What I Am Reading

February 19 (Wednesday) Stocks U.S. Stocks Fall After Apple’s Sales Warning W China Plays Are Left Behind as U.S. Stocks Charge to New Highs W Nasdaq rises, heads for record close as Apple shares cut losses C Currencies & Credit Euro Extends Decline on Weak German Data W Risk Premiums on Asia Dollar Bonds Keep Dropping Despite Virus B Central banks Fed Doesn’t Want Another Repo Crisis, But Treasury Isn’t Helping B US Outside of the big 5 tech companies, earnings growth is zero C China Coronavirus Exposes Businesses’ Dependency on China W China Turns to Apps to Control Movements During Outbreak W Amid Coronavirus, the World Closes Its Doors to China: ‘I Feel So Isolated’ W US politics Post-Impeachment Senate Landscape Takes Shape W Presidential hopeful Bloomberg proposes new taxes, protections to rein in Wall Street R Bloomberg Qualifies for Nevada Debate W Thousands of Oracle employees protest Larry Ellison’s Trump campaign fundraiser C Trump adviser Roger Stone loses bid to delay sentencing hearing R Geopolitics & trade U.S. Weighs New Move to Limit China’s Access to Chip Technology W Trump Says He Supports Selling U.S. Jet Engines to China W The Real Chinese Trade Spat Is About Engines, Not Soybeans W Industries & companies Autos: High Car Prices Are Locking Out Younger Shoppers W FAANG: Apple Drops After Warning But Analysts See Short-Term Hit B Financials: HSBC Plans to Cut 35,000 Jobs, $100 Billion of Assets W Retail: Walmart Posts Mixed Holiday Sales W Retail: Bed Bath & Beyond Boss Tries to Declutter Its Stores W Retail: Macy’s Cut to Junk by S&P Over Doubts That Turnaround Will Work B Utilities: PG&E Reports $3.6 Billion Quarterly Loss as Wildfire Costs Mount W Corporate finance A huge driver of stock prices [stock buybacks] got off to its worst start in 7 years, but that could change C Dell Nears Deal to Sell RSA Security Business to Private-Equity Firm STG W Franklin Resources to Buy Legg Mason for $4.5 Billion W Italy’s Intesa Bids for Rival, Paving Way for Rare European Banking Deal W Food-Delivery Firms Put Mergers, IPOs on the Menu W Virus China sees fall in coronavirus deaths, WHO urges caution R Coronavirus live updates: Sanofi working on vaccine with US health agency, Jaguar faces parts shortage C Gilead’s Coronavirus Drug Trial Slowed by Lack of Eligible Recruits W Japan targets HIV drug trials on coronavirus R If Apple is hurting due to the coronavirus, its suppliers and rivals likely are too R Offbeat Trump grants clemency to ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Bernard Kerik and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. C YRI Express Morning Briefing PDF I Audio Excerpts Daily Markets Overview

February 18 (Tuesday) Markets U.S. stock futures retreat, Asia dips after Apple warns on virus impact R Chinese support measures buoy world stocks R Growth Investors Face Test of Their Mettle W JPMorgan Says Record Highs in European Stocks Can Last and Widen B Central banks China’s Central Bank Cuts Rate on One-Year Medium-Term Lending Facility W Europe Euro bears lurk as worries about economic outlook grow R Britain won’t heed EU rules to win free trade: PM aide R Japan Japan’s Economy Shrinks 6% as Sales-Tax Rise Cools Consumption W Japan’s Third Sales-Tax Blunder Must Be Its Final Mistake W Japan finance minister watching coronavirus impact, to ensure fiscal policy steps R Japan Inc wary about wage hikes as ‘Abenomics’ sputters: Reuters poll R China Rare Release of Xi’s Speech on Virus Puzzles Top China Watchers B Coronavirus could be knockout blow for Hong Kong’s once-thriving tourism, retail sectors R US politics Bolton Warns of Possible ‘Censorship’ of His White House Memoir B Geopolitics & trade U.S. Weighs New Move to Limit China’s Access to Chip Technology W U.S. mulls