Financial Markets and Economy
U.S. Stock-Index Futures Climb Amid Earnings Before Fed Meeting (Bloomberg)
U.S. stock-index futures edged higher amid quarterly results from DuPont Co. to JetBlue Airways Inc., and as investors awaited tomorrow’s Federal Reserve policy update.
Standard Chartered's profits fell nearly 65% — but shares are going crazy (Business Insider)
Shares in Standard Chartered are going crazy on Tuesday morning, despite the bank reporting that profits fell by 64% in the first quarter of 2016.
The leading countries for alternative finance and the next high-growth markets (Business Insider)
Since the financial crisis, borrowers have been eager to get lower interest rates and better access to credit, while lenders have searched for higher returns on their investments. Banks, saddled with regulatory burdens, haven't been able to fully meet these needs. This has left room for the growth of a new market — peer-to-peer lending.
Global stocks, oil prices climb as investors ready for Fed, BOJ (Reuters)
World stocks climbed for the first time in four days on Tuesday and a weaker dollar helped oil prices gain as investors fine-tuned their expectations for monetary policy meetings in the United States and Japan.
Young Bulls And Old Bears (The Irrelevant Investor)
“Two things have always been true about human beings. One, the world is always getting better. Two, the people living at that time think it’s getting worse” – Penn Jillette
Dollar dips before Fed, Bank of Japan meetings (Market Watch)
The U.S. dollar was slightly lower against the yen during Asian trading Tuesday, with many participants reluctant to take strong positions ahead of U.S. and Japanese central bank meetings later this week.
Ditching stocks in May could cost you plenty come autumn (Market Watch)
Brace yourselves. A charge of corporate and economic news is about to stampede all over this market over the next 72 hours. As many as 900 companies are coming at us, with decisions from the Fed and then from the Bank of Japan in pursuit.
U.S. stock futures rise modestly as earnings deluge hits (Market Watch)
A modest gain for U.S. stock futures on Tuesday is putting the market on track to rebound somewhat after dropping in two of the past three sessions.
President Xi Jinping’s Most Dangerous Venture Yet: Remaking China’s Military (Wall Street Journal)
China’s stock market was swooning. Investors were panicking. Yet when Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke that first Monday in January, he didn’t address the global angst about the world’s second-largest economy.
What to Watch For at the Fed Meeting (Bloomberg View)
Here are three things to know about Wednesday's meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserve's closely watched policy-making body.
China's Gold Imports Jump on Investment Demand as Price Falters (Bloomberg)
China, the world’s biggest gold consumer, increased bullion imports from Hong Kong in March as a global price rally stalled and local investment demand showed signs of recovery.
Earnings Blowups Send Tech Traders to Options Market for Hedges (Bloomberg)
Tech traders who just lived through their worst week since February, with company after company plunging on earnings shortfalls, are taking steps to insulate themselves from a repeat.
A millennial has taken over Saudi Arabia's oil policy and people have serious concerns (Business Insider)
Saudi Arabia is desperately trying to diversify its economy away from oil and the person pulling the strings is 30-year-old deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
Apple Results to Show How Far iPhone Sales Have Fallen (Bloomberg)
Apple Inc. has warned investors that its quarterly earnings report will bear bad news about iPhone sales. The question now is just how bad.
Citadel Tops List of Private U.S. Trading Venues (NY Times)
Citadel Securities, one of the top market makers in U.S. stocks and listed stock options, runs one of the largest stock trading venues in the country, according to a report released on Monday aimed at providing transparency into where stock trading occurs.
Oil's Recovery Inches Higher as 'Fracklog' Awaits Price Trigger (Bloomberg)
Oil’s rebound from the lowest level in more than 12 years may face an abrupt halt as prices near a level that could trigger a wave of new U.S. shale production.
City-by-city look at home prices as signs of slowing growth appear (Market Watch)
U.S. home prices rose 0.2% in February, according to a home-price gauge released Tuesday.
