Dr. Ed's Blog

November 04 (Monday)

Markets
Earnings Tide Lifts Most Stocks W
The Best Stock Market Ever Heads Into Stocks’ Best Time of the Year BR
5 High-Yield Stocks That Can Keep On Giving BR
The Bond-Market Panic That Wasn’t BR

Central banks
Why the repo market went awry…and how the Fed should fix it E
How to ensure financial firms have enough cash E
The Fed’s View on Inflation Is Quietly Shifting. Here’s Why. N
A change of direction under Christine Lagarde is unlikely E
What to make of the strife at the ECB E
Germans have mixed feelings about Christine Lagarde E

US
Why the Shale Boom Is Slowing and What That Means for Oil Prices BR

Europe
Germany’s Economic Malaise Hasn’t Hit the Stock Market — Yet BR
Germans still don’t agree on what reunification meant E
The Money Farmers: How Oligarchs and Populists Milk the E.U. for Millions N

China
China Roundtable: 15 Stocks That Don’t Need a Trade Deal to Reward Investors BR

US politics
Democrats’ decision to televise Trump impeachment hearings could prove politically perilous R
Smugglers are sawing through new sections of Trump’s border wall WP
Warren Health Plan Tightens Democrats’ Embrace of Tax Increases N

Geopolitics & trade
China says ready to work with ASEAN for South China Sea peace R

Industries & companies
FAANGs: The Google-Facebook ad duopoly is facing a bigger challenge from the trio of Snap, Pinterest and Amazon C
FAANGs: Why Google’s Fitbit deal could break its legacy of hardware failures C
Industrials: GE Stock Looks Alive Again. Here’s What CEO Larry Culp Says Is Different. BR

Corporate finance
Fiat Chrysler-Peugeot Deal Could Be a Winner BR
Saudi Aramco kick-starts what could be world’s biggest IPO R

Offbeat
Why Elon Musk says taking ‘vacations will kill you’ C

November 02 (Saturday)

Markets
For Stocks, Three Fed Rate Cuts Tends to Be Sweet Spot W

Central banks
Lagarde’s Diplomatic Skills to Be Tested at a Divided ECB W
Top Fed Officials Signal Comfort With Decision to Pause Rate Cuts W

Global
The Global Fertility Crash B

US
U.S. October job growth beats expectations despite GM strike R
US manufacturing contracts for a third straight month C
Larry Kudlow Says White House Working on Tax Cuts Ahead of Election B

US politics
Pelosi expects Trump impeachment hearings in November: Bloomberg interview R
Impeachment Is About to Get Tough. For Democrats. B
Jobs Data From Swing States Isn’t Great for Trump B
Elizabeth Warren would double her proposed billionaire wealth tax to help fund ‘Medicare for All’ C

Geopolitics & trade
China Doubts Long-Term Trade Deal Possible With Trump  B
China Wins WTO Case to Sanction $3.6 Billion in U.S. Trade B
Larry Kudlow Says Tariff Hikes ‘Still on Table,’ Sees Progress on Deal B
Trump Decision Due on Foreign Car Tariffs W
ISIS Names New Leader and Confirms al-Baghdadi’s Death  N
U.S. Troop Withdrawal Creates Opening for Revitalized Syrian Regime W

Cybersecurity
Exclusive: U.S. opens national security investigation into TikTok – sources R

Industries & companies
Aerospace: Not just the MAX: planemakers face slump in demand for wide-body jets R
Aerospace: Dozens of Boeing jets grounded due to ‘pickle fork’ cracks C
Autos: For GM, the Strike Was Worth It for the Long Run W
Energy: Exxon Mobil profit halves on weak oil prices, chemicals margins R
FAANGs: Apple’s long-awaited TV service launches — here’s everything you need to know about it C

Corporate finance
White House will look ‘very carefully’ at Peugeot, Fiat Chrysler deal: Kudlow R
Megamergers Become a Possible Lifeline for Under-Pressure Car Industry W
Google to acquire Fitbit, valuing the smartwatch maker at about $2.1 billion C
Goldman Sachs says antitrust to heat up in 2020, pressure Facebook, Google shares for ‘years’ C

Offbeat
How Jim Simons Built the World’s Most Lucrative Black Box B
Cramer to Warren: Leon Cooperman is the wrong billionaire ‘whipping boy’ to take on
C
Cramer: ‘I’m very worried about Boeing’ and how its 737 Max problems could hurt the US economy C
Trump, Lifelong New Yorker, Declares Himself a Resident of Florida N
California Fire Danger Continues to Worsen, Experts Say W

