February 16 (Saturday)

YRI
YRI Video Podcast: Lipstick on a Pig: US Federal Government Debt
Daily Markets Overview

Markets
Dow jumps nearly 450 points, clinches 8th straight weekly gain (C)
Nasdaq Exits Bear Market as Stocks Stage Rally (W)
Investors may have already missed out on the bulk of the market’s gains this year (C)
Opinion: Why the stock market might soon careen down a dangerous ‘slope of hope’ (MW)
CAPE Fear: The Bulls Are Wrong. Shiller’s Measure Is the Real Deal (Fortune)
Why investors should never mistake the economy for the stock market (MoneyWeek)
Opinion: The junk bond market has good things to say about the stock market (MW)

Markets II
We’re Suing the SEC to Protect the Stock Market (W)
Big Three Stock Exchanges Sue SEC Over Trading-Fee Plan (W)
ICE Wants to Bring First ‘Speed Bump’ to Futures Markets (W)

Central banks
Fed’s Daly Sees Good Chance of No Rate Rises This Year (W)
Fed’s Brainard Says Balance-Sheet Runoff Should Probably End This Year (W)
China’s Muted Inflation Likely to Spur Policy Easing (W)

US
Factory Output Contracts Unexpectedly in January (W)
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Rises (W)

US politics
Trump declares national emergency to build border wall, setting up massive legal fight (C)
Trump Promised to ‘Build That Wall,’ Then Ran Out of Time and Options (W)
Here’s where the money for Trump’s border wall will come from (C)
Democrats Take Aim at the Reagan Tax Revolution (W)

Geopolitics & trade
U.S. and China Inch Toward a Broad Trade Agreement (W)
EU’s Trade Surplus With U.S., a Bone of Contention for Trump, Hits Record (W)
New Tariffs Threaten to Boost Prices of Imported Cars, Parts (W)

Industries & companies
Financials: Purchases With Plastic Get Costlier for Merchants—and Consumers (W)
Industrials: Deere Says Trade Tensions Holding Down Sales (W)
Retail: Mattel has worst day in nearly 20 years after undercutting analysts’ 2019 estimates (C)

Corporate finance
Nissan Enlisted Japanese Government to Fend Off Renault Merger (W)
Uber Revenue Growth Slows, Losses Persist as 2019 IPO Draws Near (W)

Offbeat
Amazon Pivot Raises Scrutiny of Incentive Deals (W)
Why Amazon’s New York U-Turn Is Good for America’s Tech Economy (W)

February 15 (Friday)

Markets
Dow Closes Lower After Disappointing Retail Sales (W)
Earnings Season to Offer Next Test for Retail Stocks (W)
Should stock-market investors freak out over an earnings recession? These charts say no (MW)
Brief Price Gaps in Stocks May Cost Investors $2 Billion a Year (W)
Debt Investors Embrace ‘Upside Down’ World After Fed Shift (W)

Central banks
Fed Officials Near Plan to Finish Portfolio Wind-Down (W)
#FedValentines is back; roses, rates and job market slack (R)

US
Retail Sales Declined at Fastest Pace Since 2009 in December (W)

US politics
Senate passes a spending bill to prevent another government shutdown, sends it to the House (C)
Trump will sign spending bill, declare a national emergency and ‘other executive action’ to build wall (C)
Nancy Pelosi warns GOP that a Democratic president could declare gun violence a national emergency (C)
Tax Refund Data Puts Mnuchin in Hot Seat to Explain GOP Law (B)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Amazon abandoning its plans for a New York headquarters proves ‘anything is possible’ (C)

Geopolitics & trade
‘Trump Time’ Meets Reality as Trade Talks Test His Speed Demands (B)
China Seeks to Woo U.S. With Promise of Big Chip Purchases (W)
Ex-Coke Scientist Accused of Stealing Trade Secrets for China (W)

Industries & companies
FAANGs: Amazon says it will not build a headquarters in New York (C)
Financials: Credit Suisse Returns to Profit but Trading Weakness Remains (W)
Financials: Warren Buffett Doubles Down on Big Banks as Berkshire Trims Apple Stake (B)
Industrials: GE to Scale Back Boston HQ, Return $87 Million of Incentives (W)
Retail: Coca-Cola Expects Sales Growth to Slow in 2019 (W)
Tech: Nvidia’s Revenue Sinks 24%, but Wall Street Feared Worse (W)

