What I Am Reading

June 08 (Saturday) Markets Dow jumps 260 points, posts best week since November after jobs report spurs rate-cut hopes (C) Bond Yields Extend Drop Toward 2% (W) Two Epic Bull Markets Are Dueling Over the Fate of Global Growth (B) Investors, Buy the Dips: The Economic Cycle Isn’t What It Used to Be (W) Central Bank Crusade to Spark Inflation Isn’t Convincing Traders (B) Central banks It’s no longer a question of if the Fed will cut interest rates, but when (C) Softer Labor Market Could Strengthen Case for Rate Cut (W) US U.S. Added 75,000 Jobs in May as Hiring Slowed (W) Hiring Slowed in May Across Economy (W) Here’s where the jobs are — in one chart (C Worst May Be Yet to Come for U.S. Jobs as Trade War Intensifies (B) U.S. Economy Celebrates 10 Years of Growth, But No One’s Partying (B) Consumer Credit in U.S. Rises in April by Most in Five Months (B) Europe Boris Johnson Is Running for Britain’s Top Job. Again. (W) Emmanuel Macron Gets a Lesson in Capitalism (B) Geopolitics & trade Trump Says U.S. Has Reached Deal With Mexico (W) U.S. Sanctions Iranian Petrochemical Company (W) Big bank CEOs stay out of Trump’s search for ‘deal of the century’ on Middle East peace (C) New Huawei Phones Won’t Come With Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp (W) Industries & companies Consumer: Kraft Heinz Concludes Internal Investigation Into Accounting Errors (W) Energy: Frackers Scrounge for Cash as Wall Street Closes Doors (W) Shipping: FedEx will no longer provide express shipping for Amazon in the US (C) Cryptocurrencies & cybersecurity Facebook’s ‘GlobalCoin’ Crypto Will Be Tied to Multiple Currencies: Exec Hackers Won’t Let Up in Their Attack on U.S. Cities (W)

June 07 (Friday) Markets Stocks jump, lifting the Dow more than 180 points, on report US may delay Mexico tariffs (C) The 24-Million Barrel Question: Where Is All That Missing U.S. Oil? (B) US Household Net Worth Rises 4.5% in First Quarter (W) Central banks Fed’s Williams Says Outlook Still Solid While Risks Mounting (B) Fed’s Williams says the yield curve isn’t a magic ‘oracle’ for predicting a recession (C) Fed Begins Debate On Whether to Cut Rate as Soon as June (W) ECB Raises Prospect of Rate Cut, Follows Fed Lead (W) Geopolitics & trade Trump Pressures Mexico as Officials Meet Again for Border Talks (W) Huawei, Shunned by U.S. Government, Is Welcomed in Russia (N) Japan Intervenes in U.S.-Iran Dispute With Planned Abe Visit to Tehran (W) Industries & companies Autos: The Car Industry Is Under Siege and in Survival Mode (N) FAANGs: New Apple Sign-In Option Could Keep More Personal Data Away From Facebook, Google (W) Media: AT&T Eyes $16- to $17-a-Month Streaming Service in Strategy Shift (W) Retail: From Beds to Beads to Bracelets, It’s Bad Out There in Retail (B) Tech: Tech Giants Amass a Lobbying Army for an Epic Washington Battle (N) Corporate finance New government pressure could mean the end of tech mega deals (C) Why Fiat Chrysler’s Talks With Renault Fell Apart (N) Barnes & Noble Nearing Deal to Be Acquired by Elliott Management (W) Offbeat Towing an Iceberg: One Captain’s Plan to Bring Drinking Water to 4 Million People (B)

June 06 (Thursday) Markets Dow rallies 200 points as stocks surge for a second day on hope the Fed will cut rates (C) U.S. Crude Oil Falls Into a Bear Market Amid Growth Fears (W) Steepening Yield Curve Shows Market Isn’t Waiting for Fed to Act (B) Global Lagarde Says Trade Risks Becoming Reality as Global Growth Slows (B) Modern Monetary Theory’s Reluctant Poster Child: Japan (N) Central banks Powell Suggests Fed Could Cut Rates if Trade Spat Escalates (W) Fed’s Beige Book Sees Modest Growth (W) US politics Bernie Sanders Takes on Walmart Over Worker Pay (W) Geopolitics & trade US and Mexico trade officials fail to reach a deal on tariffs, immigration: NBC News (C) Trump Says ‘Not Nearly Enough’ Progress in Talks With Mexico (B) Why Trump’s pivot to using tariffs as a political weapon is so dangerous for the economy (C) Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing Is in Talks for a Megadeal That the Trade War Could Derail (B) Autos: Tesla’s outpacing its electric car competitors, with May demand for Model 3 surprising Wall Street (C) Retail: This statistic is a key reason why Walmart, Target and Costco are thriving (C) Corporate finance Fiat Chrysler is reportedly withdrawing its merger proposal for Renault (C)

