Financial Markets and Economy
Black Cloud of Illiquidity Hovers Over the Bond Market (Bloomberg)
The $13.9 trillion market for U.S. Treasuries is often called the most important in the world. Lawmakers, regulators and investors have always taken its smooth functioning for granted, with rare exceptions such as the bidding scandal that almost sunk Salomon Brothers in the early 1990s.
China says no to 'currency war' after Trump criticism of yuan (Reuters)
China said on Friday it has never used its currency as a tool to gain an advantage in trade and was not seeking a "currency war", after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Beijing for harming American companies and consumers with a devaluation of its yuan.
The U.S. Is Much Less Crowded Than Previously Thought (Bloomberg)
Fewer people than we used to think are coming to — and staying in — the United States.
That's according to the latest annual Census Bureau population estimates published this morning along with the non-farm payrolls data.
Grexit? Greece again on the brink as debt crisis threatens break with EU (The Guardian)
In the week of Groundhog Day it seemed entirely appropriate: Greek farmers, many on tractors, have once again been blockading roads and border posts amid mounting signs that the country long at the centre of Europe’s debt woes is – once again – teetering towards crisis.
India's GDP Growth For Fiscal 2017 To Be Upwards of 7% – Shaktikanta Das (Forbes)
The economy minister, Shaktikanta Das, has given his prediction of India's GDP growth for the coming 2017 – 2018 fiscal year. He says that it will be upwards of 7% and there's not really any reason to doubt him.
After initial optimism about the economy, some investors begin to worry about a 'Trump slump' (Los Angeles Times)
As President Trump began his second week in office, he sat in the Roosevelt Room, a glass of Diet Coke at hand, and crowed before small business leaders that the stock market has gone up “massively” since his election.
Foreign Arms Sales Boom Under President Trump (Fool.com)
President Donald TrumpOpens a New Window. says he wants to "make America's military strong again" — but first things first. Before we get around to strengthening America's military, we need to export a few weapons to our allies.
The outlook for New York City's rental market is gloomy (The Real Deal)
Equity Residential’s outlook on its New York rental market continues to look gloomy, with the real estate company on Wednesday bemoaning falling rents and rising concessions in the Big Apple.
The Central Banks Face Unwelcome Realities: Their Policies Boosted Wealth Inequality and Failed to Generate “Growth” (Washington's Blog)
Once the Fed ended its $3.7 trillion “experiment” of vastly expanding its money-creation and bond-buying in early 2014, what happened to bank credit? Bank credit had expanded by a bit over $1 trillion in the early years of the Fed’s quantitative easing, but it really took off after QE3 ended, soaring roughly $2 trillion.
The Super Bowl delivers advertisers a stunningly large audience watching live along with the added value of the rating, analysis, and dissection of each ad before as well as after the game.
25% of CEOs’ Time Is Spent on Tasks Machines Could Do (Harvard Business Review)
Soon after taking office, the new president created a national commission to examine the impact of automation. No family should pay an unjust price for progress, he announced, yet automation should not be viewed as an enemy.
How "Superstar" Companies And Technology Are Killing The American Worker (Zero Hedge)
We've frequently written in recent months about the unintended consequences of politicians meddling in labor markets by setting artificially high minimum wage rates (see "State Minimum Wage Hikes Already Passed Into Law Expected To Cost 2.6 Million Jobs, New Study Finds").
Companies
Trump’s Strong Dollar Means Weaker Sales at Apple, Honeywell (Bloomberg)
Apple Inc. is boosting the prices of iPhones sold abroad by as much as 40 percent to offset the declining value of foreign sales when they’re converted to dollars. Those higher prices hurt Apple’s ability to compete. Industrial giant Honeywell International Inc. is trimming its sales forecast this year by $600 million and hedging in the currency markets.
Technology
Robotics-focused ETFs see big gains, Trump could hasten trend (Market Watch)
That’s the argument behind a pair of outperforming exchange-traded funds that track the robotics industry, which could continue seeing strong growth as more positions get automated by machines or algorithms.
