Financial Markets and Economy
Stocks gain on Trump policy bets; S&P breaks $20 trillion (Reuters)
A gauge of global equity markets advanced on Monday and bond yields rose as investors flocked to assets likely to benefit from reflationary policies that are expected to be implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Oil Slips Most in 3 Weeks as OPEC Cuts Face Rising U.S. Output (Bloomberg)
Oil declined in New York as OPEC’s supply cuts are tempered by a revival of shale drilling in the U.S.
Futures slid 1.7 percent in New York, the biggest drop in more than three weeks.
China Central Bank Resumes Reverse Repo Sales After Six-Day Halt (Bloomberg)
China’s central bank restarted the use of an instrument that adds cash to the financial system, helping ease liquidity concerns before $153 billion of funds come due this week.
Brexit's Hit to Growth Will Be Milder Than Expected, EU Says (Bloomberg)
The European Commission is the latest forecaster to say the impact of Brexit will be milder this year than previously anticipated.
OCBC Falls Most in Six Months After Profit Misses Estimates (Bloomberg)
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., Southeast Asia’s second-largest lender, fell the most in six months in Singapore trading after its quarterly profit missed estimates amid a surge in bad-loan provisions.
Fed’s Kaplan calls for interest-rate hike ‘sooner rather than later’ (Market Watch)
The Federal Reserve should raise interest rates “sooner rather than later” to avoid having to step on the gas and push rates sharpy higher, said Dallas Fed President Rob Kaplan on Monday.
Global airlines and shipping companies are expected to flock back into oil hedging in a low but rising crude oil pricing environment, Citigroup says.
Shopping for the Ivanka Trump brand is a nightmare in NYC (Yahoo Finance)
After top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told the world on “Fox and Friends” to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” I decided to take her up on the challenge. On Friday afternoon, I set out to find an Ivanka Trump dress or handbag at six New York City retailers.
Putting Clients Second (NY Times)
The Trump administration recently announced that it intends to review, and presumably overturn, the Obama-era fiduciary duty rule that is scheduled to take effect in April. The administration’s case was articulated by Gary Cohn, the new director of the National Economic Council.
As euphoria overruns Wall Street, one bank sees S&P 500 at 3,000 by 2019 (Market Watch)
It may have taken the S&P 500 17 years to crawl from 1,000 points to 2,000, but investors will not have to wait that long for the next millenary milestone — that is, if one analyst’s rosy view of the market pans out.
Batista Bounces Back From $35 Billion Loss, but He’s Still Stuck in Prison (Bloomberg)
After becoming the world’s eighth-richest man at his peak in early 2012, the Brazilian tycoon lost $35 billion in a single year as his commodities empire collapsed. Things got so ugly that he became the world’s first known negative billionaire.
It’s Not Just Hollywood: Bollywood Tries Social Activism to Fix India’s Currency Jam (The Wall Street Journal)
The commercial loops all day long on select television channels throughout India. In it, some of Bollywood’s most glamorous stars, looking resplendent in evening wear, take turns in front of the camera solemnly promising to support what has become the newest cause célèbre among India’s elite.
Companies
Burger King, Tim Hortons owner's profit beats as costs fall (Reuters)
Restaurant Brands International Inc (QSR.TO) (QSR.N), the owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons, reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as comparable sales at its burger chain topped estimates and costs fell.
Toshiba’s Nuclear Reactor Mess Winds Back to a Louisiana Swamp (Bloomberg)
If you want to understand why Toshiba Corp. is about to report a multi-billion dollar write-down on its nuclear reactor business, the story begins and ends with a one-time pipe manufacturer with roots in the swamp country of Louisiana.
Noble Group Jumps as Trader Confirms Strategic Stake Talks (Bloomberg)
Noble Group Ltd. surged the most in over a year after it said it’s in discussions with a strategic investor, which people familiar with the talks identified as China’s Sinochem Group.
Technology
Forget Building Walls, Technology Is Tearing Them Down (Singularity Hub)
With all the talk of building walls, it seems to me that technology has actually been rapidly tearing down walls.
What Happens When Tech Takes Control of Evolution? (Singularity Hub)
Over the span of a few billion years, diversity of life has flourished on Earth through the process of natural selection. Then, not long ago (relatively), human intelligence evolved.
Israel Developing Tools to Fight on Social Media Battlefront (Bloomberg)
Iran’s nuclear program and the possibility of another war with Hezbollah are high on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s agenda for this week’s visit to Washington.
AI learns to recognize exotic states of matter (Engadget)
It's difficult for humans to identify phase transitions, or exotic states of matter that come about through unusual transitions (say, a material becoming a superconductor).
Uber puts mapping cars on five continents (Engadget)
Uber just showed how committed it is to mapping the planet. The ridesharing outfit has started rolling out map cars in Singapore, putting the vehicles on five major continents (sorry, Antarctica, you'll have to wait).
Google's New AI Has Learned to Become "Highly Aggressive" in Stressful Situations (Science Alert)
Late last year, famed physicist Stephen Hawking issued a warning that the continued advancement of artificial intelligence will either be "the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity".