Understand fintech – Amazon's next possible frontier – with this report (Business Insider)
The arrival of the age of fintech is about to shake up the financial services world as we know it.
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Biotech stock crashes 50% after disclosing bad news from the FDA (Business Insider)
Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics crashed 50% in pre-market trading on Tuesday after the company disclosed some bad news from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A strong US auto market helps Fiat Chrysler beat profit expectations (Business Insider)
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported first-quarter earnings on Tuesday, and they were better than expected thanks to the continued strength of the truck and SUV market in the US.
Durable-goods orders weak in March if Pentagon excluded (Market Watch)
Orders for U.S. durable goods climbed 0.8% in March, spearhead by increases in demand for military hardware, but bookings were soft in most key categories.
The trends creating new winners and losers in the card-processing ecosystem (Business Insider)
The way we pay is changing dramatically. For example, people are beginning to use their smartphones for every kind of formal and informal transaction — to shop at stores, buy songs online, and even split their rent.
Politics
Trump Can't Beat Clinton. Who Says? (Bloomberg View)
In the Democratic and Republican presidential races right now, we're hearing a lot of claims about electability in general-election matchups.
Ted Cruz says he's the only Republican who can beat Hillary Clinton in November, while John Kasich is staying in the race because, he maintains, he's the one GOP candidate who can appeal to swing voters in November.
Why the Cruz-Kasich Alliance Will Fail (The Atlantic)
Mathematically, it’s over for Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Neither candidate can win enough states get the 1,237 delegates required to claim the Republican nomination.
Having already crossed that Rubicon, Ted Cruz and John Kasich have now pledged to try and row back across the river together. On Monday, the Kasich campaign said it would cease campaigning in Indiana, clearing the way for Cruz to compete there. Cruz, in turn, will cede New Mexico and Oregon.
Driven up the wall by Trump, Mexico looks to recast image in U.S. (Reuters)
At first, Mexico's government did its best to ignore Donald Trump. Then it likened him to Adolf Hitler. Now it has appointed a new ambassador to come up with a better plan.
Fed up with the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination labeling Mexico as a cradle of drug-runners, job poachers and rapists, the government is sending in respected diplomat Carlos Sada to lead a fightback.
Technology
When the new guy’s a robot (New Scientist)
The world’s largest ad agency has hired its first artificially intelligent creative director – the rookie at McCann Erickson’s Japan office is named AI-CD β.
The move reminded me of an episode in the US TV series Mad Men. It is 1969, and the fictional ad agency installs its first computer, a room-filling IBM machine. “Why not let every client who sets foot in that door know that this agency has entered the future?” says one of the partners at the firm, proudly.
Introducing Hover, An AI-Powered Indoor-Safe Camera Drone (Fast Company)
The AI-powered micro quadcopter hovers in place and shoots 4K video from within a people-safe carbon fiber casing.
Most popular consumer drones are affordable quadcopters robust enough to fly outdoors and snap photos or video. But they don't work very well inside buildings.
Health and Life Sciences
Why We Suffer From Anxiety And How To Fix It (Forbes)
For as long as I can remember, I was always anxiety prone. Anxiety is a funny thing because most people I meet would describe me as being calm, quiet, and perhaps a bit reserved. Over time, the anxiety got worse and I coped by diligently avoiding situations that would trigger anxiety.
For me, much of the anxiety stemmed from interaction with people. I avoided going to the grocery line because I feared the small talk with the cashier. I stopped attending networking events for the same reason. I turned down all speaking opportunities.
Life on the Home Planet
This Chinese man has been living in a village alone for 10 years (Mashable)
Ever wondered if you'll be able to survive in a village lone ranger-style except for a few sheep as companions? Sounds impossible, but that's what Liu Shengjia has been doing for a decade.
Liu makes up the one-person population of Xuenshanshe village in northwest China's Gansu province.
Rain-Soaked Central U.S. Faces New Waves of Severe Thunderstorms (Bloomberg)
The next round of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and heavy rain will sweep through the central U.S. Tuesday, only to be followed by more systems this weekend.
