What I Am Reading

January 27 (Monday) Markets Momentum Indicators Help Preserve Stock-Market Rally W Boom in exchange traded funds continues with socially responsible investing and active management C The Hidden Factor Making Junk Bonds Less Risky W Virus China Urges Calm Over Virus in ‘Critical Period’ W How coronavirus is beginning to hit China’s economy C Hong Kong bans entry of visitors from China virus province R World Health Organization chief to meet Chinese officials in Beijing as coronavirus deaths rise C Behind the Global Race to Contain China’s Killer Bug B Three More Cases of Coronavirus Confirmed in U.S. W Europe After Brexit-settling election, UK firms see business bounce R US politics Trump’s Defense Says Democrats Have Failed to Make Impeachment Case W Trump says lead impeachment Democrat Schiff has not paid ‘price, yet’ R Warren Says She’s Ready to Fight After Des Moines Register Nod B Geopolitics & trade Trump increases tariffs on derivative steel, aluminum products from some countries R In Bid for Trump Trade Deal, EU Turns to Shellfish from Soybeans B Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing’s 777X, the world’s largest twin-engine jet, completes maiden flight C FAANGs: Apple Was Headed for a Slump. Then It Had One of the Biggest Surges Ever. W Retail: The Pharmacist Is Out: Supermarkets Close Pharmacy Counters W Tech: Microsoft health’s Peter Lee says medical data needs to be opened up so patients can get better access C Corporate finance Europe’s Banking Regulator Paves the Way for Bank Mergers W Offbeat Ignore the Fake Climate Debate W Louise Linton sides with Greta Thunberg after husband Steve Mnuchin takes jab at climate crisis activist NN What’s Missing at Davos: True Communication BR Sports Gambling Will Be a Huge Opportunity. Bet on These Stocks. BR NBA superstar Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash at 41 C At the Grammys, a New Guard in the Spotlight and a Nasty Fight Backstage W YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 25 (Saturday) Markets The S&P 500 has worst day since October as virus fears mount R Dow drops 170 points to end the week as coronavirus fears grow C After Months of Calm, Volatility Finally Resurfaces in Stocks B Transport Stocks Are Still Flashing Warning Signals W Credit & commodities Bonds look like they are flashing a warning for global markets C Yuan Falters as China Battles Wuhan Virus W Central banks After virus scare, markets look to Fed rate policy to keep stock rally going C Climate Change—and Ideas for Tackling It—Dominated Davos W US U.S. Business Activity Increases in Early 2020 W Refinancing Boom Fuels Mortgages to Postcrisis Record W China & coronavirus China heads into Lunar New Year on shutdown as virus spreads to Europe R China’s Hubei province confirms 15 more deaths due to coronavirus C CDC confirms second US case of coronavirus and is monitoring dozens of other potential cases C Disneyland in Shanghai, McDonald’s in Wuhan to Shut Temporarily Amid Virus Outbreak W US politics Trump impeachment prosecutor, Adam Schiff, is becoming Exhibit A in president’s defense R ‘Take her out’ — Trump reportedly caught on tape ordering the removal of Ukraine ambassador C Mike Pompeo cursed out NPR reporter for asking about removal of Ukraine ambassador, she says C Democrats Argue That Trump Tried to Block Impeachment W Geopolitics & trade U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin expects next China trade talks in ‘near future’ R EU, China and 15 others agree temporary fix to WTO crisis R Pentagon Blocks Clampdown on Huawei Sales W U.S. says 34 troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury after Iran strike R Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing Mulls Another Cut to 787 Output in New Threat to Cash B Pharma: Bayer’s Latest Roundup Trial Postponed Amid Settlement Talks W Cybersecurity Bezos Hack Report Puzzles Cyberexperts W Offbeat Have We Reached Peak Globalization? B Why Invest? A 22-Year-Old’s Tough Questions About Capitalism W YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 24 (Friday) Markets S&P 500 ekes out gain, erases losses after WHO calms coronavirus fears C Commodities Fall Alongside Global Stocks With Coronavirus Spreading W Energy Companies Darken S&P 500 Profit Picture W Central banks Lagarde Sets ECB on Policy Autopilot While It Stops to Think B ECB Indicates It Will Leave Negative Rates In Place