Financial Markets and Economy
Bank of America: The Biggest Part of the U.S. Economy Might Be Rolling Over (Bloomberg)
The U.S. consumer might have gone AWOL in March.
How Bad Is China's Debt Problem, Really? (Bloomberg View)
For months now, China's regulators have been warning about the dangers of rapidly expanding credit and the need to deleverage. Withnew plans to clean up bad loans at the country's banks, you might conclude that the government is getting serious about the risks it faces.
But there's reason to doubt the effectiveness of China's approach. In fact, it's running a serious risk of making its debt problems worse.
Oil Rises Most in Two Months on U.S. Output Drop, Freeze Talks (Bloomberg)
Oil rose the most in two months as U.S. crude production continued to slide before talks between suppliers to discuss freezing output.
Beijing risks 'ERM-style' currency crisis as deflation persists (Telegraph)
A top adviser to the Chinese government has warned that Beijing risks a currency blow-up akin to Britain's traumatic ordeal in 1992, if it continues trying to defend its exchange rate peg amid a deepening deflation crisis.
Will Earnings Spark a Big Move in Stocks? (Dash of Insight)
The economic calendar is moderate. Fed Heads are out in force. More significant is the start of “earnings season.” There is always speculation about earnings, but this time is special.
Why U.S. Infrastructure Costs So Much (Bloomberg View)
The U.S. ought to be spending more on infrastructure. This is the view of all right-thinking people, and as a right-thinking person I of course endorse it. With interest rates near record lows and the working-age population still, by historical and international standards, underemployed, governments (or in some cases entrepreneurs) should be borrowing much more to repave roads, shore up bridges, expand mass-transit systems, build new sewage-treatment plants, replace water mains, you name it.
JPM Annual Report 2015 (Brooklyn Investor)
It's been a while since I last posted. The only explanation, I suppose, is inertia. When you post a lot, you post a lot. When you don't post for a while, then you stop posting. It's true I started getting busy in September last year (kid/family stuff, mostly, so good stuff). And then you just get used to not posting etc.
By One Measure, U.S. Rates Are Already Negative (Wall Street Journal)
Negative interest rates have swept the globe, from Switzerland to Sweden to Japan.
Clients Pull Cash From Valeant Investor, Get Stock Instead (Wall Street Journal)
When Tom Bentley tried to pull his money from a mutual fund troubled by its large stake in Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., he instead received shares in a Springfield, Mo. auto-parts retailer.
Politics
OBAMA: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz 'have done us a favor' (Business Insider)
President Barack Obama said Donald Trump and Ted Cruz "have done us a favor" at a high-dollar Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraising dinner in San Francisco on Friday night.
Obama was speaking about the Republican-controlled House and Senate when he first mentioned the two leading GOP presidential candidates.
Bernie Sanders takes Wyoming Democratic presidential caucuses (Reuters)
Bernie Sanders won the U.S. presidential Democratic nominating contest in Wyoming on Saturday, besting rival Hillary Clinton and adding to a string of recent victories as the two candidates gear up for a crucial matchup in New York.
Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, has won seven out of the last eight state-level Democratic nominating contests, trying to chip away at Clinton's big lead in the number of delegates needed to secure the party's nomination.
Thousands of protesters demand David Cameron's resignation after Panama Papers allegations (Business Insider)
On Saturday morning, a huge crowd of protesters gathered in front of 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence in London, demanding David Cameron's resignation.
Technology
The most fun I've had behind the wheel this year was with Toyota's unusual vision for the future of mobility (Business Insider)
The future of mobility is an exciting frontier that everyone in the automotive world is trying to explore. As a result, companies have taken creative and odd approaches to meet the challenge.
Recently, Toyota gave me the chance to test out their i-Road concept. The i-Road is one of Toyota proposed solutions to solving urban transportation.
Apple's Fight With U.S. Over Privacy Enters a New Round (Bloomberg)
Apple Inc.’s fight over privacy with the U.S. isn’t over yet, even after the government dropped a demand for the company’s help in accessing a California shooter’s iPhone because someone else found a way to crack it.
Health and Life Sciences
Americans are eating less of one fruit, and it could signal a bigger problem in our diets (Business Insider)
America isn't eating its fruits and veggies the way it once did.
In a recent US Food Commodity Consumption report, researchers found that Americans are eating fewer fruits and vegetables, in part because we're not drinking as much orange juice.
New drugs that could save the US billions just got an approval that will change the face of Big Pharma (Business Insider)
The US pharmaceutical industry is on the brink of an entirely new ecosystem.
Until recently, branded biologic drugs made from living cells haven't faced competition once they lose patent protection.
Life on the Home Planet
For the First Time In A Century, Wild Tiger Populations Are Beginning to Rebound (Gizmodo)
Here’s some excellent news from conservationists: after decades of decline, wild tiger populations are beginning to rebound. That’s the consensus that will be unveiled this week at the Third Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation, held in New Dehli.
