Financial Markets and Economy
European Stocks Hold Steady as Commodity, Energy Shares Rally (Bloomberg)
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose less than 0.1 percent at 8:38 a.m. in London. The benchmark has climbed in five of the past six sessions, and last week completed its third straight quarterly gain.
Pound Climbs First Time in Three Days as Services Beat Forecasts (Bloomberg)
The pound rose for the first time in three days against the dollar as U.K services grew faster than economists expected in March.
OECD Inflation Rate Rises to Highest Level in Five Years: Chart (Bloomberg)
Inflation across Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations is accelerating, with the average reaching the fastest in five years in February.
5 alarming facts about America's $1.3 trillion in student loan debt (The Fiscal Times)
The president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank sounded the alarm on Monday that the student debt crisis continues to mount.
Fed’s Tarullo Opens Door to Changes in Stress Tests, Volcker Rule (The Wall Street Journal)
The Federal Reserve’s regulatory guru opened the door to significant policy changes on his penultimate day in office, outlining how the oversight regime he helped build might be altered to lower costs for large banks without endangering the economy.
Stocks Rise as Oil Extends Gain; Data Boosts Pound: Markets Wrap (Bloomberg)
European stocks overcame a sluggish start as oil’s advance spurred energy companies, while the dollar and Treasuries steadied before the latest Fed minutes and a meeting between Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping. Sterling rose as U.K services grew faster than expected.
U.S. Companies Expected to Post Strongest Quarter Since 2011 (The Wall Street Journal)
U.S. companies are poised to report their strongest quarterly earnings in years, another sign that the stock-market rally could have further to run.
Global Shipping Fleet Braces for Chaos of $60 Billion Fuel Shock (Bloomberg)
Little more than 2 1/2 years from now, the global fleet of merchant ships will have to reduce drastically how much sulfur their engines belch into the atmosphere. While that will do good things — like diminishing the threat of acid rain and helping asthma sufferers — there’s a $60 billion sting in the tail.
American Entrepreneurs Aren't Hopeful Enough to Hire (Bloomberg)
Evan Hakalir, a self described optimist, feels good about the future of his 12-person company, which manufactures children's clothing. Still, the uncertain political climate nags at him.
Jim Cramer Back To Cheerleading The Stock Market Bubble All Over Again (Video) (EconMatters)
We discuss just like in 2007 right before the Stock Market Crash and the last Fed inspired Credit Bubble Jim Cramer was cheerleading the Buy, Buy, Buy Bubble back then; now he illustrates that he didn`t learn anything from the last market crash like all of Wall Street, and is back Cheerleading stupid Gambling Decisions (because I cannot call these Investment Decisions) saying "Value is in the eye of the beholder"!
Jones Act change could dip Gulf of Mexico supply 500,000 b/d: study (S&P Global Platts)
A pending US Customs and Border Protection action to reverse longstanding Jones Act exemptions could reduce oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico by about 500,000 b/d over the next 13 years, according to a study paid for by the American Petroleum Institute.
Illinois Revenue Freefall: Fiscal Year-to-Date -8.1% and Worsening (MishTalk)
Illinois’ fiscal condition is in bad shape and worsening. Jim Muschinske, Revenue Manager, notes a “February Freefall“.
Compared to last year, February income taxes are down 12.1%; Sales taxes are down 7.5%, and public utility taxes are down 34.3%.
Companies
Buffett’s PacifiCorp Plans $3.5 Billion Clean Energy Expansion (Bloomberg)
PacifiCorp, a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., plans to spend $3.5 billion on clean-energy projects that include 3 gigawatts of new wind and solar farms.
Trudeau Innovation Shift Already Underway as Ontario Tech Booms (Bloomberg)
Things are looking bright for Dan Leibu and League Inc., a digital health and benefits platform he founded with three friends two years ago in Toronto.
To Unravel Tesla, GM and Einhorn, Look To Oil (Bloomberg)
Those trying to make sense of what's happening to auto stocks — and that includes hedge-fund manager David Einhorn — might want to take a look at an industry intimately connected with the business of driving: oil.
Mercedes Targets Silicon Valley Rivals With Robo-Taxis by 2023 (Bloomberg)
Daimler AG and the world’s biggest auto-parts maker plan to offer robo-taxis in the U.S. and Germany within six years, as competition to become the first provider of autonomous shared cars intensifies.
Technology
Artificial Intelligence is Completely Transforming Modern Healthcare (Futurism)
Artificial intelligence is slowly making its way into the realm of modern healthcare. Google’s DeepMind is revolutionizing eye care in the United Kingdom, and IBM’s Watson is tackling cancer diagnostics on par with human physicians.
