What I Am Reading

November 22 (Friday) Markets & investing Joy Replaces Gloom Among Global Investors as Recession Risk Fades B Central banks How the Discount Window Became a Pain in the Repo Market W US U.S. States Boost Spending at Fastest Pace Since Recession B Janet Yellen says ‘there is good reason to worry’ about the US economy sliding into recession C Frozen in Place: Americans Are Moving at the Lowest Rate on Record N US politics How does impeachment of a U.S. president work? R Billionaire Michael Bloomberg files paperwork to run for U.S. president R Geopolitics & trade China’s Top Negotiator ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About Reaching Trade Deal B Trump Expected to Sign Hong Kong Bill Despite China Threats B House Dems, Trump administration fail to reach deal on USMCA trade agreement C U.S. senators urge Trump administration to halt Huawei license approvals R Colombians march as government warns against violence R Industries & companies Financials: Schwab’s zero fee trading kicked off a price war and could pay off with the deal of a lifetime C Financials: Schwab Seizes on Industry Turmoil With Plan to Buy TD Ameritrade B Retail: Nordstrom shares jump 10% after earnings beat estimates C Retail: Gap shares rise on earnings, sales beat; retailer says making ‘progress’ on split C Corporate finance Taking Walgreens Private for $70 Billion Is Pricey Even for KKR B Xerox Threatens to Go Hostile With HP Takeover Bid W WeWork to lay off 2,400 employees in SoftBank revamp R Offbeat Benjamin Netanyahu to Face Trial on Charges of Bribery and Fraud B Shifting asylum ‘burden’: U.S. sends Guatemala first Honduran migrant R YRI Daily Markets Overview

November 21 (Thursday) Markets & investing Markets more fearful about trade war, but still see chance for phase one deal and tariff rollback C Central banks Fed Fretted About Economic Risk While Shifting From Cuts to Hold B The Fed is looking at a ‘standing repo’ operation to handle overnight funding issues C Emerging Colombia Girds for Mass Protests, With an Eye Toward Chile’s Instability W Iran Says It Has Contained Antigovernment Protests, but Tensions Continue W US politics U.S. diplomat says top levels of Trump administration in on Ukraine pressure R I want nothing!’ — Trump denies key impeachment witness Gordon Sondland’s claim there was a Ukraine ‘quid pro quo’ C Defense Dept official says she never discussed Ukraine aid with Trump R Amid impeachment drama, Senate helps Trump move U.S. courts to the right R Geopolitics & trade Congress passes Hong Kong rights bill as Trump tries to strike China trade deal C Ukraine widens probe against Burisma founder to embezzlement of state funds R Trump considering withdrawing up to 4,000 U.S. troops from South Korea: report R Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing Loses Crucial Orders for New 777X Jet From Emirates W Autos: Tesla and Uber draw scrutiny at Senate hearing on self-driving cars: ‘That’s not safe!’ C FAANGs: Apple CEO Tim Cook and President Trump toured a Texas computer factory to tout US manufacturing C FAANGs: U.S. lawmakers question Google about collection of health records R Media: Disney+ review: Great content at a fair price, but it could use a few tweaks C Retail: Target’s apparel sales are on fire. And that’s bad news for everyone else C Tech: Intel says chip supply for personal computers remains tight R Offbeat House committee approves landmark bill legalizing marijuana at the federal level C Britain’s Prince Andrew halts public duties over sex scandal R Facing Real Estate Slowdown, Jeff Greene Regrets Building His Megamansion W YRI Daily Markets Overview

November 20 (Wednesday) Markets & investing Bulletproof stock market shakes off negative trade headlines and keeps marching to records C Technology Stocks Head Toward Best Year Since 2009 C Central banks Fed’s Williams Is Eyeing Downside Risks Despite Solid Outlook B US Visa CEO Says Consumers Still Swiping Despite Recession Fears B Retailer Results Send Mixed Signals on Consumer Spending W Europe Silicon Valley’s Biggest Foe Is Getting Even Tougher N China Pence Warns Trade Deal ‘Very Hard’ If Hong Kong Uses Violence B US politics Here’s where the unemployment rate stands in the states that will decide Trump’s 2020 fate C Wall Street execs line up behind Mike Bloomberg–which could hurt fundraising for Biden, others C White House expert tells hearing that Trump made improper ‘demand’ of Ukraine R Geopolitics & trade Trump threatens higher tariffs if China doesn’t make a trade deal C U.S. support for Israeli settlements renews focus on core issue in Mideast conflict R Iranian Protests Leave at Least 106 People Dead, Amnesty Reports B In Golan Heights, Israel Intercepts Rockets From Syria W The Iran Cables: Secret Documents Show How Tehran Wields Power in Iraq N Industries & companies Aerospace: NTSB calls on Boeing to redesign 737s after deadly 2018 Southwest accident C Autos: Mustang Mach-E: Five things to know about Ford’s first all-electric SUV C FAANGs: Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple offer defense in congressional antitrust probe R Health Care: Crispr Analysts Dazzled as Early Data Herald New Treatment Era B Retailing: Kohl’s shares tank on earnings miss, retailer cuts fiscal 2019 earnings outlook C Retailing: Walmart CEO Doug McMillon: ‘We could go away at any minute’ C Retailing: Don’t Read Too Much Into Home Depot’s Earnings B Offbeat Two jail guards for Jeffrey Epstein charged with coverup in his suicide R Fisher Investments loses Chicago police pension; total losses exceed $3 billion C Sweden drops Assange rape investigation after nearly 10 years R David Rosenberg to Leave Gluskin Sheff to Start Research Firm B YRI Daily Markets Overview