for Some Time W Central Banks Warm to Issuing Digital Currencies W China Wuhan Virus Could Hit China’s Economy Harder Than SARS W US politics Democrats use words of Trump allies against him R House Democrats Say Trump’s Stonewalling Puts ‘Nixon to Shame’ B Video: We watched 400+ minutes of the trial so you can watch 2 NN Geopolitics & trade Trump Invites Netanyahu, Gantz to White House to Discuss Peace Plan W Facing Pushback From Allies, U.S. Set for Broader Huawei Effort W Industries & companies FAANGs: Amazon just opened its biggest office building — and it’s not in the United States NN FAANGs: Amazon Prime Video Gives Amateur How-To’s, Conspiracy Theories a Stage W FAANGs: Jobs, Cook, Ive—Blevins? The Rise of Apple’s Cost Cutter W FAANGs: Why Apple killed the floppy disk and headphone jack before you were ready to give them up NN Financials: Former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf barred from industry, to pay $17.5 million for sales scandal C Pharma: Bayer Discusses Settling Roundup Claims for $10 Billion B Tech: Intel’s stock jumps 7% on better-than-expected earnings and revenue C Tech: Intel’s Bullish Sales Forecasts Powered by Data Center Revival B Utilities: PG&E Makes Peace With Bondholders; Strife With Governor Continues W Cybersecurity FDA issues cybersecurity warning on GE medical equipment that monitors patients C Tech Firms Volunteer to Beef Up Presidential Campaigns’ Cybersecurity W Corporate finance Xerox to Nominate 11 Candidates to Replace HP’s Board W Offbeat Coronavirus cases rise to more than 650 worldwide as infection spreads to new countriesC WHO Says Coronavirus Remains Local Chinese Emergency for Now B George Soros rips Trump and Xi, says the ‘fate of the world’ is at stake in 2020 C George Soros warns Trump of potential economic doom before election C Help! I’m Trapped Inside TikTok and I Can’t Get Out W YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 23 (Thursday) Markets Stocks close little changed, IBM leads tech shares higher C Tech sector pushes the S&P 500 to slight gain R Investors Rattled by Coronavirus Look to Past Epidemics W European High-Yield Bond Rally May Be Over-Hyped W US U.S. home sales surge to near two-year high; supply at record low R U.S. Existing-Home Sales Wrapped Up 2019 on Solid Note W Europe Italy’s 5 Star Leader Resigns as Support SinksW China China’s Wuhan shuts down transport as global alarm mounts over virus spread C WHO postpones decision on declaring China coronavirus a global health emergency C China’s Trying to Break Its Addiction to Corporate Bank Loans B US politics Democrats Make Case for Removing Trump From Office W Schiff Draws Dark Portrait of Trump in Impeachment Trial Opening B Geopolitics & trade China’s Finance World Opens Up to Foreigners, Sort Of B After China trade deal, Europe and U.K. next on Trump’s to-do list R Europe Girds for Trade Battle W Soleimani killing adds dangerous new dimension to Iraq unrest R Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing wants to resume 737 Max production months before the planes return to service C Autos: Tesla short sellers could help Elon Musk score a payday worth hundreds of millions C Autos: Germany’s Luxury Car Makers Lose their Shine W Financials: U.S. regulators closing in on additional ‘Volcker Rule’ easing R Financials: Opinion: Big banks’ businesses are improving, putting their stocks in a sweet spotMW Media: CBS Bets Big on ‘Star Trek: Picard’ to Boost Streaming W Pharma: Johnson & Johnson’s Profit, Sales RiseW Technology IBM Earnings Hint at Signs of Turnaround W Offbeat Davos Has a Credibility Problem N Two UN Sleuths Linked Saudi Crown Prince to Bezos Phone Hack B Congress to Weigh Surveillance Laws in Wake of Watchdog Report on FBI W ByteDance Is Seeking a New CEO for Its TikTok Business B YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 22 (Wednesday) Markets Stocks Fall on China Virus Fears W Natural-Gas Prices Fall Below $2 W US Housing market falling short by nearly 4 million homes as demand grows C President Trump Lauds U.S. Economy as He Opens World Economic Forum W China Fancy Meals and Loans for Friends: China’s Banks Face Costly Cleanup W US politics Trump impeachment trial: Here are the highlights from the first day of debate in the Senate C As Trump Impeachment Trial Begins, McConnell Changes Some Rules W Hillary Clinton: ‘Nobody Wants to Work With’ Bernie SandersW Bernie Sanders Fans