YRI
Daily Markets Overview

November 01 (Friday)

Markets
Better-Than-Expected Earnings Ease Growth Fears—for Now (W)
Wall Street retreats from record on trade cloudiness (R)
Even after Lyft beat, Wall Street pummels former unicorns (R)
Rajeev Misra Built SoftBank’s Huge Tech Fund. Now He Has to Save It. (W)
Opinion: Most stock-market-timing newsletters fail, comprehensive study shows (MW)

Central banks
Trump rails against Powell a day after the Fed cuts rates for a third time this year (C)
Eurozone’s Sluggish Economy Shows Challenge Facing Lagarde (W)
Negative Interest Rate Skepticism Grows at the European Central Bank
Bloomberg (B)

US
U.S. Inflation Remains Soft in September (W)
U.S. Consumers Stay on a Spending Streak (W)

Europe
Europe’s Banks Confront Their Harsh Reality (W)
Trump Says Hard to Do Trade Deal With U.K. Under Boris Johnson Brexit Deal (W)

US politics
White House adviser tells lawmakers Trump Ukraine call raised national security concerns (R)
House passes resolution that lays out formal rules of the Trump impeachment inquiry (C)
Here’s how each House member voted on the Trump impeachment inquiry (C)
Impeachment trial could complicate Democratic senators’ U.S. presidential bids (R)
Leon Cooperman rips Elizabeth Warren in new letter for ‘soak-the-rich positions,’ and treating him like ‘an ungrateful child’ (C)

Geopolitics & trade
Exclusive: Iran intervenes to prevent ousting of Iraqi prime minister – sources (R)
Exclusive: WhatsApp hacked to spy on top government officials at U.S. allies – sources (R)
Islamic State vows revenge against U.S. for Baghdadi killing (R)
Islamic State Names New Leader to Succeed Baghdadi (W)
Lebanon’s Hezbollah, France call for new government (R)

Industries & companies
Aerospace: Documents Show Safety Concerns at Boeing Before Deadly Crashes (N)
Autos: Proposed Ford-UAW deal includes plant closure, $9,000 ratification bonuses (C)
FAANGs: Apple rises after earnings beat — four experts weigh in (C)
FAANGs: Apple Plays the Underdog in Streaming Wars (W)
FAANGs: China’s 5G Networks Go Live Friday. It Could Be Bad News for Apple. (BR)
FAANGs: Legislation Would Force Google and Rivals to Disclose Search Algorithms (W)
Internet: Twitter bans political ads; Facebook’s Zuckerberg defends them (R)

Offbeat
Insanely humanlike androids have entered the workplace and soon may take your job (C)
Vaping illness outbreak climbs to 1,888 cases with 37 deaths, CDC says (C)
Homes destroyed, hundreds more evacuated as Los Angeles wildfires spread (R)

October 31 (Thursday)

Markets
S&P 500 Closes at Fresh High After Rate Cut (W)
A ‘growing club’ of ‘very powerful countries’ is steering away from using the dollar (C)

Central banks
Fed cuts interest rates, but indicates a pause is ahead (C)
Powell aces tricky Fed transition to ending interest rate cuts, doing ’100% the right things’ (C)
Powell Signals Fed Policy on Hold as Economy Eyes Soft Landing (B)
Parsing the Fed: How the October Statement Changed From September (W)
Negative Interest Rate Skepticism Grows at the European Central Bank (B)

US
U.S. Growth Settles in at Low Gear in Third Quarter (W)
Consumers support U.S. economy as business spending slumps (R)
U.S. SEC considers relaxing post-crisis structured mortgage product rules (R)

Europe
Boris Johnson Stakes Brexit—and His Premiership—on an Election (W)
Consumer Confidence Slumps to Six-Year Low as Britons Fret About Finances (B)

China
Less Savings, More Debt: How Chinese Manage Money American-Style, in 17 Charts (W)

US politics
Trump impeachment inquiry hears more evidence of outside efforts to influence Ukraine policy (R)
U.S. handling of tariffs raises appearance of ‘improper influence’: watchdog (R)

Geopolitics & trade
Chile’s APEC cancellation raises new hurdle for U.S.-China trade deal (R)
How Long Will It Take Hong Kong to Bounce Back From Recession? (B)