November 19 (Tuesday) Markets & investing Goldman sees the economy surprising in 2020 and these stocks benefiting most from the rebound C Value Stocks Are Back in Vogue, for Now W Central banks The Fed is on hold for now, but it might not take much to change that C Trump, Powell met Monday at White House to discuss economy R Fistful of Fed Liquidity May Spell Trouble for Almighty Dollar B End of Line for BOJ Leaves Kuroda Talking Up Fiscal Firepower B US White House indicates support for stop-gap bill to avoid government shutdown: McConnell R Emerging Unequal and Irate, Latin America Is Coming Apart at the Seams B China China’s Local Governments Now Guarantee $842 Billion of Credit B TikTok Looking at Ways to Shake Off Its Ties to China W US politics Trump says he will ‘strongly consider’ testifying in impeachment inquiry R U.S. Supreme Court puts temporary hold on Trump financial records fight R Warren Calls Out Blackstone for ‘Shameless’ Profits From Housing B Geopolitics & trade U.S. grants Huawei new 90-day license extension R Iran’s Guards warn of ‘decisive’ action if unrest continues R North Korea Rebuffs Latest Trump Advance W Industries & companies Autos: Forget ‘Ford v Ferrari,’ the Mustang Mach-E takes a shot at Tesla C Autos: California to stop buying GM, Toyota and Fiat Chrysler vehicles over emissions fight R Energy: The world is getting windier and it could mean a big boost for alternative energy C FAANGs:  Amazon offers free music streaming service; rival Spotify slips R Weed: Pot Stock Hits Keep Coming as Biden Knocks Weed Ahead of Meeting B Offbeat Jeopardy! to host a ‘Greatest of All Time’ tournament with a $1 million prize C Fallout from Prince Andrew’s interview on Jeffrey Epstein: Corporate sponsors drop or put royal’s entrepreneurship project on review C YRI Daily Markets Overview

November 18 (Monday) Markets & investing Next Stop: Dow 30,000? It Could Happen. BR The Turmoil in Hong Kong Could Threaten the Stock Market Rally. Here’s How. BR Quality Stocks Are Winning This Year. But They Might Be Too Expensive Now. BR ESG index funds are hot. That may be a risky thing for investors C Central banks How a Shift in the Fed’s Inflation Policy Could Affect Bond Investors BR Emerging Brazil’s Bad News May Be a Buying Opportunity for Investors BR China ‘Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims N Hong Kong police threaten to use live bullets as standoff with protesters escalates C US politics Bloomberg apologizes for ‘stop and frisk’ police practice C Buttigieg tops new Iowa poll of Democratic presidential hopefuls C Democrats hold on to Louisiana governor’s seat despite Trump C White House confirms Trump will visit Apple’s manufacturing plant in Austin C Trump hails ‘cash’ to farmers, U.S. aid in China trade war R Impeachment In Prime Time, Two Versions of Impeachment for a Divided Nation N The first week of public impeachment hearings just wrapped up. Here are the main takeaways C Pelosi says Trump’s actions are worse than Richard Nixon’s, suggests he should resign C Geopolitics & trade China and US had ‘constructive discussions’ about phase-one trade deal, state media says C U.S. to extend license for its companies to continue business with Huawei: sources R Lebanon slips deeper into crisis after Safadi withdrawal R Russia says it will return captured naval ships to Ukraine on Monday R Iran’s Khamenei backs fuel price hike, blames ‘sabotage’ for unrest R Industries & companies FAANGs: Some Fitbit users say they’re getting rid of the devices because they don’t trust Google C Financials: So Much for Big Tech’s Banking Aspirations BR Health Care: Medtronic Stock Could Rise Even More on Plans to Sell a Lot More Pacemakers BR Corporate finance Saudi Aramco’s IPO is set to value the oil giant at up to $1.7 trillion C HP board unanimously rejects Xerox’s bid to acquire the company C Why Now, and Why Hong Kong, for Alibaba’s Share Sale? B Offbeat California’s Sonoma wine country reckons with wildfire damage to tourism economy C Venice hit by another exceptional high tide; worst week in 150 years R Bargain Hunters Rule the Art Market W What It’s Like to Retire Abroad W Prince Andrew Bombs in BBC Interview, Creating PR Disaster B YRI Daily Markets Overview

