Financial Markets and Economy
Wall Street’s Volatility Pioneer Searches for Latest Fear Trade (The Wall Street Journal)
Investors these days are puzzling over the lack of volatility on Wall Street. Menachem Brenner hopes they’ll soon be buzzing about a new indicator: the heightened level of ambiguity.
U.S. Jobs, Pay Show Solid Gains in Trump's First Full Month (Bloomberg)
U.S. employers added jobs at an above-average pace for a second month on outsized gains in construction and manufacturing while wage growth picked up, as the labor market continued its steady improvement in the new year.
South Africa's ANC Backs Just, Equitable Compensation for Land (Bloomberg)
South Africa’s ruling party said the state should pay fair compensation for land it acquires for distribution to the country’s black majority, contradicting a suggestion by President Jacob Zuma that the constitution should be changed to allow for free expropriation.
Dollar Rally's Second Wind Hinges on Fed Clues About Rate Path (Bloomberg)
Traders betting on further gains in the dollar aren’t being dissuaded by Friday’s slump in the U.S. currency after the February employment report showed robust jobs growth.
BOE Draws Fire From Bankers as Hogg's Appointment Scrutinized (Bloomberg)
The Bank of England’s newly appointed deputy governor remains under pressure this week as she awaits a lawmaker report on her conduct.
China Says Economy Showed Signs of Improvement in Start of Year (Bloomberg)
China’s economy has shown signs of improvement in the first two months of the year with little risk of a hard landing, senior Chinese officials said.
Draghi Outlook Snaps Euro Interest-Rate Bears Out of Hibernation (Bloomberg)
Forward swaps based on the Euro Overnight Index Average are pricing 10 basis points of rate increase by April next year, compared with less than three at the end of last month.
Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to leave the EU without a trade deal if she fails to secure a favourable one would cause Britain a "major economic shock," according to a government document leaked to the Independent on Sunday.
China, U.S. Trade War Won't Benefit Either Side, Zhong Says (Bloomberg)
A trade war between China and the U.S. would harm the world’s two largest economies and offer no benefits to either side, China Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said.
Why Low Vol Funds Are Bleeding (ETF.com)
Sometimes the simplest questions are the most important to ask. Such is the case when I looked at the flows into low-volatility funds last week as part of the regular checkup on ETF fund flows.
It's way too soon to panic about Fed rate hikes (Business Insider)
Friday's strong jobs report gave the Federal Reserve the final clearance it needs to raise interest rates at its March meeting.
Let Me Convince You To Save Money (Collaborative Fund)
The first idea – simple but easy to overlook – is that building wealth has little to do with your income or investment returns, and lots to do with your savings rate.
10 Straight Weeks Of Equity Inflows As All The New Money Goes To ETFs (Zero Hedge)
The flood of retail money into the global stocks showed no sign of relenting in the latest week, after investors around the globe pumped money into stocks for the tenth straight week, according to EPFR data cited by BofA, which showed some $11.8 billion in equity inflows, however in continued disappointment for active asset managers, over $15 billion of was allocated to ETFs, while mutual funds saw another outflow of $3.6 billion.
Technology
Google just made the internet a tiny bit less annoying (Popular Science)
Google wants to make the internet a happier place by taking an irksome security step and—poof!—turning it invisible.
If you believe the World Economic Forum (WEF), then the world is on the cusp of a "Fourth Industrial Revolution" that will radically change the global jobs market.
TAG Heuer confirms March 14th debut for its next Android watch (Engadget)
Those rumors of TAG Heuer unveiling its next Android Wear watch this month? They're true. The brand has posted a pair of teasers confirming that it will unveil a future Connected smartwatch on March 14th.
This sedan’s adaptive cruise control practically drives for you (Venture Beat)
The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is a unique sports sedan. While most of the exciting features are related to performance — 505 horsepower, 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, a top speed of 191 MPH — I’m more impressed by the tech features, which are normally found only in luxury cars like the BMW 7 or the Audi A8.
Here Come The Robot Lawyers And Other Small Business Tech News This Week (Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 — A “robot lawyer” is offering to help refugees claim asylum.
