Written by Gary
US stock future indexes are pointing to a flat to lower opening (SPY -0.2%) as Global stocks slump after Trump’s protectionist remarks. The U.S. dollar index, was down around 0.5% at 100.38 after falling to 100.17 earlier, a level not seen since December 8. Gold prices rallied and WTI crude was down 75 cents, or about 1.4%, to $52.48.
Here is the current market situation from CNN Money | |
 | European markets are lower today with shares in London off the most. The FTSE 100 is down 0.52% while France’s CAC 40 is off 0.32% and Germany’s DAX is lower by 0.32%. |
What Is Moving the Markets
| Here are the headlines moving the markets. | |
 | Futures fall on Trump’s protectionist address(Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures slipped on Monday as investors around the world sought safe-haven assets such as gold and U.S. Treasuries in response to the protectionist sentiments expressed by President Donald Trump in his inauguration speech. |
| Trump to meet executives, labor leaders in first full day in officeWASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump planned to hold meetings on Monday with business and labor leaders to discuss manufacturing and other matters as he starts his first full week in office. |
| Japan’s PM says will keep seeking Trump’s understanding on TPPTOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he believed U.S. President Donald Trump understood the value of free trade and that he would keep pitching a multinational trade pact that Trump’s administration has vowed to exit. |
| Halliburton posts first operating profit in North America in a year(Reuters) – Halliburton Co , the world’s No. 2 oilfield services provider, reported its first quarterly operating profit in North America in a year as oil producers put more rigs back to work in North American shale fields. |
| McDonald’s fourth-quarter U.S. comparable store sales fall less than expected(Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp’s U.S. comparable restaurant sales fell less than analysts had expected in the fourth quarter as strong demand for its all-day breakfast brought more people to its restaurants. |
| Supermarket operator Kroger to fill 10,000 permanent posts(Reuters) – U.S. supermarket operator Kroger Co said on Monday it would fill 10,000 permanent positions in its supermarket divisions. |
| Exclusive: Blackstone readies new Asia real estate fund of at least $5 billion: sourcesHONG KONG (Reuters) – Blackstone Group LP is readying a new Asia-focused real estate fund that aims to raise a record $5 billion or more, betting on strong returns from property investments in the region, people familiar with the plans told Reuters. |
| Samsung says batteries caused Note 7 fires, may delay new phone launchSEOUL (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics Co Ltd indicated on Monday that its latest flagship Galaxy S smartphone could be delayed as it pledged to enhance product safety following an investigation into the cause of fires in its premium Note 7 devices. |
| Emirates to start Dubai-Athens-Newark flights, likely to irk U.S. carriersDUBAI (Reuters) – Emirates plans to start flying to the United States with a stop for passengers in Greece, its second so-called fifth freedom flight and a move that could anger U.S. competitors who accuse it of competing unfairly through state subsidies. |
| Executive Orders, Meetings, Cabinet Votes: A Look At Trump’s Schedule On His First Monday In OfficeAs Donald Trump himself tweeted on Monday morning…
… the president’s first official day on the job will include a meeting with congressional leaders and a separate meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan. According to the WSJ, Trump is also expected to sign various executive orders around 10:30am, which as previewed yesterday will include such topics as trade, immigration, government hiring, Obamacare and a lobbying ban. According to the White House, which released daily guidance for the president on Sunday evening, Trump’s Monday will include a “breakfast and listening session with key business leaders” and a similar afternoon session with union leaders and “American Workers.” Among this week’s key meetings, Trump is scheduled to with meet “top executives” at 9 a.m. today to discuss manufacturing, and British PM Theresa May on Friday. He’ll have lunch with Vice President Mike Pence at noon. At 5 p.m., Trump is scheduled to hold a leadership reception with congressional leaders from both parties, followed by a private meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan an hour later. But the media will likely be fascinating by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who will deliver an on-camera briefing at 1 p.m. that’s sure to be a focus of the day, given the weekend focus on the Trump ad … |
| Peso, Loonie Drop After NAFTA Renegotiation Executive Order HeadlinesConfirming his campaign rhetoric and inaugural address tone, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order as early as Monday to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico, according to NBC News’ Kristen Welker.
The reaction in the Mexican Peso and Canadian Dollar is clear…
This should hardly be surprise…
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| Gold To 2 Month High As Fiery Trump Declares New American OrderGold price to 2 month high as fiery Trump declares New American Order – ‘Trumponomics’: Politics and economic policy in 140 characters by Jan Skoyles, Editor Mark O’Byrne On Friday Donald J Trump became the 45th President of the United States of America.
Gold prices were surprisingly muted on Friday but did begin to rise towards … |
| China Says It Is Ready To Assume “World Leadership”, Slams Western Democracy As “Flawed”Over the weekend China used the Trump inauguration to warn about the perils of democracy, touting the relative stability of the Communist system as President Xi Jinping heads toward a twice-a-decade reshuffle of senior leadership posts. Without directly referencing the new president, China wrote that democracy has reached its limits, and deterioration is the inevitable future of capitalism, according to the People’s Daily, the flagship paper of China’s Communist Party. It devoted an entire page on Sunday to critiquing Western democracies, quoting former Chairman Mao Zedong’s 1949 poem asking people to “range far your eyes over long vistas” and saying the ultimate defeat of capitalism would enable Communism to emerge victorious. “The emergence of capitalism’s social crisis is the most updated evidence to show the superiority of socialism and Marxism,” said one of the People’s Daily articles. “Western style democracy used to be a recognized power in history to drive social development. But now it has reached its limits,” said another article on the same page. “Democracy is already kidnapped by the capitals and has become the weapon for capitalists to chase profits.” The Chinese comments came after Trump in his inauguration speech said his administration would focus on an “America first” approach to foreign policy, undermining hopes abroad that the new president would moderate his protectionist tone. His pledge to abandon a U.S.-led Pacific trade pact has enabled China to step in as the chief advocate of an alternative Asia-wide deal. Sensing a global feeling of discontent, China was quick to appease the public and deflect US woes to the terminal decline of its democratic system. With ministries and senior officials stressing unity as a priority for China, smoothing the path for the party’s congress in the fourth quarter, state media were quick to highlight divisions within America shown by Trump� … |
| Euro and Dollar Won’t Be Equals Just YetThe euro, far from heading toward parity with the dollar, is at a six-week high. Risk aversion is a supporting factor for the single currency. |
| More Babies in China Worth Celebrating—but Mind the DataOfficial data shows Chinese women had the most children since 2000 in 2016, but questions remain over whether the data is reliable. |
| One Stat That Shows a Trump Bull Market Is UnlikelyThe stock market’s gains under President Obama reflected not just rising valuations, but widening profit margins. President Trump is unlikely to see a repeat. |
| Deep Dive: This fund manager is finding profits in the wreckage of corporate EuropeFerrari NV is among the companies controlled by Exor NV, whose stock is recommended by David Marcus. |
| Earnings Outlook: Verizon earnings: The wireless, cable provider is looking for a deal to help its media businessVerizon Communications Inc. is set to report fourth-quarter earnings before the market opens on Tuesday, as the wireless phone and cable TV provider seemingly goes back and forth on whether to move forward with its planned $4.83 billion acquisition of Yahoo Inc. |
| Key Words: Record inauguration crowds? No lie, just ‘alternative facts,’ says Kellyanne Conway‘Meet the Press’ host Chuck Todd pressed Trump’s top adviser on what he said was a ‘provable falsehood.’ |
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