Financial Markets and Economy
The Russian ruble is climbing along with oil (Business Insider)
The Russian ruble is climbing.
A veteran of the New York Mercantile Exchange is sounding the alarm on oil (Wolf Street)
Being long oil is a very “crowded trade,” but who’s on the other side of that trade, and what do they know that speculators don’t?
Sugar Traders Brace for Wild Ride as Surplus Hangs on Weather (Bloomberg)
Sugar traders are bracing for a wild ride.
While most analysts forecast a return to surplus in the 2017-18 season that starts in October, many are considering “best case scenarios,” Michael Gelchie, a trading director at Sucres et Denrees SA, or Sucden, said at the Dubai Sugar Conference on Sunday.
Wholesale Prices in U.S. Climb by Most Since September 2012 (Bloomberg)
U.S. wholesale prices jumped in January by the most since September 2012, led by higher costs of gasoline and indicating inflation is beginning to stir.
20 stocks that will help you sleep at night (Market Watch)
With U.S. stocks at record highs, investors are fretting whether this nearly eight-year-old bull market has much life left in it.
Yellen Testimony to Be Watched for Hints on Rates, Deregulation Concerns (The Wall Street Journal)
Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen heads to Capitol Hill this week for two days of so-called Humphrey-Hawkins testimony, named for the 1978 law that required it. She will start at 10 a.m. EST Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, by delivering her monetary policy report and prepared remarks.
Markets underestimating pace of Fed rate hikes: Lacker (Reuters)
The Federal Reserve will likely have to raise interest rates more rapidly than financial markets currently expect given that any new policies by the Trump administration, while uncertain, will force the Fed's hand, a hawkish central banker said on Tuesday.
Can Trump's Immigration Rules Derail Miami's Real Estate Market? (Forbes)
Imagine if all of a sudden the spigot of wealthy foreigners and their cash was somehow choked off from South Florida? There is no doubt that the region's real estate market would crumble.
Hidden Side to the Reflation Trade Is China's Surging Prices (Bloomberg)
Forget about Donald Trump. The global reflation trade may have another driver that proves to be more durable: China’s rebounding factory prices.
Why REITs Will Soar In 2017 — And The 5 Best Buys Now (Forbes)
If you’re wondering which sector is set to take off in 2017 (and who isn’t?), look no further than real estate investment trusts (REITs).
I’ll get into why I’m so bullish on REITs—and name 5 great buys now—in a moment.
Homes in these 10 markets are selling like hotcakes (Business Insider)
Housing markets in the western part of the US remain hot. Data released Tuesday by the brokerage firm Zillow showed that eight of the 10 hottest US markets are located west of the Mississippi River, including five in California.
DEUTSCHE BANK: The pound could fall another 16% as Brexit unfolds (Business Insider)
The pound's post-Brexit vote downturn is nowhere near done yet, and the UK's currency could fall by as much as 16% more, according to one of Deutsche Bank's most senior staff dealing with foreign exchange.
Is this too-quiet market the calm before the storm? (Market Watch)
An eerie sense of calm pervades the markets. I say “eerie” because some familiarity with market history can cause observers to view the market’s calmest moments with suspicion.
German, Eurozone Economic Growth Revised Down Slightly (Associated Press)
Germany's economy expanded at a slightly weaker pace than previously expected at the end of last year, causing a downward revision to the overall eurozone's growth rate as well.
Love Hurts: Valentine's Day Spending Is Expected To Drop By 7% (Forbes)
Love is apparently not in the air. Valentine's Day spending is expected to drop 7.6% this year to $18.2 billion from last year's $19.7 billion, according to the latest annual survey form the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics.
Greece Has One Foot Out EU Door, But It Is Italy Where Concern Should Be Focused (Value Walk)
It is difficult to determine which is the most significant market concern coming out of the European Union. While mainstream eyes appear focused on the French election outcome, reports from Bank of America Merrill Lynch point to concerns in the Netherlands.
