Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Links for April 3, 2017
#1
Shares of Apple and Amazon have surged 24% and 17%, respectively, so far this year. The stellar gains have propelled Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos to world's second richest person status, while talk on Wall Street is building on Apple being the first trillion-dollar company. Interestingly, the move in each tech giant's stock price has come on a lack of big-time news, which to be sure should worry investors a bit in the second quarter. With markets likely getting more volatile in coming months as Trump faces more serious tests, it's the winning stocks such as Apple and Amazon that could be dumped first by investors to raise cash.  The hype on each name has indeed been strong (which could make their pullbacks newsworthy, too). Apple iPhone supercycle talk is running as wild as Hulkamania at Wrestlemania 1 some 30 years ago. Yet, from what we learned this week from Samsung (SSNLF) , Apple better deliver something amazing with the iPhone 8 -- the Galaxy S8 is a legitimate threat to the Apple supercycle fanboys out there.

Apple and Amazon Are the Biggest Stories So Far This Year, but Fortunes Could Quickly Turn - TheStreet

A pullback in Asian equities looms after a stellar start to the year, according to fund managers, who remain bullish for the longer term thanks to cheap valuations and optimism that the region will benefit from improving global growth. While managers see strong fundamentals, they ticked off several risks that may weigh in the second quarter, from French elections and Brexit to U.S. interest rates, as well as Donald Trump’s stance on protectionism and his ability to steer his agenda through Congress.

A Pullback in Asian Stocks Looms: Fund Managers - Bloomberg

The bond market has been quiet. Too quiet in fact.  That's about to change, says Societe Generale's fixed income team led by Vincent Chaigneau.    "Spring is likely to be more threatening for bond investors as US data improves, political risk in Europe ebbs and investors refocus on a slow central bank exits," the team wrote in a note to clients on Thursday. The note is titled "The Sleeping Beast."

Bond market risks could rise in Spring SocGen says - Business Insider

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi last month highlighted the improving jobs figures as proof that the central bank’s quantitative easing isn’t just boosting asset prices and widening inequality, but benefiting ordinary citizens. Still, the latest jobless numbers indicate the level of slack still in the labor market, even as the headline rate has come down from its peak of more than 12 percent four years ago. “We’re still very far away from the wage growth we saw pre-crisis,” said Bert Colijn, senior euro-area economist at ING Bank NV in Amsterdam. “With labor market conditions as slack as they are, and with youth unemployment still quite high, it seems that Draghi will probably need to remain cautious until we really see some strengthening labor market signs.”

Youth Unemployment Shows Euro-Area Recovery Not Working for All - Bloomberg

This is not a drill. Yes April Fool’s Day might be just around the corner, but you can now play Ms Pac-Man in Google Maps, really. Getting the jump on the day of jokes, Google has given its iOS and Android Google Maps an arcade gaming makeover. To play, all you have to do is open the app and click the new pink, Ms Pac-Man adorned circle in the bottom right hand corner, where the usual current location and navigation buttons still sit.

You can now play Ms Pac-Man in Google Maps, really

Reply

#2
Despite a quarter characterized by elevated policy uncertainty and an intense focus on tax reform, infrastructure spending and deregulation, U.S. equities had one of their lowest volatility quarters on record. As Goldman notes, the average VIX level in Q1 was 11.69, the lowest first quarter in VIX history.

Tyler Durden Blog | Goldman Warns Risk Underpriced Amid Lowest Q1 VIX Level On Record | Talkmarkets

European Central Bank policymakers are wary of making any new change to their policy message in April after small tweaks this month upset investors and raised the specter of a surge in borrowing costs for the bloc's indebted periphery. One ECB source said the bank has been overinterpreted by markets at its March 9 meeting. Taken aback when markets started to price in an interest rate hike early next year, policymakers are keen to reassure investors that their easy-money policy is far from ending, suggesting reluctance change message before June, six sources in and close to the Governing Council indicated.

Spooked by yield rise, ECB wary of changing message again

The European Central Bank (ECB) is warning governments and other investors to get ready for higher interest rates. ECB member Benoit Coeure told a finance conference Monday that a looming adjustment to the bank's monetary policy is transparent. "It's obvious that the financial sector, and other economic actors and especially governments must prepare (for higher rates)," Couere told conference attendees.

ECB warns governments to get set for higher rates

Investors searching for the next transformative technology destined to turn a bunch of Ivy League dropouts into billionaires, and half the market into a loose slot machine, need only look in the mirror. “The greatest industry of the 21st century will probably be to upgrade human beings,” historian Yuval Harari, author of the fascinating new book “Homo Deus,” told MarketWatch.

