Dr. Ed's Blog

Apr 05 (Thursday)

Markets
Stocks Recover After Initial Stumble (W)
Shares of Companies Most Vulnerable to Rising Rates Get Punished (W)
Hedge Funds Remain Very Bullish on Tech, Morgan Stanley Says (B)

US
Trade Fight Expected to Add Risk But Not Sink the U.S. Economy (B)
Growth Slowed Across Most of U.S. Economy in March (W)
Manufacturing Industry Has Strongest Jobs Increase in Three Years (W)

Europe
What the EU’s new privacy rules mean for Big Tech (FT)
Macron sets out overhaul of French parliament (FT)

China
China’s Anbang Insurance Gets $9.7 Billion Capital Injection From Rescue Fund (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Trump lays out tariffs for Chinese industrial goods (FT)
China Threatens U.S. Cars, Planes, Soy in Response to Trump (W)
How Tariffs Could Really Hurt China (W)
Trump Administration to Ask Military to Build Walls for Base on U.S.-Mexico Border (W)
Trump Softens Key Nafta Demand on Regional Car Content (B)

Industries & companies
FANGs: Facebook Says Data on 87 Million Users May Have Been Improperly Shared (W)
FANGs: Facebook Scans the Photos and Links You Send on Messenger (B)
FANGs: Alphabet becomes biggest renewable energy buyer in US (FT)
FANGs: Oracle’s Safra Catz Raises Amazon Contract Fight With Trump (B)
Financials: Wall Street’s Trading Desks Are Making a Comeback (W)
Financials: Goldman’s Latest Push: Managing Cash for Big Companies (W)
Industrials: China trade measures hit Boeing shares (FT)

Corporate finance
Spotify’s Cautious Analysts Start to Emerge, Shares Stumble (B)
Investors smart at ailing pharma deals (FT)

Technology
Facial Recognition Could Move Beyond Mug Shots (W)
Virtual Reality, Now With the Sense of Touch (W)
How Driverless Cars Could Disrupt The Real Estate Industry (F)

Offbeat
To Snag The New 20% Business Income Tax Deduction: Think Retirement (F)

Apr 04 (Wednesday)

Markets
Strategist: We’ll see a 16% to 17% increase in earnings this year (C)
Trump’s tax cut windfall lifts stock dividends to new record (C)
U.S. Stocks Rally After Tech Selloff (W)
The Tokyo Whale Steps Up With Record Purchases of Japan’s Stocks (B)
Paulsen Says ‘Proceed With Caution’ Across Many Asset Classes (B)

Credit & commodities
Borrowers Lose Leverage as Corporate Bond Buyers Grab the Reins (B)
Oil poised near $70 as industry divided over breakout (FT)

Central banks
Fed’s Brainard warns about high asset prices even after the stock market correction (C)
How the New York Fed Elevated an Insider as Its Next President (W)
Five Things to Know About John Williams (B)

US
More Renters Give Up on Buying a Home (W)

Europe
AfD turns up the heat in Germany’s Bundestag (FT)

China
The Chinese economy is rebalancing, at last (FT)

US politics
Crack and Pack: How Companies Are Mastering the New Tax Code (W)

Geopolitics & trade
Here’s how a ‘trade skirmish’ could become a global ‘trade war’ (MW)
America’s new digital cold war with China (FT)
Russia’s $55bn pipeline gamble on China’s demand for gas (FT)
President Trump wants to deploy military forces to protect US border with Mexico (C)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla’s Model 3 Is Now America’s Best-Selling Electric Car (B)
Autos: Fiat Chrysler Shuns Cars `No One Wants’ as SUVs Spur a Sales Win (B)
FANGs: Despite Trump’s Tweets, White House Isn’t Talking About Action Against Amazon (B)

Corporate finance
Spotify Climbs After Going Public in Unusual Direct Listing (B)
CBS Submits Initial Bid For Viacom at Price Below Market Value (W)
Fox Says Disney Is Prepared to Buy U.K.’s Sky News (W)

Apr 03 (Tuesday)

Markets
Tech Stocks Plunge in Growing Backlash (W)
Why Tumbling Stocks Didn’t Tank Treasury Yields (W)
Stocks Lose Critical Buyer at Worst Time (B)
Quants Chasing Momentum Get a New Quarter, Same Bad Results (B)

US
U.S. Factories Report Strong Demand (W)
Inflation Could Help Ease the U.S.’s Debt Burden (B)
Rising Rates Sounding Alarm Bells for Debt-Laden U.S. Consumers (B)
Subprime New-Car Buyers Going Missing From U.S. Showrooms (B)

China
U.S. Pork Producers, Fruit Growers Brace for China Tariffs (W)

