Financial Markets and Economy
Global Stocks Fall, Weighed by Lower Oil Prices, Uncertain Economic Outlook (Wall Street Journal)
Global stocks fell while gold and the yen gained, as lower oil prices and an uncertain global economic picture kept investors cautious.
Ridiculous Economic Policy Chart Of The Week- US Worker Weekly Earnings (Wall Street Examiner)
Whatever the central bankers and economic policy makers are doing sure is not helping US workers earn bigger paychecks. The collapse in the growth rate of employee earnings attests not only to the pressure on the wages of existing jobholders, but also to the horseshit, lousy, low-pay jobs the economy is adding while everyone else’s weekly pay is stagnating.
The global manufacturing sector just posted its weakest quarterly performance in years (Business Insider)
Activity levels across the global manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace in nearly three years in the first quarter of 2016.
The latest JP Morgan-Markit global manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) rose 0.5 points to 50.5 last month, suggesting that activity levels expanded fractionally in March after stagnating in February.
U.S. Index Futures Decline After S&P 500 Drops From 2016 High (Bloomberg)
U.S. index futures fell, signaling stocks will extend losses after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped from its highest levels this year.
The new Fed conspiracy theory 'seems wrong to us in so many ways' (Business Insider)
There have been rumors that Fed Chair Janet Yellen's recent dovish comments are somehow connected to a secret meeting to "take down" the dollar at the G-20 meeting.
Allegedly, global policymakers, including the US, Europe, Japan, China, and the International Monetary Fund, hashed out a secret deal at a secret side meeting at February's G-20 meeting in Shanghai.
Investment Banking Fees Fall to Lowest Since 2009 (Fortune)
Global investment banking fees fell 29% in the first quarter of 2016 from a year earlier as market volatility put a brake on dealmaking and equity and debt capital markets activity, Thomson Reuters data published on Monday showed.
Gold settles at monthly low on hawkish Fed hint (Market Watch)
Gold fell on Monday, ending at its lowest level in over a month after a Federal Reserve official suggested that an earlier-than-expected interest rate hike is likely.
“The weakness in gold is due to today’s comments by Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren that the Fed should hike rates sooner rather than later. This is notable since Mr. Rosengren is considered a dove,” said Mike Armbruster, co-founder of Altavest.
Oil Speculators Bet Rally's Over as Doubts Grow on Output Freeze (Bloomberg)
Money managers lost faith in oil’s recent rally as doubts grew over whether major producers will be able to agree on an output freeze.
U.S. trade deficit widens in February, but exports rebounding (Business Insider)
The U.S. trade deficit widened more than expected in February as a rebound in exports was offset by an increase in imports, the latest indication that economic growth remained weak in the first quarter.
A bucket of cold water for those who are bullish about stocks… (Business Insider)
The stock market staged a remarkable recovery in the first quarter of 2016.
Why the Silver Price Will Climb Higher in 2016 Despite Fed Uncertainty (Wall Street Examiner)
The silver price became increasingly unstable last week thanks to comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
The trading week began with upward momentum for silver prices. But other forces took charge and pulled the price of silver lower by the end of the week.
IMF: global market shocks from China will only increase (Reuters)
Global market spillovers from China's economic shocks will only increase in coming years as the country's financial influence grows and the yuan's use as a funding currency broadens, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.
Goldman Profit Estimates Cut Again as Analysts Project 45% Drop (Bloomberg)
Three months after predicting Goldman Sachs Group Inc. would put the tumultuous end of 2015 behind it and stabilize profits, analysts are reversing course and cutting projections. Again.
Fed's Evans says market more pessimistic on U.S. rate hikes (Reuters)
Financial markets are more pessimistic than the U.S. central bank in their pricing of U.S. interest rate hikes, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said on Tuesday.
Dollar slides to 17-month low vs yen as stocks, oil fall (Reuters)
The dollar fell on Tuesday to its weakest against the yen since October 2014 as investors pulled away from riskier assets, pushing shares and oil prices lower as the outlook for U.S. interest rates remained clouded.
The Japanese currency, often sought in times of market turmoil or economic uncertainty, fell as low as 110.30 per dollar as shares fell in Europe and Asia.
Tesla says parts shortages hampered first-quarter sales (Reuters)
Tesla Motors Inc said on Monday that parts shortages hampered vehicle production and sales in the first quarter, but the electric car maker still plans to build 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles this year.
Another Aussie Rate Cut Is Still on the Table (Bloomberg)
Australia clocked the fastest growth in the developed world outside Europe last year, commodity prices are rallying and the government’s in no hurry to return the budget to surplus. So why are traders still pricing in an interest rate cut in the coming 12 months?
Lagarde Sees Political Dangers Galore With Global Economy Tepid (Bloomberg)
The global economy is beset by an array of political risks, from terrorism to the U.K.’s potential departure from the European Union, at a time when growth is at best mediocre, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.