New York sets aside $5 million for its tech training fund (Engadget)
New York's authorities want the state's residents to benefit from its ongoing transformation into a high-tech locale. Their new Tech Training Fund could be the key to make that happen.
A new legged robot wants to wobble, crawl, and bounce its way into the market (Popular Science)
It was sand that killed Spirit. In May 2009, after years spent traversing the Martian surface, NASA’s Spirit rover got stuck in a sand trap. And, for the last two years of its mission life, it remained stuck, wheels powerless against the loose, light sand.
First results of CRISPR gene editing of normal embryos released (New Scientist)
A team in China has corrected genetic mutations in at least some of the cells in three normal human embryos using the CRISPR genome editing technique. The latest study is the first to describe the results of using CRISPR in viable human embryos, New Scientist can reveal.
Politics
House GOP Health Bill Would Cut Women's Services (Associated Press)
Women seeking abortions and some basic health services, including prenatal care, contraception and cancer screenings, would face restrictions and struggle to pay for some of that medical care under the House Republicans' proposed bill.
South Korea's Constitutional Court upholds President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment (Boing Boing)
The Constitutional Court in South Korea upheld the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye on Friday. She has now been formally removed from office over a bribery and big business corruption scandal that dragged on for months.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders Is A Rising Star In Trump's Orbit (Associated Press)
Faced with aggressive on-air questioning about the president's wiretapping claims, Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn't flinch, she went folksy.
Boris Johnson: Russia has ability to disrupt UK politics with hacking (The Guardian)
The foreign secretary has said there is “plenty of evidence” that Russia has the ability to disrupt British politics with cyber-attacks following reports that intelligence officials are to brief political parties on defending against hacking from Moscow.
Trump supporters in the heartland fear being left behind by GOP health plan (The Guardian)
Each month, shots for her severe asthma cost $3,000. Quarterly injections for knee pain cost $3,200. Medication for depression costs $900. She has had seven back surgeries, two shoulder surgeries, and two knee surgeries since 1985.
South Korea liberals likely to win power, may bring softer North Korea stance (Reuters)
The liberal politician expected to succeed disgraced Park Geun-hye as South Korea's next president could significantly soften Seoul’s stance toward North Korea and possibly delay deployment of a U.S. missile-defense system that has enraged China.
Manhattan federal prosecutor Preet Bharara is fired after refusing call for resignation (Quartz)
On Friday, the administration of US president Donald Trump requested that 46 Obama-era US attorneys submit their resignations. Replacing a former administration’s prosecutors is not unusual in itself.
Trump has gone relatively quiet since last weekend’s wiretap-claim bombshell (The Wall Street Journal)
President Donald Trump has spent less than 15 minutes in the same room as reporters since he claimed on Twitter over the weekend, without evidence, that his campaign offices were wiretapped by his predecessor.
Sarah Palin Blasts GOP Health Care Plan As ‘Socialism’ (The Huffington Post)
An angry Sarah Palin tore into the new proposed Republican health care program as “socialism” on Saturday.
In a strident interview with the conservative news outlet Breitbart, she also ripped the “quasi-reformed” proposal as a “RINO plan” — Republican in name only.
Life on the Home Planet
Dozens dead in twin Damascus bombings, says rights monitor (The Guardian)
The number dead from twin bombings targeting Shia pilgrims in Damascus has risen to 74, a rights organisation has said.
Death toll from Damascus bombing climbs to 74: Observatory (Reuters)
The death toll from a double bomb attack targeting Shi'ites visiting a pilgrimage site in Damascus has climbed to 74, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday.
Iraqi general says 30 percent of west Mosul recaptured from Islamic State (Reuters)
Iraqi forces have retaken around 30 percent of west Mosul from Islamic State militants, a commander of the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) said on Sunday, as soldiers pushed into more districts.
Rail strikes hit northern passengers as Southern dispute spreads (The Guardian)
Strikes will affect trains on three franchises across England on Monday, as the row over the future roles and responsibilities of guards on the rail network spreads from Southern to Northern and Merseyrail.