Emerging
These Developing Countries Are Getting Old Before They Get Rich, with Dire Consequences (W)

US politics
Donald Trump ‘Cherishes’ Lou Dobbs So Much He Puts Him on Speakerphone for Oval Office Meetings (Daily Beast)
EPA Will Ease Vehicle-Emissions Standards (W)
China tariff retaliation targets Trump heartland (FT)

Industries & companies
Autos: Self-driving technology adds pressure on carmakers (FT)
Autos: Elon Musk Makes Light of Tesla’s Troubles in April Fool’s Tweets (N)
Consumer: Why Kraft Heinz’s Operating Cash Flow Is Getting Sliced (W)
FANGs: Facebook’s Zuckerberg Hits Back at ‘Glib’ Comments by Apple CEO (B)
FANGs: Apple Plans to Use Its Own Chips in Macs From 2020, Replacing Intel (B)
Retail: Retailers Race Against Amazon to Automate Stores (N)

Corporate finance
The Fuel Powering Corporate America: $2.4 Trillion in Private Fundraising (W)

Technology
Hey, Alexa, What Can You Hear? And What Will You Do With It? (N)

Offbeat
You Weren’t Born in 1905? Why People Lie to Facebook (W)
They Tried to Boycott Facebook, Apple and Google. They Failed. (N)

Apr 02 (Monday)

Markets
The Danger Lurking in a Safe Corner of the Bond Market (W)
Bond Investors Ask What’s Next as Yields Plateau (W)
Where the Best Bond Opportunities Are Now (BR)
Tech Stocks’ Dominance Poses Risk for Investors (BR)

US
The average American is much better off now than four decades ago (E)
As Businesses Seek Low-Skill Visas, White House Is in a Bind (W)

Europe
EU plans crackdown on ‘fake news’ in social media (FT)

China
China to Trial CDRs, Startup Listings to Lure Tech Firms Home (B)

Emerging
These Developing Countries Are Getting Old Before They Get Rich, with Dire Consequences (W)

US politics
Trump Suggests Any DACA Deal With Democrats Is Dead (W)

Geopolitics & trade
America’s trade strategy has many risks and few upsides (E)
China hikes duties on US nuts, pork, fruit and wine (FT)
Asia’s small open economies may suffer in America’s trade war (E)
Trump stirs fate of Nafta into immigration debate (FT)
Allied War Exercises Likely to Test North Korea Diplomacy (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla Makes Last-Ditch Model 3 Deliveries as Pressures Mount (B)
FANGs: Facebook: Will the Ad-Revenue Stream Keep Flowing? (BR)
Health Care: Hospitals Fear Threat From Potential Walmart-Humana Deal (W)
Media: Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’ Delivers No. 1 Opening for Warner (B)

Technology & cybersecurity
3-D Printed Buildings Are a Tech Twist on Ancient Construction Techniques (W)
Saks, Lord & Taylor Hit With Data Breach (W)

Offbeat
There will be little privacy in the workplace of the future (E)

Mar 31 (Saturday)

Markets
Stocks Are About to Get a $400 Billion Dividend Boost (B)
April may be even worse for U.S. stocks as demand dries up (MW)
Why Investors Should Worry About the Strange Behavior of Safe Assets (W)
Foreign Money to Fund the Government Flooded the U.S. Last Year, And It’s Set to Continue (W)
Inflows to Japanese equities funds near five-year high (FT)

Central banks
Fed chair Powell faces his first political test (FT)

US
Why Some Americans Are Risking It and Skipping Health Insurance (B)

US politics
Why President Trump Is Going It Alone on Infrastructure (The Atlantic)

Geopolitics
Trump Freezes Funds for Syrian Recovery, Signaling Pullback (W)

Industries & companies
FANGs: Here’s Why Trump Went Postal on Amazon (B)
Tech: Microsoft Downgrades Windows’ Role in Cloud-Focused Reorganization (W)

Corporate finance
Retail Squeeze Leads Walmart to Explore Acquiring Humana (W)

Technology & cryptocurrency
Virtual Reality Is Carmakers’ Latest Selling Tool (N)
China’s Huawei to Drive Design of 5G Despite U.S. Concerns (W)
Bitcoin’s First-Quarter Play: Falling Back to Earth (W)

Offbeat
House-Flipper Opendoor Raising Funds at $2 Billion Valuation (W)

Mar 30 (Friday)

Markets
Don’t Place Too Much Trust in the S&P’s 200-Day Average, Says One Money Manager (B)
US subprime mortgage bonds back in fashion (FT)

Central banks
Fed’s Harker Lifts His Outlook for Interest Rates (W)

