Financial Markets and Economy
Cashing In on Global Threats Lures Investors to New Nordic Fund (Bloomberg)
There’s a new Nordic buyout fund that’s drawing in investors eager to make money by responding to demographic and climate-related threats.
How China Could Dodge the Fallout From a Trade War With Trump (Bloomberg)
The collateral damage from any U.S.-China trade fight would likely spread far beyond the markets of Asia’s largest economy, according to Nomura Holdings Inc.
Thailand's Rallying Currency Proves a Headache for Its Central Bank (Bloomberg)
Some $2.1 billion of foreign money has flowed into the nation’s debt this year, making it the top destination among Southeast Asia’s emerging markets. That’s buoying the baht, the region’s best developing-nation performer in 2017, and spurring speculation the currency will cope with rising U.S. interest rates better than its peers.
BOJ Faces Call to Release Handbrake, Let Longer Yields Rise (Bloomberg)
The Bank of Japan is caught in a quandary. To let bond yields rise or not.
Governor Haruhiko Kuroda wants to make longer-maturity debt more attractive by letting yields move higher, yet doing so will put pressure on his efforts to keep 10-year borrowing costs close to zero.
Federal Reserve officials say their decisions on interest rate policy hinge on the ebb and flow of economic data, not the whims of financial markets.
The Stock Market Has Gone So High, It’s a Problem (NY Times)
It’s a nice problem to have, but it’s still a problem.
Stocks have soared so high that a cautious person might start worrying about oxygen supply.
China says it will drastically cut back on coal power (Market Watch)
China’s government pledged to dramatically slow a coal-power building binge that is threatening its environment, saying Sunday it would shut down dozens of coal-power plants and stop some new construction.
Hammond to Offer $676 Million to Boost Innovation in U.K. Budget (Bloomberg)
U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond will use Wednesday’s budget to allocate more than 550 million pounds ($676 million) from the National Productivity Fund to boost innovation and technology.
Trump and a Possible El Nino May Confound Palm Oil Market Bears (Bloomberg)
Palm oil bears are growing in confidence this year with production in the two largest growers expected to surge as plantations recover from the scorching effects of El Nino. The factors that may stand in the way, however, include Donald Trump and a possible early return of El Nino.
Stocks drop as markets wary of Fed, geopolitical tensions (Reuters)
U.S. stock futures dropped and Asian shares were on the defensive on Monday as investors weighed the near-certain prospect of an interest rate hike in the United States this month against news of slower growth in China this year.
Companies
Here's What Unfortunately Happened to Shake Shack That Should Terrify Snapchat's Newest Investors (Real Money)
Shares of the secretive social media (I refuse to call it a camera company, as the prospectus describes it) exploded 44% on its first day of trading, as investors flocked to a company that they apparently believe will be the hottest thing in tech since Facebook (FB).
United Airlines CEO explains why the Boeing 747 jumbo jet will soon go away (Business Insider)
In January, United Airlines announced that it will expedite the retirement of its fleet of Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets.
United, the last major airline in the US to operate the venerable icon, will retire its fleet by the end of 2017, one year earlier than previously planned.
Retailers like J. Crew are ignoring a $20 billion opportunity — and it's infuriating shoppers (Business Insider)
Dallas Thompson has been fantasizing about a J. Crew purple cocoon coat for weeks.
Unfortunately, the $259 coat doesn't come in her size.
Saudi Aramco's Green Energy Push Seen Widening Appeal of IPO (Bloomberg)
Aramco is the world’s largest oil company, but when it sells shares next year its foray into renewables is what may lure investors who would otherwise be forced to stay away.
Technology
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari review – how data will destroy human freedom (The Guardian)
At the heart of this spellbinding book is a simple but chilling idea: human nature will be transformed in the 21st century because intelligence is uncoupling from consciousness.
Facebook Messenger bots are going to get a lot more verbose (Engadget)
Facebook's next updates for Messenger have a big focus on bots. Yep, Zuck is still trying to make "fetch" happen with those. Anyhow, the newest bits for the platform are mostly about letting others know that a bit of text originated from.