Slam Hillary Clinton After She Says ‘Nobody Likes Him’ B Geopolitics & trade Trump Doubles Down on Threats to Impose Tariffs on European Cars W Trade Tensions With Europe Flare as Trump Flexes Economic Muscle W Mnuchin Warns U.K., Italy Over Digital-Tax Plans W Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing doesn’t expect regulators to sign off on 737 Max until mid-2020 C Airlines: United Airlines profits surge nearly 40% on cheaper fuel and strong demand C Autos: Tesla’s Post-China Challenge: Bats and Bombs in Germany W FAANGs: Netflix paints a happy face on growing threat of U.S. competition C FAANGs: New Low-Cost iPhone to Enter Mass Production in February B Technology: IBM rises as much as 5% on strong earnings report C Offbeat CDC confirms first US case of coronavirus that has killed 6 in China C Saudi Crown Prince Hacked Jeff Bezos’s Phone, Analysis Suggests B When Social Media Is Too Much, Some Teens Tune Out W Derek Jeter, Larry Walker elected to the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame C YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 21 (Tuesday) Markets How the Dow Could Hit 30,000 Five Years Ahead of Schedule BR Stocks appear detached from reality, rallying for two things that may not happen C Wealthy investors see nothing that will stop this relentless bull market C A theory on who’s doing all the buying that’s pushing stocks higher and higher C ‘Where do we put our money?’ is biggest issue for the Davos crowd, top fund manager says C Europe’s Cheap Debt Draws Record Borrowing by U.S. Companies W Global IMF Predicts Global Economy Will Rebound in 2020 W US Home ownership is the West’s biggest economic-policy mistake E US politics I Trump urges Senate to reject impeachment as affront to US Constitution C Trump’s China Deal Is His Hedge Against Impeachment Damage B In impeachment document, Democrats say Trump endangers security, Trump denies R Impeachment Vote Will Test Senate’s Most Endangered Democrat W How Trump Has Kept Solid GOP Support Through Impeachment W US politics II The 2020 Democratic field is outraising Trump by a huge margin — that didn’t happen to Obama or Bush C Dershowitz Says Voters Should Judge President Trump’s Conduct B Biden Says Video Released by Sanders Campaign Is ‘a Lie’ B Trump Administration to Soon Issue Guidance on Medicaid Block Grants W Pharma and Biotech Aren’t Worried About Democratic Candidates’ Attacks Against Drugmakers BR Geopolitics & trade China Trade Deal Looks Like a ‘Modest Positive.’ But Large Uncertainties Remain. BR The Great U.S.-China Tech Divide W Hong Kong Leaders Rebuff Protest Demand as Violence Persists B Iran aims to examine downed plane’s black boxes, no plan yet to send them abroad R Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing is in talks to borrow $10 billion or more as 737 Max crisis wears on C Autos: Tesla blasts customer complaints of sudden unintended acceleration as ‘completely false’ C Autos: The Investor Clash Behind Tesla’s Surge Toward $100 Billion in Market Value W FAANGs: Cash, Plastic or Hand? Amazon Envisions Paying With a Wave W Media: Disney Stock Looks Attractive for the Next 10 Years, Bill Priest Says BR Media: ‘Bad Boys For Life’ breaks January box office record, ‘Dolittle’ meets expectations C Corporate finance ‘Blank-Check’ Companies Are Hot on Wall Street. Investors Can’t Ignore Them. BR Offbeat China confirms coronavirus can pass person-to-person; WHO calls emergency meeting C China Unveils Plan to Reduce Single-Use Plastic by 2025 B An intensifying climate crisis threatens more than half of the world’s GDP, research claims C Some Strategists Say Get Ready for ‘Peak Decade’ B SpaceX capsule splashes down off Florida after rocket failure test R YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 18 (Saturday) Markets Stocks Extend Rally on Chinese Industrial Data, Bank Earnings W Indexes hit new highs on strong U.S., China economic data R As stocks hit more records, there are signs traders may be getting way too euphoric C Credit The US is running a $1 trillion deficit, but politicians and investors don’t see a problem C Treasury brings back the 20-year bond to pay for the ballooning deficit C European Bond Sales Draw Strong Demand W Central banks The yield curve’s still weird. Fed’s Bullard is okay with that R U.S. Fed signals lighter touch on bank supervision, foreign bank oversight R Fed Plans Shift From Writing Rules to Watching How Banks Behave B US U.S. housing starts at 13-year high, factory output gains R Employers Pull Back on Posting New Jobs W China China’s Slowing Growth Underlines Stress Facing Its Economy in 2020 W US politics Trump adds legal heavyweights Starr, Dershowitz to impeachment team R U.S. will work to determine if ex-ambassdor Yovanovitch was under threat – Pompeo R Supreme Court to decide whether Electoral College voters have a right to differ from state popular vote C Geopolitics & trade U.S.