Dr. Ed's Blog

October 02 (Tuesday)

Markets
Dow rises nearly 200 points after the US and Canada secure a deal to replace NAFTA (C)
Safest Stocks Are Booming and Ringing Alarm Bells on Wall Street (B)

Central banks
Fed’s Rosengren Calls for More Rate Hikes (W)
IMF Chief Lagarde Says Economic Outlook Is Dimming (W)

US politics
Trump Wants Kavanaugh Probe to Be ‘Comprehensive’ and Quick (W)
Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell: Analysis of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s Allegations
Rachel Mitchell says her Kavanaugh report is what a ‘reasonable prosecutor’ would say. It’s not. (WP)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump Chides Tariff ‘Babies’ in Praising New Trade Deal (B)
What’s Behind the New Nafta Deal (W)
Economic Upside of Revised Nafta? Just Avoiding Downside Is Good (B)
Canada Says New Trade Pact Removes Uncertainty (W)
Canadian Dairy Farmers Get `Slap in the Face’ From New Nafta (B)
New Pact Spares U.S. Auto Makers From Tariffs but Adds Restrictions (W)
Trump Says He and Kim Jong Un ‘Fell in Love’ (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla Shares Surge Following Musk-SEC Settlement (W)
FANGs: Amazon’s IMDB will announce this week a new free video service to compete for TV ad dollars (C)
Health Care: Texas Hospital Giants Plan to Merge (W)
Industrials: General Electric replaces new chief executive and announces $23 billion charge amid struggles (WP)
Pharma: Pfizer CEO to Step Aside at Year’s End (W)

Corporate finance
IPO Market Has Never Been This Forgiving to Money-Losing Firms (W)

Offbeat
Interest Wanes in Earning an M.B.A, Even From Harvard (W)
College and Coding Boot Camp Team Up (W)

October 01 (Monday)

Markets
U.S. Stocks Open Fourth Quarter Near Record Highs (W)
The Stock Market Follows a Pattern in Election Years. Maybe Not This Time (BR)
The Stock Market Is Ignoring the Brett Kavanaugh Hurricane. For Now (BR)
Housing’s Hard Lesson for Stocks (BR)
The New Way to Bet Against the Market (BR)
After Another Quarter of Losses, Is Worst Over for Commodities? (B)

Central banks
What Is the Federal Reserve Really Up To? (BR)

US
Labor Market Opens Up for Part-Time Workers (W)
Core Inflation Remained Near Fed’s Target in August (W)
Druckenmiller Sees ‘Massive’ Debt Fueling Next Financial Crisis (B)

China
China’s Economy Losing Steam as Trade Fight Starts to Bite (W)
China’s Manufacturers Slow in September as Trade War Worsens (B)

US politics
What a Pivotal Midterm Election Could Mean for Investors (BR)
The Midterm Elections Could Give These Health-Care Stocks a Boost (BR)
White House Questioned on Role in Kavanaugh Probe (W)
Supreme Court Opens New Term Without Ninth Justice in Place (W)
Outside money is flooding into the tightest House races ahead of midterm election (C)
California governor signs law mandating women on corporate boards of publicly-traded companies (C)

Geopolitics & trade
President Trump’s Nafta Deal With Canada Is Close (B)
U.S., Canada Near a Deal on Nafta as Midnight Deadline Looms (W)
China, Russia Criticize U.S. in U.N. Remarks (W)
U.S. Navy Warship Sails Near Disputed Islands, Challenging China (W)
America is trying to change the way trade rows are settled (E)

Industries & companies
Consumer: Procter & Gamble Tries to Break a Cycle of Stagnation (W)
FANGs: Facebook Faces Potential $1.63 Billion Fine (W)
FANGs: Facebook’s Worst Security Breach Hammers User Trust Once Again (B)
FANGs: Satellite company teams up with Amazon to bring internet connectivity to the ‘whole planet’ (C)
Tech: Tencent Targets Business Customers in Restructuring Plan (W)

Corporate finance
European M&A Loses Pace With Drop in Mega Deals (W)

Technology
The QWERTY Days Are Almost Over (W)

Offbeat
SEC settles with Tesla’s Elon Musk, will remain CEO but relinquish board chair and pay $20M fine (C)
Order the Steak! Client Meal Deductions Will Be Allowed (W)

