Financial Markets and Economy
Negative Rates Hit Global Shipping Market (Bloomberg)
The owner of the world’s biggest shipping line says negative interest rates are hurting the industry by delaying the consolidation wave so badly needed.
Dollar Jump Catches Traders Short in One More Currency Calamity (Bloomberg)
Just when investors thought they’d finally made a good call in the currency market, the dollar’s advance messed it up.
European Stock Gains Defy China Data That Hurt Metals; Oil Rises (Bloomberg)
European stocks rallied from a one-month low, shaking off a drag from Chinese trade data that pushed Shanghai shares lower along with industrial metals. Oil gained, buoyed by Canadian wildfires that are curbing production.
Suing Banks Will Be Much Easier If U.S. Regulator Gets Its Way (Bloomberg)
Suing your bank will become a lot easier if a U.S. regulator has its way.
Gold has finally hit a wall (Business Insider)
Gold prices fell almost 1% on Monday against a strengthening dollar as investors reacted positively to US job data released on Friday showing annual wage growth.
Global Stocks Edge Higher Even as Oil Pares Gains (Wall Street Journal)
Higher oil prices helped lift global stocks at the start of the week, as investors largely brushed off disappointing trade data from China.
How To Separate Frustration From Your Trading (Trader Feed)
A successful developing trader recently wrote to me about a psychological obstacle in his trading. I'll quote him, so that you can appreciate the problem as he is experiencing it:
"What is the biggest challenge I face after gaining a solid technical knowledge and skill base? I think it's frustration. Most often: 1) frustration of not being able to explain to myself what's going on with the market's price action at a given time; 2) frustration driven by understanding what's going on in the market, but not being able to make an execution because of poor risk/reward and/or absence of proper setup to enter; 3) frustration after making a dumb mistake and/or acting wrong while not in 100% mental shape.
Godot Arriving for Bulls Waiting to See Corporate Profits (Bloomberg)
Waiting for a rebound in earnings has taken on elements of absurdist theater for stock market bulls. Now a measure of corporate optimism is signaling Godot is on the horizon.
Japan's Aso Fires Another Verbal Salvo at the Strong Yen (Bloomberg)
Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso fired another verbal salvo at the currency market on Monday, with little immediate impact on the yen.
China's Reverse-Merger Candidates Plunge on Regulatory Scrutiny (Bloomberg)
Chinese companies seen as candidates for reverse mergers plunged for a second day after the nation’s securities regulator signaled that the trend of delisting in the U.S. to sell shares in the mainland at higher valuations would come under greater scrutiny.
Here’s why some confident investors are in for a big surprise (Market Watch)
Just five months ago, as we entered into the New Year, there were two things seemingly every market observer was certain of for 2016.
Rupiah Drops to Five-Week Low as Growth Slows, Dollar Advances (Bloomberg)
The rupiah fell to a five-week low after Indonesia’s economic growth disappointed and the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates boosted the dollar.
Iron Ore in Free Fall as Port Holdings Expand, Trade Frenzy Ebbs (Bloomberg)
Iron ore’s in free fall. Prices plummeted as port stockpiles in China expanded to the highest level in more than a year following moves by local authorities to quell frenzied speculation in raw-material futures.
Oil gains, German orders help stocks recover (Reuters)
European stock markets bounced back from their worst week since early February with a more than 1 percent gain on Monday, a rise in oil prices and strong economic numbers from Germany outweighing worries over China.
Soros Chart Signals BOJ Bond Buying Already Enough to Weaken Yen (Bloomberg)
Japan’s money supply is close to overtaking that of the U.S. economy and some investors say that signals a weaker yen.
China stocks plunge again as hopes for economic recovery fade (Reuters)
China stocks fell sharply again on Monday, reaching eight-month lows, as investors saw hopes for a strong economic recovery fade and worried about fresh regulatory curbs on speculation.
Chinese Imports From Hong Kong Raise Red Flag Amid Yuan Worries (Bloomberg)
China’s problem with fake trade invoices appears to be getting worse.
Fed's Evans favors 'wait and see' on more rate hikes? (Reuters)
The U.S. economy's fundamentals are solid and growth this year should pick up to around 2.5 percent, but the Federal Reserve's current 'wait and see' approach to monetary policy is appropriate, a Fed policymaker said on Monday.
