Financial Markets and Economy
Russia is coming back strong from the oil collapse (Business Insider)
When the price of oil collapsed back in 2014, Russia was one of the major casualties and investors feared that the country might be heading toward economic collapse as incomes fell, the rouble collapsed, GDP contracted, and inflation skyrocketed.
Visium Hedge Funder Found Dead After Insider Trading Charges (Fortune)
The Visium Asset Management hedge funder charged with insider trading by the Justice Department last week was discovered dead at his home Monday evening in an apparent suicide.
44-year-old Sanjay Valvani’s body was discovered by his wife in their Brooklyn, N.Y. home near 6 p.m. yesterday.
Oil prices above $50, buoyed by U.S. stock draw (Business Insider)
Oil prices rose in early Asian trading on Wednesday, with U.S. crude joining Brent above $50 a barrel after data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed a larger than expected draw on stocks.
The laws of economics say that China is heading for a Great Depression (Business Insider)
"Capitalism was driven by investment, savings, capital accumulation, reinvestment and capital accumulation… But history got in the way…"
Tencent buys 'Clash of Clans' maker Supercell for $8.6 billion (Business Insider)
China's biggest gaming group Tencent is to buy a majority stake in Finland's Supercell, which makes the 'Clash of the Clans' mobile game, from SoftBank, in a deal valued at roughly $8.6 billion.
Humans Strike Back Against Stock Market Robots (Bloomberg)
Machines may be taking over the world, but in at least one corner of the markets humans are beating back the robots.
Tesla is getting crushed after announcing an offer to buy SolarCity (Business Insider)
Tesla shares fell as much as 12% in after-hours trading on Tuesday, after the electric-car maker announced that it made an offer to buy SolarCity.
Emerging Markets Aren't Submerging Any More (US News and World Report)
Last year, emerging markets became submerging markets as the nosedive in the commodities complex hit resource-based economies hard.
Yellen makes 'uncertainty' new mantra as market doubts Fed view (Reuters)
The U.S. Federal Reserve's dwindling confidence in its own outlook and resulting confusion among investors are creating a policy problem that may require chief Janet Yellen to lay out her own views more forcefully.
Nigeria's currency plummet as Naira floats for first time (AP)
Nigeria's currency plummeted Monday, losing more than 40 percent of its value as the government floated the naira for the first time in the history of the oil-producing nation.
Kansas economy finishes 2015 by shrinking three of four quarters (The Witchita Eagle)
The Kansas economy shrank in the last quarter of 2015, completing a year in which the state contracted three of the four quarters, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Oil Bust Pushes Producers Together to Make Cost Cutting Count (Bloomberg)
The biggest oil-industry downturn in a generation has companies collaborating in ways they never thought possible.
Most Asian Futures Track U.S. Gains Amid Brexit Vote Countdown (Bloomberg)
Most Asian index futures signaled a continuation of equity gains, with the yen maintaining its retreat amid easing anxiety over Britains vote on its membership in the European Union. Oil resumed its advance ahead of U.S. stockpiles data.
The Investing Legends Are Preparing For a Crash (Zero Hedge)
Stocks exploded higher last week on hopes that the tragedy in Britain would not result in a Brexit.
Politics
Clinton Goes After Trump (The Atlantic)
Hillary Clinton is not holding back. In a pointed attack on Tuesday, she blasted Donald Trump’s economic platform, criticizing his business record and calling him a threat to the U.S. economy. “The United States of America doesn’t do business Trump’s way,” she said.
During her remarks in Columbus, Ohio, Clinton sought to discredit her Republican rival’s plan for the economy, from how he’d pay off the national debt to his tax plan.
Trump's Disappointing Finance Report Could Be The Opening #NeverTrump Needs (Fortune)
For months, there have been reports that Republicans opposed to Donald Trump are working to find a way to replace the presumptive nominee at the Republican National Convention, which will be held in Cleveland starting on July 18. With Monday night’s disastrous campaign finance filing from the Trump campaign, it seems that the anti-Trump forces may have an opening.
Technology
iPhone 7 w/ similar design and removed headphone jack this fall, major changes next year (9to5 Mac)
iPhone 7 rumors have been notably tame this year, and that’s because the next-generation iPhone is widely expected to be a further revision to the iPhone 6 series and not a radically different design. The Wall Street Journal is the latest to report on Apple’s expected plans for the iPhone 7, describing a situation where the iPhone 7 closely resembles the iPhone 6s minus the headphone jack.
Self-driving cars could flip the auto insurance industry on its head (LA Times)
As the driverless car gets closer to reality, so too does the dilemma of how to insure the car and its owner.
The auto insurance industry faces upheaval in the next 25 years as the migration to autonomous safety features — and ultimately a self-driving car — shifts more of a car’s accident risk from the driver to the vehicle, analysts said.
Health and Life Sciences
High-fibre diet may protect against peanut allergy (New Scientist)
Bran lovers rejoice. Fibre-rich diets have been shown to protect against peanut allergy in mice, by increasing gut bacteria that bolster the immune system. If the same holds true for humans, our diets could prevent or even reverse allergies to peanuts.
Vaping and smoking both alter these 53 genes (Futurity)
Smoking cigarettes alters dozens of genes in the epithelial cells that line the respiratory tract. Several of these changes likely increase the risk of bacterial infections, viruses, and inflammation. Now, scientists report that vaping alters those same genes and hundreds more that are important for immune defense in the upper airway.
Life on the Home Planet
Losing a Nuclear Weapon Against Climate Change (Bloomberg)
Some environmentalists are thrilled at Tuesday’s announcement of the planned closing of California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. They might want to reconsider: Fighting climate change requires more nuclear power, not less.
Refugees in Greece need internet so badly that they’ll stop a riot to let the wifi guys work (Quartz)
Kevin MacRitchie surveyed the inferno spreading across Diavata refugee camp. From his vantage point on the roof, where he had been fixing a satellite dish, he could see a column of thick black smoke twisting toward the sky above two rows of incinerated tents. While Greek army and police helped battle the fire, a protest had erupted at the front gate, by Syrian refugees frustrated with conditions in the camp and the asylum backlog that was keeping them there.