How upgrading humans will become the next billion-dollar industry - MarketWatch

If you’ve ever tried to get some proper work done on an Android device, you’ll know it’s difficult. In fact, failure to accommodate for work is one of the biggest complaints levelled at Google’s Android mobile operating system. But Samsung is hoping to soothe these productivity woes with a brand new system called Samsung DeX, available on the new Galaxy S8 smartphone. Here's all you need to know.

What is Samsung DeX? How the Galaxy S8 is trying to kill your laptop

Reply

#3
The first quarter officially ends on Friday. Big companies will start releasing their latest results and outlooks in the middle of April. And the numbers should be very good. According to estimates from FactSet, companies in the S&P 500 are expected to report an earnings increase of 9.1% from a year ago. If that actually happens, it would be the best quarter of growth in more than five years -- the highest since companies posted 11.6% growth in the fourth quarter of 2011. John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, notes that much of the gain will be due to a huge jump in earnings for energy companies due to substantially higher oil prices than a year ago.

Earnings growth may be best since late 2011 - Mar. 31, 2017

Last month, Walmart gathered some of America's biggest household brands near its Arkansas headquarters for a tough talk. For years, Walmart had dominated the retail landscape on the back of its "Everyday Low Price" guarantee. But now, Walmart was too often getting beaten on price. So company executives were there, in part, to reset expectations with Walmart's suppliers — the consumer brands whose chips, sodas and diapers line the shelves of its Supercenters and its website.

Amazon and Walmart are in an all-out price war that is terrifying America’s biggest brands

You’d be pretty chuffed if you were looking for a job in Japan right now. As seen in the chart below, the nation’s unemployment rate tumbled to just 2.8% in seasonally adjusted terms in February, the lowest level since June 1994.

CHART: Japanese unemployment tumbles to the lowest level since 1994 | Business Insider

Anderson, a certified financial planner in Hudson, Wis., cherishes cash. And he persuades many of his clients to share that love, which he says gives them peace of mind while positioning them to make bold bets when they present themselves. “My philosophy is ‘Cash solves a lot of problems and creates a lot of opportunities,’” Anderson said.

Why this financial adviser thinks you should keep piles of cash handy - MarketWatch

Authorities in Sweden are attempting to solve a problem that appears unique to its child refugees - uppgivenhetssyndrom or "resignation syndrome".  The condition causes healthy youngsters to deteriorate into a comatose-like state after learning of their impending deportation, It is believed to only exist among the refugee population in the Scandinavian country, where it has been prevalent since the early part of this century. In 2016, 60 children were diagnosed with the syndrome, which sees patients are rendered “totally passive, immobile, lacks tonus, withdrawn, mute, unable to eat and drink, incontinent and not reacting to physical stimuli or pain,” according to medical journal Acta Pædiatrica. The children are left bedridden or have to be moved in wheelchairs and feeding must be done through a tube.  Tests which gained a response from people in comas did not work on the afflicted children, but other exercises showed they suffered no brain damage.  It was described by some doctors as “willed dying” and often occurred after families were denied asylum status and thrown into uncertainty.  A similar phenomenon was observed in Nazi concentration camps, the New Yorker reported, in prisoners who had effectively lost all hope and given up.

Refugee children in Sweden are falling into coma-like states on learning their families will be deported | The Independent

Reply

#4
In the post-2009 bull market in stocks, investors have been stubbornly bearish — to their own detriment. The most recent, and most pronounced, bout of pessimism happened in January and February 2016, when we issued a “buy” signal. Bull markets die of “starvation.” Just as a fire needs wood to burn, the stock market needs fresh buyers to climb higher. Relentless gains have converted many bears into buyers, providing the fuel for an insistent string of new all-time highs.

The smart money is record ‘short’ in stocks, and the dumb money is record ‘long’ - MarketWatch

Thailand is no stranger when it comes to hot money. This time around, officials have a new dynamic to worry about when it comes to cooling inflows from abroad: Donald Trump. The Southeast Asian nation has seen $3.42 billion flood in this year, an influx that’s driven the baht to its highest since mid-2015. The problem is that any overt steps to curb gains in the exchange rate could draw the attention of Trump administration officials probing trading partners for measures that contribute to U.S. trade deficits.

Emerging Market Bid Is So Hot Thailand Faces U.S. Watchlist Risk - Bloomberg

Tesla’s stock price surged on Monday, pushing the company’s value above $50 billion for the first time. The markets now value Tesla more highly than Ford at $45 billion. At first glance, that doesn’t make any sense. Ford sold 2.6 million vehicles in 2016 and earned $4.6 billion for the year. Tesla shipped a comparatively tiny 76,000 vehicles and recorded a loss of $675 million.

