Financial Markets and Economy
Chaebol Spur $86 Billion M&A Bonanza for Goldman, Morgan Stanley (Bloomberg)
South Korea is enjoying its busiest deal spree in a decade as theSamsung and SK family-run conglomerates moved to cement management control and troubled companies found new owners.
This chart illustrates how Walmart thrives when America is in pain (Business Insider)
Walmart reveals all.
The world's largest brick-and-mortar retailer on Wednesday said that profits in 2016 and 2017 would be hurt by a strong US dollar and increased investment in its employees.
Risky business: The upside (and downside) to timing the stock market (Market Watch)
Interest in timing the stock market, rather than just investing for the long term, has picked up along with the recent rise in volatility.
Jack Dorsey Maintains Tight Control Over Square Ownership (Bloomberg)
Many technology entrepreneurs find it difficult to build their companies without giving up most of their shares to venture capitalists. Squares CEO found a way.
Gold! (Business Insider)
Gold is having a big day.
Futures of the precious metal gained nearly 2%, or about $22 an ounce, to as high as $1,188.30 Wednesday. That's the highest level in over three months.
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Nike sees $50 billion of annual revenue by 2020 (Market Watch)
Nike Inc. projects it will hit $50 billion in annual revenue by 2020, with its women’s business roughly doubling over the same period, as the world’s largest sportswear maker moves to extend its hold on the athletic-gear industry.
Speaking at the company’s first investor meeting in two years, chief executive Mark Parker said Nike’s NKE, +0.02% revenue growth will be attributable in part to the expansion of its women’s and Jordan brand businesses.
16 stocks to buy no matter what the economy does (CNN)
It's a dicey time for stocks. The Dow and S&P 500 are down on the year and investors are just now catching their breath from the late summer chaos on Wall Street.
Global growth this year is on track for the weakest level since 2009 and nearly one-third of investors polled by CNNMoney and E*Trade are worried about a possible recession.
Traders Bet AB InBev Will Cut Dividend to Pay Off SABMiller Deal (Bloomberg)
Now that Anheuser-Busch InBev NVs takeover of SABMiller Plc is officially in the works, speculation has shifted to the fate of the Budweiser makers dividend.
Strong dollar is restraining economy, Fed’s Beige Book finds (Market Watch)
A key report about the U.S. economy released Wednesday offered a cautious take on the U.S. economy, further lending credence to speculation that the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates this year.
The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book indicated some slowing in the economy, with two of the 12 districts – Richmond and Chicago — reporting that the pace of growth had slowed from mid-August until early October. One district, Kansas City, noted an overall slight decline in economic activity.
Defensive Stocks Not the Safe Bets You Think in Emerging Markets (Bloomberg)
A word of advice for emerging-market investors looking for refuge as China’s economy sours and U.S. rates are heading up. Don’t just go down the route of defensive stocks, says Joe Gubler, who oversees $2 billion at Causeway Capital Management in Los Angeles.
Why merger activity boomed to a record high, in one big slide (Business Insider)
Merger activity is approaching a record high.
America's Biggest Shale Gas Field Is Choking on Its Own Supply (Bloomberg)
The flow of natural gas from the nations biggest reservoir is close to dropping below last year as pipeline capacity fails to keep up with surging production.
U.S. retail sales slow toward end of summer (Market Watch)
Sales at U.S. retailers barely rose in September after no change in August, suggesting that consumers cut back on spending toward the end of summer.
Wal-Mart CEO Defends Strategy After Outlook Sends Stock Tumbling (Bloomberg)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillondefended his attempt to revamp the retailer after a weak profit forecast sent the shares on their biggest decline in more than 15 years.
4 reasons investors might hate the Square IPO (Business Insider)
Square has filed for an IPO.
The payment-processing company is led by Jack Dorsey, who has another job: CEO of Twitter.
Politics
Did Hillary and Bernie connect with black voters? (CNN)
Up first was Bernie Sanders, who unequivocally answered "black lives matter," invoking the popular Twitter hashtag that has come to represent a national movement against police brutality and racial and social injustice.
"The African American community knows that on any given day some innocent person like Sandra Bland can get into a car, and then three days later she's going to end up dead in jail," Sanders said…
Former Benin President Mathieu Kerekou Dies, Government Says (Bloomberg)
Benin’s former president Mathieu Kerekou, who led the country for almost three decades mostly under military rule, has died. He was 82 years old.
Kerekou died on Wednesday, President Thomas Boni Yayi said in a statement. He didn’t specify the cause of death. Yayi declared seven days of national mourning.
Technology
Feds eye pilotless helicopters to battle wildfires (Phys)
A Lockheed Martin helicopter capable of flying autonomously with no human control did so as it scooped up water, dropped it on targets and delivered supplies to a distant ridge in a demonstration in front of top federal decision makers 20 miles east of Boise.
Elon Musk unveils autopilot: Soon no 'wheels or pedals' (CNN)
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced a new autopilot feature Wednesday would be available this week for the company's Model S luxury sedan.
Autopilot will be introduced into the plug-in sedans through a software update, which will be available starting Thursday.
Health and Life Sciences
Nope, the flu vaccine won’t give you the flu (Futurity)
This fall, lots of people will brush off their physician’s advice to get vaccinated against the flu virus. Why? Because of a complete myth that getting vaccinated can give you the flu.
Ebola lingers in semen for nine months (BBC)
Ebola persists in the semen of male survivors much longer than previously thought, a study shows.
The report in the New England Journal of Medicine found two-thirds of men had Ebola in their semen after six months, and a quarter after nine.
Life on the Home Planet
Lava Flows and Restless Giants in Latin America (Wired)
This fall has been rather quiet in terms of large, attention-grabbing eruptions (which is in contrast to some falls that have helped boost the hypothesis of a “volcano season” phenomenon). Here’s an update on some of the activity in Latin America right now…