History of US Bear & Bull Markets Since 1926 (Ritholtz)
OPEC’s Top Producer Is Turning to Wind and Solar Power (Bloomberg)
The nation most identified with its massive oil reserves is turning to wind and solar to generate power at home and help extend the life of its crucial crude franchise.
Did The Fed Just Experience A “Margin Call” Moment? (Mark St. Cyr)
For those not familiar, the reference is attributed to a scene from the movie “Margin Call” (2011, Lionsgate™) where John Tuld (Jeremy Irons) makes the sanguinary argument for dumping its portfolio of toxic holdings immediately against contradictory arguments that it’ll be seen as panicking by others with the line, “It’s not panicking if you’re first.”
US Producer Prices Spike Most Since September 2012 As Energy Costs Soar (Zero Hedge)
Following explosive inflation in Germany and China, US producer prices printed hotter than expected at 1.6% YoY (final demand) with a notably 0.6% MoM jump (versus 0.3% exp) – the biggest monthly jump since September 2012.
Companies
Why I Just Bought More Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Fool.com)
Like most of you, I don't like to lose money. So you might be wondering why I was so quick to scoop up more shares of Gilead Sciences stock after its latest earnings report. After all, management shared a forecast for 2017 hepatitis C antiviral sales 39% lower than 2016 figures, and that's at the high end of the provided range.
Toshiba Chairman Resigns Over Huge Nuclear Business Loss (Associated Press)
Toshiba Corp.'s chairman resigned Tuesday after the company logged such massive losses in its nuclear business that it must sell its lucrative computer-chip business to avoid going belly-up.
Credit Suisse Sees Alternatives to Swiss IPO on Capital Beat (Bloomberg)
Credit Suisse Group AG signaled it is weighing alternatives to a public offering of its Swiss unit after its $5.3 billion settlement over toxic mortgage securities hurt capital buffers less than estimated. Investors cheered the change in tune.
Biotech IPOs Slow As Trump-Sown Uncertainty Rattles Nerves On Wall Street (Forbes)
In early February, Braeburn Pharmaceuticals pulled the plug on an initial public offering that it hoped would bring in $150 million to boost the development of a drug to treat opioid addiction.
Airbnb Wants to Spend Some of the $3 Billion It’s Sitting On (Bloomberg)
Airbnb Inc. is on a mission to be more than a home-sharing platform. It wants to be a flight booker, an itinerary planner and a vacation-home manager.
SunPower: What To Be Expecting (Greenpoint Capital)
SunPower (NASDAQ:SPWR) is set to report its fourth-quarter 2016 results Wednesday, February 15, at 4:30 EST. You can listen to the call and view relevant information here. The full transcript, as always, will be available shortly after the call here on Seeking Alpha.
The Most Powerful Brands In 2017 (Forbes)
Lego, the maker of the plastic toys you probably played with as a kid, has been named the most powerful brand in the world. Every year consulting firm Brand Finance releases a list of the strongest brands, and Lego took the top spot for 2017.
Technology
Qualcomm’s new 802.11ax Wi-Fi chip will perform better on crowded networks (Android Authority)
The 802.11ax Wi-Fi standard is set to replace the current 802.11ac standard in the next few years. Though its specification hasn’t yet been finalized, Qualcomm has already announced a pair of chips that would be compatible with 802.11ax Wi-Fi solutions, should little change from the already announced draft of the spec.
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Dyson is betting on artificial intelligence as its edge in the IoT future (Mashable Asia)
In the brave new world of smart homes, Dyson thinks it's got a way to get a leg up over the competition: artificial intelligence.
Dubai To Put Autonomous Taxi Drones In The Skies 'This Summer' (Forbes)
When the ruling family decrees that a quarter of all journeys in a city state will be autonomous by 2030, someone somewhere is obliged to make that start happening as soon as possible.
Politics
Ex-Bush official: Team Trump 'incompetence' is 'unprecedented' (The Hill)
Republican strategist Steve Schmidt has blasted the Trump administration, pointing to an "unprecedented" level of "incompetence" during President Trump's first few weeks in office.
Trump signs repeal of transparency rule for oil companies (The Hill)
President Trump signed legislation Tuesday to repeal a controversial regulation that would have required energy companies to disclose their payments to foreign governments.