Industries & companies
FAANGs: Apple tunes out trade war as new AirPods, services lift holiday outlook (R)
FAANGs: Apple is laying the groundwork for an iPhone subscription (C)
FAANGs: Mark Zuckerberg is adamant that Instagram should not be broken off from Facebook (C)
Tech: Twitter to ban political ads in apparent swipe at Facebook (R)

Corporate finance
Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Owner PSA Agree to Merge (W)

Technology
Why 5G Is Fast But Spotty in the U.S. (W)

Offbeat
‘Ebola Is Now a Disease We Can Treat.’ How a Cure Emerged From a War Zone. (W)

October 30 (Wednesday)

Markets
Stocks Edge Lower as Investors Parse Earnings Reports (W)
Worst Isn’t Over for China Sovereign Bonds as Supply Surge Looms (B)

Central banks
Fed’s Powell Faces Tightrope Act Framing Potential Pause on Rate Cuts (W)

Europe
Britain set for December 12 election to break the Brexit deadlock (R)
Beyond Brexit: U.K. Political Risks Get Even More Complex (W)

China
China pushes back against criticism of its Belt and Road lending (R)

US politics
House Democrats release resolution outlining impeachment probe process (C)
As Trump adviser testifies, House Democrats ready impeachment rules (R)
Senator Asks Whether Biden Probe Was Linked to China Trade Talks (W)
Rubio vows bill to prevent federal pension fund from investing in China (R)
Wall Street is way too paranoid about a President Elizabeth Warren (MW)

Geopolitics & trade
China warns U.S. criticism at U.N. over Xinjiang not ‘helpful’ for trade talks (R)
Exclusive: U.S.-China trade deal might not be ready for signing in Chile: U.S. official (R)

Industries & companies
Aerospace: In brutal Senate hearing, Boeing admits its safety assessments of 737 Max fell short (C)
Aerospace: Boeing CEO accused of telling ‘half-truths’ in 737 MAX hearing (R)
Consumer: J&J says new tests find no asbestos in same baby powder bottle that sparked recall (R)
Media: WarnerMedia’s HBO Max will launch for $14.99 a month in May 2020 (C)

Corporate finance
Nestle to Weigh $1 Billion Sale of Local Chinese Brands (B)
Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot Owner in Talks to Combine (W)
Aramco To Launch IPO Process Nov. 3, List Shares in December (W)
Beyond Meat shares plunge more than 20% despite solid results as insiders rush for the exits (C)

Offbeat
How PG&E’s Aging Equipment Puts California at Risk (W)
The NCAA will allow athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness in a major shift for the organization (C)

October 29 (Tuesday)

Markets
S&P 500 hits fresh all-time high, boosted by strong earnings and US-China trade progress (C)
After new record, these are the stocks Wall Street thinks will lead the next market leg higher (C)
Cracks in China Bonds Have Traders Watching $35 Billion Maturity (B)
Risk-Shy Investors Aren’t Hoarding as Much Cash as You Might Think (W)
Falling Rates Boost Mortgage Market to Precrisis Levels (W)

US
Housing Highlights Promises, Limits of Fed’s ‘Insurance’ Rate Cuts (W)
Even in Strong Economy, Most Families Don’t Have Enough Emergency Savings (N)

Europe
Johnson Loses Bid for Early Election but Takes New Tack to Get One (W)

US politics
Trump administration eases risks for banks on false lending claims (C)
House Democrats set vote on impeachment procedure amid Republican criticism (C)
Trump and Democratic rivals love to rip Big Tech companies – but their campaigns still pay them millions (C)
Here’s How Elizabeth Warren Could Pay for Medicare for All (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump: ‘ahead of schedule’ on China trade deal (R)
U.S. may extend tariff suspensions on $34 billion in Chinese goods (R)
China Investors Keep Making Deals in Silicon Valley Amid Pushback (W)

Industries & companies
Aerospace: Boeing CEO to Tell Senate ‘We Made Mistakes’ in 737 Max Jet (B)
Consumer: Juul to Cut About 500 Jobs (W)
Consumer: Vitamin-Based Vaping Products Proliferate Online (W)
FAANGs: Alphabet Earnings Dented by Spending on Cloud Business (B)
FAANGs: Apple Bets on New $249 AirPods Pro Amid Weak iPhone Sales (W)
FAANGs: Amazon could challenge loss of $10 billion Pentagon cloud deal as early as next week (R)
Financials: HSBC to ‘Remodel’ After Fall in Third-Quarter Profit (W)
Retail: ’Tis the Season for Surge Robots as Holiday Hiring Finds Automation (W)

