Early Headlines: Asia Markets, Japan Stocks Down, Dollar Up, Oil Down, Gold Up, Yields Down, Bolton Book, China Virus, Kobe Bryant, Grammies, Impeachment, Pirro And Giuliani, Turkey Quake, Brazil Flood, Plus More - 23 Articles, 11 Graphics

Early Bird Headlines 27 January 2020.

Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.

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Key Articles

Global

Japan trades lower as many Asian markets remain closed for Lunar New Year (CNBC) Japan traded lower on Monday as investors appeared to be wary about the fast-spreading coronavirus, which started in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The dollar index traded higher at 97.860, climbing from an earlier low around 97.783. U.S. crude futures fell 2.36% to $52.91 a barrel while global benchmark Brent was down 2.22% to $59.34. Spot gold was up 0.57% to $1,579.29 an ounce while U.S. gold futures rose 0.45% to $1,578.9. Bond yields fell.

U.S.

Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says (The New York Times) President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton.

The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office.

In Impeachment Trial, Geography Dictates Politics (The New York Times) When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a curse-laden tirade to a reporter on Friday, asked, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” he was getting at an essential element of President Trump’s defense in the impeachment trial. White House officials are convinced that Americans are indifferent to what happens in the struggling former Soviet republic, and they may well be right.

But the impeachment trial is about more than the fate of Ukraine – and whether Mr. Trump sold it out for a “domestic political errand,” as his former adviser, Fiona Hill, put it so bitingly.

China

China coronavirus: WHO to hold special meeting in Beijing as death toll jumps (The Guardian) Officials have postponed the end of the lunar new year holidays as spread of virus continues and lockdowns expand. The head of the World Health Organisation will hold a special meeting with officials in Beijing on Monday to discuss how to contain the coronavirus that has killed 80 people and left more than 400 in a critical condition.

In an effort to reduce chances of infection during what is China’s busiest travel season, officials announced the end of this week’s lunar new year holiday would be postponed until at least 2 February. Authorities have also widened sweeping restrictions on travel across the country.

Other important articles

U.S.