November 16 (Saturday) YRI Exposing the Big Lie About Stock Buybacks  (video) Daily Markets Overview Markets Dow jumps more than 200 points to 28,000, posts 4-week winning streak C Central banks Fed Warns Prolonged Low Interest Rates Could Spark Instability B New York Fed’s Williams Backs Keeping Rates Steady W US U.S. Retail Sales Rebounded in October W U.S. to begin second round of trade aid payments for farmers next week R Emerging Chile’s stock market jumps on plans to dump dictatorship-era constitution R Brazil’s Reform Agenda Is Moving Forward, House Speaker Says B Bolivia kicks out Cubans, Venezuelans for allegedly fueling unrest R US politics Trump asks Supreme Court to block another subpoena for his tax returns — this one is from Congress C Trump criticizes Roger Stone guilty verdict, suggests Hillary Clinton and Robert Mueller should be prosecuted C Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Plans Bill to Boost Top Individual Tax Rate to 59% B Elizabeth Warren’s Tax Plan Would Bring Rates Over 100% for Some W Impeachment The first week of public impeachment hearings just wrapped up. Here are the main takeaways C Pelosi says Trump has admitted to bribery as impeachment probe intensifies R Geopolitics & trade The 11-Year-Old Dissident: Hong Kong’s Schoolchildren Fuel Protests W Industries & companies Aerospace: U.S. FAA regulator head tells team to ‘take whatever time needed’ on 737 MAX R Autos: California Sues Trump EPA in Fight Over Green Auto Rules B FAANGs: Amazon adds new ‘Amazon Pharmacy’ branding to PillPack and promotes its CEO C FAANGs: Amazon challenges Pentagon’s $10-billion cloud award to Microsoft R FAANGs: Google will no longer hold weekly all-hands meetings amid growing workplace tensions C Pharma: Oklahoma judge reduces Johnson & Johnson opioid payout to $465 million R Tech: Building a Lithium-Ion Battery That Won’t Explode B Corporate finance Bristol-Myers Squibb wins antitrust approval to buy Celgene, but must divest psoriasis drug R Offbeat Warren Buffett has been on a bit of a cold streak, but that might be over as bank stocks rebound C U.S. lawmakers agree on bill to fight ‘robocall epidemic’ R

November 15 (Friday) Markets Rising Treasury Yields Quiet Investors’ Concerns W Subzero Interest Rates Are Luring Insurers to Risk N US U.S. producer prices increase by the most in six months R Red and Blue Economies Are Heading in Sharply Different Directions N Europe ‘Suffering’ German economy narrowly escapes recession in third quarter R Daimler drives European shares lower as data stirs more fears R China China’s economic slump continues as manufacturing growth slows sharply, investment growth hits 20-year low C No More Easy Profits as China’s Venture-Capital Boom Fizzles W Jack Ma: Alibaba’s Singles Day sales missed expectations because it was ‘hot’ and fell on a Monday C Hong Kong Colleges Become Besieged Citadels as Police Close In N US politics The Take Down Trump Project W Fox’s prime time stars are telling Trump that the impeachment hearings are a ‘disaster’ for Democrats NN Geopolitics & trade U.S.-China Trade Talks Hit Snag Over Farm Purchases W China says holding ‘in-depth’ talks with U.S. on interim trade deal R China’s Commerce Ministry says trade war should be ended by removing tariffs C Gaza, Israel Reach Tentative Cease-Fire After Two Days of Fighting W Industries & companies Auto: Credit Suisse says Tesla is running out of time as the major electric car maker, shares to dive 40% C Retail: Walmart earnings beat estimates, shares rise on higher outlook ahead of holidays C Tech: IBM hopes to change weather forecasting around the globe using big data and a new supercomputer C Corporate finance Carl Icahn takes stake in HP, pushes for merger with Xerox C WeWork tells investors it lost $1.25 billion in the third quarter C Offbeat The Best and Worst U.S. Airports of 2019 W Texting While Walking Is Dangerous. Here’s How to Stop. N