cutting Huawei off from global chip suppliers, with TSMC in crosshairs R Industries & companies FAANG: Apple warns on revenue guidance due to production delays, weak demand in China because of coronavirus C Retail: As Walmart grows in e-commerce, investors look for a plan to stem the losses C Corporate finance Bombardier agrees to sell rail unit to Alstom in $8.2 billion deal C Pier 1 files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy as talks with potential buyers continue C Dairy Farmers of America agrees to buy Dean Foods, America’s biggest milk producer, for $425 million C Technology Elon Musk Has Changed Investors’ Views on the Electric Car Offbeat Amazon’s Jeff Bezos pledges $10 billion to launch Earth Fund for combating climate change C YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 17 (Monday) Markets Markets Hover Near Records Despite Growing Coronavirus Outbreak W The Bond Market Might Finally Be Nearing Its Limit W There’s a Wall of Cash Eager to Buy Treasuries on Any Price Dip B Emerging Markets Trust China’s Virus Steps to Keep Rally Going B Central banks Virus Overshadows All as Traders Brace for 2020 Fed Rate Cuts B US The Housing Market Ended 2019 Red-Hot. But Shrinking Supply and Rising Prices Could Cool Off the Rally. BR How High Should Government Debt Go? Economists Can’t Agree W Europe Europe can win global battle for industrial data, says EU industry chief R China Xi says China must keep economic, social order while battling coronavirus R Coronavirus Outbreak Won’t Destroy China’s 2020 Economic Outlook BR US politics Trump administration eyes 10% middle-class tax cut proposal R Rise of Sanders, Trump Shows Decline in Party Power W Sanders says presidential rival Bloomberg will not excite voters R Bloomberg unveils plans for Americans’ Social Security, retirement savings C Klobuchar’s Rise Brings New Scrutiny to Record as Prosecutor B More than 1,000 Justice Department alumni call for Barr’s resignation after intervention in Stone sentencing C Geopolitics & trade U.S. Says It Has Thwarted $6 Billion Russia-Germany Gas Pipeline B Rouhani says Iran will never yield to U.S. pressure for talks R Pelosi says working with China’s Huawei is like ‘choosing autocracy over democracy’ C Industries & companies Autos: Dealerships Give Car Buyers Some Advice: Just Stop Paying Your Loan W FAANG: How Netflix Wins Despite Underperforming at the Oscars BR FAANG: Mark Zuckerberg shifted Facebook’s focus to groups after the 2016 election, and it’s changed how people use the site C Retail: Bed Bath’s Hidden Assets Could Be Worth Almost $1 Billion BR Tech: Superfast 5G Rollout Hits Slow Patch, Suppliers Say W Tech: The Flip Phone Is Back and It’s Not a Total Flop W Corporate finance SoftBank’s Boss Bet $22 Billion on Sprint. It Was a Slog. W Technology Sucking Carbon Out of the Air Is Winning Fans Among Oil Giants W Virus Americans disembark from virus-hit cruise R South Korea Tracks Virus Patients’ Travels—and Publishes Them Online W Offbeat Why the narratives we embrace about our finances matter Inside Berkshire Hathaway’s Future Without Warren Buffett BR YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 15 (Saturday) Markets Stocks edge up with positive chipmaker forecast, oil gains for the week R U.S. Stocks End Week at Record After Strong Earnings, Fed Signal B Nearly 20% of S&P 500 companies have already warned investors about virus impact C Short-Sellers Give Oil a Break Following Coronavirus Concerns B Central banks Mester says Fed working with private sector to develop faster payment system R Fed’s Mester Says Economic Outlook Intact Though Virus a Risk B Virus IMF Chief Says Virus May Warrant Coordinated Economic Action B China Sees Another Jump in Coronavirus Infections W Coronavirus live updates: China tries to get back to work; Beijing sets a 14-day quarantine rule for arrivals C Hubei Adds 2,420 Cases; Wuhan Tightens Quarantine: Virus Update B Beijing quarantines returning residents as China struggles to pick up economy R CDC is preparing for a coronavirus outbreak in US NN US U.S. consumer spending slowing; industrial production weak R U.S. Consumer Spending Picks Up, While Manufacturing Declines W White House considering tax incentive for more Americans to buy stocks, sources say C Trump administration eyes 10% middle-class tax cut proposal R US politics Becoming bolder, Trump defends right to interfere in criminal cases R Attorney General Barr taps outside prosecutor to review case against ex-Trump adviser Michael Flynn R Roger Stone Seeks New Trial Less Than a Week Before Sentencing B Geopolitics & trade U.S., Taliban reach violence reduction pact that could lead to U.S. withdrawal R Pelosi warns US allies: ‘Don’t go near Huawei’ C Pentagon Shifts Stance on Sales to Huawei W Injured by China’s trade practices? Call 202-395-3900, USTR says R China Trade War Walloped More Than Half of U.S. States in 2019 B Industries & companies Autos: Renault Swings to Loss, Hit by Nissan Woes, Falling China Sales W FAANG: Google to restructure Cloud business, with some roles eliminated C FAANG: Amazon Axes Delivery Partners in U.S.; Hundreds of Jobs Cut B Consumer: Kraft Bonds Tumble After Downgrades to Junk Rating W Pharma: States Spurn Drug Industry’s Opioid-Settlement Offer W Retail: Mattel’s Holiday Sales Slump Despite Boost From ‘Toy Story 4’ W Corporate finance Talks to sell Victoria’s Secret to Sycamore Partners to spill into next week C Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway just revealed positions in Kroger, a biotech and these others C Technology To Store Wind and Sun, Energy Startups Look to Gravity W Offbeat Avenatti Found Guilty in Extortion Case W Yuval Noah Harari’s History of Everyone, Ever YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 14 (Friday) Markets Wall Street slips as coronavirus fears mount R Some U.S.-listed China firms see shorting spike, others see short-covering jump R U.S. Stocks Fade After Fed Announces Repo Cuts: Markets Wrap B Central banks Trump Fed nominee Shelton hits bipartisan skepticism in Senate hearing R Virus U.S. Raises China Criticism; Details on New Cases: Virus Update B Sharp Rise in Coronavirus Cases Raises Questions About Outbreak’s Peak W Alibaba Takes a Hit From Coronavirus W China Xi Installs Close Ally to Tighten Control Over Hong Kong W US Rents lift U.S. core inflation; weekly jobless claims rise slightly R Drop in Energy Prices Slowed U.S. Inflation in January W US politics Trump administration taking $3.8 billion more from military for Mexico border wall R GOP-Controlled Senate Passes Resolution to Limit Trump’s Use of Military Force Against Iran W Attorney General William Barr says Trump’s tweets ‘make it impossible for me to do my job’ C Barr tells Trump to stop tweeting about Stone case; juror calls it ‘appalling’ R On the trail: Democratic White House hopefuls take aim at Bloomberg R Influential Nevada culinary union will not endorse a 2020 Democrat ahead of caucuses C Geopolitics & trade U.S. business group sees China keeping purchase commitments despite coronavirus R India offers to import U.S. dairy, chicken legs to seal elusive trade deal with Trump R U.S. Charges Chinese Tech Giant Huawei With Racketeering W Trump Says ‘Good Chance’ Of Deal With Taliban W Industries & companies FAANG: Judge temporarily blocks Microsoft Pentagon cloud contract after Amazon suit C FAANG: Why Are Amazon and Google in Washington’s Firing Line? One Answer Is Ken Glueck. W FAANG: Pinterest shares fall after Facebook releases new copycat app C Media:  Roku beats Q4 