04-26-2017, 10:57 PM
There’s also a question mark over trade, which depressed GDP gains during most of the past three years due to a gradually widening deficit. While global growth is picking up, the strong dollar is more than offsetting that improvement, so net exports may be a “negative generally,” according to PNC’s Faucher. On the policy side, signals are mixed: Trump has recently softened his tone and didn’t act on his threats to name China a currency manipulator or scrap Nafta, but on Monday he slapped tariffs of up to 24 percent on Canadian softwood lumber and has recently blasted Canada’s system of protectionist dairy quotas.
Beyond Weak First Quarter, Trump's Growth Goal Getting Tougher - Bloomberg
Stock repurchases are showing cracks. And that could be bad news for investors, BAML says. A deceleration in the pace of U.S. corporate stock repurchases is a worrisome sign, according to analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In a note to clients last week, strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said the percentage of companies buying back shares peaked in 2015 at nearly 70%. Such peaks historically precede market tops, the analysts warned. Meanwhile, the amount spent on buybacks has been steadily declining, though S&P 500 SPX, +0.61% companies are still spending more than $100 billion every quarter.
A slowdown in stock buybacks may be a bad omen - MarketWatch
“The industrial market is doing really nicely,” said Tore Svanberg, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. “It’s the largest end market for the analog industry.” Second-quarter profit will be 89 cents to $1.01 a share, the Dallas-based company said Tuesday in a statement. Revenue will be $3.4 billion to $3.7 billion. Analysts on average projected profit of 90 cents a share on sales of $3.5 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company said its profit forecast includes a $30 million “discrete” tax benefit.
Texas Instruments Sees Chip Sales Growth in Auto, Industrial - Bloomberg
After years of losses, plant closings and job cuts, some of the world’s biggest steelmakers are ready to spend more money on their businesses. Combined capital expenditure planned this year by top producer ArcelorMittal, South Korea’s Posco and Russia’s Novolipetsk Steel PJSC will be up 29 percent to $6.7 billion in 2017, the first increase since 2014, according to estimates by the companies. Increases also are planned by some American and European companies, including U.S. Steel Corp. and Thyssenkrupp AG. Investments will mostly be targeted at expansions in key markets and new technologies.
Betting Worst Is Over, Steelmakers Spending Again After Big Cuts - Bloomberg
The report is based on an annual survey of 1,000 people in more than 150 countries that simply asks them to rank, on a scale of zero to 10, whether they are living their best life. Researchers then use six measures to try to understand the results: gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy, support from relatives or friends, charitable giving, freedom to make life choices, and perceived levels of government and corporate corruption.