Politics
The timeline of claims made in an unsubstantiated dossier presented by top US intelligence officials to President Donald Trump and senior lawmakers last month has increased scrutiny of events that unfolded in the final months of the Trump campaign.
Trump Vows to Fight as Appeals Court Thwarts Immigration Ban (Bloomberg)
A federal appeals court unanimously refused to reinstate President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, issuing a sharp rebuke in a ruling likely destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump’s Oval Office Tweets Force CEOs to Choose Fight or Flight (Bloomberg)
President Donald Trump is injecting himself into the daily business of U.S. companies to an unprecedented extent, spurring investors and executives to weigh their exposure to his wrath when making decisions.
The Department of Justice is weighing whether or not to appeal a decision issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to deny reinstating President Donald Trump's immigration order while its legality is established, according to multiple reports Friday.
Trump Is Sifting Options on Immigration Ban, Adviser Says (The Wall Street Journal)
The White House is examining several options—including issuing a new executive order or continuing its legal battle—for how to proceed on its immigration policy after a setback dealt by the courts last week, top White House adviser Stephen Miller said Sunday.
Speed Limits on Trump’s Infrastructure Drive: Federal Laws, Rare Species and Nimbys (The Wall Street Journal)
Almost sixty years ago, officials at California’s transportation department unveiled a plan to build a six-mile freeway extension in Los Angeles County.
Trump is 'evaluating' adviser Flynn, avoids show of support (Reuters)
President Donald Trump is evaluating U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn over his Russian contacts, Trump's spokesman said on Monday, pointedly declining to make a public show of support for his embattled aide.
China Calls for Restraint on North Korea as UN Prepares to Meet (Bloomberg)
China’s foreign ministry opposed North Korea’s ballistic missile test and called on all sides to avoid escalating tensions ahead of an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting.
Employers Balk at Curbs on Generous Health Plans (The Wall Street Journal)
The Affordable Care Act’s tax on high-cost employer health plans faced sharp opposition from employers and unions. Now, Republicans are drawing equal fire for proposals to replace the law that those groups say would have some of the same effects.
Netanyahu non-committal on Palestinian statehood as he heads to U.S. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sidestepped a question on whether he still supports the creation of a Palestinian state as he left for the United States on Monday on his first visit since President Donald Trump took office.
Kremlin says Putin-Trump meeting possible before July (Reuters)
The Kremlin said on Monday there was talk of a possible meeting between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump taking place before a G20 summit in July, but there was nothing specific to report so far.
Trump’s refugee and visa ban gets another big defeat in court (Vox)
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals just rejected an attempt by the Justice Department to reinstate the ban, after District Judge James Robart put a temporary restraining order on it last week.
Trump Named as a Defendant in Landmark Climate Lawsuit (E&E News)
In 2015, a group of kids, young adults and environmentalists sued the U.S. government and top officials — including President Obama — for failing to protect them from the dangers of climate change, despite detailed warnings and research of its risks.
Trump ripped Mexico in tweet while Kushner was meeting with Mexican officials: report (The Hill)
President Trump took to Twitter to slam Mexico over his border wall proposal while top advisor Jared Kushner was meeting with Mexican officials about a potential state visit, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
North Korean Nuclear Ambitions to Be Defining Issue for Trump (Bloomberg)
President Donald Trump will be forced to deal with ongoing threats from North Korea as that country gains the ability to threaten the continental U.S. with a nuclear strike, an official said on Sunday, hours after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile into nearby seas.
Energy experts give Trump the hard truth: You can’t bring coal back (Think Progress)
Donald Trump won the presidency with claims that he is a brilliant businessman who will create jobs. He railed against a political “war on coal” supposedly waged by President Obama, one Trump claimed was “killing American jobs.”
Health and Biotech
6 Ways to Decrease Your Risk of Alzheimer's Disease (Business Insider)
As we age, our brains might start to get less sharp, making it harder to learn new things or remember key events. And for some, that cognitive decline could be significant, in some rarer cases leading to Alzheimer's disease.
Life on the Home Planet
Sea Ice Hits Record Lows at Both Poles (Climate Central)
Arctic temperatures have finally started to cool off after yet another winter heat wave stunted sea ice growth over the weekend. The repeated bouts of warm weather this season have stunned even seasoned polar researchers, and could push the Arctic to a record low winter peak for the third year in a row.
Climate change is already battering hundreds of animal species (New Scientist)
Climate change is already harming around 700 species of mammals and birds. That means that warming is not just a theoretical future threat, and conservation work must focus on the “here and now”, says a new study.
Lego Superheroes Triumph Over S&M Lovers at U.S. Box Office (Bloomberg)
“The Lego Batman Movie,” a spinoff of the successful toy tale, topped the box office on its first weekend, proving Warner Bros. can score by combining the superhero and kids franchises.
Adele sweeps Grammy awards in upset victory over Beyonce (Reuters)
Adele swept the Grammy Awards on Sunday, taking home statuettes for the top prizes – album, record and song of the year – in a shock, history-making victory over Beyonce on a night marked by political statements and emotional tributes.
