Dr. Ed's Blog

September 08 (Saturday)

Markets
U.S. Stocks Slump on Fears of New China Tariffs (W)
Emerging Markets Gird for Tariff Announcement as Rout Hits Pause (B)
Opinion: The emerging-markets crisis might just be getting started (MW)

US
Strong Economy Drives Wages Higher as Hiring Heats Up (W)
Why workers are earning better pay — and why it won’t help them all that much (MW)
Job Market Slack Is History (W)

US politics
Trump Urges Sessions to Launch Probe of Opinion Piece (W)
Obama Accuses Trump of ‘Capitalizing on Resentment’ (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump says he’s ready to hit China with another $267 billion in tariffs (C)
Chances Fade for U.S.-China Trade Deal (W)
Tech Firms Say China Tariffs Will Set Back U.S.’s 5G Goals (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: As Tesla Shares Go Up in Smoke, Short Investors Go to the Bank (B)
Autos: Tesla’s accountant quit after concluding Musk was ignoring go-private advice (C)
Retail: Walmart Just Wanted to Sell Pricey Outdoor Gear. Then ‘All Hell Broke Loose.’ (W)

Technology
Look, Ma, One Hand: Typing Gets a Makeover (W)

Offbeat
Where did the trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch come from? How do we stop it? (C)

September 07 (Friday)

Markets
Tech stock sell-off could be just beginning if trade war with China worsens (C)
UBS Sees S&P 500 Dropping 5% Should Trump Levy 25% China Tariffs (B)

Central banks
Fed’s Williams Says Yield Curve Not Deciding Factor in Setting Rates (W)

US
U.S. Worker Productivity Rose in Spring at Best Pace Since 2015 (W)
Layoffs Reach a Half-Century Low (W)
Gen Z Is Coming to Your Office. Get Ready to Adapt. (W)

Emerging
Brazilian Front-Runner Jair Bolsonaro Stabbed on Campaign Trail (B)

US politics I
House Republicans Push to Lock In Tax Cuts Past 2025 (W)
House GOP’s second phase of tax reform aims to make individual cuts permanent (C)
Retirement and 529 education accounts would be expanded under GOP tax plan ‘2.0’ (C)

US politics II
Senior White House Officials Scramble to Deny Writing Op-Ed (W)
Trump’s Ire at Op-Ed Is Unlikely to Justify a Federal Probe (B)
Publishing Anonymous Column Is Rare, Editors Say (W)
Release of Disputed Kavanaugh Documents Adds to Tumult at Confirmation Hearing (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump Gets Last-Minute Earful From Business Before China Tariffs (B)
Service-Sector Businesses Are Getting Increasingly Jittery About Tariffs (W)
President Trump hints to WSJ that trade fight with Japan could be next (C)

Industries & companies
Autos: Ford Recalls 2 Million Trucks Over Seat-Belt Malfunction (W)
FANGs: Apple is creating an online tool for police to request information about users (C)
FANGs: Amazon’s accounting system for sellers crashes a day after search malfunction (C)
Media: Mattel Creates Film Division (W)

Corporate finance
EU Clears Apple to Acquire Song-Recognition App Shazam (W)

Offbeat
Why Luxury Brands Burn Their Own Goods (W)
New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing More Than $1 Million in Digital Currency (W)

September 06 (Thursday)

Markets
Why stock investors shouldn’t fear the historically weak month of September this year (MW)
Little Relief in Sight as Emerging Stocks Slide Near Bear Market (B)
Emerging-Market Rout Is Longest Since 2008 as Confidence Cracks (B)

Central banks
Bullard Says Fed Shouldn’t Raise Rates Right Now (W)

US
U.S. Trade Deficit Posted Biggest Increase in July Since 2015 (W)
Wages Growing Faster Than You Think, White House Says (W)

Europe
Brexit’s Like a ‘Building on Fire’ and Buyout Firms Are Circling (B)

Emerging
Two Years Ago, India Lacked Fast, Cheap Internet—One Billionaire Changed All That (W)

