What I Am Reading

August 03 (Tuesday) YRI Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets Stocks Reverse Early Gains, Finish Modestly Lower | W Virus woes, slowing economic growth weigh on Wall Street | R As the economy hits its peak, stock market gains could be harder to come by | C European Bonds Rally on Bets on Weak Growth, Inflation | W Central banks Fed Governor Waller sees reduction in bond purchases possibly starting in October | C Fed Chairman Powell’s Approach to Regulation Has Drawn Criticism From Some Democrats | W Home Prices Are Soaring. Is That the Fed’s Problem? | N US I What’s in the Infrastructure Bill for Roads, Bridges, Broadband and Cryptocurrency | W Factbox: What’s in the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill? | R How language in the infrastructure bill could roil the crypto markets | C Some Republican U.S. senators snipe at $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill | R US II White House defends its decision not to extend the eviction moratorium | C White House Pushes Distribution of Aid to Renters as Eviction Moratorium Expires | W Janet Yellen to Enact Steps to Avoid Breaching Debt Ceiling | W U.S. manufacturing growth cooling; bottlenecks starting to abate | R Asia Delta Variant Stalls Asia’s Economic Recovery After Early Rebound | W Coal Projects in Asia Face Dwindling Financing as Climate Pressure Mounts | W Geopolitics & trade China quietly sets new ‘buy Chinese’ targets for state companies – U.S. sources | R Industries & companies Financials: Goldman Sachs Is Giving Entry-Level Bankers a Nearly 30% Raise | W Financials: HSBC’s Profit Jumps as Pandemic Provisions Recede | W Retail: Simon says sales at malls back to pre-pandemic levels in June | C Tech: Pixel 6 will have new processor designed by Google | C Corporate finance Foot Locker to Buy Two Retailers for $1.1 Billion | W News Corp to Buy Oil Price Information Service for $1.15 Billion | W   Virus I CDC says 7-day average of daily U.S. Covid cases surpassed peak seen last summer | C Covid vaccine: U.S. reaches Biden’s 70% goal for adults a month behind | C U.S. labor revival in doubt as Delta raises worries about ‘back to school’ | R Virus II Masks Are Back On at Home Depot, McDonald’s and Target | W Louisiana reinstates mask mandate to combat delta variant | C Lindsey Graham reveals Covid infection, lauds vaccine | C

August 02 (Monday) YRI Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets Inflation Is Hot Now, but Investors Are Betting That Won’t Last | W Central banks Fed’s Brainard Says Labor Market Hasn’t Satisfied Goals for Reducing Bond Purchases | W Fed’s Brainard: Can’t wrap head around not having U.S. central bank digital currency | R Minneapolis Fed president says Delta variant could slow labor market recovery | R US I House Adjourns Without Extending Covid-19 Eviction Moratorium | W Anger mounts as Biden, Congress allow eviction ban to expire | C Eviction Ban’s Expiration Leaves Renters in South Appearing Most Vulnerable | W The U.S. Labor Shortage Is Worse Than It Looks, and Help Is Not on the Way | BR An unemployment cliff is coming. More than 7.5 million may fall off | C A Care Crisis Is Holding Back America’s Workforce: Secretary of Commerce | BR US II Senator Manchin says the infrastructure bill text is going to be done today | C Infrastructure Spending Is on Its Way. Here’s a Cheap Way to Play It. | BR Joe Biden’s bipartisan dream lives on, for now | E Emerging China’s factory activity expands at a slower pace in July- official PMI | R Unrest and economic underperformance haunt the emerging world | E Geopolitics & trade China is rapidly building new nuclear-missile silos | E Philippine President Duterte has shown how not to handle China | E China securities watchdog seeks closer cooperation with U.S. | R The pandemic has exacerbated existing political discontent | E Kim Jong Un’s sister warns South Korea-U.S. drills will rekindle tensions | C Industries & companies Energy: Two U.S. Companies Seek Continued Tariffs on Imported Solar Panels | W Energy: Behind the Rise of U.S. Solar Power, a Mountain of Chinese Coal | W Financials: American Express Stock Could Soar Higher as Travel Rebounds | BR Media: Disney, WarnerMedia, NBCU wrestle to balance value of cable and streaming | C Media: ‘Jungle Cruise’ has $34.2 million debut, adds $30 million from Disney+ | C Tech: Why Apple shareholders after earnings selloff shouldn’t be too worried | C Virus Who’s against the jab | E Fauci expects no new U.S. lockdowns despite surging delta cases | C Corporate finance Tech Startup Financing Hits Records as Giant Funds Dwarf Venture Capitalists | W Beyond markets Remarkable progress has been made in understanding the folding of proteins | E

