Financial Markets and Economy
Watch for these posh stocks to pop higher if Brexit wins (Market Watch)
It’s decision day in the U.K., and rain-splashed voters have been hitting the polling stations to choose whether to Brexit or Bremain.
European stocks are flying (Business Insider)
European stocks are broadly stronger on Thursday as all the markets' attention remains focused on Britain's EU referendum. Brits will vote throughout the day on whether or not the UK should leave the EU, or remain.
Asia-Pacific Region Wealth Exceeds North America for First Time (Bloomberg)
Private wealth in the Asia-Pacific region surpassed that of North America for the first time last year, fueled by stronger economies and real estate markets, according to a Cap Gemini SA report.
China is doing something no other country is, and it looks like it might finally come to an end (Business Insider)
Half of the world´s economies (emerging and the developed) are seeing a slowdown in their economic growth. This could potentially be a sign of a new global crisis. Are we at the doorstep of a new global recession?
Oil Trades Near $50 After U.S. Supplies Decline as U.K. Votes (Bloomberg)
Oil traded near $50 a barrel after U.S. crude production and stockpiles dropped and as investors await the outcome of a U.K. vote on whether to remain in the European Union.
What Are the Fed's Stress Tests? — The Short Answer (Wall Street Journal)
A stress test is an examination of what would happen to a bank if it ran into trouble. At its core, the test is a mathematical forecast of what would happen to a bank given certain events, such as a significant increase in unemployment or a drop in oil prices. In the Fed’s tests, the central bank is the teacher and the banks are the students.
Rebel ‘Romance’ Means Gold and Cocaine to Flow After Peace Deal (Bloomberg)
Victor Builes’s account of his four years as a Colombian rebel money man offers a harsh reality check for politicians and investors celebrating an historic peace accord 1,300 miles away in Havana.
America's Trade Deficit Is Largely Paid For By European Investment In American Manufacturing (Forbes)
There’s almost no economic subject that causes more confusion and expressions of ignorance than the trade deficit. Every time any of us writes about it we get deluged with comments insisting that the deficit makes us all poorer, that it reduces the number of jobs in America, that we only pay for it by borrowing, even that the deficit causes the government to borrow from China.
Copper Is Just a Bystander in Commodities’ Best Start Since 2008 (Bloomberg)
The best start to a year for commodities since 2008 is leaving copper in the dust.
The Brits Have No Good Options on Europe Vote (Bloomberg View)
U.K. voters face a momentous choice on June 23, when they’ll vote on whether to remain in the European Union. A decision to leave might badly hurt the economy, which relies on Europe for trade and investment — but the repercussions would go wider than that
Understanding the Anti-Immigrant Mindset (Bloomberg View)
As Britain decides whether or not to leave the European Union, it is clear that one issue created the greatest source of tension: immigration.
Hedge funds will be using secret polls to trade on the referendum result (Business Insider)
Hedge funds and banks are commissioning private opinion polls on voters' intentions in the upcoming EU referendum so they can trade on the result, according to the Financial Times.
Here is why it might be a good idea to change your pounds to euros before the referendum result (Business Insider)
If you are going on holiday, you might be thinking whether or not to quickly change your pounds into euros or dollars before the EU Referendum result comes in on Friday.
BlackBerry reports first-quarter revenue slump (Reuters)
BlackBerry Ltd posted a bigger-than-expected fall in first-quarter revenue on Thursday, but forecast full- year results above market expectations.
The World's Central Bankers Are Gathering At The BIS' Basel Tower Ahead Of The Brexit Result (Zero Hedge)
What happens on the 18th floor of the main tower at Centralbahnplatz 2 in Basel, stays on the 18th floor of the main tower at Centralbahnplatz 2.
McDonald's gets bids for China, HK stores sale in up to $3 billion deal (Reuters)
McDonald's Corp has received more than half a dozen bids for its China and Hong Kong stores, including offers from Beijing Tourism Group, Sanpower and ChemChina, in an auction that could fetch up to $3 billion, people familiar with the matter said.
This Is What Yellen Told Congress When Asked If The Fed Is Boosting The Stock Market (Zero Hedge)
Today was the second and final day of Janet Yellen's semiannual congressional testimony, after which she was said to have promptly departed to meet her colleagues in Basel, where they the world's key central bankers would meet the outcome of the Brexit vote together on the 18th floor of the BIS tower.
Politics
Democrats Continue Gun Control Sit-In as Paul Ryan Adjourns House (NBC)
Revolt in the House of Representatives turned raucous overnight, with protesting Democrats shouting down Speaker Paul Ryan's attempts to restore order during a gun-control protest that stretched into its 18th hour.
Trump and Clinton Place Bets to Woo Undecided Voters (Bloomberg Politics)
It's details versus denouncements in the race for the White House.
The Return of Lesser Evilism (The Rolling Stone)
"That is enough time for Nader to confess his role in enabling one of the most disastrous presidencies in American history, or at least to come up with a better explanation for his decision. Instead, Nader has repeated his same litany of evasions, most recently in an interview with Jeremy Hobson on WBUR, where he dismissed all criticisms of his 2000 campaign as 'fact deprived.'"
Technology
Robots allowed to trade money and claim copyright on their work under radical new EU plans (Mirror)
Robots could be freed from their human masters and handed the power to own possessions under radical new EU plans.
10 million self-driving cars will be on the road by 2020 (Business Insider)
Self-driving cars are no longer a futuristic idea. Companies like Mercedes, BMW, and Tesla have already released, or are soon to release, self-driving features that give the car some ability to drive itself.
Health and Life Sciences
Most Americans Are Eating Better (Medicine Net Daily)
More than half of Americans were eating healthier in 2012 than they were in 1999, a new study finds.
In fact, the percentage of adults with poor diets dropped from 56 percent to 46 percent during that period. By 2012, people ate more whole grains, fruit, nuts, seeds and fish while cutting back on sugar-sweetened drinks, the researchers found.
Life on the Home Planet
U.S. On Track To Achieve 2030 Emissions Goals In 2016 (Forbes)
A dramatic slump in coal production has pushed U.S. carbon emissions so low that, were the trend to continue, the U.S. would achieve its 2030 emissions goals this year, according to one professor’s analysis of data from the Energy Information Administration.
China still harvesting organs from prisoners at a massive scale (CNN)
A new report claims that China is still engaged in the widespread and systematic harvesting of organs from prisoners, and says that people whose views conflict with the ruling Chinese Communist Party are being murdered for their organs.