Technology
JPMorgan Chase Moves to Be First Big U.S. Bank With Its Own Cryptocurrency (N)

Offbeat
Adam Smith’s hidden hand of empathy (CS Monitor)
Facebook uses its apps to track users it thinks could threaten employees and offices (C)
How one man received a $980,000 tax refund (C)

February 14 (Thursday)

Markets
U.S.-China Trade Optimism Drives Stocks Higher (W)
China’s Stock Traders Are Snapping Up Everything 5G (B)
Trump will get the weak dollar he likes from a China trade deal but not if he goes after Europe (C)
What Shutdown? Bond Market Sees No Risk as Capital Sells Debt (B)

Central banks
Fed Officials’ Views on the Economy Have Converged: It’s in a Good Place (B)

US
Worker wage gains are keeping up with inflation, and then some (C)
Energy Prices Hold Down Overall U.S. Inflation (W)
Goldman CEO says US economy still ‘chugging along,’ chance of recession quite small (C)
Goldman Sachs Says U.S. Exposure to the Global Slump Has Intensified (B)
That $22 trillion national debt number is huge, but here’s what it really means (C)
U.S. Tax Revenues Fall, Deficit Widens in Wake of New Tax Law (W)

Japan
Japan’s Economic Rebound From Natural Disasters Fails to Impress (B)

China
China’s bad debt managers risk becoming bad credits themselves (R)

US politics
Border-Security Deal Nears a Vote (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump Says China Trade Talks Going ‘Very Well’ Ahead of Deadline (B)

Industries & companies
FAANGs: Apple’s big services push will reportedly kick off with a March 25 event (C)
FAANGs: Apple is targeting April to launch its new video service: Netflix not included, HBO in doubt (C)
FAANGs: Amazon Slashed Prices at Whole Foods; Now They’re Going Up (W)
FAANGs: Google will spend $13 billion on U.S. real estate in 2019 (C)
Financials: AIG Narrows Losses in Fourth Quarter (W)
Financials: The Hot Trade in the Housing Market: Servicing Your Mortgage (W)
Industrials: GE Power Has a $92 Billion Backlog. For the New Boss, That’s a Problem. (W)
Tech: Cisco Evades Trade Fallout as Revenue, Profit Rise (W)

Corporate finance
Johnson & Johnson to Buy Surgical Robotics Maker Auris (W)
Levi Strauss Looks Beyond Jeans With IPO (W)
There’s a looming threat for the stock market and it has nothing to do with China (C)
Senators should stay away from limiting stock buybacks (P)

Technology & cybersecurity
Amazon has ‘no limit’ on how it can store and listen to private conversations, claims Facebook’s first president (C)
Driverless Car Data Shows Robots Still Need Humans (W)
The great Equifax mystery: the stolen data has never been found, and experts are starting to suspect a spy scheme (C)

Offbeat
Richard Branson: World’s wealthiest ‘deserve heavy taxes’ if they don’t make capitalism more inclusive (C)
Former Fed Vice Chairman Fischer to Join BlackRock (W)

February 13 (Wednesday)

Markets
Dow rallies more than 350 points on tentative deal to avoid government shutdown, trade hopes (C)
Stocks Surge on U.S.-China Trade Hopes (W)
Investors Are Too Busy Buying the Dip to Read Hope’s Fine Print (B)
Latest Warning Sign for Markets: A Possible ‘Earnings Recession’ (N)
Passive Funds Overtake Stock-Pickers in U.S. Large-Cap Market (B)

Central banks
Fed Chief Says U.S. Economic Expansion Has Been Uneven (W)
Fed to finalize plans to end balance sheet runoff ‘at coming meetings’: Mester (R)

US
Job Openings Push Further into Record Territory at End of 2018 (W)
Faster Broadband, More Channels Set to Weigh Down U.S. Inflation (B)
Red flags emerge as Americans’ debt load hits another record (R)
A record number of Americans are 90 days behind on their car payments (C)
Auto Borrowing Rises as New Mortgage Loans Sag, New York Fed Says (W)
Big Steel, a Tariff Winner, Steps Up Its Spending in Washington (W)

