Financial Markets and Economy
Oil Producers Consider Output Cut Extension as Support Grows (Bloomberg)
Oil producers pledged to consider extending their pact limiting supply, as half a dozen nations said more time was needed to drain swollen stockpiles.
Oil Speculators Can't Dump Rally Bets Fast Enough Amid Glut (Bloomberg)
The bullish sentiment following OPEC’s deal is almost all gone.
Global Economy Week Ahead: Yellen Speech, Eurozone Inflation, China PMI (The Wall Street Journal)
The week ahead will feature a speech from Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen and bring data from around the globe, including a first look at the February U.S. trade deficit, eurozone inflation, and reports on Chinese manufacturing and Japanese industrial production.
How To Avoid A 401(k) Meltdown If The Trump Rally Fizzles (Forbes)
Millions of Americans are asking the wrong questions when it comes to their retirement plans. It's not "how much should I invest now?" or "is the market safe?" You should invest as much as you can in every kind of market.
China’s New Limits on Money Outflows Hit a Would-Be Paradise (NY Times)
China’s intensifying efforts to keep money from leaving the country have cast doubt over big Hollywood deals and other marquee investments.
Now, they are blocking Kitty Zhu from buying her dream home.
Americans Ate 19% Less Beef From ’05 to ’14, Report Says (NY Times)
The last decade or so has brought ample evidence that Americans are gradually changing their diets, driven by health concerns and other factors.
$10 Trillion Missing From Pentagon And No One — Not Even The DOD — Knows Where It is (Claire Bernish, Blacklisted News)
Over a mere two decades, the Pentagon lost track of a mind-numbing $10 trillion — that’s trillion, with a fat, taxpayer-funded “T” — and no one, not even the Department of Defense, really knows where it went or on what it was spent.
Stocks, Dollar Tumble As Gold Tops $1250; Dead Bill Bounce Dies (Zero Hedge)
It appears the false narrative of the failed healthcare reform bill being somehow great news for stocks has been eviscerated in early Asia trading. The dollar has tumbled to its lowest since Nov 10th, Gold has ripped back above $1250, and S&P futures have plunged to 6 week lows.
Is Bankruptcy for States Illinois’ Answer? A Primer. – Wirepoints Original (WirePoints)
Could a formal bankruptcy proceeding for the State of Illinois be the answer to it’s fiscal crisis? If you think that’s out of the question, as many do, you’re wrong. On the contrary, though Congress isn’t working on it now, the option is quite viable, though subject to obstacles and open issues.
Analysis: OPEC/non-OPEC committee punts decision to extend cuts to build case (S&P Global Platts)
To many market watchers, it seems a foregone conclusion that OPEC and its 11 non-OPEC partners will have to extend their production cut agreement past its June expiry if there is to be a realistic hope of drawing down inventories to their five-year average in 2017.
Companies
The $65 European Airfare Is Coming to the U.S. (Bloomberg)
Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner has acquitted itself nicely in opening smaller destinations to nonstop international service. Think London-Austin, Tokyo-San Jose, Calif., and even Shanghai-Tijuana.
Are investors too optimistic about Amazon? (The Economist)
Every chief executive hopes to lead his company to success. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s boss, wants something more epic. A prominent wall in the company’s headquarters in Seattle is covered with narratives from historic explorations: excerpts from “The Odyssey”; notes from the journey of Lewis and Clark as they ventured across America; the transcript of the first moon-walkers talking to mission control.
China Southern Rises on Talks to Sell Shares to American Air (Bloomberg)
China Southern Airlines Co. advanced to a seven-month high after saying it is in negotiations to sell a stake to American Airlines Group Inc., the world’s biggest carrier.
Facebook Is Partnering With Amazon.com to Take on Google (The Motley Fool)
Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) is already a dominant force in digital display advertising. eMarketer expects the social network giant's share of the U.S. market to climb to 39.1% this year, as it sells more than three times as much display advertising as its next closest competitor, Google.
Technology
10 things in tech you need to know today (Business Insider)
Good morning! Here is the tech news you need to know this Monday.
1. A self-driving Uber got into an accident in Arizona and flipped onto its side. Uber has suspended autonomous car testing in the state.
Apple Bites Back With iPhone Court Win in China (The Wall Street Journal)
The Beijing IP Court ruled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus don’t infringe on patents for exterior smartphone design held by a defunct local manufacturer, Shenzhen Baili Marketing Services Co.
Hedge Funds Are Training Their Computers to Think Like You (Bloomberg)
Now, after many false dawns, an artificial intelligence technology called deep learning that loosely mimics the neurons in our brains is holding out promise for firms.
Uber Suspends Tests of Self-Driving Vehicles After Arizona Crash (NY Times)
Uber said on Saturday that it was suspending the testing of its self-driving vehicles, a day after one of the vehicles was involved in a collision in Tempe, Ariz.
Fitbit Alta HR Is the Best Fitness Tracker for Normal People (Gizmodo)
Let’s face it, the world of fitness trackers has plateaued. Most people who want a fitness tracker already have one, and more than a few of us have old trackers shoved away in a drawer, useless because the charging cable mysteriously disappeared, or because the company who made it decided it didn’t care anymore and killed the software (RIP Nike FuelBand).