Tech Investors From Bonos Elevation Partners Get the Band Back Together (Bloomberg)
Next Equitys founders include two former Apple executives who worked alongside Steve Jobs.
Isaac Newton was a genius, but even he lost millions in the stock market (Business Insider)
Isaac Newton was one of the smartest people to ever live.
But there's a big difference between being a smart physicist and smart investor.
How to Smell Rotten Companies Like Valeant a Mile Away (Wall Street Examiner)
Every time you think that the embarrassment known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (NYSE: VRX) could not worsen, the company proves you wrong. Just two weeks after announcing the return of CEO J. Michael Pearson after a well-deserved sick leave and the withdrawal of 2016 earnings guidance, VRX announced new guidance and earnings that sent its stock down 50% in a single day. Sure Money readers made as much as 700% on my recommendation to purchase March 50 puts and June 50 puts on the stock.
This map from Deutsche Bank shows the winners and losers from the oil slump (Business Insider)
For oil-producing countries, the days of asking $100 a barrel seem to be over.
Time Is Running Out (Again) for Greece (Bloomberg View)
The Greek economy is still in desperate trouble, and yet another crisis is looming. If it happens, this could set back hopes of recovery across much of Europe. The last emergency won’t soon be forgotten — yet nothing is being done to avoid a rerun.
SunEdison Plans To File For Bankruptcy (Fox Business)
Solar-energy company SunEdison plans to file for bankruptcy protection in coming weeks, a dramatic about-face for a company whose market value stood at nearly $10 billion in July.
New U.S. inversion rules threaten Pfizer-Allergan deal (Reuters)
The U.S. Treasury Department took new steps on Monday to curb tax-avoiding corporate "inversions," with the pending $160 billion merger of Pfizer Inc and Allergan Plc seen as a potential casualty.
Politics
Trump, Clinton Face Uphill Battles in Tuesday’s Wisconsin Primaries (Bloomberg)
Wisconsin voters went to the polls Tuesday to decide whether Donald Trump’s latest self-inflicted wounds are deep enough to deny him a win in the state’s Republican primary, and, in turn, to diminish his hopes of winning the presidential nomination.
Palin is trying to court Wisconsin voters for Trump by posing with a dead boar? (Business Insider)
Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin posted a photograph Sunday of her posing with a dead boar in an effort to convince Wisconsin voters to support Donald Trump ahead of the state's GOP primary Tuesday.
Palin has spent time on the trail with the real estate mogul after formally endorsing him at the end of January.
Donald Trump Can Pay Off the National Debt in 8 Years (Financial Fact Check)
In a recent interview, presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would pay off the nation’s $19 trillion debt “over a period of eight years.”
Technology
Wireless charging system for EVs is nearly as good as plugging in (Business Insider)
Wireless charging for electric cars is already affordable, but it's still pretty limited: it's not the quickest option, and it's not even on the radar if you're driving large vehicles like trucks. Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are close to licking those problems once and for all, though. They've developed a 20-kilowatt wireless charging system that, at 90 percent efficiency, should be much more practical for topping up your car when pulling into the garage. The new design (which includes a mix of custom inversion, isolation transformers and electronics) is safe despite all the added electricity, since its magnetic fields drop off rapidly.
Quantum computing: Game changer or security threat? (BBC)
Superfast quantum computers could transform the world of finance, advocates say.
In a world where how fast you can assimilate and analyse data then act on it, makes the difference between profit and loss, computing speed is key.
Health and Life Sciences
Vitamin D 'heals damaged hearts' (BBC)
A trial on 163 heart failure patients found supplements of the vitamin, which is made in the skin when exposed to sunlight, improved their hearts' ability to pump blood around the body.
How Do You Die From Alzheimer’s (NY Times)
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes dementia, destroying memory, cognitive skills, the ability to care for oneself, speak and walk, said Ruth Drew, director of family and information services at the Alzheimer’s Association. “And since the brain affects everything, Alzheimer’s ultimately affects everything,” she said, “including the ability to swallow, cough and breathe.”
Earlier treatment may fight vision loss from diabetes (Futurity)
Diabetes-related vision loss most often is blamed on blood vessel damage in and around the retina, but new research suggests that much of that vision loss may result from nerve cell injury that occurs long before any blood vessels are damaged.
The findings could lead to new approaches to treating diabetes-related vision loss, called diabetic retinopathy, since many current treatments are aimed at damaged blood vessels.
Life on the Home Planet
The World Has Started Spending More on Weapons (Bloomberg)
Global military spending has begun rising in real terms for the first time since the U.S. began its withdrawal of troops from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China’s Carbon Emissions May Have Peaked, but It’s Hazy (NY Times)
A year and a half ago, negotiators from the United States persuaded the Chinese government to commit to a deadline for reversing the growth in greenhouse gas emissions from China.
