Financial Markets and Economy
Individual Investors Wade In as Stocks Soar (The Wall Street Journal)
The scars of the financial crisis have left many wary, even as the second-longest bull run in S&P 500 history has added more than $14 trillion in value to the index since it bottomed in March 2009, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Wall Street ends up; jobs data points to economic strength (Reuters)
U.S. stocks rose on Friday after a solid jobs report pointed to strength in the domestic economy and supported expectations the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next week.
May Hears Hard Truths About Brexit as EU Prepares for Talks (Bloomberg)
Prime Minister Theresa May was served a series of reminders about how tough the European Union plans to be in the looming Brexit negotiations.
Trump Does Deserve Some Credit for the Strong Jobs Report (Bloomberg)
U.S. President Donald Trump was quick to highlight the better-than-expected U.S. jobs report released Friday, forwarding a Drudge Report headline on Twitter that said simply, “GREAT AGAIN + 235,000,” and linked to Bloomberg’s news story.
EU leaders seek unity as Britain heads for the exit (Reuters)
Leaders of the European Union agreed the outlines on Friday of a common accord to rally popular and political support for a bloc wracked with division and self-doubt in the wake of Britain's vote to leave.
Americans Aren’t Filing Their Taxes This Year (Bloomberg)
Are millions of Americans just forgetting to file their taxes this year?
Italian prosecutors investigate editor, ex-managers at financial paper-source (Reuters)
The editor of Italy's biggest-selling financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore and two former top managers are being investigated by Milan prosecutors for allegedly issuing false corporate statements, a judicial source said on Friday.
Suddenly Flush With Cash, Brazilians Can Help by Spending It All (Bloomberg)
Employers have to pay a chunk of their workers’ salaries into the fund, and normally the employees wouldn’t be allowed to take anything out unless they’re fired, or get sick, or buy a house.
It’s Not Just America—the Rent Is High Everywhere (Bloomberg)
The make-up of a country’s housing market is decided by a wide variety of factors, including history, culture, and financial regulation. In the Netherlands, for instance, roughly 30 percent of housing stock is owned by nonprofit cooperatives, while the hallmark of a U.S. home and the erstwhile American Dream is the 30-year mortgage.
Oil Traders Are Having Some Fun Again as Price Bubble Bursts (Bloomberg)
As futures in New York slipped to the lowest since OPEC’s output deal in November, options trading surged and signaled the biggest bias toward a price decline in six weeks.
China defends its Trump trademark approvals as in line with law (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump was granted initial approval on dozens of new trademarks in China because they met legal standards, a senior Chinese commercial official said on Friday.
Are Taxes Lurking in Your Tax-Free Retirement Account? (The Wall Street Journal)
Fanny Handel, a retiree in Queens, N.Y., was stunned to receive a notice in 2015 telling her she owed $92,000 in taxes on her traditional individual retirement account. Like many Americans, she thought the account was tax-free.
Fukushima Mysteries Rattle Japan’s Nuclear Industry (The Wall Street Journal)
Six years after Japan’s nuclear disaster, popular resistance has stymied efforts to rebuild an atomic energy industry that was once among the world’s biggest, as mysteries endure over the calamity.
Companies
Volkswagen Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges in Emissions-Cheating Scandal (The Wall Street Journal)
Volkswagen AG pleaded guilty to criminal charges for rigging diesel-powered vehicles to cheat on government emissions tests, capping the final significant U.S. legal settlement expected in a long-running deception that hammered the German auto company’s reputation and finances.
AIG CEO Peter Hancock to Resign After Turnaround Plan Falters (The Wall Street Journal)
American International Group Inc. Chief Executive Peter Hancock, apparently having lost the faith of the insurer’s directors, quit at a board meeting Wednesday where his future was being discussed, according to people familiar with the matter.
Technology
Alphabet’s Waymo Asks Court to Halt Uber’s Self-Driving Car Tech (The Wall Street Journal)
Waymo LLC, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., asked a federal court on Friday to halt Uber Technologies Inc.’s efforts to develop autonomous vehicles allegedly based on stolen design secrets.
Microsoft Exterminates Dozens Of Bugs In The Latest Windows Insider Build (Digital Trends)
Good news, Windows Insiders, there’s a brand-new Windows 10 Fast Ring update waiting for you — but it’s bad news for any lingering bugs.
A World Without Wi-Fi Looks Possible as Unlimited Plans Rise (Bloomberg)
The Wi-Fi icon — a dot with radio waves radiating outward — glows on nearly every internet-connected device, from the iPhone to thermostats to TVs. But it’s starting to fade from the limelight.