July 31 (Saturday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets Earnings bounce, bond-yield drop help keep party going for U.S. stocks | R Global bonds in July notch up best month since 2020 COVID meltdown | R   Global World Economy Caps Extraordinary Return From Covid-19 Collapse | W Central banks The Fed’s Favorite Price Index Rose 4 Percent. What Comes Next? | N Fed’s Powell bets economy will navigate new coronavirus surge | R US I U.S. labor costs increase solidly in second quarter | R U.S. consumer sentiment declines in July as inflation remains concern | R Household Spending Rose in June, Before Delta Variant Upswing | W Services buoy U.S. consumer spending; inflation pushes higher | R US II Infrastructure Bill Now Faces Restive House Progressives | W Infrastructure: Senate advances bipartisan bill | C Industries & companies Autos: Elon Musk’s Trip Through Hell: Inside the 2018 Scramble to Avoid the Collapse of Tesla | W Autos: Tesla Battery Catches Fire at Utility Storage Project in Australia | W Communication services: Google founders Page, Brin, have sold $1 billion in stock since May | C Consumer: Procter & Gamble Warns of Higher Costs and Slower Sales | W Consumer: Amazon Hit With Record EU Privacy Fine | W Consumer: Amazon DSPs tell drivers to bypass safety inspections | C Cruise lines: Royal Caribbean says 6 Covid cases discovered on board a ship; shares fall | C Tech: Big Tech dodged Q2 pain from Apple’s ad privacy changes | C Corporate finance SEC to Set New Disclosure Requirements for Chinese Company IPOs | W Virus ‘The war has changed’, CDC says, calling for new response to Delta variant | R Delta variant: CDC warns as contagious as chickenpox, may make people sicker | C CDC study shows 74% of people infected in Massachusetts Covid outbreak were fully vaccinated | C Covid Breakthrough Cases: Bloomberg Identifies 100,000 Cases as Delta Rises | B Covid vaccine rates rise as Americans rush to get shots amid delta fears | C Walmart corporate staff, managers have Covid vaccine by October | C

July 30 (Friday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets Stocks Rise After GDP Data | W Wall Street roars to record peak on rosy earnings, dollar wilts | R China Moves to Reassure Global Banks and Investors After Market Rout | W Lumber Makers See Comeback of Do-It-Yourself Home Projects – Bloomberg US U.S. economy contracted 19.2% during COVID-19 pandemic recession | R Fiscal stimulus, vaccines likely fueled U.S. economic growth in the second quarter | R The U.S. economy is bigger than it was pre-pandemic, but Covid could still decide what happens next | C The U.S. Economy’s Prospects Looked Bright, Until the Delta Variant Surged | W Growth Is Strong, but the Obstacles to Full Recovery Are Big | N Is the US Economy Running Out of Slack? by Willem H. Buiter | Project Syndicate Jobless Claims Resumed Decline Last Week | W Japan Japan’s factory output rises, job availability at near 1-year high | R Geopolitics & trade ‘Industrial Policy’ Is Back: The West Dusts Off Old Idea to Counter China | W Industries & companies Consumer discretionary: Amazon Maintains Profit Run, but Sales Miss Expectations in Pandemic First | W Retail: Toy Prices Are Going Up Ahead of the Holiday Season | W Retail: Shopping center CEO says foot traffic is back to pre-Covid levels as retail evolves | C Corporate finance Robinhood (HOOD) IPO: Stock falls in Nasdaq debut | C Virus EU Overtakes U.S. in Covid-19 Vaccines as Delta Variant Spreads | W Israel to Offer Pfizer Booster Shots to Elderly as Delta Cases Rise | W Biden Says Federal Employees Must Get Covid-19 Shots or Wear Masks, Test Regularly | W Beyond markets Day-care centers struggle to rehire, worry many have left the industry | C

July 29 (Thursday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets Dow Edges Lower After Fed Statement | W Treasury Yields Edge Higher After Fed Signal on Tapering Bond Buying | W Global Covid-19 Keeps Resurging, but Western Economies Are Adapting | W Central banks Fed decision July 2021: Rates held near zero, economy better even with pandemic worries | C Fed Says Economy Has Progressed Toward Goals, Tees Up Bond Taper | W Powell says Fed likely to taper asset purchases ‘at the same time’ | R US Will the Delta Variant Wreck the Recovery? | N U.S. Senate advances roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill | R Geopolitics & trade Biden nominates Huawei prosecutor for key China export post | R Industries & companies Consumer discretionary: Amazon is everywhere. Here’s how the US could break it up | NN Communication services: Facebook (FB) earnings Q2 2021 | C Restaurants: Wingstop plans ghost kitchens in Manhattan as company leans on digital | C Tech: Qualcomm (QCOM) earnings Q3 2021 | C Corporate finance Robinhood IPO Prices at $38 a Share | W Citizens Financial to Buy Investors Bancorp in $3.5 Billion Deal | W Virus Pfizer’s CEO says Covid vaccine effectiveness drops to 84% after six months | C Biden Plans to Require Covid-19 Vaccine or Regular Tests for Federal Workers | W Most Apple stores will require masks regardless of vaccination status | C Some Republicans Reject Revived Covid-19 Mask Rules in Congress | W