-China trade deal to ease global uncertainty: IMF chief R China Survived the Trade War in Good Shape W U.S., India Draft Trade Pact for Unveiling in Possible Trump Visit W Explainer: How close is Iran to producing a nuclear bomb? R Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing addresses new 737 MAX software issue that could keep plane grounded longer R Autos: Federal agency looking into Tesla driver complaints of sudden unintended acceleration C FAANGs: Execs tell Congress how they’ve been burned by tech giants in a rare public rebuke C FAANGs: Epic Systems, a major medical records vendor, is warning customers it will stop working with Google Cloud C FAANGs: Facebook Backs Off Plan to Sell Ads in WhatsApp W FAANGs: Netflix earnings should show fallout from new streaming rivals, preparations for moreMW Financials: Deutsche Bank Cuts Investment Bank Bonuses About 30% B Media: Disney Drops ‘Fox’ From Twentieth Century Name W Pharma: Judge Slashes Damages in J&J Risperdal Case to $6.8 Million from $8 Billion W Retail: Best Buy Declines After Board Says It’s Probing CEO Allegations B Retail: Walmart Shuffles Executive Ranks After Holiday Season W Offbeat U.S. Will Test for Deadly China Virus at JFK, SFO, LAX Airports B YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 17 (Friday) Markets S&P 500 tops 3,300 for the first time as stocks surge on strong earnings and data (C) Stocks Rise to Highs as Investors Look to Earnings (W) Apple and Tesla may be market darlings, but hedge funds are betting big they’ll collapse (C) Here’s why a sluggish manufacturing sector may bounce back soon (C) Japan Widens Lead Over China as Top Foreign Holder of Treasuries (B) Debt Deutsche Bank Sees ‘Distressed Debt Cycle’ Beginning in China (B) Central banks Fed’s Bowman: Current interest rate likely appropriate for “this year” (R) Emerging Emerging economies are experiencing a prolonged productivity slowdown (E) Mikhail who? Weary Russians welcome change of prime minister (R) US politics Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump officially begins (NN) Trump Hold on Aid to Ukraine Violated Law, GAO Finds (W) Schumer to Try to Force Witnesses at Trump’s Trial (B) The Bloomberg Effect: Huge Spending Transforms 2020 Campaign Dynamics (W) Geopolitics & trade Senate passes new North American trade deal, sending it to Trump (C) Economists Don’t See Any U.S. Growth Bump From U.S.-China Deal (B) U.S. and China Face a Steep Climb to Meet Trade Goals (W) U.S.-China Deal Could Upend the Way Nations Settle Disputes (W) The China trade deal doesn’t protect American workers, or American interests (MW) Industries & companies Aerospace: Panel Clears 737 MAX’s Safety-Approval Process at FAA (W) Autos: Fiat Chrysler, Foxconn Team Up for Electric Vehicles (W) FAANGs: Alphabet, Google’s parent company, hits trillion-dollar market cap for first time (C) FAANGs: Marketers and Ad Agencies Ask Google Not to Kill Cookies Too Soon (W) Financials: Trump Tax Cut Hands $32 Billion Windfall to Top U.S. Banks (B) Financials: JPMorgan Just Posted the Best Year for Any U.S. Bank in History (B) Financials: Bank of America adds advisors to cater to the ultra-wealthy (R) Financials: Morgan Stanley Surges Most in Seven Years After Raising Targets (B) Media: NBC’s streaming service Peacock will have free version and two subscription tiers starting at $4.99 (C) Media: WhatsApp Backs Off Controversial Plan to Sell Ads (W) Pharma: Drugmakers Brace for China’s Biggest-Ever Round of Price Cuts (B) Retail: Procrastinators abounded this Christmas. And more retailers pushed people to stores to pick up online orders (C) Tech: Microsoft Raises Stakes in Corporate Climate-Pledge Race (W) Tech: No Trade Peace for Chips Yet (W) Corporate finance Gap shares jump on announcement it will not spin off Old Navy (C) Offbeat Carlos Beltran is out as New York Mets manager as the slow MLB cheating fallout continues (C) YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 16 (Thursday) Markets Stocks touch record highs before giving up most of those gains into the close C Dow closes above 29,000 after China and U.S. sign trade truce R Weakening Dollar Could Lift Commodities in 2020 W Central banks The Era of Fed Power Is Over. Prepare for a More Perilous Road Ahead. W Fed’s Beige Book Reports Continued Modest Growth W US Opinion: Inflation may be muffled, but the business cycle isn’t dead yet MW US politics The seven Democrats who will prosecute Trump sent impeachment articles to the Senate. Here’s what’s next. NN Trump impeachment: Was someone tracking the U.S. ambassador in Kiev? R The Warren-Sanders feud just got way uglier NN Geopolitics & trade What’s in (and Not in) the U.S.-China Trade DealN Here’s what China agreed to buy from the US in the phase one trade deal C U.S. and China tiptoe around holes in new trade agreement R China trade truce is seen as ‘fragile’ with analysts still seeing more tariffs as a possibility C Businesses Laud Trade Deal, Want China Tariffs to End W The $95 Billion Centerpiece of the Trade Deal Is Already In Doubt B Putin shake-up could keep him in power past 2024 R Industries & companies Autos: Tesla sales employees petition for higher base pay after commission cuts in 2019 C Financials: JP Morgan admits to `terrible customer experience’ in response to discrimination allegations C Financials: U.S. Banks, Card Companies Catch a Break in China Trade Deal W Manufacturing: Alcoa Incurs Loss, but Predicts Improved Demand W Media: NBCUniversal’s Peacock ends phase one of the streaming era C Retail: The real warning in Target’s holiday sales: Toys are in trouble C Corporate finance T-Mobile, Sprint Leave Merger in Judge’s Hands as Trial Ends W Offbeat ‘Little Women’ and ’1917′ should cash in at the box office from Oscar nod C YRI Daily Markets Overview

January 15 (Wednesday) Markets Dow closes flat, bank shares jump led by JP Morgan C The Fed (Mostly) Didn’t Cause the Latest Stock Market Melt-Up W Phase one trade deal could be less than market hopes C Credit & commodities Wall Street’s Biggest Bond Trading Desks End 2019 With Roar B A Decade Without Fed Hikes Comes Into View for Bond Investors B Shale Discipline Seen Curbing U.S. Oil Output Growth by Over 50% B Central banks Fed Adds $82 Billion to Financial Markets W Fed Set to Trim Size of Term Repo Operations From Next Month B Fed’s George Says Keep Rates Steady ‘For Now’ to Assess Economy B ECB Officials See Euro-Area Economy Stabilizing at Start of 2020 B US U.S. consumer prices gain slightly; underlying inflation tame R In a Year of Trade War, U.S. Deficit With China Shrank W U.S. Seeks Biggest Change to Economic Releases in Decades B US politics Senate Impeachment Trial Likely to Start Next Tuesday, McConnell Says W Nancy Pelosi gambled and lost on the impeachment delay NN Trump Administration Plans to Shift Additional $7.2 Billion for Border Wall W Geopolitics & trade China Tariffs to Stay Until 2020 Election Despite US Trade Deal B Schumer Says Trump’s Phase-One China Deal Is Too Weak W Trump’s Supporters See U.S. Victory in China Trade Deal N China to ramp up U.S. car, aircraft, energy purchases in trade deal: source R Phase 1 commodity targets likely more than China can chew: analysts R U.S., EU, Japan agree new subsidy rules with China trade in focus R European Powers Put Iran on Notice Over Nuclear Deal W Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing Orders Fall to 16-Year Low W Autos: Tesla stock surge positions Elon Musk for $346 million payout C FAANGs: Amazon Lifts Ban on FedEx Ground for Third-Party Prime Shipments W FAANGs: Amazon Publishes Books by Top Authors, and Rivals Fret W FAANGs: Google Chrome to Phase Out Third-Party Cookies in Effort to Boost Privacy W Financials: Big Banks Post Big Profits Thanks to Strong U.S. Economy W Financials: JPMorgan (JPM) Trading Surge Helps Fuel Most Profitable Year Ever B Financials: Dimon Says His Retirement From JPMorgan Is Still Five Years Away B Tech: PC Shipments Rose in Fourth Quarter, Boosted by Windows Upgrades W Corporate finance Visa to Pay $5.3 Billion for Fintech Startup W MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay Real Estate to be Sold to JV Including Blackstone W Offbeat How Congress made it easier to avoid the IRS C Ex-Nissan boss Ghosn says French envoy told him of inside plot R YRI Daily Markets Overview