June 05 (Wednesday) Markets Stocks just had their second best day of the year — Dow rallies more than 500 points (C) Opinion: Stock bulls are telling themselves a lot of lies about this market (MW) Stocks Surge as Fed Hints at Possible Rate Cut (W) ‘Buckle up!’ When oil and gold trade like this, it usually spells doom for the stock market (MW) Central banks Fed Puts Interest Rate Cut in Play (W) Central Banks Are Poised to Act as World Economic Warnings Flash (B) Powell signals it might be time to wave goodbye to the Fed’s ‘dot plot’ (MW) US politics Senate Republicans Threaten to Block Trump on Mexico Tariffs (W) Trump administration approved nuclear energy transfers to Saudis after Khashoggi killing (C) Majority of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign workers say they want to unionize (C) Farmer sentiment hits its lowest level since before Trump’s election as the China trade war drags on (C) Geopolitics & trade Trump Says Tariffs on Mexico Are Likely (W) Trump Talks Up U.K. Trade Deal Despite Brexit Impasse (W) Trump’s blacklisting of Huawei is hammering some U.S. manufacturers — Skyworks is the latest (C) China Warns Its Citizens About Visiting or Studying in the U.S. (W) Industries & companies Autos: Tesla just finished its best day of the year (C) FAANGs: Amazon paid a Trump fundraiser to lobby against vendors who sell counterfeit goods (C) FAANGs: Why Apple’s Siri isn’t as smart as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant (C) Shipping: Trade Tensions Worry Ship Operators (W) Tech: Salesforce Raises Earnings Outlook (W) Corporate finance Renault Board Is Studying ‘With Interest’ Fiat Chrysler Merger (W)

June 04 (Tuesday) Markets Nasdaq confirms correction as Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon drag (R) The government is threatening big tech — and the market just took notice (C) Feds target 4 of the biggest U.S. tech companies and their stocks are getting slammed (MW) Here’s why bond yields are falling and why the rout won’t end anytime soon (C) Central banks Fed’s Bullard: Rate Cut ‘May Be Warranted Soon’ (W) Low-Inflation Trap That Ensnared Japan and Europe Worries Fed (W) US After Record-Long Expansion, Here’s What Could Knock the Economy Off Course (W) U.S. Factory Activity Cooled in May (W) Geopolitics & trade USTR, Treasury say China pursuing ‘blame game’ on trade talks breakdown (R) FedEx Misrouted Huawei Packages After Changes to Internal Protocols (W) Trump’s Next Trade War Target: Chinese Students at Elite Schools (B) Mexico draws red line on asylum before talks on Trump’s tariff threat (R) Mexico Weighs Reprisal to Tariffs (W) Industries & companies Autos: Tesla Faces Skepticism About Depth of Demand for Its Vehicles (W) FAANGs: Here’s everything Apple just announced: iOS 13, Mac Pro and more (C) FAANGs: Apple took several swipes at Google and Facebook at its biggest software event of the year (C) FAANGs: Apple Touts New Privacy Features Amid Scrutiny of Tech (W) FAANGs: Amazon is selling entire houses for less than $20,000 — with free shipping (MW) Financials: Plunging Yields Expose Sorry State of European Banks (W) Retail: Costco is selling $400,000 Tiffany-style diamond rings (MW) Corporate finance German Chip Maker Infineon Buys U.S. Rival in $9.4 Billion Deal (W) Renault Deal Would Pull Fiat Chrysler’s Center of Gravity From U.S. (W)