Emerging
More India Rate Cuts Could Be in Store as Core Inflation Eases (B)

US politics
Trump ‘not happy’ with border security deal to avoid government shutdown (C)
Republican leaders are breaking with Trump on border wall (C)
McConnell to force Senate to vote on Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal (C)
GOP Launches Attacks on Democrats Over ‘Green New Deal’ (W)
Bill Gates: Tax plans like Ocasio-Cortez’s are ‘extreme’ and ‘missing the picture’ (MW)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump says he could let China trade deal deadline slip, ‘not inclined to’ (R)
China, U.S. Seek Broad Outline of a Trade Pact This Week (W)
China Talks With Venezuela Opposition to Protect Investments (W)
In Germany, a Cold War Deal to Host U.S. Nuclear Weapons Is Now in Question (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Amazon, General Motors are in talks to invest in Tesla rival Rivian: Reuters, citing sources (C)
Autos: France Pushed Nissan for a Renault Merger but Was Rebuffed (W)
FAANGs: Apple Loses Ground to Huawei as China Shipments Slump 20% (W)
FAANGs: Google Cloud Chief’s Plan to Catch Amazon and Microsoft: Sales Reps (W)
Retail: Amazon Slashed Prices at Whole Foods. Now They’re Climbing Back Up. (W)

Corporate finance
One Outcome of Fewer Buybacks? A Record of Leveraged Buyouts (B)

Technology
Amazon wants to control your entire house after Eero acquisition (MW)
Pentagon Drafts Artificial Intelligence to Fight Wildfires (W)

Offbeat
Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ found guilty in US trial over drug-trafficking charges (C)
West Coast real estate is now so expensive that married couples are moving in with multiple roommates (MW)

February 12 (Tuesday)

Markets I
Transports Are Rallying but Aren’t Yet Sending ‘An All Clear’ on Economy (W)
Mediocre Earnings Drive Big Stock Gains After Bad December (B)
Weird Market Moves Mean No One Knows If It’s Goldilocks Or Bust (B)

Markets II
Vanguard cuts expected return for stock market over the next decade (C)
Goldman is closing the investing thesis it’s held for the past 2 years (C)
Morgan Stanley Has Bad News for Investors Comforted by Earnings (B)
Bernstein: There is now a ‘strong case’ for gold over bonds, stocks (C)
Hedge-fund legend Paul Tudor Jones: ‘I’m very bullish on US stocks’ (C)

Central banks
Europe’s Biggest Job Opening in Years: President of the ECB (W)

US
Krugman Sees Possible U.S. Recession With Little Fed Wiggle Room (B)
As more Americans ‘age in place,’ millennials struggle to buy (C)
Millions of Americans could be stunned as their tax refunds shrink (WP)
Why you shouldn’t celebrate that big tax refund (C)

Europe
Italian Populists Target Huge Gold Reserves and Some Cry Foul (B)

China
How Bad Is the China Slowdown? U.S. Companies Offer Some Answers (W)
Two Large Chinese Borrowers Are Said to Miss Bond Payments (B)

US politics
Lawmakers Reach Agreement in Principle to Fund Border Security (W)
U.S. Deficit 2019: Debt Ceiling Looms Over Shutdown Talks (B)
Medicare for All Bill Puts Pressure on Democrats’ 2020 Field (W)
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar will reject corporate PAC money in 2020 bid (C)

Industries & companies
Autos: Morgan Stanley: Serious Tesla electric vehicle competition from Rivian (C)
FAANGs: Apple (AAPL) Shares Ignore Report on Weak iPhone Demand in China (B)
FAANGs: Apple VA deal: Putting patients in control of their health info (C)
Financials: Morgan Stanley, in Its Biggest Deal Since Crisis, Courts Future Millionaires (W)
Health Care: New Rules Could Ease Patients’ Access to Their Own Health Records (W)
Media: Disney pens deal with Hulu to make 4 animated Marvel superhero series (C)
Pharma: FDA Challenges Dietary Supplement Makers (W)
Retail: Toys ‘R’ Us Remnant Looks to Revive Brand in U.S., U.K. (B)

