Any rebound in the crude tanker market will have to wait. The International Energy Agency is downgrading its near-term outlook for global oil demand, the WSJ’s David Hodari reports, saying in a report that the worsening impact of the Covid-19 Delta variant is cutting into economic growth prospects. The IEA now sees crude orders expanding in 2022, when the group expects the world’s thirst for oil to return to pre-pandemic highs in the second half of next year. That’s a poor sign for tanker operators that have been looking for a rebound since business turned downward at the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Shipping analyst group Bimco said in a report this week that daily rates for tankers are hovering below break-even levels. The IEA’s latest report upgraded the 2022 forecast by 200,000 barrels a day, suggesting carriers with strong cash reserves will see better days next year.

The U.S. natural-gas industry is trying to clean up its production in an effort with important implications for the shipping sector. Investors, policy makers and buyers of liquefied natural gas are rethinking the fuel’s role in their energy mix because of worries over methane emissions. The WSJ’s Collin Eaton writes the concerns are particularly pronounced in Europe and increasingly arising in Asia, creating problems for LNG shippers like Cheniere Energy as they look to tap overseas markets. Some operators in the shipping world see LNG as an important bridge from heavy-polluting bunker fuel to cleaner operations. Limitations on LNG production and distribution could complicate its growing use in shipping. Much of natural gas’s carbon-intensity comes in the production stage, and Cheniere is working with U.S. producers to figure out the best way to monitor and quantify methane emissions, and to deliver a cleaner product.

Strains in global coffee supply chains are starting to reach consumer tables. Big retail brands are raising prices or preparing to charge more, the WSJ’s Krystal Hur reports, as producers grapple with higher bean prices, constrained supplies and rising expenses for transportation and logistics. Sales at major coffee chains fell sharply last year as consumers stayed home, but they are on pace this year to approach 2019 levels. Deeper in the supply chain, producers are coping with poor harvests in major coffee-growing regions and logistics snarls that have constrained bean supplies, delayed shipments and boosted costs. Some sellers have managed to shield themselves from rising prices by buying extra supplies in advance or hedging. Starbucks says it has more than one year’s worth of coffee on hand, with favorable prices locked in. Those strategies have limits, however, and rising labor and shipping costs are undermining the gains.

New applications for jobless benefits slipped again, in a fresh sign of momentum in the U.S. labor market. (WSJ)

Home prices across the U.S. surged a record 22.9% in the second quarter. (WSJ)

U.S. wholesale prices rose 1% in July in the sixth straight monthly increase. (MarketWatch)

Kansas City Southern’s board rejected a new takeover bid from Canadian Pacific, keeping a buyout offer from Canadian National on track. (MarketWatch)

Food-delivery firm DoorDash nearly doubled its revenue to $1.24 billion in the second quarter and showed $113 million in operating earnings. (WSJ)

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said his climate investment fund will commit $1.5 billion for emissions-reduction projects included in an infrastructure bill. (WSJ)

Alibaba set new policies to combat sexual harassment after sexual-assault allegations by a female employee triggered a widespread public backlash. (WSJ)

Adidas is selling its Reebok business to Authentic Brands Group for the equivalent of up to $2.47 billion. (WSJ)

Contract manufacturer Foxconn says it will build electric-vehicle factories in the U.S. and Thailand next year. (Nikkei Asia)

DoorDash held unsuccessful talks recently to buy food-delivery rival Instacart. (The Information)

Pitney Bowes says it will focus its e-commerce fulfillment business more on lightweight parcels after heavy volume weighed on service and profitability last year. (Supply Chain Dive)

Amazon is adding a large fulfillment center and five delivery stations to its Florida operations. (WFTS)

A group of former Amazon delivery contractors is forming a last-mile delivery company to serve non-Amazon retailers. (Insider)

U.S. grocery delivery startup GoPuff is acquiring U.K. rival Dija. (CNBC)

Container lines have started diverting ships around China’s Ningbo port since a container terminal there suspended operations. (Lloyd’s List)

First-half profit at Hapag-Lloyd jumped more than 10 times from a year to $3.28 billion as rising freight rates boosted revenue by 51% to $10.55 billion. (Does Jones Newswires) 

Tanker operator Euronav’s net loss deepened from the first quarter to $89.6 million in the second quarter. (ShippingWatch)

Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways told regulators they are adjusting operations to limit congestion at their U.S. intermodal terminals. (Trains)

India-based e-commerce fulfillment startup Pickrr raised $12 million in a Series B funding round. (Tech in Asia)

A planned strike by GXO Logistics drivers in the U.K. threatens to disrupt beer deliveries over the August bank holiday weekend. (The Times)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Write to him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @jensmithWSJ and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.