Financial Markets and Economy
Investors Are Starting to Get Nervous About Some Popular Trump Trades (Bloomberg)
For all the euphoria that’s run rampant in U.S. stocks since Donald Trump’s election, a bit of skepticism is creeping in, too.
Chief BOE Economist Predicts Drop in Consumer Spending (The Wall Street Journal)
Britain’s recent economic strength may not last, the Bank of England’s chief economist said Thursday, citing a likely slowdown in consumer spending as accelerating inflation starts to bite.
Mexico central bank sells $1 billion to prop peso after Trump slump: traders (Reuters)
Mexico's central bank sold dollars in Mexico and New York on Thursday to fight off the peso's nose dive to record lows amid fears U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's protectionist policies could further hammer Latin America's second-biggest economy.
There's a warning sign that we're nearing a 'retail recession' (Business Insider)
Physical stores are struggling to keep pace with online retailers such as Amazon, and consumer trends are shifting away from their product offerings. Recent news has made this decline even more obvious.
Why an Infrastructure ETF May Be a Bad Way to Play an Infrastructure Boom (Bloomberg)
When the president-elect pledged to facilitate a $1 trillion infrastructure-spending binge, exchange-traded funds with "infrastructure" in their name seemed like a sound way to cash in.
Odey’s Hedge Fund Slumps 49.5% in Worst Ever Annual Loss (Bloomberg)
Crispin Odey’s main hedge fund slumped 49.5 percent in 2016, its worst annual decline since it began trading in 1992, according to an investor letter.
Gold Traders Most Bullish Since 2015 on New Year Concerns (Bloomberg)
Those surveyed by Bloomberg were the most positive they’ve been on the metal’s price outlook since the end of 2015, with 14 saying they’re bullish on the metal, two bearish, and one neutral.
Trump’s Debts Are Widely Held on Wall Street, Creating New Potential Conflicts (The Wall Street Journal)
The debts of President-elect Donald Trump and his businesses are scattered across Wall Street banks, mutual funds and other financial institutions, broadening the tangle of interests that pose potential conflicts for the incoming president’s administration.
China factory activity rises to near four-year high (Reuters)
China’s factory activity picked up more than expected in December as demand accelerated, with output reaching a near six-year high, a private business survey showed on Tuesday, giving the manufacturing sector a solid boost heading into 2017.
UK credit binge approaching levels not seen since 2008 crash (The Guardian)
A credit boom that is close to levels not seen since the 2008 financial crash should set alarm bells ringing in Theresa May’s government, debt charities have warned.
Bitcoin Freefall: Prices Drop Nearly $200 in 1 Hour (CoinDesk)
According to data from CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index (BPI), market averages dropped abruptly only days after passing the $1,000 mark on 1st January. This morning's decline came after prices reached a high of $1,153.02 in early morning trading.
Holiday Sales Expose Losers in a Changing Market (Bloomberg)
Another holiday shopping season has passed, and though the rapid growth of online spending has been a well-told story for a number of years now, it’s worth highlighting the latest developments and what they mean for investors.
Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report (US Energy Information Administration)
Working gas in storage was 3,311 Bcf as of Friday, December 30, 2016, according to EIA estimates. This represents a net decline of 49 Bcf from the previous week.
The Escalating War on Cash in Europe (EconMatters)
In the wake of the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin in December, the European Commission granted customs and police authorities sweeping new powers to seize cash or precious metals carried by “suspect individuals” entering the EU.
The 1 Skill Warren Buffett Says Will Raise Your Value by 50 Percent (Inc)
The dividends on the investment you make in sharpening your communication skills will pay off for the rest of your career. Don't take my word for it. Listen to billionaire Warren Buffett's advice to a class of business students at Columbia University back in 2009.
The Brutal Truth Is That America Still Has Way Too Many Places to Shop (The Street)
When you watch investors in Macy's (M) and Kohl's (KSS) get their faces ripped off on Thursday because of terrifyingly bad holiday sales, keep this reality in mind as to the root cause of the problem: In the age of digital shopping, there are still too many damn retail stores in America.
Annual Energy Outlook 2017 (US Energy Information Administration)
The Annual Energy Outlook provides modeled projections of domestic energy markets through 2050, and includes cases with different assumptions of macroeconomic growth, world oil prices, technological progress, and energy policies.
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College Graduates: You Could Retire with $4,426,000 By Saving $111 per Paycheck (The Balance)
Congratulations, you've graduated from college! With degree in hand, you're ready to go out and face the world. You no doubt want to do well in life, which includes making enough money during your career to retire comfortably without having to worry about paying the bills.
Another Bubble Bursts – Bitcoin China Crashes Over 30% (Zero Hedge)
First it was Chinese stocks, then Chinese real estate (twice), then Chinese commodities (twice), and now Chinese Bitcoin's bubble has burst as a massive short squeeze on the offshore Yuan combined with comments on 'virtual' capital controls has sparked a bloodbath in the cryptocurrency from 8,896 yuan to 6,101 yuan in the last few hours…a 31% collapse.
Bitcoin Bloodbath As Mexican Peso Surges After Central Bank Intervention (Zero Hedge)
Following yesterday's 'panic' among mexican officials that Trump has considerably more leverage than the elites believed, the peso is soaring suddenly this morning as Banxico intervention took place.
