18Jul2016 Market Update: DOW And SP 500 Failed To Reach Previous Highs, Crude Prices Fall One Percent, Investors Sitting On Hands As Global Worries Still Dominate

Here is the current market situation from CNN Money

North and South American markets are broadly higher today with shares in Brazil leading the region. The Bovespa is up 1.20% while Mexico’s IPC is up 0.58% and U.S.’s S&P 500 is up 0.24%.

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Wall Street inches up, but stays shy of record; oil drags

(Reuters) – Wall Street eked out gains on Monday as Bank of America’s better-than-expected profit boosted optimism about the U.S. quarterly earnings season, but not by enough to send the Dow and the S&P 500 to fresh highs.

Bank of America sets new cost target under pressure from low rates

(Reuters) – Bank of America Corp reported a 19-percent drop in second-quarter profit on Monday and set a new expense target as growth in businesses from lending to trading failed to offset the impact of persistently low interest rates.

SoftBank to buy UK chip designer ARM in $32 billion cash deal

TOKYO/LONDON (Reuters) – Japan’s SoftBank will buy Britain’s most valuable technology company ARM for $32 billion in cash, an audacious attempt to lead the next wave of digital innovation with a chip designer that powers the global mobile phone industry.

U.S. DoJ investigating Fiat Chrysler for fraud: Bloomberg

(Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV for fraud, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Uber reaches 2 billion rides six months after hitting its first billion

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Uber has completed more than 2 billion trips on its app, the company’s chief executive said on Monday, a milestone that arrives just weeks after the ride service added another $4.7 billion to its warchest.

ExxonMobil launches bidding war for InterOil in PNG gas push

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – ExxonMobil Corp has made a bid worth at least $2.2 billion for InterOil Corp and its stake in a rich Papua New Guinea gasfield, winning the support of its target and topping an offer from Australia’s Oil Search Ltd.

FIFA says Russia’s Alfa Bank is first regional World Cup sponsor

ZURICH (Reuters) – FIFA, which has struggled to find commercial partners since it was battered by a corruption scandal last year, named a Russian bank as the first of up to 20 regional World Cup sponsors on Monday.

Hasbro beats estimates on strong demand for Disney Princess dolls

(Reuters) – Hasbro Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue, driven by strong demand for Disney Princess and Frozen dolls and action figures based on “Star Wars” movies.

Exclusive: U.S. and Chinese labor groups collaborated before China Wal-Mart strikes

CHICAGO (Reuters) – OUR Walmart, the American worker group, has taken the unusual step of collaborating with a group of Chinese Wal-Mart workers trying to fight work schedule changes and low wages.

China Warns US Patrols In South China Sea Could End In “Disaster” As It Launches Navy Drills

Less than a week after a Hague tribunal found that China has no territorial rights in the South China Sea, contrary to Beijing’s “Nine Dash Line” claims, China has made it abundantly clear that it will no comply with the ruling when overnight a senior Chinese admiral said that Freedom of navigation patrols carried out by foreign navies in the South China Sea could end “in disaster” while also announcing the unexpected start of navy drills in the contested waters, in the most direct warning to the United States yet.

According to AP, Hainan’s maritime administration said an area southeast of the island province would be closed from Monday to Thursday, but gave no details about the nature of the exercises. The announcement came during a three-day visit to China by US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson to discuss the South China Sea dispute and ways to increase interaction between the two militaries, which continue to have a tense relationship.

Chinese missile frigate Yuncheng launches an anti-ship missile during a military exercise
in the waters near south China’s Hainan Island and Paracel Islands, July 8, 2016

Further provoking a US response, Beijing also stated that it would not halt the construct …

French Prime Minister Booed At Moment Of Silence In Nice

In the aftermath of last Thursday’s tragic truck attack in Nice, France which killed 84 and injured hundreds, public opinion turned even more sour on the country’s increasingly unpopular Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who said that “times have changed, and France is going to have to live with terrorism, and we must face this together and show our collective sang-froid”, a statement which many took as an admission of defeat toward the terrorist threat sweeping across France in particular, and Europe in general.

The French resentment toward its Prime Minister was on full display again today, when Valls was loudly booed at memorial service to remember the victims of the Nice terror attack. The prime minister attended the service alongside the Mayor of Nice, Philippe Pradal, the regional president Christian Estrosi and the reigning prince of nearby Monaco, Prince Albert.

Valls was booed as he went to sign the book of condolence at the memorial service on the Promenade des Anglais. “Resignation!” “Murderers” was shouted by the crowds before and after the ceremony. Others shouted “You’re not wanted here!” and “You are the terrorist!” ahead of the one minute of silence that thousands observed.

While the crowd was furious with Valls, it cheered to celebrate the work of the emergency services, who were applauded with shouts of “Thank you firefighters!” They broke in applause and raised their fists in the air when they heard the French national anthem.

Tensions are running high over the French government’s handling of security in the country when it was revealed Mr Estrosi’s request for more security at …

Bank of America Is a Low-Rate Loser

Bank of America’s investments make it especially vulnerable to falling rates.

SoftBank-ARM: These Chips Don’t Come Cheap

SoftBank’s $32 billion bid for U.K. smartphone chip designer ARM is a high price, leaving the Japanese conglomerate swimming in debt.

Why Central Banks and Markets Are Getting Out of Sync

The world’s central banks have a wealth of concerns to address in the coming months. A new item on the list: their own actions, which are increasingly surprising markets.

Earnings Watch: What to expect from Netflix earnings

Netflix Inc. is set to report its second-quarter earnings after the market closes on Monday. The Los Gatos, Calif., company has had a rocky couple of months as investors focus in on its growth potential in the U.S. and overseas.

The Wall Street Journal: Calpers reports lowest investment gain since financial crisis

Pension fund returned just 0.6%, well below its internal target of 7.5%.

Earnings Outlook: What to expect from UnitedHealth earnings

The nation’s largest health insurer set high expectations after a good first quarter.