US politics I
‘I am part of the resistance’: Anonymous Trump official writes an extraordinary NYT op-ed (C) | Op-ed (NYT)
Trump attacks ‘gutless’ op-ed written by senior administration official claiming to thwart his agenda: ‘This is what I have to deal with’ (C)
O’Brien: Trump Staff’s Resistance Can’t Avert a Crisis. It Is One. (B)
White House actively discussing replacements for Defense Secretary James Mattis: Washington Post (C)
Trump’s federal worker pay freeze misses the real problem (P)
Democratic Activists Target Another Incumbent Senator (W)
Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh on Presidential Power: ‘No One Is Above the Law’ (W)

US politics II
DOJ to Examine Whether Social-Media Giants Are ‘Stifling’ Viewpoints (W)
Republicans Press Twitter’s Jack Dorsey Over ‘Shadow-Banning’ (B)
Bernie Sanders introduces the BEZOS Act, slamming Amazon’s low wages (C)

Geopolitics & trade
Canada, U.S. Negotiators in ‘Intense’ Talks, Says Trump (W)

Industries & companies
Chemicals: Bayer: More Americans Alleging Weedkillers Cause Cancer (W)
FANGs: Facebook exodus: Nearly half of young users have deleted the app from their phone in the last year (C)
FANGs: Amazon Orders 20,000 Mercedes-Benz Vans for New Delivery Service (W)
Financials: FBI Investigating American Express Forex Pricing (W)
Retail: J.Crew Alters Amazon Approach (W)
Trucking: Truckers Get Digital in Search for Big Rigs (W)

Corporate finance
Justice Department Nearing Approval of Big Health Mergers (W)
T-Mobile Sprint Merger is a Test of Trump’s Antitrust Mettle (W)

Technology
More than 20% of adults will order groceries with an app by next year, forecast says (C)

Offbeat
Don’t Believe the Algorithm (W)
Crypto World Rocked After Long-Time Advocate Backpedals (B)

September 05 (Wednesday)

Markets
Wall Street Debates End of ‘America First’ Trade as EU Struggles (B)
Emerging-Market Selloff Deepens Amid Fresh Alarms Over Contagion (B)
Contagion or Not, These Emerging Markets Hold Key to Selloff (B)
Wall Street Analysts Split on How to Trade ‘Overvalued’ Dollar (B)
JP Morgan’s top quant warns next crisis to have flash crashes and social unrest not seen in 50 years (C)

US
U.S. Factory Sector Clocks Strongest Growth in 14 Years (W)
U.S. Auto Sales Maintain Momentum for Now (W)
E-Commerce Driving Need for More Warehouse Workers (W)

Europe
Germany’s Left Launches Attempt to Stem Rightward Flow of Voters (W)

Emerging
How Argentina’s Evolving Economic Crisis Unfolded (W)

US politics
Kavanaugh Hearings Open With Objections, Arrests (W)
Read Brett Kavanaugh’s full opening remarks in his Supreme Court confirmation hearing (C)
See the House Seats in Play for the Midterms (W)
Voters Focus on Economy, Health Care and Immigration in Midterms (W)
‘This is treason’: Read the most dramatic quotes from Bob Woodward’s new tell-all book about Trump (C)
Rudy Giuliani to Trump advisors ripping the president in Bob Woodward’s book: Find another job (C)

Geopolitics & trade
Justin Trudeau indicates he will not bend on key NAFTA demands at talks (C)

Industries & companies
Autos: Mercedes-Benz unveils electric SUV to challenge Tesla (P)
Autos: Goldman Sachs resumes Tesla coverage with ‘sell’ rating (P)
Autos: GM Posts Steep Sales Drop on Dialed-Back Discounts (B)
FANGs: At $1 Trillion, Amazon Is Still Not Its Stock Price (B)
FANGs: How Amazon gets to $2 trillion (C)
Retail: Nike’s Kaepernick Deal Puts Risk on Display (W)
Retail: Nike’s Kaepernick ad to provide a long-term gain after some near-term pain, analyst says (MW)
Wireless: FCC Seeks to Expedite Deployment of 5G Wireless Networks (W)
Wireless: Battle for Cheaper Phones Heats Up (W)