September 29 (Saturday)

Markets
Stocks End Little Changed on Last Trading Day of Third Quarter (W)
S&P 500 posts best quarter since 2013 (C)
Blowout Quarter for Stocks Has Mom and Pop All In, Pros Cautious (B)
Investors Stay Cautious on Bank Stocks (W)
Emerging Markets Face Expensive Oil, Weak Currencies (W)
After Another Quarter of Losses, Is Worst Over for Commodities? (B)

Central banks & OECD
OECD Business and Finance Outlook 2018 Highlights (OECD)
Summary of Opinions at the Monetary Policy Meeting on September 18 and 19, 2018 (BOJ)

US
U.S. Economic Growth Slated to Cool in Third Quarter (W)
Consumers Pulled Back Slightly on Spending in August (W)
Lower-Income Americans Drive Up Consumer Sentiment in September (W)
Core Inflation Remained Near Fed’s Target in August (W)
Trillion-Dollar Deficit? Whatever, Says New Washington Consensus (B)

China
Why So Many Underestimate China’s True Economic Power (Wharton)

US politics
Trump Orders Kavanaugh FBI Probe After Senate Delays Confirmation Vote (B)
Video: Women Protesters Confront Sen. Flake Outside Senate Meeting (W)
Rosenstein to Meet with Lawmakers Over Secret Recording Report (W)
House Passes Extension of Individual Tax Cuts (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Mexico Pushes to Keep Canada in Nafta (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla Enlists Employees to Be ‘Full Self-Driving’ Beta Testers (B)
FANGs: Facebook Security Flaw Affected Nearly 50 Million Accounts (W)
FANGs: Apple Scores a Win in Qualcomm Trade Spat (W)
FANGs: Amazon Enters Bed Market With Low-Cost Basic Foam Mattress (B)
Industrials: GE shares post one of the worst weeks of the year, down 7% (C)
Tech: Intel Chip Shortage Ripples Through PC Industry (W)

Corporate finance
Global M&A volume flattens in third quarter as trade tensions loom (BI)
Slack Readies Early 2019 IPO (W)

Technology
How Dirty Money Disappears Into the Black Hole of Cryptocurrency (W)

Offbeat
Elon Musk Believed He Had Verbal Deal for Tesla Buyout (W)
35-Year-Old Unknown Creates the World’s Most Valuable Startup (B)
Writing in a Changing World (OECD)

September 28 (Friday)

Markets
Stocks Climb, Lifted by Tech Sector (W)

Central banks
In a Strong Economy, the Fed Doesn’t Want to Hold Your Hand (W)
Powell Emboldens Bond Traders to Wager Inflation Will Stay Tame (B)

US
U.S. Economic Growth Slated to Cool in Third Quarter (W)
Aircraft Demand Propels Increase in U.S. Durable-Goods Orders (W)
U.S. Pending Home Sales Fell 1.8% in August (W)
Manhattan Builders’ 5-Year Plan: 33,000 New Rentals and Condos (B)
For Rent: 98-Square-Foot BR in Co-Living Apt., Community Included (W)

Europe
Labor Shortage Lifts Wages on Europe’s Eastern Flank (W)

US politics
Kavanaugh Defiantly Rejects Ford’s Allegations (W)
Kavanaugh Calls Allegations a ‘Political Hit’ (W)
Trump Defends Kavanaugh, Demands Vote on Nomination (B)
House Republicans Tee Up Tax Vote Ahead of Midterms (W)
Aluminum Makers’ Profits Suffer as Alumina Prices Soar (W)

Geopolitics & trade
WTO Cuts Trade Growth Forecast Citing Heightened Tensions (W)
Trudeau Defends Canada’s Nafta Team After Jabs by Trump (W)
Ag Secretary: U.S. to Keep Milk Demand in Canada Talks (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Musk Is Sued by SEC, Seeking a Ban, Over ‘Funding Secured’ Tweet (B)
Autos: Elon Musk calls SEC fraud lawsuit ‘unjustified,’ says he acted in best interests of investors (C)
Defense: Boeing wins $9.2 billion to build Air Force’s next trainer aircraft (C)
FANGs: Inside the New Amazon 4-Star Store, a Novelty Gift Shop (W)
FANGs: Here’s how to watch NFL’s Thursday Night Football on Amazon (C)
Media: U.S. Probes Ad Industry’s Media-Buying Practices (W)