Corporate finance
Tesla’s Elon Musk knew SolarCity faced a ‘liquidity crisis’ at time of 2016 deal, legal documents show (C)

October 28 (Monday)

Markets
The Fed and Apple earnings will make or break market’s return to record highs in the week ahead (C)
What an Elizabeth Warren presidency would mean for stocks (C)
Big Money Poll: Bears Rise to a Two-Decade-Plus High (BR)
C.E.O.s Are Anxious About the Economy. That’s Bad for Stocks. (N)
QE or Not, World’s Most Elite Bond Club Is Getting Its Mojo Back (B)

Central banks
Opinion: The Federal Reserve is in stealth intervention mode (MW)
Lagarde will take ECB out of ivory tower: De Guindos in El Pais (R)
BOJ Former Governor Says ‘Japanification’ Policy Trend Misguided (B)

US
U.S. Factory Slump Shows Manufacturing Isn’t the Bellwether It Used to Be (W)

Europe
EU Proposes Brexit Extension to Jan. 31 Ahead of Envoy Talks (B)
Germany Budget Surplus to Reach Billions in 2019: Handelsblatt (B)

Emerging
Time to Get Picky in Emerging Markets in Grip of Political Risks (B)

US politics
Trump told Mattis to ‘screw Amazon’ out of $10 billion Pentagon cloud contract, insider account claims (C)

Geopolitics & trade
China Woos U.S. and Other Foreign Companies as Trade War Takes Toll (W)
Trump wants to make a deal with Exxon or others to tap Syrian oil: ‘We should be able to take some’ (C)
Trump confirms ISIS leader Baghdadi is dead after US raid in Syria — ‘He died like a coward’ (C)
Trump Moves Closer to Ending Another Post-Cold War Treaty (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: GM Labor Deal Could Be Costly to Detroit Rivals (W)
FAANGs: Google Offers Peek at Secretive Search Algorithm Changes (W)
Media: AT&T, Disney and Comcast have very different plans for the streaming wars — here’s what they’re doing and why (C)
Retail: H&M CEO Sees ‘Terrible’ Fallout as Consumer Shaming Spreads (B)
Tech: Microsoft’s Challenge of Amazon in the Cloud Gains Force (W)
Tech: A Troubling Message From Tech (BR)

Corporate finance
Tiffany Receives LVMH Takeover Bid of About $120 a Share (W)
SoftBank is turning to its Sprint leaders to bail out WeWork—they’ll need to do better this time (C)

Technology
SpaceX wants to land Starship on the moon within three years, president says, with people soon after (C)
MIT Scientists Say They Found a New Way to Scrub Atmospheric CO2

Offbeat
Northern California Wildfire Grows Overnight, Forcing Evacuations (W)
PG&E Power Lines Remain Risky to California, Even During Blackouts (W)
We May Not Have to Age So Fast (W)

October 26 (Saturday)

Markets
S&P 500 Flirts With Record Levels (W)
The Rumbling Sound in U.S. Stocks Is the Return of Risk Appetite (B)

Central banks
Russia Delivers Biggest Rate Cut Since 2017, Signals More Easing (B)

US
‘Stakes are high’ for the financial system to address rising corporate debt, Barclays CEO warns (C)
Subprime Auto Giant’s Loans Souring at Fastest Clip Since 2008 (B)
Federal deficit increases 26% to $984 billion for fiscal 2019, highest in 7 years (C)

China
What slowdown? China’s riding to the rescue of luxury brands (R)

US politics
Democrats Have an Impeachment Momentum Problem (B)
Judge calls Trump impeachment probe legal, says House must get Mueller grand jury information (C)

Geopolitics & trade
U.S., China ‘close to finalizing’ part of a Phase One trade deal: USTR (R)
Trump advisor Peter Navarro fighting ‘Phase One’ of China trade deal, sources say (C)
Businesses Fear U.S., China Won’t Reach Trade Deal on Core Issues (W)
China Sets Up New $29 Billion Semiconductor Fund (W)
Mexico expects U.S. Congress to start formal trade deal approval soon (R)
Clashes Break Out in Northern Syria, Testing Turkish Truce (W)
Trump Outsmarts Putin With Syria Retreat (B)

Industries & companies
Autos: UAW members approve labor deal to end strike with GM; union selects Ford next (C)
Energy: Tesla releases a new version of Solar Roof tiles, aiming to revitalize its clean energy business (C)
Financials: Exclusive: Wells Fargo lays off more than 200 business bankers in U.S. – sources (R)
Tech: Microsoft snags hotly contested $10 billion defense contract, beating out Amazon (C)
Utilities: PG&E Reels After Wildfire Breaks Out, Unsettling Investors (W)