July 28 (Wednesday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Central banks The Fed could sound more worried about Covid and less ready to tighten | C Global Vaccination Rates Drive Global Economic Growth Prospects, IMF Says | W IMF raises growth forecasts for rich nations, dims outlook for developing world | R US U.S. consumer confidence at 17-month high; business spending on equipment strong | R Durable-Goods Orders Advanced in June as U.S. Economy Continues to Grow | W Home prices can’t go straight up forever. But this probably isn’t a bubble | NN Lawmakers Say Infrastructure Deal Within Reach | W Europe EU freezes legal steps against Britain after UK request for standstill | R Industries & companies Airlines: Airlines Struggle With Fuel Shortages at Some Smaller Western U.S. Airports | W Consumer: Lysol. N95 Masks. UPS. For Some Pandemic Winners, the Boom Is Over. | W Media: Alphabet (GOOGL) earnings Q2 2021 | C Pharma: Big Pharma Quietly Pushes Back on Global Tax Deal, Citing Covid-19 Role | W Tech: Apple Profit Sets Record on Strong iPhone Sales | W Tech: Apple’s iPhone hot streak will run into global chip shortage | C Tech: Microsoft (MSFT) earnings Q4 2021 | C Virus CDC reverses indoor mask policy, saying fully vaccinated people and kids should wear them indoors | C Top U.S. doctors say kids need masks and social distancing in schools this fall | C No one wants to say it: We need to mask up again | TheHill Delta variant: Third Covid shot may be way around masking, says Dr. Peter Hotez | C Biden says vaccine mandate for all federal employees is under consideration following VA order | C Saudi Arabia to Impose Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate | W Israel Begins Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine for At-Risk Children Under 12 as Delta Cases Surge | W Beyond markets Return-to-office plans in limbo as CDC recommends indoor masking again | C Return to Office Hits a Snag: Young Resisters | N Work-From-Anywhere Perks Give Silicon Valley a New Edge in Talent War | W

July 27 (Tuesday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets S&P 500 ekes out another record as investors gear up for big earnings | C Indexes notch closing record highs as key earnings, Fed meet eyed | R Inflation, delta risks sparking an ‘inflection point’ for stocks | C China Tech Stocks Slump as Regulators Apply Fresh Pressure | W Global Global growth to stay strong but virus the top risk, say economists | R Central banks Fed now facing twin inflation, growth risks as virus jumps and supply chains falter | R US Housing boom is over as new home sales fall to pandemic low | C Geopolitics & trade China’s Tech Regulator Orders Companies to Fix Anticompetitive, Security Issues | W Chinese Officials Blame U.S. for Stalemate in High-Level Talks | W The Really Critical Infrastructure Need: American-Made Semiconductors | W Industries & companies Aerospace: Boeing’s Starliner Set to Launch, Giving Company a Do-Over in Space | W Airlines: American Airlines warns about fuel shortages around the country, asks pilots to conserve | C Autos: Tesla records $23 million in bitcoin-related impairments in Q2 | C Energy: Big Oil Companies Push Hydrogen as Green Alternative, but Obstacles Remain | W Corporate finance Aon, Willis Towers Scrap $30 Billion Merger Amid Antitrust Impasse | W Virus U.S. will not lift travel restrictions, citing Delta variant, White House says | R Delta: Americans are ‘mixing and matching’ Covid vaccines over concerns about variant | C Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates Imposed on Some Government Workers | W Covid Treatment Options Remain Elusive, Despite Months of Effort and Rising Delta Cases | W

July 26 (Monday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets Investors Are Buying American | W The U.S. is deciding how to respond to China’s digital yuan | C US Rising Covid Cases Put the Economic Recovery at Risk | BR Does America face a slowdown in economic growth? | E Opinion | Biden Is Asking for $4 Trillion. Congress Shouldn’t Give It to Him. | N U.S. Population Growth, an Economic Driver, Grinds to a Halt | W   Geopolitics & trade Disturbing actions by China signal cold war, Stephen Roach warns | C Putin says Russian navy can carry out ‘unpreventable strike’ if needed | C Industries & companies Energy: The Boom in Oil Stocks Could Be Over | BR Railroads: Supply-Chain Backlogs Turn Chicago Into New Chokepoint | W Travel: 6 Bargain Travel Stocks to Buy Even as Covid Cases Rise | BR Corporate finance The Robinhood IPO Is Coming Soon. Reasons to Steer Clear of the Stock. | BR Climate A 3°C world has no safe place | E Air conditioning and climate change: Start-ups trying to help | C Virus The Delta Variant Upends the World’s Pandemic Response | W Covid-19 Pill Race Heats Up as Japanese Firm Vies With Pfizer, Merck | W The Most Influential Spreader of Coronavirus Misinformation Online | N Disney won’t attend CinemaCon in-person as delta variant rages in Las Vegas | C Beyond markets Supply-Chain Woes Come to School Cafeterias | W

