Financial Markets and Economy
Bitcoin tops $1,000 for first time in three years as 2017 trading begins (The Guardian)
The nascent digital currency, which has been criticised as a vehicle for a range of nefarious characters from drug dealers to tax evaders to operate, outperformed all its central-bank-issued counterparts with a 125% climb in value in 2016.
European Stocks Advance as Data Confirms Manufacturing Strength (Bloomberg)
European stocks advanced, erasing earlier losses, after Italy’s better-than-expected economic data helped confirm a trend of stronger manufacturing in the euro area.
Legal Sparring Continues in Bitcoin User’s Battle with IRS Tax Sweep (Fortune)
In a strange twist, Coindesk reports that the IRS has, somewhat indirectly, removed one target from its broad request for data about U.S. users of the Bitcoin exchange Coinbase. It no longer wants data about Jeffrey Berns, a lawyer who also happens to be fighting the IRS’s “John Doe” request in court.
Dollar shows strength on the first trading day of the new year (Market Watch)
The U.S. dollar showed strength on the first day of trading in 2017, rising across the board against most major currencies, albeit in holiday-thinned conditions.
Euro Area Sees Price Gains as Manufacturing Picks Up Pace (Bloomberg)
Euro-area manufacturing expanded last month at the fastest rate since April 2011, in a sign that the currency bloc’s recovery is intact heading into 2017.
Largest India Bank Sees Loan Growth Jumping From 25-Year Low (Bloomberg)
State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender, is predicting an acceleration in loan growth from a 25-year low after slashing borrowing costs to the lowest level in at least six years.
This Is Where the World's Highest-Paid Expats Live (Bloomberg)
Expats living in the home of UBS Group AG, drug maker Novartis AG and commodity trader Glencore Plc earn an average salary of $188,275 a year.
Bank Hapoalim Credit Card Unit Said Valued at Near $1 Billion (Bloomberg)
Bank Hapoalim Ltd.’s credit-card unit may be valued at about $1 billion as the lender prepares to divest the business to comply with new Israeli regulations, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The Most Popular Investor Picks for Emerging Markets in 2017 (Bloomberg)
These are some clear favorites among investors for 2017. All things Russian and Indian are popular, as are Brazilian corporate bonds and Mexico’s cheap peso.
U.S. stocks riding a bull market in corruption (Market Watch)
I’m an American, full of pride for President-elect Donald Trump and his big, big, 10% stock market rally since the election!
U.S. Auto Makers Move to Adapt as Low Fuel Prices Drive Consumers Away From Smaller Cars (The Wall Street Journal)
Solid December sales are expected to nudge 2016 to a second straight record for the U.S. light-vehicle market, but factory workers in towns such as Lordstown, Ohio, aren’t dancing in the streets.
New Year, new high for euro zone stock markets (Reuters)
Euro zone stocks opened 2017 by climbing to their highest in more than a year on Monday after data showed manufacturers in the currency bloc ramped up activity at the fastest pace in more than five years.
Companies
Hyundai, Kia Forecast Sales to Rebound on Capacity, Models (Bloomberg)
Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s largest automakers, forecast sales to climb 4.7 percent this year as they count on new model introductions to counter intensifying competition amid global uncertainties.
Comcast Reaches Carriage Deal With Fox News (The Wall Street Journal)
Cable giant Comcast Corp. has reached an agreement to continue carriage of Fox News Channel, the two companies said, averting a blackout that would have left millions of viewers without access to the popular network.
Tesla Gives U.K. Buyers Two Weeks to Dodge Brexit Price Increase (Bloomberg)
Tesla Motors Inc. customers in the U.K. may find their Christmas cash goes a little further than expected after the carmaker postponed a price increase by two weeks.
Korea Bans Sales of Some Nissan, BMW Models in Emissions Probe (Bloomberg)
South Korea banned the sale of 10 models built by Nissan Motor Co., BMW AG and Volkswagen AG’s Porsche after an investigation found the automakers fabricated documents related to emission tests.
Technology
Hyundai and Kia Set Robust 2017 Sales Targets Despite Market Uncertainty (Fortune)
South Korean automobile giant Hyundai Motor (HYMTF, +5.13%) and affiliated Kia Motors (KIMTF, -24.66%) are targeting combined 2017 sales of 8.25 million vehicles worldwide. That's a slight step up from their 2016 goal, which analysts expect the companies to miss.
Google and Fiat Chrysler Have Developed a Car With An Android Operating System (Fortune)
Google tweaked Android last year to make the open source operating system attractive to automakers that want a customized, turn-key infotainment system. An Android in-car infotainment system was viewed, at the time, as just a concept.
Tesla begins rolling out much-anticipated Autopilot update for its newest cars (Tech Crunch)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has bold plans for self-driving cars in 2017, and his company took a step towards that goal after it began rolling out a much-anticipated Autopilot update to owners of its newer vehicles.
Apple partner Wistron seeks to expand India smartphone parts plant: government official (Reuters)
Smartphone component maker Wistron Corp, which counts Apple Inc among its customers, has applied for permission to expand its plant in the Indian city of Bengaluru, a high-ranking regional government official said on Monday.
