Financial Markets and Economy
Don't Use VIX ETFs to Bet On Volatility (Fool.com)
The VIX volatility index is a mathematical calculation, not a stock, so it cannot be invested in directly. Rather, traders can invest in the VIX through futures, options, or ETFs.
Mexico's economy shrinks for 1st time in 3 years (CNN Money)
The economy shrank for the first time in three years in the second quarter. Even though Mexico's economy only contracted 0.2% from the previous quarter, any drop is a shock for a country that many experts consider a success in a troubled region.
Oil falls as rally snaps on rising crude, China fuel exports (Reuters)
Oil settled down more than 3 per cent on Monday, retreating from last week’s two-month highs, on worries about burgeoning Chinese fuel exports, more Iraqi and Nigerian crude shipments and a rising U.S. oil rig count.
Johnson & Johnson Could Become the First Company to Reach a $1 Trillion Valuation (Fool.com)
This year, we've witnessed all three major U.S. stock market indexes hit new all-time highs, which is nothing short of amazing considering the year began with the worst two-week tumble in recorded history and culminated with all three major U.S. indexes losing at least 10% of their value through mid-February from the beginning of the year.
Oil Search Profit Drops 89% as Oil Slump Counters LNG Output (Bloomberg)
Oil Search Ltd. posted a 89 percent fall in first-half profit as a drop in energy prices offset increased output at the Papua New Guinea-focused company.
Brexit: Worst Case Scenario For EU; Armageddon Promise Now Exposed As Pack Of Lies (MishTalk)
Project Fear predicted economic meltdown if Britain voted leave. Where are the devastated high streets, job losses and crashing markets?
In other Brexit news, Sweden warns the UK about cutting corporate taxes. How should the UK respond? Who is in control
California May Cap Power Suppliers’ Gas Use After Massive Leak (Bloomberg)
California agencies are proposing to cap the amount of natural gas burned by power plants this winter and to monitor oil refiners’ use of the fuel as a historic leak from a storage well last year continues to threaten the state with supply shortages and blackouts.
Marijuana's Investors Prefer To Keep It A Secret (Forbes)
Money seems to be pouring into the cannabis industry as many investors believe the return on these early investments will be huge. New York-based Tuatara Capital just closed an $80 million cannabis private equity investment fund after raising $93 million.
QuickTake Q&A: Oil Steers Path of Malaysian Economy, Currency (Bloomberg)
Malaysia’s economy and financial markets are suffering for their close reliance on energy markets. The 57 percent slump in Brent crude from a 2014 peak has forced Prime Minister Najib Razak to lower the government’s economic growth forecast for two years in a row.
Walmart Is Embarrassing Amazon in This Emerging Digital Business (The Street)
Walmart (WMT) is using its vast network of stores to thump nemesis Amazon (AMZN) in the online grocery business.
Score one for a legacy brick-and-mortar retailer. The world's largest retailer added grocery pickup to 30 more U.S. markets during the second quarter, said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon on a pre-recorded earnings call last week.
Singapore Exchange Said to Consider Dual-Class Share Structures (Bloomberg)
Singapore Exchange Ltd. is likely to allow dual-class weighted voting rights for listed companies, after the city-state amended its laws this year to allow such structures, according to two people familiar with the matter.
How Pepsi Is Changing the World (Fortune)
For a company whose name is synonymous with a soda that has 10 teaspoons of sugar per can, discussing the sweetener’s perils could have amounted to self-immolation. But PepsiCo PEP -0.19% declared a decade ago it wanted healthier products, including foods and beverages that would reduce consumers’ exposure to salt, saturated fats and, yes, even sugar.
10 Stocks for Using A Benjamin Graham Value Investing Strategy – August 2016 (Value Walk)
Out of the multitude of companies, which ones would legendary value investor Benjamin Graham buy today? I’ve compiled ten great companies that fit the ModernGraham criteria, based on BenjaminGraham’s methods.
Traders Accumulate Bearish Yuan Wagers on Low Costs, Fed Outlook (Bloomberg)
Traders are adding to bearish wagers on the yuan after the cost of betting against the Chinese currency fell to an almost two-year low in the options market.
The rich beat others on investments too (CNN Money)
The wealthy make more money on their investments than the less affluent, according to data from Openfolio, an app that helps people track their investment portfolios and performance.
Victoria's Secret is turning into a discount retailer (Business Insider)
Victoria's Secret is getting cheaper.