Corporate finance
Investors Gain Billions From Chinese Tech IPO (W)
Lions Gate’s Amazon Pact Is Seen as Step Toward Possible Takeover (B)

Technology
Bezos Space Startup to Supply Engines for Boeing-Lockheed (W)
Killer robots are on the way, and they’re a threat to humanity (MW)

Offbeat
Smithfield to Reassess Disaster Prep Post-Florence (W)
The pot stocks are soaring again after a CBD-based drug took a step closer to commercial launch (C)
Why the DEA just approved a cannabis drug for rare childhood form of epilepsy (C)

September 27 (Thursday)

Markets
Dow drops 106 points as bank stocks fall following the Fed decision (C)
Revenge of Real Rates: 2018 Set for Worst Returns in Decade (B)
Strong corporate profits have fueled the market — here’s a warning that could be coming to an end (MW)
Is oil heading for $100 a barrel? (Money Week)

Central banks
Fed Raises Rates and Says More Coming, Brushing Off Trump Jabs (B)
The Fed’s New Dot Plot (B)
Fed hikes interest rates, raises its economic outlook and drops ‘accommodative’ language (C)

Global
Underemployment Is the New Unemployment (B)

US
As Fed Raises Rates, Consumers Have Yet to Feel the Sting (W)
Big Businesses Push Down Prices, and Perhaps Wages (W)
Apartment rents are suddenly rising faster, reversing yearlong trend (C)

Emerging
Argentina Gets $57 Billion as IMF Doubles Down on Record Bailout (B)

US politics
Third Woman Makes Allegations Against Nominee Kavanaugh (W)
Trump on Rosenstein: ‘My preference would be to keep him’ (C)

Geopolitics & trade
Trudeau Presses for ‘Right Deal for Canada’ on Trade (W)
How China Pries Technology From U.S. Companies (W)
Trump Accuses China of Trying to Interfere in U.S. Elections (W)
Global Leaders and Executives Spurn Trump’s Trade Approach (B)
Ford CEO Says Trump Metals Tariffs Took $1 Billion of Profit (B)

Industries & companies
Energy: Europe’s LNG Success Is U.S. Opportunity, Russia Challenge (W)
FANGs: Amazon is opening a new store that sells items from its website rated 4 stars and above (C)
Restaurants: McDonald’s Removes Artificial Ingredients from Burgers (W)
Retail: Bed Bath & Beyond Plunges Amid Surprise Drop in Same-Store Sales (B)
Tech: Tech Executives Warn of Overregulation in Privacy Push (W)
Tech: Getting What You Pay Up for in the Cloud (W)

Corporate finance
21st Century Fox to Sell Sky Stake to Comcast (W)
SurveyMonkey Soars in Public Market Debut (W)
Making Case for T-Mobile Deal, Sprint Says Its Customers Are Fleeing (B)

Technology
Payment Startup Stripe Is Now a $20 Billion Company (B)

September 26 (Wednesday)

Markets
Opinion: Fasten your seat belt: October is almost here (MW)
Oil Continues to Soar on Supply Concerns (W)

Central banks
Let’s look ahead to the Fed’s December meeting (NYP)

US
U.S. Consumer Confidence Hits Highest Level Since 2000 (W)
Home-Price Gains Decelerated in July (W)

US politics
Trump Blasts Democrats Over Kavanaugh Turmoil (W)
Trump attacks second Kavanaugh accuser: She ‘has nothing’ and ‘admits that she was drunk’ (C)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump Faces Laughter at UN, Then Unleashes Global Grievance List (B)
Macron Denounces Rise of Nationalism as Crisis For World Order (W)
Trade Deal Could Move Ahead Without Canada, U.S. Official Says (W)
Why Canada Won’t Budge on Trade (N)
Trump’s $250 billion in China tariffs are now in effect—here’s what could get more expensive (C)