Geopolitics & trade
Chinese Investment in Israel Raises Security Fears (W)
Here’s what happens next in the Huawei case, and what it means (C)

Corporate finance
Paul Tudor Jones says there’s a ‘mania’ in share buybacks, worries about ‘social consequences’ (C)
SoftBank Invests $940 Million in Nuro for Driverless Deliveries (W)

Offbeat
Have four or more babies in Hungary and you’ll pay no income tax for life, prime minister says (C)
Next Up for Fukushima Clean Up: What Does Melted Fuel Feel Like? (B)
Hey, Democrats, I’ve lived in a socialist country with income ‘equality’ and it was miserable (FBN)

February 11 (Monday)

Markets
Investors are buying stocks and bonds at the same time, which means something has to give (C)
Stock Market Outlook: Wall Street Braves Political Risks As 2020 Election Looms (IBD)
Trade Talks to Eclipse All as Emerging-Market Bulls Take a Hit (B)

Central banks
Fed’s Daly Unsurprised Economy Is Growing More Slowly (W)
Fed Official Calls for Overhaul in Assessment of Financial-Sector Threats (W)

US
The Global Slowdown Could Soon Hit Home (BR)
Here’s why the housing market, while still risky, won’t be all bad for buyers in 2019 (C)
How Millennials Could Restore American Prosperity (BR)
Forget taking out a student loan. Purdue University has come up with a new way to pay for college (C)

Europe
ECB’s Coeuré Says Euro-Zone ‘Risks Have Moved to the Downside’ (BR)

China
China’s Bullish Start to the Year Faces a Big Test After Holiday (B)
China’s Demographic Danger Grows as Births Fall Far Below Forecast (W)

US politics I
‘This is the fight of our lives,’ Elizabeth Warren says as she formally launches her 2020 presidential bid (C)
Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar declares bid for 2020 presidential nomination (C)
Cory Booker Stumps in Iowa, Seeks Position as Obama’s Heir (W)

US politics II
Congress at an impasse as a new government shutdown looms (C)
Tax code changes leave Americans asking, ‘What happened to my refund?’ (NBC)
AOC and Elizabeth Warren want the rich to pay a lot more in taxes — history may be on their side (C)
Washington Should Stop Bashing Billionaires (BR)
What Really Ails American Capitalism (W)

Geopolitics & trade
The Internet, Divided Between the U.S. and China, Has Become a Battleground. (W)
Mexico’s former president drops F-bomb in describing Trump’s approach to the world (C)

Industries & companies
Airlines: Boeing and Regulators Delay Jetliner Fixes Prompted by Lion Air Crash (W)
Autos: Tesla Is Cranking Out Model 3s—Now It Has to Service Them (W)
Autos: Thieves Hunt for Catalytic Converters (W)
Consumer: Prepare to Pay More for Diapers, Clorox and Cat Litter (W)

Corporate finance
BB&T CEO Shows Power of Positive Thinking in $28.2 Billion Megadeal (W)
BB&T and SunTrust: Buy the Deal but Don’t Fall for the Trend (BR)

Technology
It’s the Real World—With Google Maps Layered on Top (W)

Offbeat
The World Might Actually Run Out of People (Wired)
Bezos’s Wild Days: Lurid Selfies, Blackmail, Amazon Drama in NYC (B)
He’s studied thousands of threatening letters. Now he’s at the center of Bezos’s blackmail claims. (WP)
For ‘Inflation Guy’ (and Shiller), Medical TIPS Are ‘Holy Grail’ (B)

February 09 (Saturday)

Markets
Stocks Poised for Worst Week Since December (W)
Opinion: This market can’t go sideways for long, so get ready for a breakout or breakdown (MW)
Three Big Banks Say It’s Time to Hedge Against Emerging-Market Risk (B)
Does Jay Powell Have the Stock Market’s Back? (B)

Central banks
Fed’s Bullard Says No Need to Raise Rates Again (W)

US
Number of Work Stoppages Across the U.S. Jumped in 2018 (W)

China
High-Rollers Cool Bets as Chinese Economy Slows (W)

