Financial Markets and Economy
Donald Trump Could Be OPEC's New Best Friend (Bloomberg)
Last week, I wrote that OPEC needs friends and a miracle to re-balance the oil market. Could President Trump be that unwitting buddy, providing the miracle by tearing up the nuclear agreement with Iran and removing almost a million barrels a day of supply at a stroke?
NAPIER: Investors have been 'royally gamed by the financial system' (Business Insider)
Financial repression is coming to Europe and the people that can’t see that don’t have a strong understanding of financial history and the lengths that politicians will go to get re-elected.
One brutal chart from the biggest hedge fund in the world explains everything (Business Insider)
Working class people from the Rust Belt played a large part in getting Donald Trump elected earlier this week. These same types of people also played a role in voting the UK out of the European Union earlier this year.
Egypt nears $800 million European aid deal to expand social safety net (Reuters)
Egypt is in advanced talks with European countries to secure bilateral loans worth $800 million as it expands efforts to alleviate poverty and ease pressure from economic reforms, Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said.
Donald Trump Is Making the Republican Party Fall Back in Love With Deficits and Debt (Fortune)
The Republican Party has spent so much time railing against debt and deficits for the past eight years, it’s easy to think that this issue has always been dear to them.
Guess not.
Iran Pumps More Oil as Saudi Minister Calls for OPEC Output Cuts (Bloomberg)
Iran boosted oil output at three western fields faster than it expected as rival OPEC producer Saudi Arabia called for a collective output cut later this month to help rebalance the market.
Investors dodge China's whack-a-mole outflow curbs (Reuters)
While Beijing has been busily damming up official channels for money to leave China, more than ever is leaking out through shady means as investors flee the country's slowing economy and weakening currency.
Oil Production Hit a Record High, But 2017 Could See a Huge Glut (Reuters)
OPEC reported an increase in its oil production in October to a record high led by members hoping to be exempt from the producer group's attempt to curb supply, pointing to an even larger global surplus next year.
The FTSE 100's Trump rally is well and truly over (Business Insider)
Britain's benchmark stock index, the FTSE 100, tanked on Friday, as the stock rally that briefly ensued after the shock election of Republican Donald Trump to the US Presidency came well and truly to an end, with volatility returning to the markets.
The Five Biggest Business Issues Facing the New Ninth Justice (Bloomberg)
In the first half of 2017 a new justice nominated by President Trump is likely to join the Supreme Court, which has been split 4-4 since the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia last February.
Donald Trump has plenty of economic issues to hit before he gets to the UK (The Guardian)
The political outsider drew derision when he announced his bid for the US presidency. But Trump’s protectionist, anti-immigration rhetoric and a pledge to be the “greatest jobs president that God ever created” struck a chord.
3 Infrastructure Stocks to Buy on Trump's Win (Fool.com)
Donald Trump's victory on Tuesday could result in one of the country's biggest infrastructure spending programs, and the potential for infrastructure revenue growth sent shares in Freeport-McMoran (NYSE: FCX), Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE: CLF), and Manitowoc (NYSE: MTW) soaring higher.
3 Top Stocks to Buy for Your Kids (Fool.com)
Are you interested in teaching your kids a valuable financial lesson that will last their lifetime? If the answer is yes, then we Fools think you should make them part owners of a company that they love.
Housing costs a lot more in Canada than it does in the US (Better Dwelling)
We’re receiving a massive amount of traffic from Americans with a sudden interest in moving to Canada. It’s nice here, but given the timing it may have more to do with the US election than our fabulous weather.
Are Americans Enamored with the Wrong Kinds of Entrepreneurs? (Harvard Business Review)
Americans adore entrepreneurs. In every poll that I have seen, entrepreneurs are held in high esteem even as big business is generally viewed with disdain. Why?
Americans’ positive feelings about entrepreneurship are related to their positive feelings about small business, with which entrepreneurship is often conflated.
Gold Crashes To 5 Month Lows As 'Someone' Dumps Over $10 Billion (On A Bond Market Holiday) (Zero Hedge)
Over 85,000 gold futures contracts (over $10 billion) just traded as gold plunged from $1260 to $1230 as US equity markets opened. This is the worst 7-day run for gold since November as Dec rate hikes were jawboned more likely.
"There's Chaos Everywhere" – Indians Angry As ATMs Run Dry After Cash Ban (Zero Hedge)
The blowback from the world's latest strike in the war on cash is unraveling fast in India. This week's decision by PM Modi to ban some high-denomination banknotes (on the premise of fighting corruption) has left "chaos everywhere" according to one official who accused the prmeier of wreaking havoc on the poorest Indians.