Publishers Retreat From the Risks of Google-YouTube Advertising (NY Times)
When The Guardian was made aware this month that some of its advertisements were appearing on YouTube videos from extremists, it quickly pulled its marketing across Google.
Politics
Trump Lashes Out at Republicans for Defeat of Health Bill (Bloomberg)
President Donald Trump lashed out at Republican leaders and groups on Sunday for the defeat of the bill to repeal and replace his predecessor’s health-care law, after blaming Democrats for the loss on Friday.
Stop Blaming. Start Governing. (Bloomberg)
Who’s to blame for the failure of the Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare? Who cares? What matters now is that Democrats stop gloating, Republicans stop sulking, and each party come to the table to improve a health-care system that both parties agree needs work.
Trump’s War on Terror Has Quickly Become as Barbaric and Savage as He Promised (The Intercept)
From the start of his presidency, Donald Trump’s “war on terror” has entailed the seemingly indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people in the name of killing terrorists.
Jared Kushner Will Just Fix Everything (Bloomberg)
After a week that began with the FBI disclosing that it’s investigating President Donald Trump’s campaign team for possibly colluding with Russia to tilt the 2016 election, and ended with a devastating legislative debacle on health care, the president decided to regain momentum by launching his 36-year-old son-in-law into the fray.
Trump appears to make bizarre, backhanded call for Paul Ryan to step down (Think Progress)
Host Jeanine Pirro had barely begun her show before Trump’s tweet took on new significance. “Paul Ryan needs to step down as speaker of the house,” she proclaimed at the very beginning of her “opening statement” segment at the top of the show.
Thousands Protest Corruption in Russia in Challenge to President Vladimir Putin (The Wall Street Journal)
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of cities across Russia on Sunday to protest official corruption in the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in years.
Watch Ted Koppel Tell Sean Hannity He’s Bad For America (The Huffington Post)
The “Sunday Morning” senior contributor squarely told the Fox News talk show host that he’s “bad for America” when asked if he is in an interview aired on CBS Sunday. The response left Hannity in clear disbelief, and later upset.
Eight is enough for now: Unpacking the Supreme Court (The Globalist)
By some accounts, a faction of Senate Democrats is considering confirming President Donald Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee without a fight in exchange for some promise of being permitted to keep their filibuster power for the next one — avoiding the so-called “nuclear option.”
Trump is trying to eviscerate Obama's legacy on the environment (Foreign Policy)
President Donald Trump is poised to eviscerate his predecessor’s legacy on climate change with executive actions as early as this week, even though the world is throwing up increasingly alarming signs of dangerous warning and key parts of the administration keep flagging climate change as a key national security challenge.
Trump wants to kill the popular Energy Star program that has saved consumers $362 billion (Vice News)
The voluntary program certifies appliances, lighting, electronics, and buildings that meet certain efficiency baselines that then help consumers save money on utility bills, and is one of 50 administered by the EPA set for elimination under the new administration’s budget proposal.
The Media Have Finally Figured Out How to Cover Trump’s Lies (Slate)
Donald Trump is not on the cover of Time this week, and that must gall him. The president is the subject of the magazine’s cover story, the promise of which apparently persuaded him to grant it an exclusive interview.
Trump the Destroyer (Project Syndicate)
With all the skill of an experienced arsonist, US President Donald Trump is preparing America for a firestorm. His actions have heightened insecurity, instability, and fear, while potentially making populations elsewhere in the world even more susceptible to political fire-starters.
The Feuding Kleptocrats (Chris Hedges, Truthdig)
The Trump kleptocrats are political arsonists. They are carting cans of gasoline into government agencies and Congress to burn down any structure or program that promotes the common good and impedes corporate profit.
Life on the Home Planet
Today, the Sahara Desert is defined by undulating sand dunes, unforgiving sun and oppressive heat. But just 10,000 years ago, it was lush and verdant. So, what spurred the shift from woodland to wasteland?
Ban on laptops and iPads could be extended to ALL flights amid fears over new terror tactics, Home Secretary says (Mail Online)
The tough rules introduced this month mean travellers coming direct from six countries in the Middle East and North Africa have to stow electronic devices larger than a phone in the hold.
Call white supremacist violence by its name: Terrorism (CNN)
Within hours, Timothy Caughman, a black man from Queens, stumbled to a midtown police station bleeding.He had been stabbed, ultimately fatally, with a 26-inch sword. "What are you doing?" Caughman had asked his assailant.
The Russians have come up with new technology to drill for gas that could send their economy skyrocketing again, putting the West on the back foot. And so, the CIA sends President Donald Trump a letter detailing a cunning plan.
Tablet Reveals the 25 Coolest Hotels in the World (Forbes)
Tablet was founded by Laurent Vernhes and Michael Davis in 2000 as a cure for boring travel and an antidote to the Internet's most common affliction: an overdose of options.
