Afternoon Coffee: Hurricane Michael Rips at Florida, Coupa Releases New BSM Product Updates

Hurricane Michael is lashing the Florida Panhandle with tropical storm winds before the dangerous Category 4 hurricane makes landfall Wednesday afternoon, the Washington Post reported. This would be the first time a Category 4 storm, which has at least 150-mph winds, has hit the Panhandle since records began in 1851, the Post said. Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have declared emergencies.

Coupa Launches BSM Updates

Coupa said this week it has launched the latest product updates for its platform. The new release focuses on supplier risk management and compliance, efficiency, and ease of use to help business have greater visibility and control, Coupa said in a press release. “Our latest updates leverage the power of Coupa Community Intelligence to enable our customers to manage business risk, while creating business spend management strategies that power growth,” said Raja Hammoud, Coupa’s senior vice president of products, in the press release. Of particular note in the release were Coupa's integration of Risk Aware within its sourcing optimization tool and the addition of new capabilities to facilitate project management.

Hot Holiday Item? It's Inventory

Now that Toys R Us has gone out of business, where will shoppers find the must-have toys for this holiday season? The Wall Street Journal examines whether the remaining big retailers can keep enough inventory on hand for the last-minute rush for toys.

Dow Down as Rate Concern Rises

And finally, a stock market update: The Dow saw a sell-off increase Wednesday morning as investors grew concerned about rising interest rates, USA Today reports.