US
U.S. Annual Inflation Posts Strongest Increase in Nearly a Year (W)
Americans Holding Off on Spending Extra Tax Dollars (W)
Lower-Income Americans Drive Consumer Sentiment (W)
Beware of Economists Crying ‘Entitlement Explosion’ (B)

Japan
Japan February industrial output points to further economic expansion (R)

US politics
White House Tempers Hopes on Quick Infrastructure Action (W)

Geopolitics & cybersecurity
China offers show of naval force in South China Sea (FT)
North and South Korea Set Summit, but Nuclear Omission Casts a Shadow (W)
Trump Says He Might Delay South Korea Trade Talks to Pressure the North (W)
Russia to expel more than 150 western diplomats (FT)
Under Armour Says 150 Million MyFitnessPal Accounts Hacked (B)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla Recalls 123,000 Model S Cars Over Bolt Issue (W)
FANGs: Trump Rips Amazon Over Taxes, Impact on Other Businesses (W)
FANGs: Amazon, Despite Trump Tweet, Buoys Postal Service (W)
Financials: Why Investors Are Too Negative on Banks (W)
Retail: Sears Has Best Week Since June After CEO Opens Up in Vanity Fair (B)

Corporate finance
Walmart Is in Early Talks With Humana, WSJ Reports (B)
CBS Is Planning First Proposal for Viacom Deal Within Days (B)
Time Warner Attacks U.S. Data Underpinning AT&T Merger Suit (B)

Technology & cryptocurrency
China Auto Exec on Self-Driving Cars: ‘You Can’t Just Put Some Sensors on Top’ (W)
Almost Half of Fund Allocators Don’t Know What to Make of Crypto (B)

Offbeat
IRS Audits Fall to 15-Year Low (W)

Mar 29 (Thursday)

Markets
Video: More gains on the way for investors? (Maria Interviews Dr. Ed)
Tech Stocks Are Dominating Markets Like Never Before (W)
The tech sell-off reveals a major shift in how Wall Street is positioning for the future (BI)
Europe’s Booming, but Investors Aren’t Making Much (W)

Central banks
N.Y. Fed Criticized in Likely Pick of Next Leader (W)

US
U.S. GDP Growth Revised Up to 2.9% Rate in Fourth Quarter (W)
JPMorgan has calculated when the next recession will hit (BI)
Why Are States So Strapped for Cash? There Are Two Big Reasons (W)
Truck Driver Salaries Rising on Surging Freight Demand (W)

China
Early China Indicators Show Outlook Undimmed by Trade Tension (B)

US politics
Donald Trump’s war cabinet has the world on edge (AFR)
Trump Shifts Focus of Transportation Grants From City to Country (W)
Obama hopes to create ‘a million young Barack Obamas or Michelle Obamas’ (NN)

Geopolitics & trade
Treasury to Use National Security Laws to Shield U.S. Tech From China (W)
What’s at Stake in Tariff War: WTO’s Future (W)
WTO Chief Warns About First Signs of U.S.-China Trade War (B)
North Korea’s Kim, Long a Pariah, Takes Tentative Step Onto World Stage (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla Bonds Reach New Low, Stock Falls Further After Downgrade (W)
FANGs: Everything is going wrong simultaneously for tech (BI)
FANGs: Trump Reportedly Wants to Go After Amazon–and Its Stock Tanked (W)
FANGs: Facebook to Streamline Privacy Settings (W)
FANGs: Facebook to Block Option of Using Data Brokers for Ad Targeting (B)
FANGs: Apple’s Tim Cook rebukes Zuckerberg over Facebook’s business model (G)
FANGs: Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls for Privacy Regulation (W)
FANGs: Apple Faces Multiple Lawsuits Over Slowed-Down iPhones (W)
Telecom: Does Verizon Really Pay the Typical Worker 60% More Than AT&T? (W)

Technology & cybersecurity
Boeing Hit by Computer Ransomware Attack, Seattle Times Says (B)
Cambridge Analytica CEO Promised More Than He Delivered, Clients Say (W)
What’s on Your Mind? Bosses Are Using AI to Find Out (W)

Offbeat
The largest organ in the body may have just been discovered — and it could reshape our understanding of human anatomy (BI)
Kim Jong Un’s secret trip to China was full of gourmet food, wine, and music — take a look inside the lavish visit (BI)

Mar 28 (Wednesday)

Markets
Technology Stocks Tumble Again in Sudden Afternoon Selloff (B)
FANG Stocks Tumble 6% in Unprecedented Selloff (B)
Treasuries Finally Give In to Tech Turmoil (B)

Central banks
Global Rate Rises Squeeze Borrowers, Threaten Expansion (W)
Bostic Says Fiscal Policy Is Creating More Uncertainty for Fed (W)

