Financial Markets and Economy
Global Economy Week Ahead: Eurozone PMI, U.S. Home Sales, Fed Minutes (The Wall Street Journal)
This week, housing data from the U.S. will offer clues on how a pickup in mortgage rates has affected the market, surveys of purchasing managers will give an early look at how the eurozone economy is holding up in February, and the Bank of Korea releases a policy statement.
China, Hong Kong stocks get off to fast start on slow trading day (Market Watch)
Equity markets in Japan and Australia started the week slightly lower, while yields on sovereign bonds fell in Asia trading Monday.
Japan's Trade Deficit Widens on Drop in Car Exports, Oil Imports (Bloomberg)
Japan posted a bigger-than-forecast trade deficit in January as auto exports declined and energy import costs increased.
U.K. Factory Orders Rise to Highest Level in Two Years, CBI Says (Bloomberg)
Orders at U.K. factories climbed at the fastest pace in two years this month, according to the Confederation of British Industry.
Oil prices push higher, lifted by decline in Saudi exports (Market Watch)
Crude futures moved higher on Monday, lifted by fresh data showing a decline in Saudi Arabian oil exports, which helped soothe markets some after a U.S. rig-count spike last week.
There's a simple reason the percentage of people owning a home is at a historic low (Business Insider)
If it feels as if your parents could afford to buy a house when they were your age, and you can't, you're not alone.
Global arms trade hits highest level since end of Cold War (CNN)
The spike was fueled by conflicts in the Middle East, tensions in the South China Sea and the perceived threat from Russia to its neighbors, according to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
London House Prices Post Biggest Annual Decline in Six Years (Bloomberg)
The average asking price in the capital fell 0.4 percent to 641,116 pounds ($797,000) this month from a year earlier, the first annual decline since April 2011, property website Rightmove Plc said on Monday.
French Bonds Slump as Political Campaign Still Seen Wide Open (Bloomberg)
French bonds fell across the board as a weekend of intense campaigning compounded bets for volatility in the run-up to the first round of the nation’s presidential elections in April. Germany’s two-year yields fell to a record.
Dollar moves higher against yen, but US. holiday mutes action (Market Watch)
The dollar rose against the yen, but was largely flat against other major crosses on Monday, with investors reluctant to take strong positions due to the U.S. national holiday for Presidents Day.
Bond Traders Are Placing Euro-Breakup Bets Again (Bloomberg)
Hidden under the surface of European bond markets, traders are placing bets that will pay out if the risks in the euro zone severely escalate.
There won't be Grexit, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said.Germany said that it expects the International Monetary Fund to continue participating in the bailout for debt-stricken Greece, despite the lender's doubts on the issue.
Companies
Unilever shares are tanking after Kraft Heinz killed its mega-merger bid (Business Insider)
Shares in Unilever are tanking on Monday after fellow consumer goods giant Kraft Heinz terminated a takeover bid for the firm on Sunday.
Uber CEO orders 'urgent' investigation after sex harassment allegations (CNN)
Uber said it's opening an "urgent investigation" after a former employee made public allegations of sexism and harassment at the company.
This Is Why GM Shares Could Be Set for a Big Jump (Reuters)
General Motors shares could climb by as much as 35% if it succeeds in selling its European Opel brand and focuses on its healthier markets, Barron's said on Sunday.
Alibaba Makes Another Big Push Into Brick-and-Mortar Retail (Reuters)
China's Alibaba Group Holding (BABA, -0.30%) said it formed a strategic partnership with Bailian Group, the largest retailer by store numbers to join the e-commerce giant's drive to use big data to improve and profit from brick-and-mortar sales.
Kraft backs out of Unilever bid after hostile reception (Reuters)
Kraft Heinz Co's (KHC.O) rapid retreat from its surprise $143 billion bid for Unilever (ULVR.L) (UNc.AS) in the face of stiff resistance knocked the Anglo-Dutch company's shares on Monday as investors assessed the impact of the failed approach.
Technology
Apple's latest reported acquisition could allow you to unlock your iPhone with a selfie.
According to Hebrew-language site Calcalist, the Californian technology company has acquired RealFace — an Israeli startup that builds facial recognition technology.
China's latest robot police officer can recognise faces (Mashable)
China's new robot police officers have started patrolling streets.