Tesla keeps losing money. So why is it worth more than Ford? - Vox

"We have one of the world's largest cobalt deposits sitting there in Western Australia, just outside of Kalgoorlie," Matt Painter, CEO of Ardea Resources, told CNBC's "The Rundown." Cobalt is a key element in lithium battery production. Previously seen as a byproduct of nickel and copper mines, the resource is now used in phones, computers, electric and hybrid vehicles and solar power storage systems. "The cobalt price is really booming and it's for very good reason. With Lithium-ion batteries, one of the main components is actually the cobalt, more-so than the lithium," he added.

This miner is banking on a cobalt boom

These three titles have moved him up to fourth place in the official ranking table and top spot in the “Race”, which only counts performance in 2017. Both measures are calculated by the Association of Tennis Professionals, the organising body for the men's game, and are used to determine seedings at tournaments. According to the Elo rating system, which is a better predictor of match outcomes because it considers a longer period of performance and the quality of a player’s opposition, Mr Federer has risen to number three. Only Novak Djokovic (who is atop the Elo list, but second in the ATP rankings) and Andy Murray (the other way around) sit above him.

A backhanded complement: Roger Federer has turned his weakest shot into a weapon | The Economist

Reply

#5
Laurence D. Fink, chief executive officer of BlackRock Inc., said the U.S. economy is slowing as both consumers and businesses wait to see if the Trump administration can deliver on tax reform and deregulation. "There’s a greater worry that these proposed changes are going to be harder and harder to execute," said Fink, speaking on CNBC Thursday. "You’re seeing a slowing down of our economy." Fink said the U.S. may be the slowest-growing economy in the first quarter among the G-7 nations. Japan, Canada and Europe are expanding faster than anticipated six months ago while the U.S. is lagging expectations as companies and individuals hold back spending. They are awaiting the outcome of President Donald Trump’s economic agenda, Fink said, and without tax reform and deregulation, the markets will suffer setbacks. Fink also said there are fewer tourists coming to the U.S. because there is a fear they aren’t welcome, which is hurting the economy and hotels. The head of the world’s largest asset manager said the most crowded trade right now is that rates are going to move much higher. Instead, he said, there’s a 51 percent chance that 10-year Treasuries drop below 2 percent.

BlackRock's Fink Sees Slower Growth on Concern Over Trump Agenda - Bloomberg

Donald Trump voters have found comfort in his promises about more U.S. manufacturing jobs and threats to get tough on trade. But 87% of U.S. manufacturing jobs lost between 2000 and 2010 were from factories becoming more efficient through automationaccording to a recent study by two Ball State University professors. That leaves just 13% lost to overseas competition. Some analysts have predicted that protectionist policies under the Trump administration may actually increase job losses. After all, when domestic companies are forced to manufacture more in America but automation can keep costs down, the net result is more capital investment but fewer employees.

5 ways to invest in the robot revolution - MarketWatch

Microsoft topped J.D. Power's consumer survey in three key areas including internet connectivity, availability of official accessories and the variety of pre-installed applications. Microsoft also beat the iPad when it boiled down to consumer preference for tablet attractiveness, quality of materials and size of the tablet.

Microsoft Surface tops Apple iPad in JD Power survey

One in 10 deaths around the world is caused by smoking, according to a major new study that shows the tobacco epidemic is far from over and that the threat to lives is spreading across the globe. There were nearly one billion smokers in 2015, in spite of tobacco control policies having been adopted by many countries. That number is expected to rise as the world’s population expands. One in every four men is a smoker and one in 20 women. Their lives are likely to be cut short – smoking is the second biggest risk factor for early death and disability after high blood pressure. The researchers found there were 6.4m deaths attributed to smoking in 2015, of which half were in just four populous countries – China, India, USA, and Russia.

Smoking causes one in ten deaths globally, major new study reveals | Society | The Guardian

Rape victims can ward off a “bleak future” by marrying their rapists, an MP and former judge has suggested in the Malaysia parliament. Former sharia judge Datuk Shabudin Yahaya made the comments at the Houses of Parliament during a debate over a bill on sexual offences against children. While he acknowledged rape as a criminal offence, Yahaya suggested that rapists and their victims could solve social problems and “turn a new leaf” by getting married. “Perhaps through marriage they can lead a healthier, better life. And the person who was raped does not necessarily have a bleak future. She will have a husband, at least, and this could serve as a remedy to growing social problems,” he was quoted in the local daily, the Star.

Rape victims should marry their rapists, Malaysian MP tells parliament | World news | The Guardian

Reply



Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)