Yuan Declines Amid Bets Depreciation Concern Spurring Outflows (Bloomberg)
The yuan fell the most in two weeks amid speculation depreciation concerns are prompting investors to shift money overseas and as the dollar headed for its biggest five-day gain since November.
Saudi's New Oil Boss Vows to Maintain Policy (Bloomberg)
Saudi Arabia will probably keep producing crude at near-record levels under its newly appointed oil minister, Khalid Al-Falih, as the world’s largest exporter sticks with his predecessor’s policy of defending market share against higher-cost shale.
Politics
Sanders Calls Out MSNBC's Corporate Ownership — In Interview On MSNBC (Huffington Post)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has not been shy about his disdain for the mainstream media.
But the Democratic presidential hopeful has rarely, if ever, articulated it as bluntly as he did in an interview that aired on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” on Friday night. Sanders called out the network for its corporate character in a novel exchange with host Rachel Maddow.
North Carolina Sues U.S. Government For Right To Discriminate (Reuters, at Huffington Post)
North Carolina officials sued the U.S. Justice Department on Monday after the department challenged the state’s law on public restroom access for transgender people, accusing the agency of “baseless and blatant overreach.”
The department’s top civil rights lawyer, Vanita Gupta, last week sent three letters to North Carolina officials, saying the law was a civil rights violation.
Donald Trump's Economic Plans Would Destroy the U.S. Economy (The Atlantic)
On Thursday, Donald Trump's tweet about tacos was only the second-most-alarming message he sent to potential voters. Less open to humorous interpretation was his threat to default on U.S. debt in the event of a recession.
"I've borrowed knowing that you can pay back with discounts," he told CNBC. "I would borrow knowing that if the economy crashed, you could make a deal.”
Trump, ‘Blindsided’ by Ryan, Questions Need for Unified Party (Bloomberg)
Donald Trump had always described his run for president to be unique. Going it alone without support from senior leaders of the Republican Party may just be another thing that sets him apart.
“Does it have to be unified? I’m very different than everybody else, perhaps, that’s ever run for office. I actually don’t think so,” Trump told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday.
Financial Sector Gives Hillary Clinton a Boost (Wall Street Journal)
Hillary Clinton is consolidating her support among Wall Street donors and other businesses ahead of a general-election battle with Donald Trump, winning more campaign contributions from financial-services executives in the most recent fundraising period than all other candidates combined.
Technology
A New Army Robot Has Creepily Nimble Fingers (Gizmodo)
Robots aren’t renowned for their ability to perform the delicate tasks that humans find straightforward. But the US Army has taken delivery of a new ‘bot that’s really quite handy.
The HDMS 551s1 robot, made by Resquared, is, admittedly, controlled by a human operator.
The Hyperloop gets some real maglev tech to fuel its rapid-transit dream (Mashable)
Jumpstartfund’s Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) announced Monday morning that it has secured a magnetic levitation system for its Hyperloop project.
Specifically, it's a passive magnetic levitation system originally developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Labs in California as part of the Inductrack system. HTT chose this system due to it being, according to HTT, both cheaper and safer than an active magnetic levitation system.
Health and Life Sciences
Should heritable gene editing be used on humans? (Market Watch)
The development of technology that allows human genes to be edited has stirred tremendous excitement about the potential for treating debilitating and life-threatening diseases. The technology could lead to drugs that would treat cancers and other diseases that currently are incurable.
Dehydration: Risks and Myths (NY Times)
Truth to tell, sometimes I don’t follow my own advice, and when I suffer the consequences, I rediscover why I offer it. I’ve long recommended drinking plenty of water, perhaps a glass with every meal and another glass or two between meals. If not plain water, which is best, then coffee or tea without sugar (but not alcoholic or sugary drinks) will do.
Life on the Home Planet
The cave divers who went back for their friends (BBC)
In February 2014 two divers died at a depth of more than 100m in a huge cave system in Norway. The authorities said it was too dangerous to retrieve their bodies, but four friends of the men decided to take the risk – and seven weeks later they descended into the dark and glacial waters.
Canada hopes cooler weather aids battle with Alberta wildfire (Reuters)
Canadian firefighters looked to cooler weather on Monday to help with their battle against the country's most destructive wildfire in recent memory, as officials sought to gauge the damage to oil sands boomtown Fort McMurray.