US politics
‘Green New Deal’ Democrats Raise Climate Change as 2020 Issue (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trade war headlines could get much worse before they get better as the US looks to Europe (C)
Huawei Says U.K. Software Issues Will Take Years to Fix (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: One of Tesla’s largest investors just increased its stake (C)
FAANGs: People are holding on to their iPhones for a lot longer, spelling trouble for Apple, says analyst (C)
FAANGs: Amazon could be reconsidering its NYC headquarters site due to local opposition (C)
FAANGs: ‘We need Amazon,’ Gov Cuomo says after report that it might cancel New York HQ2 plans (C)
FAANGs: Amazon’s India Site Restocked After Joint-Venture Stake Cut (W)
Financials: Regional banks are soaring. Here are two names you can still buy (C)
Financials: Wells Fargo says it is working to fully restore systems as outage spills into day two (C)
Manufacturing: Arconic Plans to Break Itself Apart (W)
Pharma: Big Pharma’s Big Cancer Hope Is Fizzling (W)
Retail: A tale of two toymakers: Mattel soars, Hasbro sinks, but there’s more to the story (C)
Retail: Payless Prepares Second Bankruptcy With Store Closures (B)
Wireless: Sprint Accuses AT&T of False Advertising of 5G Service (W)

Offbeat
Experiment With Guaranteed Income Creates Less Stress but No Jobs (W)

February 08 (Friday)

Markets
Dow drops more than 200 points as Trump won’t meet Xi before US-China trade deadline (C)
U.S. Stocks Slide on Trade Tensions, Global Growth Fears (W)
Tepid Earnings Forecasts Are Next Test for Bull Market (W)
Most Stocks Are Up, and Yet Some Worry (W)

Central banks
Economists Give Jerome Powell a Grade of B-Minus on His Job Performance (W)

US
Steelmakers Find Strength to Expand Under Tariffs (W)

Europe
Eurozone Economic Forecasts Slashed (W)
Brexit Deadlock Continues as EU Rebuffs Theresa May’s Demands (B)
France recalls Italy ambassador after worst verbal onslaught ‘since the war’ (C)

China
Workers’ Activism Rises as China’s Economy Slows. Xi Aims to Rein Them In. (N)

US politics
Seven Fixes for American Capitalism (B)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just released her massive Green New Deal — here’s what’s in it (C)
Trump Says He’s ‘Open’ to Changing SALT Cap; Grassley Disagrees (B)
Trump Tax Law Spurs Job Creation…for Tax Lawyers and Accountants (W)
Pelosi’s Take on Trump Was Written All Over Her Face (B)
Beto O’Rourke Was Once Adrift in New York City. Now He’s Searching Again. (N)
Asked to Stop Investigations, House Digs In (N)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump says he will not meet Chinese President Xi before March trade deal deadline (C)
Kudlow: There’s ‘a pretty sizable difference’ before a China trade deal happens (C)

Industries & companies
Airlines: Airbus hit by jet cancellations as A380 shutdown looms (R)
FAANGs: Amazon CEO Bezos Accuses Tabloid of Attempted Blackmail (W)
FAANGs: Facebook Told to Stop Tracking German Users’ Online Life Without Consent (W)
Tech: Twitter’s Push for Healthier Discourse Lifts Revenue, Hurts User Growth (W)

Corporate finance
BB&T to Buy SunTrust in Largest Bank Deal Since the Financial Crisis (W)

Offbeat
How to blur the background on Skype so people don’t see your messy office (C)
What I Learned From the Hacker Who Spied on Me (W)

February 07 (Thursday)

Markets
Tech Rally Puts Nasdaq on Verge of Exiting Bear Market (W)
Earnings forecasts are very negative but here’s why it’s not all bad (C)
Domestic Investors Pick Up Foreign Creditors’ U.S. Debt (W)
How the Fed’s Wait-and-see Stance Helps the Markets

Central banks
Janet Yellen: Possible next Fed move is a cut if global growth continues to slow (C)
Former Fed Chief Yellen Says Rates Next Move Could Be Up or Down (B)
Trump and Powell Had Productive Dinner Meeting, Mnuchin Says (W)

US
U.S. Trade Deficit Narrowed in November (W)
U.S. Factory Worker Productivity Rises; Shutdown Limits Picture (W)
Seniors are to blame for housing shortage, study finds (MW)