June 03 (Monday) Markets The Dow Drops 347 Points as Bonds Throw Market a Curve (BR) Stock Bets Beat ‘Coin Toss’ After Yield Inversion: Researcher (B) Emerging Markets Offer Great Income Opportunities (BR) Central banks Everything Is Up for Review at the Fed’s Big Policy Confab in Chicago (B) The Fed’s dangerous ‘new normal’ (PO) How central banks should prepare for the next recession (E) Global Morgan Stanley sees global recession ‘in three quarters’ if Trump escalates trade war (C) US Opinion: It’s not a recession — it’s a reversion (to the mean) (MW) More Americans Are Living Solo, and Companies Want Their Business (W) US politics American Voters Have a Simple Health-Care Message for 2020: Just Fix It! (W) Geopolitics & trade I China Signals It Is Willing to Return to Trade Talks (W) ‘The US has backtracked’: China releases official document blaming America for the trade war (C) FedEx Caught in U.S.-China Tensions (W) Huawei’s Main Chip Maker Faces Long-Term Risks From U.S. Ban (W) Geopolitics & trade II Trump encourages no-deal Brexit ahead of state visit, offers Britain trade deal with US (C) Brandon Judd: Why Trump’s tariffs on Mexico are needed to cut illegal immigration (FO) India’s Modi Feels More U.S. Pressure to Open Nation’s Markets (W) Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing notifies FAA that parts in Max and other 737s may be ‘susceptible to premature failure’ (C) Aerospace: Boeing Ordered to Replace 737 Wing Components Prone to Cracking (B) FAANGs: Apple is having its big annual event where it lays out plans for the coming year — here’s what to expect (C) FAANGs: Amazon Didn’t Cripple Bed Bath & Beyond. Its Own Leaders Did. (W) FAANGs: Amazon, Alibaba Battle for Web Sales During Ramadan (W) Corporate finance SoftBank Faces Challenges Raising Latest $100 Billion Fund (W) Technology Flying cars are almost here, but they don’t look like cars (E)

June 01 (Saturday) Markets Dow drops more than 350 points after Trump threatens new tariffs on Mexico, posts 6-week slide (C) Investors who were hoping Trump would rescue the stock market are now counting on the Fed (C) U.S. stock market forgoes $5 trillion in returns thanks to trade war, estimate shows (MW) European Markets Feel the World’s Pain (W) Global Yield Curves Blare Louder Alarms About Economic Prospects (B) Central banks Opinion: Fed’s reliance on expectations is a risky business (MW) US Inflation Showed Signs of Life in April (W) April Consumer Spending Remains Solid (W) U.S. Consumer Sentiment Dropped in May (W) Geopolitics & trade I Tariffs Would Hit Many Goods That Previously Avoided Penalties (W) Mnuchin and Lighthizer opposed Trump tariffs on Mexico, source says (C) Business groups are considering legal action against the White House over Mexico tariffs (C) Here are the states where Trump’s Mexico tariffs would hit the hardest (C) Geopolitics & trade II China Tariff Retaliation Kicks In as Trade War Ratchets Up (B) China Plans ‘Unreliable’ Foreigners List After U.S. Blacklisting of Huawei (W) Industries & companies Autos: Tesla Begins Taking Orders on Its Cheaper China-Built Model 3s (W) FAANGs: iPhone Privacy Is Broken…and Apps Are to Blame (W) Media: At Disneyland’s new ‘Star Wars’ attraction, brace yourself for $200 lightsabers, $42 cocktails and 4 a.m. lines (MW) Retail: Apparel retail earnings haven’t been this bad since the Great Recession (C) Tech: Dell Revenue Growth Slows (W)

May 31 (Friday) Markets Stocks Close Higher Despite Pressure on Energy Shares (W) The Bond Market Is Trying to Tell Us Something (Worry) (N) Red Flags in Corporate Debt Markets Are Worrying Some Bond Kings (B) The U.S. owns the world’s most gold. Here’s who comes in second (MW) Central banks Fed Would Consider Interest-Rate Cuts if Growth Outlook Darkens (W) Fed’s Patience Tested as Trade Spat Clouds Growth Outlook (W) Darkening U.S. market outlook yet to faze patient Fed (R) US U.S. Economy Remained Robust in First Quarter (W) Mortgage Rates Fall Below 4%, Lifting Hopes for Housing Rebound (W) New China Tariffs Increase Costs to U.S. Households (FRB-NY) US politics As Trump rewrites public health rules, Pence sees conservative agenda reborn (R) Barr says Mueller ‘could have reached a decision’ on Trump and obstruction of justice (MW) Geopolitics & trade I Here’s why China’s trade war threat to restrict rare earth minerals is so serious (C) If we can’t challenge China, no one can, warns operator of only US mine for rare earth metals (C) China Pulls Punches With Trump to Defend a Path for Trade Talks (B) Vice President Mike Pence plans hawkish China speech as trade tensions boil (C) The Real Winners From Trump’s Tariffs Are China’s Neighbors (W) Geopolitics & trade II U.S.-EU Talks Struggle, Threatening a New Front in Trade War (B) Merkel Rallies Harvard to Defend Her World View Against Trump (B) U.S. wants new trade pact with Canada, Mexico passed by summer: Pence (R) Tariffs Just One Piece of ‘Slowbalization,’ Morgan Stanley Says (B) Industries & companies Logistics: FedEx to Deliver 7 Days a Week (W) Media: Star Wars Attractions Give Force to Disney Theme Parks (W) Retail: Gap shares tank 11% on earnings miss, CEO calls quarter ‘extremely challenging’ (C) Retail: Dollar-Store Chains Post Stronger Sales, But Tariffs Cloud Outlook (W) Tech: Uber’s First-Quarter Loss Tops $1 Billion (W) Tech: Cloud company Zuora loses almost a quarter of its value on weak guidance (C) Technology Researchers Build Bots That Play Videogames With Each Other (W) Offbeat Trump Says USS McCain Order Given Without His Knowledge (W)