US
U.S. Consumer Confidence Declined in March (W)
Home Prices Continued to Rise in January (W)

Europe
Brussels to propose €56bn raid on ECB profits (FT)

China
China lets rich invest offshore as outflow fears ease (FT)

Trade
US tariffs look to torpedo China leadership hopes (FT)
U.S.-China Trade-War Crossfire Threatens Asia (W)

Geopolitics
Arrival of North Korean Train in Beijing Triggers Speculation (W)
Europe Struggles to Respond to Covert Russian Threats (W)

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla Shares Plunge on Mounting Model 3 Doubts, Crash Probe (B)
FANGs: Zuckerberg Expected to Appear Before House Committee (B)
FANGs: Apple Unveils New iPad (N)
Industrials: GE Investors Can’t Count on Warren Buffett for a Quick Fix (B)
Tech: Oracle Wins Ruling Against Google in Multibillion-Dollar Copyright Case (W)

Corporate finance
Urge to Merge, Acquire Roils Real Estate Fund-Management Business (W)

Technology & cryptocurrency
Uber Will Let California Autonomous-Vehicle License Expire (B)
Fed’s Bostic Has a Message on Cryptocurrencies: ‘Don’t Do It’ (B)

Offbeat
Citigroup Limits Gun Sales (N)
Scientists Remove Alzheimer’s Brain Plaques in Mice

Mar 27 (Tuesday)

Markets
Why everybody should stop blaming Trump and his tariffs for the market retreat (MW)
How Can Active Investors Survive in a Passive World? Get Small (B)
Invest in smaller assets rather than bigger ones (FT)

Central banks
Something’s Gotta Give in the Fed’s Forecasts (W)
The Fed May Have Jumped the Gun on Full Employment (B)

US
Homeowners Ditch Refinancings as Mortgage Rates Rise (W)

China
China’s Riskier Borrowers Escape Deleveraging and Sell Abroad (B)

Trade
U.S., South Korea Strike Trade Deal; Seoul Exempt From Steel Tariffs (W)
Trump Administration Seeks Freer Hand for U.S. Companies in China (W)
Decoding China’s Responses to Trump’s Trade Sanctions (NR)
Donald Trump’s China tariffs make sense (USA)
Tariffs On Imports? What Exactly Is an Import? (NYT)

Industries & companies
Financials: Wall St bonuses rise 17% to pre-crisis levels (FT)

Technology
China’s New Frontiers in Dystopian Tech (The Atlantic)

Offbeat
New Tax on Overseas Earnings Hits Unintended Targets (W)

Mar 26 (Monday)

Markets
The Unseen Forces Behind the Market’s Plunge (BR)
JPMorgan Sees Market Overcoming Stock Rout, But Beware Trade War (B)

Central banks
Donald and Jerome’s Excellent Economic Adventure (W)
San Francisco Fed Leader Is Front Runner to Serve as N.Y. Fed President (W)
Stephanie Pomboy: How the Fed Will Trigger the Next Crash (BR)
China asserts Communist party control over PBoC (FT)

China
China’s big city populations shrink as caps take effect (FT)

US politics
Health-Insurance Premiums Loom as Issue in Midterms (W)

Trade
Mnuchin ‘Hopeful’ Truce Can Be Reached With China on Trade (B)
Trump Closes Era of Constructive Economic Engagement With China (B)
For U.S. Farmers, China Tariffs’ Timing Is Brutal (W)
Retaliation Threats, Intense Lobbying, Alliances: How Tariffs Exemptions Were Won (W)
Winning at Tariffs: Be From Exempted Nation, Produce in U.S. (W)
Apple’s Cook to Trump: Embrace Open Trade (W)

Industries & companies
Airlines: Airlines Conquer Long-Haul Flights. Now Can Passengers? (W)
FANGs: Facebook Comes Under Siege (BR)
FANGs: Facebook and Google Face Emboldened Antagonists: Big Advertisers (W)
Financials: Citigroup to Again Be a Nationwide Bank, but in Digital Form (W)
Industrials: The Long Shadow of GE Capital Hangs Over GE (W)
Media: Time Warner Investors Face a Win-Win (BR)
Pharma: Getting medicines to market faster (E)
Tech: Cloud Software Stocks Rise on M&A Hopes (BR)

Corporate finance
Dropbox IPO Defies Market’s Gravity With 36% Jump (W)

Technology
Most Stressful Job on the Road: Not Driving an Autonomous Car (W)
Waymo Chief Confident Tech Could Avoid Uber-like Incident (W)

Offbeat
Robots Could Replace Surgeons in the Battle Against Cancer (B)