Donald Trump’s administration is built around a brain trust of white nationalists. To deny that fact is to ignore a crucial element of this national crisis: America’s “greatest generation” defeated Nazism during World War II, and 70 or so years later one of the country’s two leading political parties has injected a more polite version of that poison into its veins and rode to power in Washington on a wave of bigotry and racism.
Ivanka Trump sits in president's chair after meeting with Justin Trudeau (The Telegraph)
Ivanka Trump has shared a photo of her sitting in the president’s Oval Office chair along with a message about "the importance of women having a seat at the table".
Despite lying to the Senate, Trump’s Treasury pick is confirmed (Think Progress)
Steve Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs partner and CEO of mortgage lender OneWest, was confirmed to be the next Treasury Secretary on Monday night.
Proof Positive Pence (and Trump) Knew Flynn Lied…and Lied to Cover it Up (Daily Kos)
The real importance of this revelation is this: Don’t let Michael Flynn be the fall man for the administration in this and don’t let Mike Pence play innocent. Even in the unlikely event that they weren’t directly involved in Flynn’s illegal actions, Trump and Pence both knew what Flynn had done for at least a month and still lied to the American people on his behalf.
Trump Was Informed 17 Days Ago That Flynn Had Not Been Truthful on Russia (NY Times)
Mr. Spicer said Mr. Trump was informed 17 days ago by Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel, that his national security adviser had not been truthful when he told Vice President Mike Pence that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador.
Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong-nam killed after being 'sprayed in face with unknown liquid', possibly by pair of female spies (The Telegraph)
A police manhunt was underway in Malaysia on Tuesday night after the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was assassinated at an airport having apparently been attacked with a chemical spray.
Kim Jong-un’s Half Brother Is Reported Assassinated in Malaysia (NY Times)
He seemed like an ordinary passenger in the departure hall of the airport for Malaysia’s capital, awaiting a four-hour flight to Macau. Moments later, he felt dizzy and was carried out on a stretcher, apparently dying from poisoned-needle punctures or perhaps a toxic liquid splashed on his face by two women who ran away.
Bill Gates: “If anybody says we don’t need the media, that’s a little scary” (Quartz)
The US news media are suffering from low levels of public trust and ongoing attacks from the reigning Republican party and White House. US president Donald Trump has called journalists “among the most dishonest human beings on earth,” saying he’s in “a running war” with them.
Scarborough rips Conway as an 'out of the loop' liar after Flynn resignation (Politico)
Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway’s assertion that former national security adviser Michael Flynn enjoyed “the full confidence of the president” just hours before he offered his resignation is proof that President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager is “out of the loop” and acting recklessly, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said Tuesday morning.
Government agencies aren’t prepared to protect scientists from the Trump administration (Think Progress)
It won’t be easy for Congress to get rid of the Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate to protect the environment, former U.S. EPA chief Gina McCarthy said this month. But there is still a real threat to the agency.
Why Republicans Can't Ignore Angry Voters (Bloomberg)
Republican members of Congress are feeling a bit under siege right now. Their office phones won't stop ringing, and their town hall meetings are mobbed by people angry about health care, the travel ban, various Donald Trump cabinet officials, and more.
Why Melania Trump's Lawsuit Is The Trumpeiest It Gets (Vanity Fair Hive)
As with most things pertaining to Donald Trump, there is bewildering outrage regarding Melania Trump’s libel claim, filed recently in a New York state court over a story the Daily Mail posted online that alleged Melania once worked as an escort.
Life on the Home Planet
Scientists Have Announced a Plan to 'Refreeze' the Arctic – and It's Wild (Science Alert)
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and with temperatures near the North Pole hitting an unheard-of 20°C (36°F) warmer than average last year, things in the Arctic are undeniably grim right now.
India’s Air Pollution Rivals China’s as World’s Deadliest (NY Times)
India’s rapidly worsening air pollution is causing about 1.1 million people to die prematurely each year and is now surpassing China’s as the deadliest in the world, a new study of global air pollution shows.