July 24 (Saturday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Markets Dow jumps more than 200 points to close above 35,000 for the first time ever | C Tin Prices Reach Records as Delta Variant Disrupts Supply | W Global Global supply chains buckle as virus variant and disasters strike | Reuters Central banks ECB Lifts Restrictions on Bank Dividends as Economy Rebounds | B US I The rapid growth the U.S. economy has seen is about to hit a wall | C U.S. business activity cools further in July – IHS Markit survey | Reuters End of Eviction Moratorium Puts Many Tenants at Risk of Losing Their Homes | W Property Investors Bed Down in the Family Home | W Companies from Chipotle to Whirlpool raise prices amid inflation | C US II Yellen wants debt limit raised by Aug. 2, U.S. may need ‘extraordinary measures’ | C Modern Monetary Theory: Embrace of Big Budget Deficits Doesn’t Mean MMT Has Won | B Geopolitics & trade China Sanctions Wilbur Ross After U.S.’s Hong Kong Warning | B Industries & companies Airlines: U.S. Jet Fuel Glut Is Too Big for Surging Air Travel to Drain | B Energy: Gas Engines, and the People Behind Them, Are Cast Aside for Electric Vehicles | W Beyond markets Tamarack and Bootleg Fires in Nevada and Oregon Grow Amid Difficult Conditions | W The Next Target for mRNA Vaccines After Covid-19: The Flu | W Al Lord Profited When College Tuition Rose. He Is Paying For It. | W Virus Covid cases are rising again in all 50 states across U.S. as delta variant tightens its grip | C Delta variant: Pfizer Covid vaccine 39% effective in Israel, prevents severe illness | C Delays, More Masks and Mandatory Shots: Virus Surge Disrupts Office-Return Plans | N Pfizer to Supply U.S. With Millions of Shots for Young Kids | B As Vaccines Do Their Work, Focus Moves to Long Covid | W

July 23 (Friday) YRI Dr. Ed’s latest video podcast Daily Markets Overview Today’s Morning Briefing Market Stocks End Higher as Focus Turns to Earnings | W Central banks ECB Looks to Keep Rates Low for Longer | W Fed Ramps Up Debate Over Taper Timing, Pace | W IMF says Fed ‘highly effective,’ must carefully communicate withdrawal plans | R Embedded as a risk, new COVID cycle could challenge Fed, recovery | R US I U.S. Median Home Price Hit New High in June | W U.S. housing market floats back to earth | R Rising Rents Threaten to Prop Up Inflation | N US II How Much More Will Your Oreos Cost? Companies Test Price Increases | W Biden administration releases COVID funds to boost local economies | R U.S. retailers scramble to stock shelves as kids head back to school | R Geopolitics & trade Biden’s China Policy Borrows From Trump and Adds Allies to Raise Pressure | W U.S. sanctions Cuban officials over crackdown on protests as Biden warns: ‘This is just the beginning’ | C About 100 CIA officers, family members afflicted by ‘Havana Syndrome’ -CIA chief | R Industries & companies Airlines: Airlines See a Surge in Domestic Flights, Beating Forecasts | N Airlines: American Airlines, Southwest Lifted by Recovering Demand and Government Aid | W Energy: Startup Claims Breakthrough in Long-Duration Batteries | W Tech: Intel beats, but guides to lower margins for Q3 | C Tech: Intel CEO Says Chip Shortage Could Stretch Into 2023 | W Virus Quest Diagnostics is seeing a rise in Covid tests as delta variant spreads, CEO says | C Why Covid-19 Vaccines Work Well Against Delta Variant | W CDC group weighs Covid booster shots for immunocompromised people at higher risk of breakthrough infections | C Delta variant is one of the most infectious respiratory diseases known, CDC director says | C NFL warns teams could forfeit games, lose money if Covid outbreaks occur among unvaccinated players | C Corporate finance Uber’s Freight Unit to Buy Logistics Tech Firm Transplace for $2.25 Billion | W   Beyond markets NASA’s InSight Lander Gives First Look at Mars Interior, Yielding a Big Surprise | W