Japanese white-collar workers are already being replaced by artificial intelligence (Quartz)
Most of the attention around automation focuses on how factory robots and self-driving cars may fundamentally change our workforce, potentially eliminating millions of jobs. But AI that can handle knowledge-based, white-collar work are also becoming increasingly competent.
The year social media changed everything. (Vox)
What happened to the U.S. in 2016 is historical and terrifying, and most of us were unprepared for it. This year saw the rise to power of a vocal, right-wing extremism with white supremacist and Fascist leanings not considered a legitimate part of American politics in over half a century, while the ideological differences between the left and right splintered so far that it seems to have fractured reality itself.
2017’s big ideas – part one: from driverless cars to interstellar travel (The Guardian)
The human brain is an amazing machine. It can make an unperceivable number of calculations a second. This outstanding ability is widely implemented during one of the most neurologically challenging actions people are engaged with on a daily basis: driving.
Samsung unveils water-resistant Galaxy A phones with USB-C (Engadget)
After the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung can't afford a product misstep this year, and it seems to have gotten off to a good start with the 2017 Galaxy A smartphones.
Millennials aren't going gaga for baby tech — yet (CNet)
If Silicon Valley has its way, in a few years you'll walk out of the house wearing a smartwatch on your wrist measuring your heart-rate and temperature, a smart belt buckle tracking your eating habits, and a pair of glasses telling you everything you need to know while recording your family's antics as you head out in your self-driving car.
TrackR's home-mapping plugs help you pinpoint lost items (Engadget)
Even in the tiniest of apartments, your most precious possessions somehow vanish when you need them most. In a bid to make messy people slightly less late, TrackR has announced a new range of item locator tags.
BLINK Unveils Expanded Suite Of Smart Home Security Devices And Services (Digital Trends)
Blink, a smart home security device company, is upping its game with new security devices and new levels of monthly service plans. Blink’s DIY approach will get an additional boost with two home security kits.
Politics
Obama to deliver farewell address in Chicago on January 10 (Reuters)
U.S. President Barack Obama will deliver a farewell address on Jan. 10 to reflect on his time in office and say thank you to his supporters, he said in an email statement released on Monday.
New GOP Congress confronts a crushing to-do list (Politico)
Contentious confirmation fights, a GOP assault on Obamacare — and, more than likely, hints of Republican infighting to come.
Welcome to the new Congress.
Black pols plan Trump resistance (Politico)
After eight years of the nation’s first African-American president, black lawmakers were in for an adjustment no matter who won the White House.
The Overlooked, Under-Reported and Ignored Stories of 2016 (Moyers & Company)
The most undercovered story this year was what Donald Trump would do as US president. I know it seems strange to say, given all the oxygen that a presidential campaign takes up and especially given Trump’s knack for publicity.
Trump Aide: U.S. Sanctions On Russia May Be Disproportionate (Reuters)
A top aide to President-elect Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday that the White House may have disproportionately punished Russia by ordering the expulsion of 35 suspected Russian spies.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu To Be Questioned Over Alleged Corruption (Reuters)
Police are expected to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his official residence in Jerusalem on Monday on suspicion of receiving gifts from businessmen in breach of his role as a public servant, Israeli media reported.
Could Trump’s Deregulation Agenda Open An Additional $70 Billion Solar Market in the US? (The Huffington Post)
President elect Trump has vowed to end “all unnecessary regulations“ in the energy industry as part of an “America-first energy” plan. Much attention has been paid to how regulations, which limit environmental and human-health impacts from pollution, restrict the use of fossil fuels.
Health and Biotech
This Is Your Brain On Drugs (Popular Science)
For millennia, psychonauts have ingested both natural and man-made substances to see the world in new ways. Now, brain scans and other studies reveal how these buzz-builders work, helping scientists harness their power for good and expose the roots of addiction.
Life on the Home Planet
Chicago Ends Year With 762 Killings, the Most in 2 Decades (NY Times)
CHICAGO — One of the most violent years in Chicago history ended on Sunday with a sobering tally: 762 homicides, the most in two decades in the city and more than New York and Los Angeles combined.
There's evidence for how much exercise affects your health — more is not always better (Business Insider)
Researchers set out to learn exactly how much exercise you need to make a difference in your health. They gathered health survey data from more than 661,137 mostly middle-age adults and organized them into groups based on how much they exercised.
The violent, post-truth 2017 predicted in The Running Man? We’re living in it (The Conversation)
Welcome to a world where fake news stories are used to manipulate public opinion. Dissent is no longer tolerated and all your communications are monitored; the economy is not functioning and reality TV is used to distract you from harsher realities. Welcome to 2017.
Islamic State claims responsibility for Istanbul attack as hunt for gunman continues (Market Watch)
BEIRUT—Islamic State on Monday claimed responsibility for a deadly New Year’s attack in Istanbul that killed at least 39 people and wounded dozens more, claiming the operation had targeted Turkey in retaliation for its military operations against the group in Syria.
Victims in Istanbul New Year’s Attack Came From at Least 12 Countries (NY Times)
Abis Rizvi made a Bollywood action film about tigers. Leanne Nasser insisted on traveling from Israel, even though her father was worried about her safety. Haykal Mousallem, a fitness trainer, came from Lebanon with his wife to ring in the new year.