May 30 (Thursday) Stocks Dow slides more than 200 points as yields fall on worries about the economy (C) Corporations were the biggest buyers of stock during the bull market, but now they’re selling (C) Currencies The Dollar Powers American Dominance. Rivals Are Building Workarounds. (W) Treasury Declines to Designate China a Currency Manipulator (W) Credit The bond market recession signal freaking the markets out could be a false positive (C) Morgan Stanley Says U.S. Yield Curve Now Clearly Spells Downturn (B) Three Fed Cuts on Bond-Market Radar as Curve Inversion Deepens (B) US If the Economy Booms, Thank Software (W) Is There Too Much Business Debt? (FRB-NY) This Boutique Bike Shop Shows How Trump’s Tariffs Can Hit the Little Guy (N) Europe Europe’s Green Parties Grow New Support (W) US politics Special counsel Robert Mueller: ‘If we had had confidence that’ President Trump ‘clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so’ (C) President maintains innocence as Mueller stresses he did not exonerate him (MW) Mueller’s Final Act Leaves Everyone Wanting Something Different (B) Geopolitics & trade ‘Don’t say we didn’t warn you’: A phrase from China signals the trade war could get even worse (C) The market is too pessimistic about prospects for a trade deal, China expert says (MW) U.S. Fighter Jets and Missiles Are in China’s Rare-Earth Firing Line (B) Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing Faces Difficult Recovery From MAX Grounding (W) FAANGs: Amazon And Kohl’s: Proof That Collaboration Works (F) Financials: Bank Stocks Hurt by More Than Falling Rates (W) Retail: Apparel retailers Canada Goose, Abercrombie & Fitch and others are getting whacked (C) Retail: Abercrombie Shares Slide Near 26% as Same-Store Sales Sputter (W) Telecom: With Huawei on Defensive, Ericsson, Nokia Fight for Edge (W) Corporate finance Technology Drives Deals Because No One Wants to Be the Next Blockbuster Video (W)

May 29 (Wednesday) Markets Global Bond Yields Hit Multiyear Lows (W) Key Slice of U.S. Yield Curve Dives Further Into Inversion Zone (B) Morgan Stanley says economy is on ‘recession watch’ as bond market flashes warning (C) Euroskeptics Are Less Skeptical, and Investors Should Be Too (W) Low-Volatility and ‘Buffer’ ETFs Draw Billions Amid Market Jitters (W) US Consumers are the most confident about their job prospects in nearly 2 decades (C) The next downturn could see a ‘radicalization’ of the policies used during the financial crisis (C) Europe European Election Results Show Growing Split Over Union’s Future (N) ‘No Deal’ Brexit Returns to Forefront of Debate (W) Merkel Decides Her Chosen Successor Isn’t Up to the Job (B) China An under-the-radar way to measure economic growth in China is painting a bleak picture (C) Geopolitics & trade Trade Fight, Curbs on Huawei Threaten 5G Growth in U.S. (W) China appears to make veiled threat about rare earth minerals crucial to US technology industry (C) Industries & companies FAANGs: Amazon Is Poised to Unleash a Long-Feared Purge of Small Suppliers (B) FAANGs: Google’s Shadow Work Force: Temps Who Outnumber Full-Time Employees (N) Media: Cable Answers Cord-Cutters With Half-Price Cellphone Service (W) REITs: REITs Bet Big on Mortgage Market (W) Retail: Walmart Hires Global Tech Chief to Vie With Amazon (W) Corporate finance As Fiat Chrysler Pursues Renault Tie-Up, Nissan Weighs Stakes (W) Technology Imagining How Technology Will Disrupt Future Energy Markets (F) Offbeat The Interstate Is Crumbling. Try Fixing the Section Used by 200,000 Vehicles a Day. (W)