Financial Markets and Economy
U.S. Equities Slide After Growth Data as Energy Shares Decline (Bloomberg)
U.S. stocks declined Friday as benchmark indexes slipped from records reached earlier in the week and data showed economic growth slowed more than forecast last quarter.
American markets soar to most expensive for 15 years (The Telegraph)
America’s Dow Jones index broke through 20,000 for the first time in history on Wednesday, helping to take American markets to their most expensive in 15 years.
China’s Bond Market Has a Forgery Problem (Bloomberg)
Forged seals, fake letters, and counterfeit documents. They’re all part of a recent spate of fraud in China that’s added to worries about the country’s $3 trillion corporate bond market, where defaults have been rising and companies are finding it increasingly difficult to sell debt issues.
Insurers warn: We're outta here with no Obamacare replacement (CNN)
Health insurers want to see how Congress intends to replace Obamacare before they commit to offering policies for 2018, a new survey has found.
CARLOS SLIM: It's clear the government of Mexico is in a strong negotiating position (Business Insider)
Mexican multibillionaire Carlos Slim on Friday gave a rare press conference and called on all Mexicans and Mexican political parties to support President Enrique Peña Nieto in his negotiations with US President Donald Trump.
What it takes to get a Corona from Mexico to a U.S. heartland bar (Reuters)
Getting it there from its brewery in Mexico involves a complex, cross-border supply network that will likely get more complicated if U.S. president Donald Trump follows through on vows to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or tax imports.
In gamble, Trump team embraces stock market surge (The Hill)
President Trump's team is breaking with White House precedent by taking a victory lap after a stock market surge.
After the Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 20,000 points for the first time in its history Wednesday, Trump and his advisers quickly hailed the event while giving the new president credit for the milestone.
Global Shares Drift As Euphoria Over Dow's 20K Breach Fades (Associated Press)
European shares traded in narrow ranges Friday as the momentum generated by the Dow Jones' breach of the 20,000 mark for the first time faded and following news the U.S. economy lost momentum in the final three months of 2016.
Trump Tower Has Rental Bargains, If You Can Get Past Security (Bloomberg)
At $5,250 a month, a one-bedroom apartment at Manhattan’s Trump Tower comes with a lot of extras: a month of free rent, beefed-up security in the lobby and the ability to say you share a home address with the U.S. president.
NAFTA's Economic Impact (CFR)
The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is a three-country accord negotiated by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States that entered into force in January 1994.
It`s The Fed`s Responsibility To Pop Asset Bubbles (EconMatters)
It is pretty obvious the stock market is not, and has not been trading on actual earnings for a long time, but at these valuations it is starting to get downright scary how far these assets are going to fall in the inevitable market crash when every excessive risk taker runs for the exits at the same time.
Yen Tumbles After BOJ Boosts Bond Buying (Zero Hedge)
With the Trump reflation trade once again spooking global government bonds and sending rates higher around the world, overnight Japan’s 40-year JGB rose to 1% for the first time in 11 months as Treasuries led a global debt sell-off amid rising inflation fears.
Consumer Confidence Is The Highest In 13 Years (Zero Hedge)
The final UMichigan consumer confidence print is in, and it was even higher, printing at 98.5, up from 98.2 in December, and above the 98.1 consensus estimate.
Companies
T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon Grow; Sprint Shrinks (Fool.com)
T-Mobile's (NASDAQ: TMUS) strategy of adding customers by attacking the industry-standard policies of its rivals has worked, giving the company the most subscriber growth in the wireless space during 2016.
In a Verizon-Charter Deal, Analysts See One Massive Pile of Debt (Bloomberg)
Verizon Communications Inc. is said to have given thought to buying Charter Communications Inc., a deal that would create the biggest U.S. wireless and internet provider.
Why Alphabet Flunked The Hardest Math Test In Business (Fortune)
Vanguard's John Bogle has convinced me that I am better off investing in a low-cost S&P 500 index fund than individual stocks. But if I had to swap cash for a company's stock, I'd pick a $100 billion company that could grow faster than 20% a year.
Morgan Stanley analyst says don't invest in Tesla because of Trump (Business Insider)
After criticizing now-President Donald Trump during the election, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has dome something of a 180-degree turnabout.
Why Warren Buffett Keeps Framed Reminders of Awful Moments in Economic History (TIME)
In a hallway at the Omaha headquarters of Berkshire Hathaway, a wall is lined with New York Times front pages on momentous days in stock market history. The framed newspaper pages were put there by CEO Warren Buffett.
This Bakken Shale Oil Stock Doubled in 2016, but It Has Plenty of Fuel for Another Run in 2017 (Fool.com)
Bakken shale-focused producer Oasis Petroleum (NYSE: OAS) rewarded investors handsomely last year. The company rode the crude oil rally for most of the year before breaking away in the late fall.
3 Most Unbelievably Undervalued Biotech Stocks (Fool.com)
Finding undervalued biotech stocks isn't as easy as it might seem. Many biotechs don't have a product on the market, so any attempt at valuation involves a lot of guesswork about pipeline prospects. And many biotechs that do have products on the market command high premiums.
