Financial Markets and Economy
European Stocks Little Changed With Industry Rotation on Hold (Bloomberg)
European stocks were little changed, as a recent rotation out of so-called defensive sectors and into shares seen benefiting from economic growth eased. Utilities and real estate companies climbed with banks, while miners trimmed recent lofty gains.
Yuan Rises for a Second Day as Fixing Signals Government Support (Bloomberg)
China’s yuan rose for a second day after an unexpectedly strong central bank fixing spurred speculation that policy makers are supporting the currency.
Europe's tech investors desperately want more certainty from Brexit (Bloomberg)
LONDON — A year ago, tech investors were playing an anxious game of introspection over frothy market conditions: Are we in a bubble? Are we heading for a crash?
Pound’s climb pulls FTSE 100 lower; spread betters hit hard (Market Watch)
U.K. blue-chip stocks sagged Tuesday, hurt by a rise in the pound, while shares of spread-betting firms in the mid-cap market plunged after regulators said they will crack down on certain products.
German Factory Orders Surge on Demand for Investment Goods (Bloomberg)
German factory orders surged in October, suggesting growth in Europe’s largest economy will accelerate at the end of the year.
Mexico’s Oil Future Now Calls From an International Country Code (Bloomberg)
“What’s the country code for Australia?” Pemex Chief Executive Office Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya asks the six people in his 44th-floor office in Mexico City on Monday afternoon. “Is it 61? This might be our new partner calling.”
Markets mull next move; Italian bank wobbles; AutoZone earnings (CNN Money)
Investors have shrugged off a series of big political shocks in the last few weeks, and many global stock markets are in bull market territory — up 20% or more from lows set earlier in 2016.
OPEC deal may already be running into trouble, says this chart (Market Watch)
Analysts say investors may have popped the champagne cork too early on last week’s historic production cut from OPEC, a deal that helped fuel a nearly 15% gain in oil prices.
U.S. ‘Disappointed’ by Japanese Plan to Cut Drug Costs (The Wall Street Journal)
The U.S. government has written to a senior aide of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, calling on Tokyo to reconsider a plan that would allow more frequent pharmaceutical price cuts.
Dow reaches for a fresh record, but it’ll be a struggle (Market Watch)
U.S. stock futures struggled for direction on Tuesday morning, with the Dow average fighting to push into fresh record territory a day after closing at an all-time high.
Global Stocks Rise As Oil Dips; US Stock Futures And Dollar Flat (Zero Hedge)
European and Asian markets rose, while U.S. index futures were little changed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average pushing for yet another record, as traders digested the Italian referendum news, await the ECB's Thursday announcement and reflect in a notably quieter overnight session.
Euro, BTPs Hit On Local Reports Italy May Hold Early Elections (Zero Hedge)
The Euro has been hit this morning, losing some 50 pips following reports in both La Repubblica and Corriere, that Matteo Renzi may stay in power for several weeks before potential early elections in January-February of 2017.
Why Melbourne Is A Top Choice For Major Tech Companies' Asia-Pacific Headquarters (Forbes)
Melbourne is promoting itself as a global city, to attract the best international companies to set up APAC headquarters. Two years ago, I profiled Melbourne’s startup and innovation ecosystem. Then, the local community was kicking into gear and several U.S. companies like Eventbrite planted itself in the city.
Companies
Samsung May Dismantle Group Central Office (Bloomberg)
Samsung Group’s de-facto leader Jay Y. Lee said he’s willing to dismantle the central office that coordinates the South Korean conglomerate’s various businesses.
J&J Woos Billionaire Doctors Who Don’t Need Cash in Actelion Bid (Bloomberg)
Jean-Paul and Martine Clozel represent the dream of just about every pharmaceutical researcher. After the multinational that employed them declined to pursue a compound they discovered, the Clozels founded a company to develop the drug.
Lego CEO Step Downs in Historic Shift at Billionaire-Owned Firm (Bloomberg)
The man who pulled Lego A/S out of an existential crisis to turn it into the world’s most profitable toymaker is stepping down as chief executive officer and will instead lead a new branding division within the group.
Amazon Goes Offline With Bricks-And-Mortar Grocery Chain; Envisions Opening 2,000 Stores (Zero Hedge)
After launching Amazon Fresh, an online food delivery service, in numerous cities just a few years ago, Amazon has now decided it has to go "offline" to capture incremental share of the grocery market.
Technology
GoDaddy Is Buying Its European Peer for $2 Billion (Reuters)
U.S.-based website domain name provider GoDaddy Inc said on Tuesday it would buy peer Host Europe Group (HEG) for 1.69 billion euros ($1.82 billion), including debt, as it looks to expand beyond the initial set-up of websites.
Apple buys a lot of companies, but it doesn't talk much about them, making it hard to keep track. So we put together nine of its acquisitions reported this year.
Visbit raises $3.2 million for mobile virtual reality streaming service (Venture Beat)
Visbit has raised $3.2 million for a new virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video streaming service for mobile devices.
The seed money comes from Presence Capital, ZhenFund, Colopl Next, Amino Capital, and Eversunny.
Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube collaborate to remove ‘terrorist content’ from their services (Tech Crunch)
Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube today announced they would cooperate on a plan to help limit the spread of terrorist content online.