Offbeat
Mapping the Most Profitable Industry in Each U.S. State
Australian Millennials Are Sick of Paying for Baby Boomers’ Health Care (B)

September 04 (Tuesday)

YRI
What if the Economy and Markets Are Even Better Than They Look? (NYT)
Daily Markets Overview

US
Will the Flattening Yield Curve Lead to Recession? (BR)

Europe
Tensions rise between Italy and the EU (E)

Emerging Markets
Another weak data point shows China’s economy is ‘now facing relatively obvious downward pressure’ (C)
China’s slowing demand for oil is a serious concern for the Middle East (C)
China’s Consumers Are On Point to Defend Economy From Trump (B)
How a Chinese City’s Debt Woes Sparked Local Outrage (W)
China Selloff Casts Foreigners in Unusual Role as Market Bulls (W)
Markets bash Argentina’s and Turkey’s currencies again (E)
Buy Turkey and Argentina? Emerging Markets Aren’t Bargains They Seem (W)

US politics
GOP’s Big Challenge in November: How to Reach Beyond Trump’s Base (W)
In Battle for Congress, Rising Economy Doesn’t Lift All Districts (W)
How Trump beat Ada’s big data

Geopolitics & trade
Trump’s Negotiating Style to Mark U.S.-Canada Nafta Talks (W)
Will Trump Finally Turn His Trade Guns on the WTO? (B)
The threat of tariffs may work (WashingtonTimes)
Why the US trade deficit is ‘made in America’ and won’t be cured by Trump’s strong-arming on trade (C)
Microwave Weapons Are Prime Suspect in Ills of U.S. Embassy Workers (NYT)

Industries & companies
FANGs: Alphabet and Facebook Are Out of the Tech Sector (BR)
FANGs: Facebook’s ‘family’ is getting smaller, as several executives head for the exits in a turbulent year (C)
Manufacturing: At Boeing Factory, Unfinished 737s Pile Up (W)
Retail: Best Buy Can’t Get No Respect (BR)
Retail: Family Dollar’s Problems Still Haunt Dollar Tree (BR)
Tech: Samsung is packing more tech into its mid-priced smartphones to appeal to millennials (C)

Corporate finance
China Startup Meituan Seeks $55 Billion Valuation in IPO (W)

Technology
A sense of curiosity is helpful for artificial intelligence (E)
What to make of cryptocurrencies and blockchains (E)

Offbeat
When Machines (and Humans) Decide to Sell at Once (W)
Am I Paying Too Little for Stuff? (W)
The Online Gig Economy’s ‘Race to the Bottom’

September 01 (Saturday)

Markets
Trade Concerns Push Down Stocks (W)
No One Loves Irrelevant, Tiring, Dull European Stocks These Days (B)

Central banks
If Fed Policy Is Still Easy, Consumers Aren’t Getting the Memo (B)

US
Don’t Believe That GDP Number. Or Any Other Number. (B)
Gross Domestic Product Only Part of Economic Story (N)
Consumer Sentiment Boosted by Job Optimism (W)

Europe
Italy Rating Outlook Cut By Fitch on Possible Fiscal Loosening (B)

Geopolitics & trade
Trade talks with Canada will restart next week as Trump seeks a deal in 90 days (C)
Canada’s Freeland says ‘we’re not there yet’ on NAFTA after explosive Trump comments (C)
U.S. Alerts Congress of Mexico Deal, Says Canada Can Join On (B)
To Counter China, U.S. Looks to Invest Billions More Overseas (W)
Ford Scraps Plan to Import China-Built Small Car Due to Tariffs (W)

Industries & companies
Retail: Why Walmart.com Shoppers Are Finding More Items ‘Out of Stock’ (W)
Tech: Tech-Support Scams on Google Trigger Crackdown (W)

Corporate finance
Coke Adds Coffee to Its Drinks Mix in $5.1 Billion Deal (W)

Offbeat
New ‘Speed Bump’ Planned for U.S. Stock Market (W)
Here’s why you shouldn’t retire super early — even if you can (MW)

August 31 (Friday)