Copper Is Having It's Best Week Ever As Chinese Speculators Run Amok (Again) (Zero Hedge)
Copper has never, ever, risen at such a torid pace as this week. Blowing away any week's performance of the last 30 years, copper futures are up almost 20% as hopes for US President-Elect Trump's infrastructure spending extended its winning streak to an unprecedented 15 days in a row (up over 28%).
Your Portfolio Under a Trump Administration (The Washington Post)
My Sunday Washington Post Business Section column is out. This morning, we look at how your portfolio will fare under a Trump administration. Elections and politics (as is so often the case in other visceral issues), matters far less than you imagine to your investments.
Will Higher Mortgage Rates Impact The Housing Market? (Logan Mohtashimi)
Back in 2013, when housing was reported by some to be in Nirvana, a number of housing analysts said that higher rates would not dampen housing demand because overall payments would not increase that much, higher rates would mean the economy was doing better so people would have more money to spend on mortgages and sideline buyers would rush into the market (the sideline buyer line being one of my personal favorite marketing gimmicks).
The 7 Retirement Moves Couples in their 50s Should Make Now (Money)
Many people head toward retirement as part of a couple. But that doesn’t mean that spouses are working together as a team.
Only one-third of couples have even discussed retirement planning, according to a 2016 study by consultants Hearts & Wallets.
Companies
Disney: A Tale of Two Narratives (Barron's)
After examining Walt Disney’s (DIS) earnings, which were released after yesterday’s market close, Stifel’s Benjamin Mogil and Kevin Lee Hon Siong argued that they “continue to view Disney as a Tale of Two Stories.”
Technology
Toyota agrees to $3.4bn rust dispute settlement in US (BBC News)
The world's biggest carmaker, Toyota, has agreed to settle a US Federal class action for up to $3.4bn (£2.7bn).
It was brought by US owners of pickup trucks and SUVs whose claimed their frames could rust through.
The Battle Between Walmart And Amazon Will Be Epic (Forbes)
There is an epic battle brewing between Amazon and Walmart, and online marketplaces will be the main street where the showdown takes place.
Amazon and Walmart are growing online marketplaces where other merchants and brands can sell goods in a single place.
Amazon.com's AWS Unit Is Starting to Enjoy Operating Leverage (TMF New Cow, The Motley Fool)
This should come as no surprise, since cloud infrastructure businesses are fundamentally scalable once upfront investments are made, but Amazon.com's (NASDAQ:AMZN) all-important Amazon Web Services (AWS) segment is starting to enjoy the benefits of operating leverage.
Israel’s blockchain startups look to disrupt more than banking (Venture Beat)
A Deloitte report released earlier this year describes 38 Israeli startups currently developing blockchain applications ranging across the entire spectrum of services: security, hardware, new currency, payments, P2P, online commerce, and social platforms.
Things Got Ugly When Fitbit Trackers Piled Up in Stores (Bloomberg)
In September, with typical marketing hoopla, Fitbit Inc. rolled out two new gadgets, the Charge 2 and Flex 2. Designed to measure more detailed fitness stats, the trackers were well reviewed and seemed poised to help Fitbit retain leadership of an increasingly competitive market. But within weeks the devices were piling up in stores, according to analyst spot checks.
How to Hack Your Hotel's Finicky Wi-Fi to Stream Shows (Bloomberg)
How do even five-star hotel rooms have such utterly inadequate cable TV setups? Do they really need multiple house channels to loop videos on the hotel happy hour and spa specials? If only you could stream just Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and HBO.
Hackers crack Google Pixel security in record time (Mashable Asia)
Uninspiring design aside, Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL are fantastic smartphones that really give the iPhone a run for its money, especially when it comes to taking photos and videos.
Politics
EU ministers meet to discuss Trump presidency (The Guardian)
The election of Donald Trump as US president will act as a spur to Europe to co-operate more on defence, European leaders said on Sunday, as foreign ministers gathered for a special dinner in Brussels to discuss the implications of Trump’s stunning victory for European security, and the EU’s relations with Russia, Iran and Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad.
Clinton's Popular-Vote Lead Will Grow, and Grow, and Grow (The Atlantic)
Donald Trump didn’t actually flip many Democrats, the thinking goes. Instead, Hillary Clinton failed to turn out liberal voters who had previously voted for Barack Obama.
