Bloomberg Businessweek Bloomberg Businessweek Weekend - January 30th, 2026
Jan 31, 2026
Nick Molnar, Afterpay co-founder and CEO, on buy-now-pay-later trends and fintech competition. Stamatis Santanis, shipping CEO, on routes, commodities and rising shipbuilding costs. Sheila Kayalu, Jefferies equity analyst, on airlines, defense budgets and Boeing’s cash recovery. Dan Flornes, Fastenal CEO, on manufacturing, supply chains, sourcing and nearshoring shifts.
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Nearshoring Over Mass Reshoring
- Flornes sees less talk of offshoring and more onshoring or nearshoring to service local markets efficiently.
- Companies are expanding production in North America to be closer to end customers, not necessarily reshoring en masse.
CEO Transition Amid Digital Shift
- Flornes will step down as Fastenal CEO in July after guiding the company through prolonged industrial cycles.
- He highlights AI and improved visibility as transformative for sourcing and MRO efficiency.
Geopolitics And AI Boost Commodities Demand
- Stamatis Santanis says geopolitical tensions are raising demand for commodities and strategic infrastructure, lifting shipping and raw-materials relevance.
- He links AI and data center buildouts to higher metal and logistics demand globally.