Oculus catches a break as TRT lawsuit is dismissed (Tech Crunch)
In its quest to embrace a virtual world, Oculus has had to spend a lot of time navigating the legal world.
Google insists Hangouts for consumers isn't going away (Engadget)
After announcing their new AI-powered chat platforms Allo and Duo last September, Google seems to be sunsetting the old and busted Hangouts in favor of their new hotness.
IBM inches toward human-like accuracy for speech recognition (Engadget)
The tech world has spent years trying to create speech recognition software that listens as well as humans. Now, IBM says it's achieved a 5.5 percent word error rate, down from its previous record of 6.9 percent — an industry milestone that could eventually lead to improvements in voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.
Politics
American Diplomats’ Comfort With Tillerson Gives Way to Unease (Bloomberg)
U.S. diplomats breathed a sigh of relief three months ago when Rex Tillerson was nominated as secretary of state, welcoming the oilman as a seasoned manager who would shield them from ideologues ready to gut America’s foreign policy machinery.
Trump's disputes with local governments could create fresh conflicts of interest (Reuters)
The Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, New York, has a magnificent course. Just ask its namesake, U.S. President Donald Trump, who until recently was quoted on its website saying the club "provides more than a membership – it's a true luxury lifestyle."
South Korean President Park Geun-hye Ousted From Office (The Wall Street Journal)
South Korea’s president was ejected from office by the country’s Constitutional Court, following her impeachment over accusations that she helped a friend win bribes from Samsung and other South Korean conglomerates.
Why the Russia Story Is a Minefield for Democrats and the Media (Rolling Stone)
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper appeared onMeet the Press this past weekend to discuss the Trump-Russia scandal. Chuck Todd asked: Were there improper contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials?
Park’s Ouster Raises Prospect of Reset With China, Kim Jong Un (Bloomberg)
The leading candidates to replace Park, who was ousted as president by South Korea’s constitutional court on Friday, favor a softer touch with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. They’re also open to rethinking the deployment of the Thaad missile shield, which has spurred Chinese retaliation against South Korean companies.
Is Trumpism an existential threat? (Matt Bai's Political World)
I’ve been thinking about Barack Obama lately, and not because I suspect he ordered a tap on my phones, or directed his agents to eavesdrop through my flat-screen, although I like the idea of someone poring through hundreds of pages of transcripts of me ranting about how I can’t seem to switch channels without turning on the Xbox.
Deep State: Inside Donald Trump's Paranoid Conspiracy Theory (Rolling Stone)
As the Trump White House wheezes and lurches its way into actually governing, it's become clear that we are in a somewhat different era in American politics.
U.S. senators seek relaxed screening of border patrol applicants (Reuters)
Three Republican senators, hoping to speed the hiring of law enforcement agents on U.S. borders, on Friday introduced legislation waiving lie detector tests for job applicants who already serve in law enforcement or have done military service.
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Would Burn Billions Of Dollars DHS Doesn’t Have (The Huffington Post)
A flurry of executive orders released during Trump’s first few weeks in office ordered the Department of Homeland Security to come up with the plan to erect more border fencing, and to hire 5,000 Border Patrol agents and 10,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
GOP Congressman Claims Obama Stayed In Washington To Run A ‘Shadow Government’ (The Huffington Post)
A Republican congressman claimed that former President Barack Obama has chosen to stay in Washington in order to run a “shadow government” aimed at undermining President Donald Trump.
Health and Biotech
Why homeopathy is nonsense (The Economist)
Visit any health shop and you are likely to see them: packages of homeopathic remedies claiming to cure whatever ails you, from coughs and fever to insomnia and asthma.
Life on the Home Planet
U.S. forges ahead with South Korea missile defenses, despite upheaval (Reuters)
The U.S. military said on Friday it plans to forge ahead with building the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, separating the issue from a political crisis in Seoul that saw President Park Geun-hye's removal from office on Friday.
Orlando nightclub gunman's widow ordered to remain jailed (Reuters)
A federal judge in Florida on Friday revoked the bail and release order previously granted the widow of the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando nightclub, ruling that she remain jailed for the duration of criminal proceedings against her.
Top Marine Asks Victims Of Cyber Abuse To Come Forward (Reuters)
The top U.S. Marine made an impassioned plea on Friday for women who may have been affected by a growing scandal involving the sharing of nude photos of women to come forward with their complaints, and vowed to hold those involved accountable.
Boston St. Patrick's parade to allow gay veterans to return (Reuters)
A group of gay veterans of the U.S. military can march in this year's Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade, parade organizers said on Friday after an earlier move to exclude them sparked outrage and boycott threats in the liberal city.