AI leaders: Machines will quickly outsmart us when they achieve human-level intelligence (Business Insider UK)
Machines will quickly become significantly smarter than humans when they achieve human level intelligence, according to a high-profile panel of artificial intelligence (AI) leaders.
With Virtual Reality, Major Sports Are Bringing the Stadium to You (NBC News)
Houston's NRG Stadium seats around 72,000 screaming maniacs when it's hosting a football game, as it will on Super Bowl Sunday. But those with their butts in the seats will account for less than one percent of Americans watching the game, most of whom will be planted somewhere in front of a TV, a bowl of guacamole well within reach.
The U.A.E. Sets Its Sights on Biggest Solar Farm Ever (Fool.com)
The U.S. solar market has moved away from massive solar farms in recent years, favoring smaller developments that plug into the grid a little more easily. But international markets aren't shying away from giant solar projects, particularly in desert locations.
Politics
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Trump: Mexicans Swarming Across Border, Enrolling in Law School, and Becoming Biased Judges (New Yorker, Borowitz, Humor)
Unless the United States builds a wall, Mexicans will swarm across the border, enroll in law school en masse, and eventually become biased judges, Donald J. Trump warned supporters on Monday.
On Feb. 3, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order ordering the Treasury Secretary to review the laws and regulations governing the financial system.
Michigan GOP Official Calls For ‘Another Kent State’ For Campus Protesters (The Huffington Post)
A Republican Party official in northern Michigan has issued what amounts to a death threat against American college protesters, calling for “another Kent State” in the wake of protests at the University of California, Berkeley.
Trump Moves to Roll Back Obama-Era Financial Regulations (NY Times)
President Trump on Friday moved to chisel away at the Obama administration’s legacy on financial regulation, announcing steps to revisit the rules enacted after the 2008 financial crisis and to back away from a measure intended to protect consumers from bad investment advice.
Trump’s Low Approval Numbers Matter — Here’s Why (Harvard Business Review)
President Trump entered the White House with the lowest approval ratings any president has had when taking office, and they aren’t likely to go up for a sustained period of time. Even if Trump doesn’t believe the polls, as he has avowed, such low approval ratings are likely to have real consequences for him.
Fake Vigils Honor Victims Of Kellyanne Conway’s Made-Up Bowling Green Massacre (The Huffington Post)
Protesters held fake vigils on Friday night to honor the victims of the “Bowling Green Massacre” that never actually happened.
Trump loses backbone on drug prices. Is there a pill for that? (The Washington Post)
Amid all the kerfuffle in the last week over immigration, the Supreme Court, Iran and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s TV ratings, too little attention was paid to an extraordinary meeting at the White House at which President Trump reneged on a campaign promise and sold out millions of “forgotten” Americans to giant drug companies.
Health and Biotech
Scientists find evidence that aspirin and ibuprofen don't actually help spinal pain (Science Alert)
Back pain is an ailment most of us will suffer at some point in our lives. But while we might be tempted to reach for a pack of aspirin, new research suggests we might be better off downing a sugar pill.
Life on the Home Planet
Immigrant Doctors Provide Better Care, According to a Study of 1.2 Million Hospitalizations (Harvard Business Review)
On January 27 President Trump signed an executive order blocking citizens, including doctors, from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days. This may have a measurable impact on the U.S. health care system. Many doctors may be blocked from returning to the U.S. after leaving the country.
A Super Bowl Ad Is the Equivalent of Lighting Money on Fire (Which Can Be More Strategic Than It Sounds) (Harvard Business Review)
Everyone knows that whispering “I love you” to someone you just met over some bangin’ beats in the club at 3 AM stands no chance of success. Similarly, suspect claims of honesty or authenticity in business will likely be heavily discounted as cheap talk by a skeptical counterpart.
Mystery radiation ‘clouds’ may pose risk to air travellers (New Scientist)
Danger zones in the air where radiation levels surge could pose an unrecognised health hazard. Airliners may have to avoid these in future, just as they do with volcanic ash clouds, to minimise any risk to travellers and crew.
