Whether it was Richey May’s lock picking kit, Maxwell’s milk frother, Total Expert’s socks, or Byte’s locally made sweet treats, there was plenty of vendor schwag in Las Vegas at the ACUMA event, just as there is at many conferences. (Thank you to Lisa B. for passing along this article illustrating how the tchotchke market is an economic indicator!) Byte is known for helping local merchants, unlike much of the merchandise that comes from, say, China. Speaking of imports and trade, the Fed can only do so much when it comes to trying to control inflation, and roughly 50,000 International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) members have begun a work stoppage this morning until negotiations are resolved with the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents ocean carriers. This means that operations across East and Gulf ports are on hold. This large-scale strike has stopped the flow of a variety of goods through ports from Maine to Texas. Depending on the length of the stoppage, this could result in shortages of certain products. (Today’s podcast is found here and this week’s is sponsored by Candor. Candor’s authentic Expert System AI has powered more than 2 million flawless, hands off underwrites. Every credit risk decision Candor makes is backed by a Warranty, eliminating repurchase worries. Hear an interview with Clever’s Jaime Seale on a survey showing that 50 percent more sellers would use an agent on their next home sale if they didn’t have to pay the buyer’s portion of the commission fee.)