IoT predictions for 2017 depend on helping developers (Venture Beat)
The 20 to 50 billion new devices coming online over the next few years — estimates vary — represent a massive opportunity for businesses, and not just technology businesses. Smarter devices and troves of sensor data can improve existing business models and lead to the creation of entirely new ones.
Politics
Trump 'wiretap': White House wants investigation but Clapper denies order (The Guardian)
The White House has asked Congress to investigate Donald Trump’s allegation, presented without evidence, that Barack Obama ordered illegal wiretapping of Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential election.
Former DNI James Clapper: ‘I Can Deny’ Wiretap of Trump Tower (NBC News)
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Sunday denied any suggestion that Trump Tower communications were wiretapped before the election.
Private Prisons Memo Could Signal More Immigrant Lockups (NBC News)
Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he wants to maintain contracts with private prisons because he's concerned about meeting the federal correctional system's "future needs." But he hasn't said what those needs might be.
The afternoon after Trump won the presidential election, Colin Waugh, a 31-year-old resident of Independence, Missouri, logged into Facebook. He then created a group called the Liberal Prepper and invited 38 of his friends.
Treasury Department burning through cash as debt ceiling approaches (Washington Examiner)
The Treasury Department has been rapidly spending its large cash reserves ever since President Trump took office, a move that complies with federal law, but could also make it harder for the government to stay under the debt ceiling once the limit kicks in again later this month.
FBI Director asked Justice Department to reject Trump's wiretapping claim — they haven't listened (Business Insider)
FBI Director James Comey told the US Justice Department on Saturday to reject President Donald Trump's baseless claim that President Barack Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump's phones, according to The New York Times.
North Korean Ambassador Faces Deadline to Leave Malaysia Over Murder Investigation (Bloomberg)
North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia faced a deadline to leave the country Monday after authorities here declared him "persona non grata" and accused Pyongyang of trying to manipulate the investigation into the poisoning of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader's half brother, at a Kuala Lumpur airport.
Refugees must repay the US government for their flights — 7 surprising facts about resettlement (Business Insider)
President Trump could sign a new executive order as soon as Monday that restricts travel from certain majority-Muslim nations.
The new version, postponed several times, would replace the previous ban, which courts blocked.
Health and Biotech
A new opioid could provide pain relief—without causing addiction (Popular Science)
Opioids come with a lot of downsides. They are highly addictive, and come with a slew of unwanted side effects like constipation, not to mention life-threatening ones like respiratory distress.
Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of form of breast cancer – study (The Guardian)
Following a Mediterranean diet could help reduce the risk of contracting one of the worst types of breast cancer by 40%, according to a large study for the World Cancer Research Fund.
Life on the Home Planet
1 in 4 deaths of children under the age of 5 are due to unhealthy environments (Market Watch)
More than one in four deaths of the world’s children under the age of 5 are attributable to unhealthy environments, two new reports by the Geneva-based World Health Organization found.
The Cleveland Browns have the most valuable collection of picks in the NFL Draft and it is not even close (Business Insider)
The Cleveland Browns have the most valuable pick in the NFL Draft, No. 1 overall. Maybe more importantly, the sum value of all of their picks is the most valuable in the entire draft and it is not even close.
‘Logan,’ an R-Rated Super-Hero Film With Box Office Powers (The Wall Street Journal)
Twentieth Century Fox is proving the power of the R-rated superhero movie.
One year after 21st Century Fox Inc.’s movie studio opened “Deadpool” to a phenomenal $132.4 million, it debuted “Logan,” starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, to a strong $85.3 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates.
Bird Flu Found at Tennessee Chicken Farm Affiliated With Tyson Foods (The Wall Street Journal)
The first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza to strike a commercial poultry flock in more than a year has been found on a Tennessee chicken farm affiliated with Tyson Foods Inc., government and company officials confirmed Sunday.