November 14 (Thursday) Markets Paul Tudor Jones sees an ‘explosive combination’ of forces driving the market higher C Investors see a market plunge if Warren wins the election. Many said the same about Trump in 2016 C It’s Hard to Be a Pessimist Amid This Rush to Risk B Central banks Fed’s Powell says interest rates unlikely to change as long as growth continues C Sweden to Abandon Negative Rates But Currency Can’t Catch a Break W US Auto Borrowing Rises Amid Low Interest Rates, Solid Economy W Europe Spain Overtakes U.K. as Europe’s Worst Stock Market After Vote B UK inflation dips to three-year low, adding to BoE rate cut talk R China As Hong Kong Universities Become Battle Zones, Mainland Chinese Students Flee W US politics With Bloomberg in the Wings, Here’s Where He Stands W Diplomat Bill Taylor reveals Trump discussed Biden probe with EU ambassador day after July 25 Ukraine call C The Man Trump Trusts for News on Ukraine N Geopolitics & trade Tariffs on China Imports Emerge as Hurdle to Trade Deal W Israel Kills Senior Islamic Jihad Commander in Gaza NN Gaza Rocket Attacks on Israel Resume, Risking Wider Conflict W Industries & companies Autos: Tesla’s ‘Made in Germany’: Musk sets up shop in Berlin R FAANGs: Google has a trust problem, and it could kill the company’s cloud ambitions C FAANGs: Next in Google’s Quest for Consumer Dominance: Banking W FAANGs: Apple is finally willing to make gadgets thicker so they work better C Media: Disney+ surpasses 10 million sign-ups since launch C Retail: Nike won’t sell directly to Amazon anymore C Retail: ‘Brands don’t need Amazon.’ Nike’s departure could prompt others to leave, analysts say C Corporate finance Alibaba launches $13.4 billion Hong Kong listing to fund expansion R Offbeat Think Road Rage Is Bad in Your City? Try Driving in Mongolia B YRI Daily Markets Overview

November 13 (Wednesday) Markets Wall Street Plays Rotation Roulette as 2019 Haven Trade Unwinds B FOMO Grows as Investors Scurry to Catch Stock Market Boom B More than half of the world’s richest investors see a big market drop in 2020, says UBS survey C Central banks Trump rails on Fed, notes other countries have negative rates: ‘Give me some of that money’ C Global Recession Doom Mongers Go Quiet as Growth Hopes Provide Cheer B US Warehouse leasing plummets – because there’s so little new space to lease C Boomers Want to Stay Home. Senior Housing Now Faces a Budding Glut. W Arctic blast brings snow, ice and bone-chilling temps across US C Europe European Earnings Are Pretty Good, Except for Energy B UK jobs fall by most in over four years as election nears R Emerging Chile’s Month of Unrest Starting to Infect Latin American Peers B US politics Nikki Haley just made herself the GOP front-runner to succeed Trump C Reddit will allow the alleged Ukraine whistleblower’s name to surface, diverging from Facebook and YouTube C Geopolitics & trade Trump May Punt on Auto Tariffs as European Carmakers Propose Plan N Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing jetliner orders continue to fall as 737 Max grounding wears on C Autos: Nissan Slashes Forecasts as Sales and Profit Fall on Weak Demand W Media: Disney+ suffers technical errors on launch day C Retail: Amazon Go, the cashierless retail store of the future, has some new competition C Offbeat Deadly Pig Disease Sparks Fear of a Heart Drug Shortage B The 5 college majors American students most regret picking C

November 12 (Tuesday) Markets Weak 2019 earnings growth paves the way for a strong 2020 earnings picture, boosting stocks C Once a source of panic, the yield curve is validating stocks’ comeback and may crown the winners C Selloff in Complex Investments Flashes Warning for Junk Bonds W Europe Election gift for PM Johnson: Brexit Party stands down in Conservative seats R UK economy dodges recession, but annual growth slowest since 2010 R Spain’s far right doubles seats in hung parliament, difficult talks ahead R China How Bad Is China’s Debt? A City Hospital Is Asking Nurses for Loans N Alibaba breaks Singles Day record with more than $38 billion in sales C Hong Kong violence prompts reminder that China troops close at hand R US politics Mark Cuban is latest billionaire to bash Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax plan C Geopolitics & trade Top Iraqi cleric casts doubt on reforms offered to defuse unrest R Bolivian Leader Evo Morales Steps Down N Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing now says it expects 737 MAX to resume commercial service in January R Energy: Frackers Prepare to Pull Back, Exacerbating a Slowdown in U.S. Oil Growth W FAANGs: There’s a race to replace our iPhones with smart glasses we wear everywhere C FAANGs: Amazon’s Heavy Recruitment of Chinese Sellers Puts Consumers at Risk W Financials: Stock trading is back but no one is charging for it, thanks to millennials C Media: The streaming wars officially kick off this week, but don’t expect the cheap plans to last forever C Media: Disney is staking its future on Disney+ NN Space: SpaceX launches another 60 Starlink satellites while setting two rocket reuse records C Tech: The Quantum Computing Threat to American Security W Corporate finance Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick sells half a billion dollars in stock after lockup period ends C Offbeat UBS trader Scott Hapgood skips Anguilla court hearing month after Trump says manslaughter case looks ‘very wrong’ C