Industries & companies
Autos: BMW Cuts Outlook, Blames Trade Issues, Emissions Costs (W)
FANGs: Amazon makes first investment in a homebuilder, backing start-up focused on prefabricated houses (C)
FANGs: Instagram Co-Founders to Leave Facebook (W)
FANGs: Qualcomm Accuses Apple of Funneling Secrets to Rival Intel (W)
Restaurants: Dunkin’ to Drop ‘Donuts’ From Brand’s Name (W)
Retail: Shoppers Love Rewards Credit Cards. Retailers Hate Them. (W)
Wireless: Verizon Launches Early-Retirement Program (W)

Corporate finance
Arby’s Parent to Buy Sonic for $2.3 Billion (W)
SoftBank Leads $1 Billion Investment in Indian Hotel-Booking Startup (W)
SurveyMonkey aims to price IPO above $9 to $11 range because of strong demand: Sources (C)
Meet the banks that are leading the flourishing deal market for pot stocks (C)

Technology
Parted Your Hair A Different Way? Your Device Might Not Unlock (W)

Offbeat
This 60-year-old with an MBA now brings in millions selling cannabis candies (C)
Do You Know Cobol? If So, There Might Be a Job for You. (W)
IRS Is Wrongly Denying Tax Refunds, Some Companies Say (W)

September 25 (Tuesday)

Markets
Dow Industrials Fall as Hopes for Trade Truce Fade (W)
Meet the Bear-Market Stocks Hiding in S&P 500’s Record Run (W)
The Strong Dollar Is Driving Profits for U.S.-Focused Companies (B)
Brent Crude Tops $80, Closes at Highest Level Since 2014 (W)

Central banks
Policy Makers Rethink a 2% Inflation Target (W)

US
Builders Slump as U.S. Housing Market Shifts to the Slow Lane (B)

Europe
France Unveils Billions in Tax Cuts as Support for Macron Ebbs (W)

US politics
Republicans Vow to Back Kavanaugh Amid New Allegation (W)
Kavanaugh Says He’s ‘Not Going Anywhere’ in Fox News Interview (B)
Rosenstein Will Meet Trump to Consider His Future at DOJ (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump Pursues Trade Deals in Asia, Europe Amid Frostiness With China (W)
China Says Trump Administration Is a Trade Bully (W)
Navarro: China’s ‘egregious practices’ make it tougher to get a trade deal (C)
Navarro says Trump’s trade strategy may create market volatility, but will be bullish long term (C)
U.S. Reliance on Obscure Imports From China Points to Vulnerability (W)
New Chinese tariffs are about to make your home renovation more expensive (C)

Industries & companies
Restaurants: Starbucks Plans ‘Significant Changes’ to Company’s Structure (B)

Corporate finance
Kors Nears Deal to Buy Versace for Around $2.4 Billion (W)
Sirius Plunges Most Since 2011 After $3.5 Billion Pandora Deal (B)
Sears CEO Pushes a Rescue Plan to Avoid Bankruptcy (W)

September 24 (Monday)

Central banks
The Fed Tries to Engineer a Soft Landing for the Economy (BR)

US
Used-Car Sales Boom as New Cars Get Too Pricey for Many (W)
Flyover country no more: Why millennials are flocking to Rust Belt real estate (C)

Japan
Japan’s prime minister is more of a survivor than a reformer (E)

China
Bullet Train Extends Beijing’s Reach Into Hong Kong (W)

US politics
Christine Blasey Ford, accuser of Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, will testify on Thursday (C)
Democrats Have Edge Ahead of Midterms, But Republican Interest Up (B)
GOP poised for midterm wipeout as ‘blue wave’ scenario gives Democrats a 12-point lead: NBC-WSJ poll (C)

Geopolitics & trade
Trade Talks in Tatters With Tariffs Looming (B)
Risk is rising that all of imports from China could be hit with US tariffs, Goldman Sachs says (C)
Should the U.S. Try to “Economically Disengage” From China? (BR)
Why one small business owner says he’s ‘thrilled’ about Trump’s trade war with China and others (C)
America’s tariffs on China are likely to last for some time (E)

Industries & companies
FANGs: No Sex Please, We’re Apple: iPhone Giant Seeks TV Success on Its Own Terms (W)
Media: Comcast Makes Risky Bet on Global Scale in Response to Netflix (B)

Corporate finance
Buybacks Lift Corporate Earnings (W)
Comcast Beats Out Fox to Acquire Sky (W)
Sky Loss Is a Disappointment for Disney Ambitions (W)
Why Hulu may hang in the balance of the $39 billion Comcast-Sky deal — and why Disney is watching (C)