expectations, shares rise C Retail: Stores and Shoppers Agree: Self-Checkout Is Hard W Tech: Nvidia forecasts revenue above estimates despite $100 million coronavirus hit R Corporate finance China’s Startups on the Ropes After Virus Freezes Funding B Tesla Raising More Than $2 Billion, Discloses New SEC Inquiry W Rite Aid’s Odds of Finding Suitor May Improve With Sprint Ruling B YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 13 (Thursday) Markets U.S. Stock Index Futures Drop on Outbreak Count Revision B Dow Closes at Record as Virus Worries Abate W Oil Chiefs Warned Trump Team of Unrealistic Goals in China Deal B Coronavirus Spurs Demand for Niche Raw Materials W Central banks Fed Chair Powell: ‘no reason’ rising wages, job gains can’t continue R Virus I IMF Sees China Rebounding From Virus, Though Uncertainty Is High B The World Health Organization Draws Flak for Coronavirus Response W Coronavirus live updates: China’s Hubei reports 14,840 new cases, 242 additional deaths C Virus II Top CDC official says US should prepare for coronavirus ‘to take a foothold’ C Coronavirus-Drug Development Becomes a Top Focus at Gilead W Hyundai bet big on China. Now coronavirus is twisting its supply chain R Living Inside U.S. Coronavirus Quarantine W US US deficit surges 25% in fiscal 2020 and is $1.1 trillion over the past year C Despite $1 trillion deficits, Trump tax cuts will still ‘pay for themselves’: Mnuchin R US politics Democrats turn focus to Nevada and South Carolina after Sanders’ narrow win in New Hampshire R How Joe Biden lost his front-runner status NN Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Resigns After Caucus Debacle B DOJ walkout puts frayed relationships with William Barr in spotlight NN Industries & companies FAANG: AWS chief says it’s ‘folklore’ that Amazon will destroy competition in any new market it enters C FAANG: Stood Up: Facebook Keeps Europe Waiting Over Dating Feature W Pharma: Bayer Strives to End Lawsuits Over Roundup—While Still Selling It W Tech: Cisco shares drop after earnings report as revenue continues to decline C Offbeat Growing Bricks and More Ways to Shrink Concrete’s Carbon Footprint W There’s a Great Future in Plastics—Except in China W YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 12 (Wednesday) Markets Stocks inch higher as new coronavirus cases fall R Oil prices rise as new virus cases slow, easing Chinese demand concerns R From wind power to cow manure: oil traders seek new profit recipe R Coronavirus Fears Creep Into Official U.S. Commodity Forecasts B Central banks Fed Watching Risks of Broader Coronavirus Disruptions W Fed’s Powell says economy in good place, warns on coronavirus R Powell Says Fed Will ‘Never’ Declare Victory on Full Employment B US U.S. household debt tops $14 trillion and reaches new record R U.S. job openings hit two-year low, point to slowdown in job growth R Insurers Drive Up Prices on U.S. Businesses W Virus Coronavirus live updates: Outbreak could affect US-China phase one trade deal, official says C At Outbreak’s Center, Locals Question Accuracy of Virus Tests W China Fires Highest-Level Officials Yet Over Coronavirus Outbreak W US politics Trump heaps praise on trillion dollar tech club — calling four big companies MAGA C GOP’s 21% Corporate Tax Rate Locked In by Congressional Gridlock B All 4 federal prosecutors quit Stone case after DOJ overrules prosecutors on sentencing request NN Businessman Andrew Yang ends eclectic presidential bid R Industries & companies Tech: Here’s a first look at Samsung’s new $1,400 folding phone C Cybersecurity U.S. Officials Say Huawei Can Covertly Access Networks W Corporate finance SoftBank shares skyrocket in Japan after judge approves T-Mobile and Sprint merger C Deal Math Just Got a Lot More Complicated W YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 11 (Tuesday) Markets Nasdaq hits new high as investors look beyond coronavirus R First-quarter US GDP may be as low as 1.2% due to coronavirus, but stocks don’t seem to care C How the Rise of Passive Investing May Be Creating Huge Distortions in the Market B Big Technology Stocks Dominate ESG Funds W Credit & commodities Treasury Inversion Is Not About the U.S., It Is About the Whole World B Green Bonds Branch Out With Record Sale W Why the bond market looks so worried about the coronavirus outbreak C The coronavirus is a ‘black swan’ for oil and energy markets, says Ned Davis Research C Central banks Fed’s Daly: Inflation is ‘far better’ a bit above target than below R Fed’s Harker says central bank should hold rates steady for a while R Virus I Coronavirus Helps Drive China’s Consumer Prices to Highest Level in Over Eight Years W ‘Nightmare’ for Global Tech: Virus Fallout Is Just Beginning B China’s Businesses Struggle to Resume Work W Foxconn Resumes Some Production at Its Main China IPhone Site B Coronavirus live updates: WHO says 15% of patients get pneumonia, Burger King closes half its China locations C Virus II President Xi Inspects Coronavirus Hospital in Beijing W Coronavirus cases outside China ‘could be spark’ for bigger fire, WHO says R Coronavirus kills 97 people in one day, while cruise ship cases almost double NN Wuhan Evacuees Hunker Down for Weeks in Quarantine W Europe Merkel Will Take an Active Role in Choosing Her Next Successor B US politics Trump Proposes $4.8 Trillion Budget, With Cuts to Safety Nets W Trump proposes cutting Amtrak funding, boosting money for infrastructure R Here’s where S&P 500 CEOs are placing their bets on 2020 campaigns C Sanders Tops U.S. Poll; Bloomberg Overtakes Warren in Third Spot B Geopolitics & trade More than 100 U.S. troops diagnosed with brain injuries from Iran attack R Industries & companies Autos: The Agony of the Tesla Bears: $8.4 Billion of Losses in Five Weeks W FAANG: Amazon wants to question Trump after losing $10 billion Pentagon cloud contract C Pharma: Bayer’s CEO Fights to Fix What He Broke W Cybersecurity U.S. charges four Chinese military hackers in 2017 Equifax breach R Corporate finance Xerox Raises Offer for HP W Mall Operators Simon and Taubman Pair Up W Offbeat Carl Icahn Blasts SEC Proxy Overhaul as a ‘Big Step Backward’ B YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 10 (Monday) Markets Coronavirus? Slower Growth? The Dow Just Had a Spectacular Week. (BR) Why the Market’s Reaction to Coronavirus Isn’t the Same as SARS (BR) Wall Street in coronavirus La La Land Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies in America (BR) The ‘Dividend Aristocrats’ Add 7 New Members (BR) Currencies & commodities Dollar’s Surprise Surge Challenges Stock Rally (W) Copper Prices Hit an Almost Three-Year Low Because of Coronavirus. The Worst Is Yet to Come. (BR) Central banks With Easy Demeanor, Powell Cultivates Allies on Capitol Hill (W) Virus I How the Coronavirus Epidemic Could Upend the Global Economy China’s Factories Struggle to Resume Operations After Virus Shutdown (W) ‘Crisis mode’: Coronavirus disrupts the heart of electronics manufacturing in China (C) How Big a Hit? Health-Care Companies Try to Gauge the Costs of Coronavirus. (BR) Virus II Coronavirus live updates: China pledges $10 billion to fight outbreak, UK confirms fourth case (C) Global death toll for new coronavirus soars past 800 to overtake SA (C) Another truth-teller goes missing in Wuhan (NN) US Has the ‘Great Moderation’ returned — and is that a good thing? (MW) Falling Rates Could Boost Mortgages Ahead of Spring Selling Season (W) US politics Trump to make lower, $2 billion spending request for border wall: officials (R) Trump’s Jobs Record Is Weaker Than Everyone Thought Buttigieg, Sanders Top New Hampshire Polls as Biden Ad Targets Former Mayor (W) ‘Neither is he’: Buttigieg hits back at Biden’s dig that former mayor isn’t Obama (NN) Geopolitics & trade Two ‘black swans’ could help Trump deliver historic foreign policy wins – if he can make one change (C) U.S.