US politics
Trump’s Address Seemed Focused on Re-Election Bid (W)
Expect Trump to make more ‘socialism’ jabs as he faces tough 2020 re-election fight (C)
Abrams Targets Trump’s Immigration Policy in Democratic Response (W)
Trump Preparing Plan to Boost AI, 5G Technology (W)
Top Democrat Expects Border Deal, But Trump Remains the Wild Card (B)
Trump Formally Picks Malpass as Nominee to Head World Bank (W)
House Panel to Probe Any Foreign ‘Financial Leverage’ Over Trump (B)

Geopolitics & trade
U.S.’s Mnuchin to visit China next week for trade talks: CNBC interview (R)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla Cuts the Model 3 Price Again (W)
Autos: GM Leans on U.S. Truck Buyers to Counter Weakness in China (W)
Autos: GM says ‘we are already seeing savings from restructuring’ (C)
FAANGs: Apple is once again the most valuable public company in the world (C)
Financials: Banks weigh how to handle progressive Ocasio-Cortez (R)
Media: 21st Century Fox Posts Higher Profit on Increased Revenue, Sale of Sky Stake (W)
Restaurants: Chipotle’s Comeback Takes Hold as Chief Pushes Digital Sales (B)

Corporate finance
SoftBank Vision Fund, Pouring Billions Into Startups, Considers Raising More (W)

Offbeat
2018 was Earth’s fourth-hottest year on record, NOAA and NASA report (C)
A Crypto-Mystery: Is $140 Million Stuck or Missing? (W)

February 06 (Wednesday)

Markets
U.S. Stocks Close Higher on Upbeat Earnings Reports (W)
Don’t Obsess Over the Earnings Season (W)
If stock investors missed January’s surge, they’re out of luck, says Goldman Sachs (MW)

Central banks
Fed gives banks more stress test information, unveils 2019 scenarios (R)
Fed to Include High Unemployment in 2019 Stress Test Scenario (W)

US
To Gauge the Health of the Economy, Look to Purchasing Managers (W)
Expansion of U.S. Services Sector Slowed in January (W)
U.S. Shutdown Robs Wednesday’s Productivity Report of Main Gauge (B)
Weak demand for U.S. consumer loans fuels spending outlook worries (R)
It’s not getting any easier to buy a house, and more Americans may just give up (MW)

China
For Chinese Startups, an Economic Slowdown Brings a ‘Freezing Winter’ (W)

US politics
Trump to ask Congress to act on aging infrastructure (R)
Wall or Fence? These Are the Barriers at the Border Now (W)
Beto O’Rourke Tells Oprah Winfrey He’s Considering White House Bid (W)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal would reshape the economy in 10 years. That could shock the energy sector (C)
Senate passes pro-Israel bill, measure also rebukes Trump (R)

Geopolitics & trade
U.S.’ Mnuchin, Lighthizer to hold talks next week in China: sources (R)
Wall Street Veteran Says U.S.-China Deal Will Be Sell Trigger (B)
U.S. lawmakers target China’s ZTE with sanctions bill (R)
Russia to Build New Missiles After Breakdown of Nuclear Pact (W)

Industries & companies
FAANGs: Apple Says Retail Chief Angela Ahrendts Leaving in April (B)
Finance: Here Are the Finance Firms Cutting Jobs After Turmoil in Markets (B)
Media: Disney beats on earnings and revenue, reports streaming subscriber growth (C)
Media: Disney says ESPN+ has 2 million paid subscribers, but streaming is still losing money (C)
Media: Disney expects to take a $150 million hit as it cuts ties with Netflix — and that’s okay (C)
Media: Disney Offers Fresh Details on Plans for Digital Future (W)
Media: Electronic Arts stock heads toward largest drop in more than a decade after earnings miss (MW)
Pharma: Drugmakers Blame Middlemen for Rising Drug Prices (W)
Tech: Snapchat Parent’s Revenue Jumps, Loss Narrows (W)

Corporate finance
Wall Street defends buybacks from Sanders, Schumer attack: ‘Good companies buy back their shares’ (C)

Offbeat
‘I Was Young’ Isn’t an Excuse: Business Leaders Need to Revisit Yearbooks (W)