Technology
Amazon and Google both want to run your home, but for totally different reasons (C)

September 22 (Saturday)

Markets
Dow Industrials Rise as Trade Worries Dampen (W)
‘Quad Witching’ Brings Volume Surge But Few Fireworks for Stocks (B)
US-China trade war has created a buying opportunity for Chinese stocks (C)
The Junk Bond Market Looks Like a Runaway Train (B)
Opinion: Stop blaming Wall Street for companies’ short-term thinking (MW)

US
Retailers are hiring for the holidays, but are there enough workers? (C)
It Can Cost $750,000 to Build an Affordable Housing Unit in California. Here’s Why. (W)

Europe
May Dealt Brexit Setback as Article 50 Sent to EU Highest Court (B)

Japan
Abenomics Will Long Outlast Its Author (W)

US politics
Trump’s attack on Kavanaugh’s accuser creates a nightmare scenario for the GOP (C)
Rosenstein Suggested Secretly Recording Trump But Was Joking, Witness Says (B)
Rod Rosenstein Suggested Secretly Recording Trump and Discussed 25th Amendment (N)

Geopolitics & trade
Energy Gets a Reprieve in China’s Latest Tariffs (W)
Target says Trump China tariffs would ‘penalize American families’ (C)
Trump’s new strategy means the U.S. could get more aggressive with Russia and China over hacking (C)

Industries & companies
FANGs: Apple Launches New iPhones (Again). Here’s a Guide. (W)
FANGs: Google scrambled to get employees to delete an internal memo about censored search in China: report (C)
FANGs: Twitter says it patched a bug that could have shared users’ private messages (C)
Homebuilders: Homebuilders Crater After JPMorgan Downgrade, Home Sales Miss (B)
Pharma: U.S. Probes Drugmakers Over Free Services (W)
Tech: Tech Redefined: S&P 500 Companies Worth $2.7 Trillion Change Sectors (W)

Technology
San Francisco start-up Zippin is trying to eliminate grocery checkout lines (C)

Offbeat
McDonald’s Gets a Warning From New York’s Pension Fund Over Chickens (B)

September 21 (Friday)

Markets
U.S. Stocks Close at Records (W)
Investors Are Dumping Treasuries and Dollar to Take On More Risk (B)
Bull Market Back in Sync With Dow Finally Eclipsing January High (B)

Central banks
Trump to Nominate Former Fed Economist Nellie Liang for Board Seat (W)
Swiss Paradox: Booming Economy, Negative Interest Rates (W)

US
Slew of Positive Reports Show U.S. Economy Still on Solid Track (B)
U.S. Existing-Home Sales Stalled in August (W)
U.S. Household Net Worth Neared $107 Trillion in Second Quarter (W)
Cocaine, Meth, Opioids All Fuel Rise in Overdose Deaths (W)

US politics
Trump Says ‘Ridiculous’ Senate Spending Bill Must Pay for Border Wall (W)
Kavanaugh’s Accuser Open to Testifying Before Senate Panel (W)
Kavanaugh Says He’ll ‘Be There’ for Hearing on Assault Claim (B)

Geopolitics & trade
JPMorgan: An economic cold war may be coming (C)
Former Google CEO predicts the internet will split in two by 2028, with one part led by China (C)
Micron tumbles after CFO says Trump China tariffs will hit gross margins (C)
Alibaba’s Ma Recants Promise to Create One Million U.S. Jobs (W)

Industries & companies
FANGs: Prime Effect: Amazon’s 2-Day Shipping Is Disrupting Retail (W)
FANGs: Google Says It Continues to Allow Apps to Scan Data From Gmail (W)
Financials: Wells Fargo plans to cut up to 10% of workforce in the next 3 years (C)

Corporate finance
Comcast, Fox to Settle $35 Billion Sky Battle in Auction (W)
Adobe Buys Marketing-Automation Firm Marketo for $4.75 Billion (W)

Technology
Amazon’s New Microwave: ‘Alexa, Please Defrost My Chicken’ (W)
Amazon Unveils New Devices to Power Smart Home With Your Voice (B)
Artificial Intelligence: The Robots Are Now Hiring (W)