Technology
The Drones Are Coming! Uber, Amazon, Alphabet Take Flight (W)
They Know What You Watched Last Night (N)

Offbeat
PG&E Warns of Biggest Blackout Ever as Windstorm Approaches (B)

October 25 (Friday)

Markets
S&P 500 Inches Up as Investors Focus on Earnings (W)
Tech Can’t Get Out of Market’s Way With Amazon the Latest Flop (B)
2019 is shaping up to be one of the best years ever for investing (C)
Hong Kong Markets Are Calm as Protests Linger and a Recession Looms (B)

Central banks
Mario Draghi, Hailed as the Euro’s Savior, Leaves the ECB With the Bank Divided (W)
Goldman Sachs predicts the Fed will make two big changes next week (C)

Global
Business Activity Slows Around the World (W)

US
Watch Fox News? You likely think the U.S. economy is great. MSNBC viewers not so much (R)

China
China’s Property Bond Boom Clashes With Housing Market Realities (W)

Europe
U.K.’s Johnson Calls for Election in Bid to Advance Brexit (W)

US politics
Why the 2020 Democratic Polls Are So Different (W)
Wall Street Frets Privately About Warren’s 2020 Campaign (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla overtakes GM as most valuable U.S. automaker, short sellers burned (R)
Autos: UAW Members Are Tilting in Favor of New Contract With GM (W)
FAANGs: Amazon clobbered after a miss on the bottom line and soft guidance (C)
FAANGs: Amazon’s Profit Slides 26% as Costs of Shipping Climb (W)
FAANGs: Amazon’s cloud business reports 35% growth in the third quarter, trailing estimates (C)
Media: Comcast’s Profit Rises Amid Record Customer Growth (W)
Pharma: Amgen to Sell Cholesterol Drug for 60% Less Than Original Price (W)
Tech: Intel stock pops on earnings beat and return to growth (C)
Tech: Twitter Shares Plunge as Ad-Business Troubles Weigh on Growth (W)

Corporate finance
SoftBank Vision Fund Planning Writedown of at Least $5 Billion (B)

Offbeat
Sonoma County Fire Spreads Quickly, Forcing Evacuations (W)
California Blackouts Force Businesses to Tally Their Losses (W)
Former Apple lawyer in charge of preventing insider trading indicted for insider trading (C)

October 24 (Thursday)

Markets
Stocks Rise After Mixed Earnings Reports (W)
Blue Chips Are Lagging Behind the Broader Market (W)

Central banks
Fed to Increase Temporary Liquidity Available To Markets (W)

Global
‘Peak Car’ Is Holding Back the Global Economy (W)

Europe
A Weary EU Moves Toward New Brexit Delay (W)

Japan
Japan factory activity shrinks at quickest pace since 2016 in October: flash PMI (R)

US politics
GOP Lawmakers Storm Hearing on Impeachment (W)
Trump Threatens to Veto Bill on Foreign Influence in Elections (B)

Emerging
Hong Kong’s new housing policies aim to lower down payments and increase development (C)

Geopolitics & trade
China Has ‘Concerning’ Leads Over U.S. in Tech, Defense Department Official Says (W)
U.S. trade envoy meets lawmakers on U.S.-Mexico-Canada deal as time runs short (R)
In Russia-Turkey Pact, Putin Wields His Geopolitical Skills Anew (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla shares soar after crushing third-quarter earnings (C)
Aerospace: Boeing Cash Squeezed Awaiting 737 MAX Approval (W)
Consumer: J&J slashes third-quarter profit by $3 billion over proposed opioid deal (R)
FAANGs: Zuckerberg’s testimony left lawmakers just as concerned about libra as they were beforehand (C)
FAANGs: Elizabeth Warren ‘opened up the opportunity’ for us to think about breaking up Facebook, Rep. Maxine Waters says (C)
Media: Global Boundaries Break Down for Movies in U.S. and China (W)
Retail: Amazon Sells Clothes From Factories Other Retailers Blacklist (W)
Tech: Microsoft beats on revenue and earnings; stock is little changed (C)

Technology
Google Claims Breakthrough in Quantum Computing (W)
Facial-Recognition Software Was Able to Identify Patients From MRI Scans (W)

Offbeat
Second Round of Blackouts Begins in California, With More on Horizon (W)