As the company updates its sportswear collection with its new Victoria Sport line, it's been selling athletic apparel for lower prices, Gabriella Santaniello analyst and founder of consulting firm A Line Partners, told Business Insider recently.
Energy companies are facing another huge problem (Business Insider)
The oil crash has had a broad impact on corporate America.
Oil companies have been defaulting on their debts, and personal default rates for things like mortgages and car loans are jumping in the oil patch.
This UK crowdfunding platform has broken a funding record (BI Intelligence)
U.K. equity crowdfunding platform Crowdcube announced that it planned to raise £5 million ($7 million) from its members in July and attracted around £39 million ($51 million) in pledges on its preregistration site.
Wal-Mart Reviews Welspun Records After Target Pulls Sheets (Bloomberg)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, is reviewing supplier Welspun India Ltd.’s cotton certification records after Target Corp. terminated business with the Indian manufacturer over cheaper bedsheets being passed off as premium Egyptian cotton.
Views on National Economies Mixed as Many Countries Continue to Struggle (Pew Research Center)
Almost a decade after the global financial crisis rattled national economies, many in the world feel their respective countries’ economies remain weak.
Politics
Bush Institute founding director endorses Clinton (Politico)
Former President George W. Bush’s Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy is the latest high-ranking Republican to announce his support for Hillary Clinton’s White House bid.
Trump calls for special prosecutor for Clinton (Politico)
Donald Trump intensified his effort Monday to shift the focus of the campaign to Hillary Clinton and the huge donations to the Clinton Foundation from foreign benefactors, calling for a special prosecutor to "investigate Hillary Clinton's crimes."
Clinton, Trump Supporters Have Starkly Different Views of a Changing Nation (Pew Research Center)
Voters remain skeptical that either would make a good president
Supporters of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump disagree on a range of policy issues, from terrorism to free trade. Yet they also have more fundamental differences over long-term changes in the country and the next generation’s future prospects.
Technology
Tiny "Neural Dust" Sensors Could One Day Control Prostheses or Treat Disease (Smithsonian.com)
They’re tiny, wireless, battery-less sensors no larger than a piece of sand. But in the future, these “neural dust” sensors could be used to power prosthetics, monitor organ health and track the progression of tumors.
Amazon’s Prime Now service starts delivering test drives from Hyundai (Tech Crunch)
Amazon’s same-day delivery service Prime Now, which is today available in more than a couple of dozen U.S. metros, is experimenting with another type of service that goes beyond traditional purchases: it’s offering consumers the ability to test drive cars. Specifically, Amazon has partnered with Hyundai to offer test drives of the 2017 Elantra through a new program called “Prime Now. Drive Now.”
These are one of the best pairs of Bluetooth headphones you can buy for under $100 right now (Insider Picks)
As an audio geek, my quest for "the perfect sound" has taken me in a lot of strange directions. Whether it's restoring tube amps from the late 1950's, or figuring out that the most common earbuds are my favorite pair.
Health and Life Sciences
How an Algorithm Learned to Identify Depressed Individuals by Studying Their Instagram Photos (Technology Review)
Your mental health is reflected in the images you 1choose to post on social media, say researchers who have trained a machine to spot depression on Instagram.
5 Incredible Ways Scientists Are Merging Our Brains With Machinesm (Singularity Hub)
I've been reading Ramez Naam's fantastic book "Nexus," which is set in a near-future where a powerful nano-drug allows human minds to connect together.
Life on the Home Planet
World's largest indoor theme park to open in Dubai (Reuters)
The world's largest indoor theme park is set to open in Dubai this month to lure back some of the tourists and residents who often flee abroad during the scorching desert summer.
Thousands still in shelters after record Louisiana floods (Reuters)
More than 3,000 Louisiana residents were still in emergency shelters as record flood waters receded on Monday, while government officials weighed options for temporary housing after the state's worst disaster since Hurricane Katrina.
After nearly two years, NASA regains contact with lost spacecraft (Tech Crunch)
After attempting to regain contact for nearly two years, NASA has finally reestablished communications with the sun-studying satellite, STEREO-B. At 6:27 p.m. ET, NASA received a downlink signal from the spacecraft using the ground-based communication antennas in the Deep Space Network.
Turkey strikes IS and Kurdish positions in Syria ahead of offensive (BBC News)
Turkey has bombarded so-called Islamic State (IS) targets in northern Syria amid reports Syrian rebels are to launch an offensive against the group.
Artillery positions inside Turkey fired on IS as well as Kurdish YPG militia targets in the towns of Jarablus and Manbij.