AI can predict autism through babies' brain scans (Engadget)
Scientists know that the first signs of autism can appear in early childhood, but reliably predicting that at very young ages is difficult. A behavior questionnaire is a crapshoot at 12 months.
Uber has opened an "urgent investigation" into allegations of workplace sexism from a former employee. A former engineer wrote in a blog post that HR repeatedly ignored her complaints about harassment and lied to her, BuzzFeed reports.
Snap bets on hardware as Facebook threat looms (Reuters)
Snap Inc takes to the road in London on Monday to promote its initial public offering with a daring proposition: that it can build hot-selling hardware gadgets and ad-friendly software features fast enough to stay one step ahead of Facebook.
Politics
Here are all the controversial things the Trump administration has done so far (Business Insider)
Over the last several weeks, the Trump administration has endured a hurricane of controversy.
Key resignations, challenges in filling his Cabinet, and other crucial federal positions, fights with the press, US intelligence agencies, and his critics have all culminated thus far in a tumultuous first month in office for President Donald Trump.
Pence brings Trump message of partnership with EU (Reuters)
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence sought to reassure the European Union in Brussels on Monday that the Trump administration will maintain and develop decades of partnership in trade and security.
Trump: Media trying to justify 'large scale immigration in Sweden' (The Hill)
President Trump on Monday defended his comments about Sweden while ripping the news media for its coverage of his claims.
The post-Brexit legal status of Brits living in Europe, as well as European Union citizens living in Britain, could become a huge headache for the government, according to multiple reports.
Pence: Trump Administration Is Looking to ‘Deepen Relationship’ with the EU (Reuters)
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told senior European Union officials in Brussels on Monday that the Trump administration was looking at ways to "deepen our relationship" with the EU.
Here We Go Again: Russia Gets Swatted Over Cyberattacks In Another Election (The Huffington Post)
Just months after the U.S. intelligence community determined that the Russian government was behind cyberattacks during the American presidential campaign, the same thing appears to be happening in France.
Former CEO Rex Tillerson Is Still Finding His Place as Secretary of State (Reuters)
It was a reflection of Tillerson's management style honed at the helm of Exxon Mobil (XOM, -0.66%), an oil company known for its relentless focus on efficiency, and one reason his closest aides at the State Department refer to him as "the CEO" rather than "the Secretary."
Juan Williams: Senate GOP begins to push Trump away (The Hill)
Even before the president’s national security advisor Michael Flynn was forced out, Gallup had President Trump with the worst ratings of his presidency so far — 55 percent disapproval to 40 percent approval.
Health and Biotech
Children at higher risk of overdose if mom is prescribed opioids: study (The Globe And Mail)
Small children whose mothers have been prescribed opioids are significantly more likely to suffer an overdose than the children of mothers who take a different class of mostly over-the-counter painkillers, according to a new Canadian study.
Putting cancer patients in hibernation could help tackle tumours (New Scientist)
Tumour growth would slow right down or cease while healthy cells in the body become more resistant to radiation, says physicist Marco Durante, from the Trento Institute in Italy. The radical idea follows years of research on hibernating animals, and anecdotal reports of people who have been plunged into deep freeze and survived.
Life on the Home Planet
Iraqi Forces Launch Offensive on Mosul (NY Times)
Iraqi forces resumed efforts to retake Mosul from the Islamic State on Sunday, launching airstrikes on the western part of the city where hundreds of thousands of civilians are still trapped.
At World Trade Center Memorial, a Bombing Is Forgotten (NY Times)
They came to Lower Manhattan from around the world to visit the 9/11 Memorial on an unseasonably warm winter day. They came to see where it had happened — where terrorists had crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center towers, destroying them in horrific plumes of ash, flames and pulverized concrete.
Britain enjoys warmer weather but wind and rain set to return (The Guardian)
Temperatures may hit a high of 17C (62.6F) in some parts of the UK on Monday, just one week after there was snowfall on the south coast of England.
Turkish soldiers accused of Erdogan assassination attempt go on trial (Reuters)
Prosecutors called for life sentences for more than 40 Turkish soldiers on Monday at the start of their trial for attempting to assassinate President Tayyip Erdogan during last year's failed coup, according to the indictment obtained by Reuters.
Iraqi forces battle their way toward Mosul airport (Reuters)
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces fought Islamic State fighters on Monday to clear the way to Mosul's airport, on the second day of a ground offensive on the jihadists' remaining stronghold in the western side of the city.
