’s why it is buying TCGplayer, an online marketplace for collectible trading card games such as Pokémon.

China’s slowing economy is taking its toll on retail companies: While JD.com topped expectations in Q2, it still posted its slowest year-over-year revenue growth on record.