Markets
U.S. Stocks Slide on Trump Plan for China Tariffs (B)
Stocks and Bonds Share a Story: Don’t Bet on a Boom (W)

Emerging
Stress Grips World’s Weakest Emerging-Market Currencies (W)
Emerging Markets Tumble as Argentina Struggles to Stop Bleeding (B)
Argentina’s central bank hikes rates to 60% as the currency collapses (C)

Central banks
Analysis: Fed Is Finally Getting What It Wants on the Inflation Front (W)

US
Core Inflation Hits Fed’s 2% Target as Spending Heats Up (W)
U.S. Consumer Spending Rose 0.4% in July (W)
Household Income Jumps Under Trump: Why Isn’t This News? (Investors)

China
Does China Have What It Takes to Be a Superpower? (B)
China’s ZTE Reports $1.1 Billion Loss (W)

US politics
Trump says civilian government employees won’t receive raises in 2019, citing budget strain (C)
Trump Hammers Google Again (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump to Back $200 Billion China Tariffs as Early as Next Week (B)
Friday marks a big deadline for NAFTA — here’s what five experts say about trade and markets (C)
U.S.-Mexico Trade Pact Faces Scrutiny From Lawmakers (W)
President’s Nafta Rewrite Holds Promise for Labor Unions (W)
The Tariffs Levied on Foreign Steel Are Saving U.S. Jobs (USA)
Google’s new hardware security key was made by a Chinese company (C)
Japan Scrutinizes Huawei, ZTE Over Spying Fears (W)

Industries & companies
FANGs: Google and Mastercard Cut a Secret Ad Deal to Track Retail Sales (B)
FANGs: Apple Announces Event on Sept. 12 for Revamped iPhone Lineup (B)
Retail: Lululemon jumps 7% after reporting profit that nearly doubled (C)
Retail: Dollar Stores May Not Be Able to Get Away Without E-Commerce Much Longer (B)
Retail: Walmart will have 30% more toys in stores this holiday season, in a bid to win sales Toys R Us left behind (C)
Restaurants: Starbucks’ Frappuccino Gets a Sugar Makeover (W)

Corporate finance
SEC Seeks to Ease Investment in Private Firms by Individuals (W)
SoftBank Pulls Plug on Plans to Invest in Chinese Tesla Rival (W)

Technology
Chinese tech giant Lenovo launches the world’s first laptop with two screens (C)
After Robots, Who Will Work For A Paycheck? (New Republic)

Offbeat
Warren Buffett likes quarterly earnings reports from companies but not guidance (C)
Check out Warren Buffet’s amazing Coke-themed birthday cake for his 88th (C)

August 30 (Thursday)

Markets
Nasdaq and S&P 500 reach all-time highs as Amazon, Alphabet and Apple rally (C)
Is This a Market Melt-Up? Here Are Some Ways to Tell: QuickTake (B)
Small Stocks Hang On to Big Gains, for Now (W)
Corporate America Is On a Roll With Best Profit Gain Since 2014 (B)
Here’s how a ‘tug of war’ in the bond market could send yields tumbling (MW)

Central banks
It Would Be a Whole New Economy If the Fed Pauses at ‘Neutral’ (B)
Does Amazon Have More Power Than the Federal Reserve? (New Republic)

US
U.S. GDP Growth Revised Up in Second Quarter (W)
U.S. Workers Report Highest Job Satisfaction Since 2005 (W)
U.S. Pending Home Sales Fell in July Amid ‘Overheated’ Markets (B)

China
A Chinese Tesla Rival Launches $1.3 Billion U.S. IPO (W)

Emerging
The Turkish lira is diving after Moody’s warns the worst is yet to come for the country’s banks (BI)

US politics
Elizabeth Warren’s Theory of Capitalism (Atlantic)
New York Gov. Cuomo and Challenger Cynthia Nixon Set to Square Off in Debate (W)
The New Lobbying: Qatar Targeted 250 Trump ‘Influencers’ to Change U.S. Policy (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump Sees Nafta Deal Likely This Week After Canada Talks Go ‘Well’ (B)
Canada Voices Optimism on Nafta, Says Auto Deal Was Reached (W)
‘Made in Japan’ Is Now Big in China (W)