The 16 worst-case scenarios that could mark president-elect Trump’s first 100 days (Alternet)
America’s system of political checks and balances may vanish in the first 100 days of a Donald Trump presidency and Republican-run Congress. Facing no restraints other than protests they can ignore, Republicans driven by far right-wing ideologies, partisan score-settling and fealty to corporate America may seek to erase all traces of the Obama years and reset the political and judicial stage for years to come.
Trump Advisers Back Deregulation Privatized Social Security (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — During his triumphant presidential campaign, Donald Trump renounced Republican orthodoxy on a Social Security overhaul.
"We're not going to hurt the people who have been paying into Social Security their whole life," Trump declared, calling the payment of promised benefits "honoring a deal."
Dave Chappelle Hosts ‘S.N.L.’ and Addresses the Protests Against Trump (NY Times)
In its first episode since Donald J. Trump won the 2016 presidential election, “Saturday Night Live” embraced the tension that many of its viewers surely feel, satirizing Mr. Trump, his controversial campaign and the uncertainty that surrounds him as president-elect, but also mocking the bewilderment of liberals who did not consider the possibility that Hillary Clinton could lose — or the conditions that gave rise to his victory.
Trump is already working on withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement (Think Progress)
Less than a week after Election Day, Donald Trump is already trying to figure out how he can pull the United States out of the historic Paris climate deal as quickly as possible.
As global axis of power shifts, a cold wind blows through the Baltic states (The Guardian)
Donald Trump appeared overnight on a wall in the Lithuanian capital this spring – larger than lifesize and locked in a kiss with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The mural was meant as satire, a nod to the unexpected mutual appreciation between two macho demagogues on opposite sides of the world, and a wink at the long shadow of Soviet history that still hangs over the region.
Trump Blasts New York Times' "Highly Inaccurate Coverage Of Trump Phenomena" (Zero Hedge)
As we observed yesterday, with the liberal media cannibalizing itself in the aftermath of the Trump victory culminating with a scathing indictiment by MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, leading to an unprecedented letter from NYT publisher Arthur Sulzberger in which he vowed the New York Times would “reflect” on its coverage of this year’s election, as it "rededicates" itself to reporting on “America and the world” honestly", this morning president-elect Trump rubbed salt in the NYT's wounds, when he blasted The New York Times in an Sunday morning tweet, targeting the paper's coverage of the "Trump phenomenoa."
On Last Foreign Tour, Obama Must Find A Way To Explain Trump (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was supposed to be his grand valedictory tour. Now President Barack Obama must use his last major trip abroad to try to calm shocked world leaders about the outcome of the U.S. election, and what comes next when Donald Trump is president.
Congressional leaders say TPP is dead (CNN News)
(CNN) – President-elect Donald Trump has promised to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and while White House officials maintain they haven't given up on pushing the trade pact through Congress, leaders on Capitol Hill say they do not plan to bring the deal up for a vote.
Inside Donald Trump’s shady transition team: Kris Kobach created Kansas’ anti-immigrant policies (Right Wing Watch)
Kris Kobach, the secretary of state of Kansas and a leading architect of draconian anti-immigrant and voter suppression laws around the nation, will reportedly be serving on Donald Trump’s presidential transition team as an immigration adviser.
Donald Trump’s Election Leaves Angela Merkel as the Liberal West’s Last Defender (NY Times)
BERLIN — And then there was one.
Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, has emerged as the last powerful defender of Europe and the trans-Atlantic alliance after the election of Donald J. Trump. But after 11 years in power, she is tired, her associates say, and under siege seemingly from all directions.
Life on the Home Planet
8 terrifying ways the world could actually end (Business Insider)
The outcome of a presidential election might inspire unbridled hope — or make you feel like the world is ending.
Yet both feelings ignore the humbling truth about our fragile existence. Life exists on Earth only because it teeters in a delicate and truly improbable balance.
You make me want to nuke: The nuclear option may be the best environmental option too (Salon)
It’s a giant tea kettle — but unlike a cup of Cozy Chamomile, its contents can melt your flesh or deform your body. The pressure is the same as you’d find half a mile below the surface of the ocean.
Colombia Reaches New Peace Deal With Rebels (NY Times)
The Colombian government and the nation’s main rebel group said on Saturday that they had reached a “new final accord” to end their longstanding conflict, potentially reviving a deal that was rejected last month in a referendum.
Forget Private Villas, the Super Rich Are Now Renting the Whole Resort (Bloomberg)
Other than at your wedding, when else will you have the chance to bring everyone you love under one roof, with an open bar, to celebrate and toast and laugh into the early hours of the night?
Most people would say never. But some travel insiders beg to differ.