Contact lens-based tech could lead to better EV power source (Engadget)
A team of scientists from the UK have developed a material made of polymers that could become the answer to humanity's battery woes. It could apparently lead to supercapacitors — battery alternatives that can charge really quickly — up to 10,000 times more powerful than usual.
The Brain Tech to Merge Humans and AI Is Already Being Developed (Singularity Hub)
Are you scared of artificial intelligence (AI)?
Do you believe the warnings from folks like Prof. Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and others?
Is AI the greatest tool humanity will ever create, or are we “summoning the demon”?
Tim Cook Says Apple Watch Just Set a Sales Record (Reuters)
Sales of the Apple Watch to consumers set a record during the first week of holiday shopping, and the current quarter is on track to be the best ever for the product, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told Reuters.
Daimler May Make Mercedes-Benz Electric Cars in China (Reuters)
Daimler may make batteries and Mercedes-Benz electric cars in China as part of a drive to manufacture more products locally and to try to boost sales, according to board member Hubertus Troska.
More than 99% of counterfeit iPhone chargers fail basic safety tests (Science Alert)
The dangers of faulty smartphone batteries have been well documented this year, but new research in Canada shows that there's another hidden threat affecting our use of mobiles – and the scale of the problem is worse than anybody realised.
Belt-Worn Camera Bag Lets Photogs Shoot From the Hip, Even With Big DSLRs (Digital Trends)
The company that brought back the fanny pack with some photography flair is at it again, and this time with an option designed for DSLRs and larger cameras. The Camslinger Streetomatic+ by Cosyspeed is a belt-worn camera bag designed for quick access to a DSLR with a lens attached.
Politics
South Korea’s Park Is Willing to Resign in April, Party Says (Bloomberg)
South Korean President Park Geun-hye remains willing to step down in April over an influence-peddling scandal that has shaken Asia’s fourth-biggest economy, ruling party floor leader Chung Jin-suk said in televised remarks.
Italian minister, after talking to Renzi, sees new election likely in February (Reuters)
Italy could have an election as early as February, a minister in Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's outgoing government said on Tuesday, speaking after talking to Renzi.
Why I Will Not Cast My Electoral Vote for Donald Trump (NY Times)
DALLAS — I am a Republican presidential elector, one of the 538 people asked to choose officially the president of the United States. Since the election, people have asked me to change my vote based on policy disagreements with Donald J. Trump.
A Japanese prime minister is visiting Pearl Harbor for the first time ever (Vox)
Abe announced the surprise trip during a press conference on Monday. He will be in Hawaii December 26 and 27 along with President Obama. The visit, Abe said, will be aimed at “comfort[ing] the souls of the victims” and sending “a message about the value of US-Japanese reconciliation.”
Rogue electors brief Clinton camp on anti-Trump plan (Politico)
Advocates of the long-shot bid to turn the Electoral College against Donald Trump have been in contact with close allies of Hillary Clinton, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, but the Clinton camp — and Clinton herself — have declined to weigh in on the merits of the plan.
U.S. Policy Should Appeal to Chinese Public Opinion (The Huffington Post)
When the Berlin Wall fell 27 years ago, signaling the end of communism as a serious international force, no one cared much what people in China thought. The People’s Republic of China had escaped its Maoist catastrophe only a decade before. Beijing was almost a nullity in foreign affairs.
Can the Iranian Nuclear Deal Survive the Trump Presidency? (The Huffington Post)
Donald Trump’s shocking victory will bear important, albeit unclear, implications for a variety of America’s bilateral relationships, few more important than its relationship with Iran and the impact that may have on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Life on the Home Planet
In Yemen children with cancer are dying in agony (The Guardian)
Here in Yemen children are dying of preventable diseases because of the war. A simple cough or winter fever can kill you when your stomach is empty, roads are pulverized by bombardments and hospitals are unreachable both financially and logistically.
Journalist’s tell-all on mobster tied to JFK might have gotten her killed (NY Post)
On the night before her shocking death, Dorothy Kilgallen, a star panelist on the hit TV game show “What’s My Line?,” correctly guessed the occupation of a mystery guest: a woman who sold dynamite.
WikiLeaks Documents Reveal Sinister Relations Between Erdogan And ISIS (Zero Hedge)
Back in November 2015, when the world (or at least parts of it) was trying to answer one simple question: where does ISIS get its money, we first provided the answer in "Meet The Man Who Funds ISIS: Bilal Erdogan, The Son Of Turkey's President."
We could find alien life in the clouds of failed stars, say scientists (Science Alert)
If we're going to one day find life beyond Earth, then we need to know where to look, and scientists have identified another potential habitat where aliens could be lurking.
Libyan forces taking last few buildings from Islamic State in Sirte: officials (Reuters)
Libyan forces said on Tuesday they were securing the last few buildings where Islamic State militants had been making a final stand in their former North African stronghold of Sirte.
Iraq army launches fresh Mosul assault, targeting Mosul bridge (Reuters)
Iraqi army units advanced from southeast Mosul towards a bridge across the Tigris in the city center on Tuesday, in an attack that could give fresh impetus to the hard fought, seven-week battle for Islamic State's northern Iraq stronghold.
