Early Headlines: Asia Stocks, Oil And Gold All Up, Dollar And Yields Down, Whistleblower, Ukraine, Biden, Tropical Storm Record, Mosquito Spray In Cuba, Plus More - 24 Articles, 6 Graphics

Early Bird Headlines 20 September 2019

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Key Articles

Global

Asia Pacific stocks inch higher amid US-China trade jitters (CNBC) Stocks in Asia Pacific edged up on Friday as investors digested a series of developments overnight on the U.S.-China trade front that dampened hopes of a deal being reached between the two economic powerhouses. Mainland Chinese stocks were higher on the day. The U.S. dollar index, was lower at 98.172 after slipping from levels above 98.4 yesterday. Oil prices rose in the afternoon of Asian trading hours, with U.S. crude futures gaining 0.84% to $58.62 per barrel and Brent crude futures adding 0.61% to $64.79 per barrel. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $1,503.36 per ounce, as of 0800 GMT, up about 1% this week. U.S. gold futures were up 0.5% at $1,513.5 per ounce. U.S. treasuy yields were lower.

U.S.

Whistleblower complaint about President Trump involves Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter (The Washington Post) A whistleblower complaint about President Trump made by an intelligence official centers on Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter, which has set off a struggle between Congress and the executive branch. The complaint involved communications with a foreign leader and a “promise” that Trump made, which was so alarming that a U.S. intelligence official who had worked at the White House went to the inspector general of the intelligence community, two former U.S. officials said.

That call is already under investigation by House Democrats who are examining whether Trump and his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to manipulate the Ukrainian government into helping Trump’s reelection campaign. Lawmakers have demanded a full transcript and a list of participants on the call.

Democrats to seek ways to compel release of Trump whistleblower complaint (The Hill) House Democrats are sounding the alarm after an intelligence community watchdog testified behind closed doors Thursday about the handling of a whistleblower complaint that is said to relate to a conversation President Trump had with a foreign leader.
A Republican Conspiracy Theory About a Biden-in-Ukraine Scandal Has Gone Mainstream. But It Is Not True. (The Intercept) Viral rumors that Joe Biden abused his power as vice president to protect his son’s business interests in Ukraine in 2016, which spread last week from the pro-Trump media ecosystem to The New York Times, are “absolute nonsense,” according to Ukraine’s leading anti-corruption activist. That evaluation is backed by foreign correspondents in Kiev and a former official with knowledge of Biden’s outreach to Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych was deposed in a popular uprising in 2014. One of the sources interviewed for this article was Daria Kaleniuk, an American-educated lawyer who founded Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center.

There is no question that Biden did, during a visit to Kiev in late 2015, threaten to withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees unless Shokin was dismissed. But the vice president, who was leading the Obama administration’s effort to fight corruption in Ukraine, did the country a favor by hastening Shokin’s departure, Kaleniuk said, since he had failed to properly investigate corrupt officials.

By getting Shokin removed, Biden in fact made it more rather than less likely that the oligarch who employed his son would be subject to prosecution for corruption.

Hurricane season: Humberto, Jerry, Kiko set record for most storms (USA Today) Six named storms whirling at once this week in the Atlantic and Pacific set a record, forecasters reported. This combined number of active storms in both basins was believed to tie a modern record, set in September 1992, according to National Hurricane Center forecaster Eric Blake. The Weather Channel reported. In the maps below, the latest available, the 6th storm, Imelda, which struck Houston Thursday has already weakened and is no longer showing. Note: These maps will auto update and change further over time. (Keep up with the latest on the storms and other hazardous weather at LIVE ALL WEEK: Severe Weather Events Week Of 16 Sept 2019.)

“While Humberto and Kiko were spinning in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, four new tropical cyclones formed Tuesday: Imelda and Jerry in the Atlantic Basin, and Mario and Lorena in the Eastern Pacific Basin.”

Cuba

Mosquito fumigation, not sonic attacks, may have caused diplomats’ illness in Cuba (The Straits Times) Hat tip to Roger Erickson. Fumigation against mosquitoes in Cuba and not “sonic attacks” may have caused some 40 US and Canadian diplomats and family members in Havana to fall ill, according to a new study commissioned by the Canadian government.

The incidents took place from late 2016 into 2018, causing the administration of US President Donald Trump to charge that diplomats were attacked by some sort of secret weapon. Canada has refrained from such charges.