Companies
'We bought Amazon because it's impossible to replicate' (The Telegraph)
Global equity funds have the advantage of being able to jump between different companies, investing where they think the largest growth will be.
Mall Companies Fall As Sears Announces Plans to Close Stores (Bloomberg)
Shares of mall companies slumped after Sears Holdings Corp. announced plans to shutter 150 stores as part of an effort to turn around the ailing chain.
Wall Street Waves Caution Flag on Tesla Plant as Investors Snap Up Shares (Bloomberg)
Touted as the future of high-tech manufacturing, Tesla Motors Inc.'s Gigafactory was praised far and wide after it began production Wednesday, but Wall Street analysts had a different take.
Technology
A closer look at the Toyota concept car that wants to be your best friend (Business Insider)
Toyota unveiled its latest concept car at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday night — and it's designed to be your pal.
CES: Intel, Mobileye, BMW Unite To Jump-Start Self-Driving Cars (Investor's Business Daily)
Continuing their push to jointly develop self-driving vehicles, Intel (INTC), Mobileye (MBLY) and BMW (BMWYY) say they will put a fleet of about 40 autonomous vehicles on the road by the second half of 2017.
Panasonic's companion robot is a cute projector trapped in an egg (Engadget)
Have you ever wanted to talk to a projector? No? Well, Panasonic wants to change that. It's showing off a proof-of-concept desktop companion robot here at CES that can respond to commands to project images and videos on a wall or your desk.
The 'internet of things' is going to invade your home, whether you like it or not (Business Insider)
In October, Mikko Hypponen — the chief research officer at security firm F-Secure — gave me a stark warning: "The [internet of things] revolution is gonna happen whether you're part of it or not."
One of Wall Street's most accurate tech analysts predicts the 10 biggest surprises for 2017 (Business Insider)
RBC Capital's managing director Mark Mahaney has covered internet stocks since 1998, and is consistently rated as one of the most accurate tech analysts in the market.
Politics
Bernie Just Printed a Gigantic Trump Tweet and Brought It to the Senate Floor (Gizmodo)
The Senate is currently debating the repeal of Obamacare. And since Senators love their visual aids, it makes sense that Bernie Sanders brought one along with him to work today. But Bernie’s sign marks the dawn of a new era in a lot of ways.
Study: racism and sexism predict support for Trump much more than economic dissatisfaction (Vox)
Following Donald Trump’s election, the media tried to identify several indicators for why he won. Was it the opioid painkiller and heroin epidemic? Poor health outcomes? The economy?
Trump's spiritual adviser, Paula White, fires back at critics (CNN)
President-elect Donald Trump's longtime religious adviser, Paula White, is firing back at critics who have called her a heretic and questioned her personal finances and romantic history.
Kentucky Republicans propose abortion ban after 20 weeks: “One had a choice early on to make a decision to conceive or not”Women in Kentucky would not be allowed to get an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy if the state’s legislature passes a controversial bill when it convenes for the 2017 session.
The House just made it a lot easier to sell off national parks (Think Progress)
The U.S. House of Representatives just made it easier for the government to sell or give away national parks, national forests, and other public lands.
In Latest Tweetstorm, Trump Blasts Chuck Schumer as "Head Clown" (Zero Hedge)
President-elect Trump has once again started off his day with a tweet storm, this time aimed at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for being a "head clown" for his defense of the "Obamacare lie."
Macron gains on Fillon, Le Pen in new French election poll (Reuters)
Conservative candidate Francois Fillon's lead in France's presidential election race has narrowed according to an opinion poll showing independent Emmanuel Macron gaining on both the former prime minister and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
House GOP, Trump team hatch border wall plan (Politico)
House Republicans and Donald Trump's team are coalescing around a multi-billion dollar plan to make good on the president-elect's campaign vows to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, according to top Republican lawmakers and aides.
White House Reporters Still Awaiting Changes Under President Trump (The Huffington Post)
Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, has promised that “business as usual is over” in Washington.
Trade minister Seko says Japan will keep contributing to U.S. employment (Reuters)
Japan's trade minister Hiroshige Seko said on Friday that Japanese companies have and will continue to contribute to employment in the United States.
Life on the Home Planet
Coral Reef Conditions Are About to Get a Lot Worse (TIME)
Last year was a devastating one for coral reefs around the globe, but according to new research, it may have been just the tip of the iceberg.
You Can Improve Your Default Response to Stress (Harvard Business Review)
One morning while anchoring The Early Show in New York, one of my coanchors got mixed up and tossed the show to me five minutes before I was slated to appear for my next segment, which was covering breaking news on political corruption in Washington.
Neuroscience Learns What Buddhism Has Known for Ages: There Is No Constant Self (The Power Of Ideas)
Evan Thomson, a researcher from the University of British Colombia, has confirmed that the Buddhist teaching of a constantly changing self is accurate.
New study calculates how long humanity could survive a zombie apocalypse (Science Alert)
Physics students have calculated how long it would take for humans to be wiped out by an infectious zombie apocalypse, and the results are pretty depressing.
Nuclear, missile tests show 'qualitative' improvement in North Korea capabilities: U.S. (Reuters)
The United States said on Thursday North Korea had demonstrated a "qualitative" improvement in its nuclear and missile capabilities after an unprecedented level of tests last year, showing the needed to sustain pressure on Pyongyang to bring it back to disarmament negotiations.
