Financial Markets and Economy
Global Stocks Extend Rally for Fifth Day as Oil Reverses Losses (Bloomberg)
Global stocks rallied for a fifth day and oil climbed, while the dollar reversed gains, and Singapore’s currency dropped as the city state unexpectedly loosened monetary policy.
Currencies Across Asia Fall Sharply Against U.S. Dollar (Wall Street Journal)
Currencies across Asia including the Chinese yuan dropped sharply against the U.S. dollar Thursday, with markets caught off-guard as the Singapore central bank restrained the appreciation of its currency to stoke growth.
IEA Sees Oil Oversupply Almost Gone in Second Half on Shale Drop (Bloomberg)
Global oil markets will “move close to balance” in the second half of the year as lower prices take their toll on production outside OPEC, the International Energy Agency said.
Why this market rally looks like a classic investor trap (Market Watch)
The U.S. stock market’s rally from the worst first-quarter performance since 2008 appears to be a classic investor trap.
How corporate tax avoidance is hurting America and the rest of the world (Market Watch)
Tax-haven abuse by multinationals is exacerbating the global wealth gap and putting an excessive burden on developing countries, according to a damning new report from the nonprofit Oxfam.
Coming just a week after the release of what have come to be known as the Panama Papers, the report sheds further light on the untiring efforts by companies and wealthy individuals to avoid paying taxes using offshore havens and loopholes in tax laws, starving national governments of investment funds for education, health care and infrastructure.
What Negative Interest Rates Mean for the World (Wall Street Journal)
Central bankers around the world are pushing deeper into the once-unthinkable world of negative interest rates — essentially charging customers to hold their cash.
Goldman Asset $15 Billion Manager Sees Wild Markets, Tame Gains (Bloomberg)
Suneil Mahindru expects a wild ride in the world’s stock markets and not that much to show for it, at least compared with easier times in the past.
Europe has escaped its deflation nightmare — just (Business Insider)
Eurozone inflation escaped from negative territory in March, with prices neither growing nor falling over the the course of the month, according to the latest release from Eurostat. Inflation was flat at 0.0%.
Foreclosures fall to pre-crisis lows, RealtyTrac says (Market Watch)
The housing market continues to heal, with national foreclosures at 9-year lows, but pockets of distress remain.
Mothercare shares have crashed nearly 20% after a horrible set of results (Business Insider)
Shares in British retailer Mothercare dropped are tanking on Thursday after it announced a hugely disappointing set of quarterly results.
Shares hit 2016 high, FX hit by Singapore sting (Reuters)
World stocks rose to their highest level in more than four months on Thursday and the dollar chalked up a third day of gains as markets took a positive view ahead of top policymaker and oil producer meetings.
Bank of America expands merchant services (Business Insider)
Bank of America Merchant Services has announced that it will expand into Europe.
Chase online small business lending goes live (Business Insider)
JPMorgan Chase’s online lending platform for small business clients, which is offered in partnership with alternative lender OnDeck, launched on a “limited basis” last week, according to American Banker.
Exxon Says `$25 Billion Rule' Will Sink Deepwater Oil Drilling (Bloomberg)
The world’s biggest oil explorers are fighting a U.S. plan to toughen offshore drilling rules that Exxon Mobil Corp. said will cost $25 billion over 10 years and render many offshore discoveries worthless.
Qatar's Oil-Freeze Letter to Norway Reveals Doha Deal Logic (Bloomberg)
The preliminary agreement by Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Qatar to freeze output has already put a floor under crude prices and a deal this weekend to include other producers would extend the recovery, according to Qatar’s Energy Ministry.
Politics
A Donald Trump presidency would be even more 'detrimental' to M&A than Bernie Sanders (Business Insider)
Donald Trump becoming President of the United States would have the most "detrimental effect" of any candidate on M&A activity by "a wide margin," according to a survey from content collaboration company Intralinks released on Thursday.
Bernie Sanders Makes Bold—and Risky—Moves Before New York Primary (Wall Street Journal)
Sen. Bernie Sanders is taking some of the boldest and potentially riskiest steps of his campaign ahead of the crucial New York primary, hoping to raise his profile and undercut Hillary Clinton’s support among voters who are a key part of the Democratic electorate.
Unite for Ted Cruz Now or He'll Come Back Stronger (The Atlantic)
Paul Ryan “thinks only he can help House Republicans maintain an independent brand if Trump is the nominee.” That’s what a Republican insider told me yesterday in an illuminating conversation about the GOP speaker’s announcement that he won’t accept his party’s presidential nomination.
Technology
LG Made Its Rollable Keyboard More Useful By Adding a Fifth Row of Keys (Gizmodo)
All the predictive text and auto-correct tricks in the world can’t make a touchscreen keyboard as usable as a physical set of keys. LG has updated one of the most portable Bluetooth keyboards available with an extra row of keys so that it no longer requires an extra key press to type numbers.
Sharp's ultra-cute RoboHon robot phone goes on sale next month for $1,800 (The Verge)
RoboHon, Sharp's dubiously useful but definitely adorable phone that walks around on two legs and projects you happy images when you're sad and alone in your bedroom, is actually making its way to market. Sharp announced today that the phone/robot/thing will see release on May 26th in Japan, with preorders now open. It has a 2-inch screen on its back and runs Android 5.0.
Health and Life Sciences
I’m the first quadriplegic person to regain thought-control of my arm (New Scientist)
I’m the first quadriplegic person in the world to use my own thoughts to control my own arm. It’s a pretty neat experience.
It was about six years ago that I had an accident where I broke my neck from diving into the ocean. I was diagnosed as a quadriplegic then. Being told you’ll never be able to walk again or use your hands when you’re 19 years old takes a big adjustment.
For Women Who Run, the Bathroom Problem (NY Times)
On a recent weekend trip to Washington, I was running in Rock Creek Park when the water and coffee I’d had that morning caught up with me. I’d run there only once before so was unsure where relief lay. I’m also a woman, so I couldn’t just pull over to the nearest bush or tree and relieve myself discreetly, the way guys do, through the benefits of outdoor plumbing.
It’s crazy that latest LSD study is first to scan brains on acid (New Scientist)
There is a remarkable lack of research into a drug that some scientists initially considered to be a key tool in understanding consciousness, and that has since been shown to help people deal with anxiety and depression. Thenew study on the impact of LSD on the brain is the first in the UK since the drug was banned in 1966. Incredibly, it’s also the first anywhere to use brain scans taken while a person is under the influence of the drug.
Life on the Home Planet
Record early ice melt in Greenland due to freak warm weather (New Scientist)
After record low amounts of sea ice across the Arctic Ocean last winter, spring has begun with an unprecedented early melt of land ice on Greenland.
Temperatures soaring above 10 °C caused more than a tenth of the island’s vast ice sheet to start melting on Monday and Tuesday this week, says Ruth Mottram of the Danish Meteorological Institute in Copenhagen.
Moose on the loose as Alaska warms (BBC)
Rising temperatures and longer summers have helped the iconic Alaskan moose conquer vast new stretches of frozen tundra according to a new study.
Changes in climate have seen a rapid increase in the size of plants that the moose depend on in winter to survive.