Industries & companies
Home Builders: Home-Builder Shares Miss Out on Stock Rally (W)
Tech: Tech Sector Drives U.S. Stocks Higher (W)
Tech: Micron: Spend While You’ve Got It (W)

August 29 (Wednesday)

Markets
S&P 500 closes at record, briefly hits 2,900 for the first time as trade fears ease (C)
At a new record high, the stock market has reached its ‘now what’ moment (C)
Highflying Chip Stocks Have Their Mojo Back (W)
Strip Out Trump Tax Cut and S&P 500 Profits Are Still Surging (B)
The Record $35 Billion Selloff Pulling Down Japan’s Stock Market (B)

Credit
The Treasury Yield Curve Is Finally Going Mainstream (B)
Mnuchin Isn’t Worried About the Yield Curve (B)

Central banks
Goldman Sachs thinks the market is wrong about Fed Chair Powell, and that could mean 4 rate hikes in 2019 (C)

US
U.S. Consumer Confidence Surged in August to Near 18-Year High (W)
Is U.S. Consumer Confidence Up or Down? Probably a Bit of Both (B)
U.S. Trade Deficit in Goods Widened to $72.2 Billion in July (W)
U.S. Home-Price Gains Slow (W)
American Companies Are Raising Prices at a Brisk Pace (B)

Emerging
As Turkey Teeters, Germany Considers Offering a Lifeline (W)

US politics
Trump Accuses Google of Suppressing Positive News About Him (W)
Trump: Facebook, Twitter, Google are ‘treading on very, very troubled territory’ (C)
Mueller’s team kept asking witnesses about Cohen’s Trump campaign involvement, even after FBI raid (C)

Geopolitics & trade
U.S., Canada Set for Nafta Talks Amid White House Threat (W)
Trump’s New Nafta May Leave His Job and Deficit Pledges Unfulfilled (B)
Mexico Says U.S. Trade Deal Will Send a ‘Signal’ on Currency Manipulation (B)

Industries & companies
FANGs: Yahoo, Bucking Industry, Scans Emails for Data to Sell Advertisers (W)
Retail: Tiffany Sells More Blue Boxes as Affluent Buyers Splurge (W)
Retail: Under ‘Amazon effect’ retailers could be more exposed to supply shocks (C)

Corporate finance
Yum China shares rise as much as 12 percent after report that it rejected buyout offer (C)

Offbeat
CFA Says Level III Pass Rate Rises to Highest Level Since 2006 (B)
New on Parents’ To-Do List: Checking Children’s Credit History (W)

August 28 (Tuesday)

Markets
S&P 500, Nasdaq jump to record highs as US and Mexico strike trade deal (C)
Nasdaq Passes 8000 for the First Time (W)
S&P 500 Is Riding ‘Perfect Wave’ to New Highs, Evercore Says (B)

Central banks
SF Fed: Yield Curve Suggests Rising, But Still Low, Risk Of Recession (W)
Fed Paper Questions ‘This Time Is Different’ Yield Curve Theory (B)

US
U.S. Companies Begin to Chip Away at Mountain of Debt (W)
Starter-Home Affordability Hits a Decade Low (B)

US politics
Art Cashin: The market is betting on Mike Pence should Trump’s legal issues take a dark turn (C)

Geopolitics & trade
U.S., Mexico Agree on Nafta Rewrite as Trump Warns Ottawa (W)
Here’s How the U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal Would Differ From Nafta (B)
White House advisor Kudlow says Canada could face auto tariffs if it doesn’t agree to ‘fair deal’ (C)
Japanese Official Says China Has a High-Tech Edge: Totalitarianism (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla, Elon Musk win dismissal of lawsuit over Model 3 production (R)
FANGs: Facebook and Google Chase a New $1 Trillion Payments Market (B)

Corporate finance
Jobs and Competition Harmed If T-Mobile Buys Sprint, Union Says (B)

Technology
84% of companies are dabbling in blockchain, new survey says (C)