This Tiny Drone Can Pollinate Flowers Like a Bee (Bloomberg)
Miyako has invented an adhesive gel that collects flowers’ pollen grains and deposits them on other flowers upon contact. His goal is to offer farmers a tool to complement, not replace, bees and other natural pollinators.
Honor 8 Pro is a 5.7-inch phone with a thin body and 6GB of RAM (Mashable)
The world of Huawei phones is a confusing one. The company has a couple of flagship lineages under its Huawei brand name — the smaller Huawei P, the larger Huawei P Plus, and the also-larger Huawei Mate phones.
When the internet goes down, be afraid, be very afraid (Mashable)
The internet went out at the office and all seemed fine, until it wasn't.
Driverless pods begin ferrying the public around Greenwich (Engadget)
It's been almost a year since the UK's Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) opened sign-ups for a driverless pod trial in Greenwich. The original plan was to start before Christmas, but given today's date that obviously didn't happen.
Politics
Trump’s DC Hotel Tagged With $5 Million in Unpaid Worker Liens (Bloomberg)
Donald Trump’s new Washington hotel, located just blocks from the White House, owes electricians, wood workers and a plumbing and heating business more than $5 million for unpaid labor, according to liens filed against the property with the District of Columbia.
Donald Trump Jr. says Pizzagate conspiracy theorist deserves a Pulitzer (Think Progress)
Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday praised a prominent white nationalist and conspiracy theorist, piling onto conservatives’ attempt to shape former national security advisor Susan Rice’s surveillance activity as illegal.
House GOP Cools to Revised Health Measure Pushed by White House (Bloomberg)
Part of their frustration is with the piecemeal nature of this week’s negotiations, which have been led by the White House and were mostly directed at the conservatives who blocked the Obamacare repeal bill last month.
Le Pen Ambushed in French Debate as Macron Attacks on Euro (Bloomberg)
The National Front leader’s opposition to the European Union has been a signature issue in the presidential election. Yet with all candidates granted a hearing in a four-hour discussion, Le Pen repeatedly lost her cool and was confronted by a marginal rival who tried to paint himself as the true anti-euro firebrand.
The 43 senators who plan to filibuster Gorsuch represent 53 percent of the country (Think Progress)
At least 43 senators will attempt to block Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court this week. And while these senators make up only a fairly small minority of the Senate, they represent more than half of the nation.
Trumpcare 2.0: Republicans propose eliminating pre-existing coverage protections (Salon)
The first version of Trumpcare may have been a Dumpster fire of a bill, but the new effort being pushed by President Donald Trump and conservative Republicans could be much worse: It won’t even guarantee affordable coverage for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions.
Congressman on intelligence committee predicts Trump aides will ‘end up in jail’ over Russia ties (Think Progress)
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, appeared on CNN on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing investigation of possible collusion between associates of President Donald Trump and Russia intended to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Trump wants to block a court ruling on the Clean Power Plan. The court shouldn’t let him (Grist)
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order to “promot[e] energy independence and economic growth,” which turns out to be code for “dismantle as many environmental protections as possible.”
House Democrats to Trump: We won’t consider tax reform until you release your tax returns (Salon)
For the sixth week in a row, Democrats in Congress have attempted to force President Donald Trump to release his tax returns — this time by threatening to delay any tax reform legislation until he does so.
Fact Check: Trump, Faulting Obama on Syria, Contradicts Himself (NY Times)
In a statement condemning Tuesday’s chemical attack in Syria, President Trump faulted the administration of former President Barack Obama for not intervening more aggressively in that country’s civil war — contradicting his own, earlier advice.
Anti-Government Protests in Venezuela Turn Violent (NY Times)
Venezuelan security forces on Tuesday clashed with protesters on the streets of Caracas as thousands gathered to protest a decision by the country’s Supreme Court to seize power from the legislature.
Life on the Home Planet
We're creating a perfect storm of unprecedented global warming (Popular Science)
If we do nothing to reduce our carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, by the end of this century the Earth will be as hot as it was 50 million years ago in the early Eocene, according to a new study out today in the journal Nature Communications.
A Russian lawmaker was found dead after allegedly slipping and hitting his head (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a probe into the death of Federation Council member Vadim Tyulpanov.
Turning Negative Thinkers Into Positive Ones (NY Times)
Most mornings as I leave the Y after my swim and shower, I cross paths with a coterie of toddlers entering with their caregivers for a kid-oriented activity. I can’t resist saying hello, requesting a high-five, and wishing them a fun time.
Blast in Pakistani city of Lahore kills at least six (Reuters)
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on army personnel that killed at least six people and wounded 18 in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday.
Judge throws out jury decision to award $4 million to families impacted by fracking (Think Progress)
A judge in Pennsylvania has overturned a jury’s decision to award $4.24 million to two families in Dimock, Pennsylvania, saying that the science used in the case, which linked fracking to methane contamination in drinking water, was not adequate.