-China Trade War Reshaped Global Commerce (W) U.S., Europe could team up on 5G, but not if trade war under way: German lawmaker (R) Industries & companies Airfreight & logistics: FedEx Stock Spiked for a Very Strange Reason (BR) Autos: Tesla seems expensive at these prices even when valuing it like a high-growth tech stock (C) Autos: Tesla’s stock just had one of the wildest weeks ever — here’s what happened (C) Autos: Daimler to cut 15,000 jobs as cost cuts intensify: Handelsblatt (R) Consumer: Consumer discretionary names could see bumpy ride (R) Consumer: Kraft Heinz Could Have Bad News. It’s Time to Buy the Stock. (BR) Energy: Energy Stocks Might Finally Have Hit Bottom (BR) FAANG: Facebook, IRS Prepare for $9 Billion Tax Court Fight (W) FAANG: Amazon Flex drivers are using bots to cheat their way to getting more work (C) Manufacturing: Mattel Closes Factories, as Toy Slump Weighs on Supply Chain (W) Retail: Meet the New Nike Boss: Trading Tech for Air Jordans (W) Corporate finance New SoftBank Tech Fund Falls Short of $108 Billion Fundraising Goal (W) Exor in Talks to Sell Reinsurer for About $9 Billion (W) Offbeat The Mormon Church Amassed $100 Billion. It Was the Best-Kept Secret in the Investment World. (W) Cryptocurrency Scams Took in More Than $4 Billion in 2019 (W) YRI Daily Markets Overview

February 08 (Saturday) Markets U.S. Stocks Fall, Paring Week’s Gains W Dow drops 250 points on concern coronavirus will dramatically slow China’s economy C Markets could see a turbulent week as investors watch coronavirus, economy and Fed testimonyC Earnings Are Beating Expectations, but Rewards Are Scarce W Virus Coronavirus live updates: White House commits $100 million; Royal Caribbean bans Chinese nationals; Fed flags threat C Cases of coronavirus on ship triple overnight NN Hospitals Pushed to the Brink in Wuhan: ‘I Just Want to Save His Life’ W UBS Investment Chief Says Virus Has No Effect on China Bull Case B Central banks Fed Warns Virus Poses ‘New Risk’ to Global Growth, Markets B Fed Officials Likely to Take Comfort From Jobs Report W Monetary Policy Report US U.S. Economy Added 225,000 Jobs in JanuaryW U.S. Consumer Credit Tops Forecast on Surge in Revolving Debt B Hiring Strengthens as More Americans Look for Work W Rise in U.S. Labor-Force Participation Led by Millennial Women B Here’s where the jobs are — in one chart C U.S. Marriages Rising as Same-Sex Couples Now Counted in Report B US politics Here’s what you need to know about Friday’s 2020 Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire C Joe Biden shakes up campaign by elevating veteran Democratic strategist Anita Dunn C Buttigieg Pulls Ahead in Iowa’s National Delegate Count, AP Says B College grads, boomers big winners in Trump’s economy R Vindman Escorted From White House After Trump’s Senate Acquittal B Geopolitics & trade Kudlow Says Xi Reassured Trump Trade Purchases Goal Will Be Met B Republican senators tell Twitter it’s subject to US sanction laws unless it bans Iranian leaders C Industries & companies Financials: Fed’s Stress Test Scenario Is Tougher for the Biggest U.S. Banks B Corporate finance New SoftBank Tech Fund Falls Short of $108 Billion Fundraising Goal W Goldman Private-Equity Push Takes a Hit W Offbeat U.S. Drones Scour for Rare Earths to End Reliance on China B Summers Worries U.S. Tax Cuts May Lead to Financial Trouble B How a Vegan Ends Up With Leather in Her Portfolio N YRI Daily Markets Overview