ANA Says It’s Concerned Trump Policies May Slow Global Growth (Bloomberg)
ANA Holdings Inc., owner of Japan’s biggest airline, said it’s concerned the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump may slow global growth, which in turn affects airline passenger traffic.
Technology
Apple shares back in vogue as Wall Street bets on iPhone surge (Reuters)
Wall Street has regained an appetite for Apple as investors bet that the release of a 10th-anniversary iPhone and pent up customer demand will shore up shrinking sales.
Girlfriend ‘Rental’ Apps Are Becoming Attractive in China (Fortune)
As millions in China head home to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday with their families, 24-year-old Luoluo is busy answering messages on a mobile app from desperate men looking to hire an instant girlfriend whom they can present to mom and dad.
Politics
Trump signs executive action for 'new vetting measures' to keep 'radical Islamic terrorists' out of the US (AP, Business Insider)
Setting a hard-line tone on national security, President Donald Trump on Friday ordered strict new screening for refugees to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States and alternated tough talk with kind words in his diplomatic standoff with Mexico.
Trump to speak with leaders of Russia, Germany, France: White House (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump will hold telephone calls with the leaders of Russia, Germany, and France on Saturday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a tweet on Friday.
The homogeneity of Donald Trump's cabinet (The Economist)
EVEN before Theresa May arrived in Washington on January 27th as the first foreign leader to visit Donald Trump in the White House, the newly inaugurated president had taken to calling her “my Maggie”.
Trump’s ‘America First’ Policy Will Give China a Big Edge Over America (Fortune)
The world turned upside-down last week when, within just seven days, the United States and China each reversed a posture they held for the past 70 years.
Elon Musk Says Simply Attacking President Trump ‘Will Achieve Nothing’ (Fortune)
Tesla (TSLA, +0.18%) CEO Elon Musk, who has joined President Donald Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, said that there should be "more voices of reason" reaching into the Oval Office.
Donald Trump can’t come to terms with his popular vote loss, ABC News interview reveals (Salon)
President Donald Trump held his first televised network interview since being elected, when he sat down with ABC News’ David Muir on Wednesday night. In the middle of his first week, he was asked about his executive actions and threats to withhold funds from so-called “sanctuary cities,” but really wanted to talk about how popular he was.
How an Iowa immigration raid affected infant health (The Conversation)
On May 12, 2008, 900 federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, armed with military-grade weapons and vehicles, stormed the Agriprocessors meat processing plant in Postville, Iowa, in what was, at the time, the largest federal worksite immigration raid in U.S. history.
Setting a hard-line tone on national security, President Donald Trump on Friday ordered strict new screening forrefugees to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" out of the United States and alternated tough talk with kind words in his diplomatic standoff with Mexico.
What Does the Billionaire Family Backing Donald Trump Really Want? (The Atlantic)
She owns a cookie store. He loves model trains. They both hate the Clintons. And beyond that, not much is clear about the motivations of the Mercer father-daughter duo of Republican megadonors who have become two of the most powerful people in the country over the last 18 months.
Sen Warren says Labor Dept removed website for Wells Fargo employees (Reuters)
The U.S. Department of Labor removed a special website it created as a resource for current and former Wells Fargo employees on workplace issues, including whistleblower retaliation complaints, according to a U.S. lawmaker.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair denounces Trump, calls him a ‘fascist’ (The Globe And Mail)
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair has denounced U.S. President Donald Trump as a “fascist,” and urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to stand up to the American leader on his plan to exclude refugees and some immigrants from the United States.
Trump’s Media Strategy Is a Trap, and We’re All Taking the Bait (Fortune)
If you work in the media, or are even tangentially interested in it, you've probably seen the New York Times' interview with White House strategist Steve Bannon, who attacked the mainstream press for its cluelessness during the recent election while saying that reporters should feel humiliated and irrelevant.
Trump's 'extreme vetting' order sows seeds of panic (BBC)
Donald Trump's executive order on immigration to the US from countries in the war-torn Middle East is causing panic among refugees.
Trump Wants To Slash EPA Workforce, Budget (Associated Press)
The former head of President Donald Trump's transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency says he expects the new administration to seek significant budget and staff cuts.
AP-NORC POLL: Broad Worries About Potential Health Care Loss (Associated Press)
Though "Obamacare" still divides Americans, a majority worry that many will lose coverage if the 2010 law is repealed in the nation's long-running political standoff over health care.
Trump pulls Obamacare ads days ahead of enrollment deadline (CNN)
The Trump administration has halted up to $5 million worth of Obamacare advertising in the crucial days ahead of the final enrollment deadline on Jan. 31.
Life on the Home Planet
At the heart of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert sits a crater of fire the size of a football field that’s been perpetually burning now for almost fifty years.
Modern tomatoes have lost their flavor — but scientists have discovered how to change that (The Conversation)
If you shop in a supermarket you may well have asked why the fruit and veg you buy there is so tasteless, especially if you’ve also tried homegrown alternatives.
Visitors to Disneyland looking for an exclusive dining experience can now reserve — for a price — a secret space originally meant to serve as Walt and Lillian Disney's private residence.
