Written by Gary
Bitcoin continues its meteoric rise having cleared the $10,000 valuation. Global markets are generally in positive territory. More dirt appearing on the impromptu meeting between Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton. And just a few minutes ago, NBC’s Today shows Matt Lauer has been terminated by NBC News,
Here is the current market situation from CNN Money | |
European markets are mixed today. The DAX is up 0.94% while the CAC 40 gains 0.68%. The FTSE 100 is off 0.54%. |
What Is Moving the Markets
Here are the headlines moving the markets. | |
Pound up as Britain coughs up, Bitcoin rocketsLONDON (Reuters) – Signs of progress with U.S. tax cuts and Europe’s Brexit negotiations brought fresh highs for world stocks on Wednesday, while bitcoin topped $10,000 in a frenzy for cryptocurrencies. | |
Exclusive: Daimler rebuffs Geely offer to buy stake; Geely still hopeful of a deal – sourcesHONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – Daimler AG has turned down an offer from China’s Geely to take a stake of up to 5 percent via a discounted share placement, as the German automaker has long been reluctant to see existing shareholdings diluted, sources with knowledge of the talks said. | |
Bitcoin tops $10,000, marks 10-fold increase in 2017NEW YORK (Reuters) – Virtual currency bitcoin soared to an all-time high above $10,000 on Wednesday on major exchanges and digital currency indexes, including the widely followed Luxembourg-based trading platform BitStamp. | |
Uber’s third-quarter net loss widens to $1.46 billion: source(Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc’s [UBER.UL] quarterly losses widened, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, as the ride-hailing company wades through legal troubles and faces regulatory scrutiny across the globe. | |
Build fast, fix later: speed hurts quality at Tesla, some workers saySAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – After Tesla’s Model S sedans and Model X SUVs roll off the company’s Fremont, California assembly line, the electric vehicles usually make another stop – for repairs, nine current and former employees have told Reuters. | |
CEO quits as LSE tries to draw line under management rowLONDON (Reuters) – London Stock Exchange CEO Xavier Rolet is stepping down immediately and its chairman will not seek re-election, as the exchange tries to draw a line under a row with a top shareholder over management succession. | |
AT&T and Time Warner say proposed merger is ‘pro-consumer’WASHINGTON (Reuters) – AT&T Inc and Time Warner Inc argued on Tuesday that their proposed $85.4 billion merger was “pro-competitive” and “pro-consumer”, as they sought to refute U.S. Justice Department allegations that the deal breaks antitrust law. | |
GM says Corvette super car will be priced at $119,995 and aboveLOS ANGELES (Reuters) – General Motors Co’s 755-horsepower Corvette ZR1 super car will have a starting price of $119,995, with a convertible version from $123,995, its global product development chief, Mark Reuss, said on Tuesday. | |
BMW looking for partners to develop electric small carsLOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Germany’s BMW AG is talking with other automakers “around the world” to try to find partners to lower the cost of electrifying its future Mini small cars, management board member Peter Schwarzenbauer told Reuters. | |
Detained Saudi Prince Buys His Freedom For $1 BillionOne day you were the billionaire head of the National Guard in one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships. Although that carries some risk, you were probably reassured by your position as a senior prince in the ruling family, never mind your strong ties to the US military… oh and of course the many zeros in your bank account. The next day, in a turn of events akin to Shakespearian drama, you were imprisoned (kind of) with ten of your fellow princes and a bunch of ministers and former ministers in a 5 star hotel on charges of money laundering, bribery and general corruption. Despite being a cousin of the Kingdom’s uber-autocratic crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Prince Miteb bin Abdullah was a son of former King Abdullah and got caught up in a clan war in the ruling family. Former Riyadh governor and another of King Abdullah’s sons, Turki bin Abdullah, was also arrested in the crackdown. Miteb was accused of conducting normal business practices in Saudi Arabia, such as embezzlement, hiring “ghost” employees and awarding his own companies a $10 billion contract for walkie-talkies and bullet proof protection. However, after what must have been the worst three and a half weeks of his life in the Ritz Carlton “prison”, Miteb has purchased his freedom for a cool $1 billion. | |
Russia Warns Washington: Confiscating Gold Reserves Would Be “Declaration Of Financial War”In a surprising, and unexpected warning – which seemingly came out of nowhere – Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov cautioned Washington yesterday that “If our gold and currency reserves can be arrested, even if such a thought exists, it would be financial terrorism.” The comment appears to have been prompted by consideration of escalating US/EU sanctions which could ultimately impact Russia’s offshore held gold and reserves. If sanctions include the freezing of foreign accounts of the central bank, it would be equal to declaring financial war on Russia, Siluanov said, although he added that he considers such a scenario unlikely (for now). After making the point that Russia’s budget is prepared for the possibility of tougher US/EU sanctions, RT reports that Siluanov warned if the west include the seizure of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves, it would be regarded as a “declaration of a financial war.”
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“The Cover-Up Begins To End”: Judicial Watch Hints At Explosive New Clinton-Lynch Tarmac DocsBack on June 29, 2016, Obama’s Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, tried to convince us that the following ‘impromptu’ meeting between herself and Bill Clinton at the Phoenix airport, a private meeting which lasted 30 minutes on Lynch’s private plane, was mostly a “social meeting” in which Bill talked about his grandchildren and golf game. It was not, under any circumstances, related to the statement that former FBI Director James Comey made just 6 days later clearing Hillary Clinton of any alleged crimes related to his agency’s investigation. Not surprisingly, following the above media clip several concerned watchdog groups filed FOIA requests seeking any and all DOJ and/or FBI documents related to what was either (i) a really poorly timed meeting, in the best case, or (ii) a clear attempt by a former President of the United States to apply leverage over the current Attorney General to obstruct justice and get his wife elected President, in the worst case. After originally being told by the FBI there were no documents to produce in response to their July 2016 FOIA request, Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton was subsequently told in October 2017 that the FBI had simply overlooked 30 pages worth of relevant docs…30 pages which Fitton now says will mark the “beginning of the end” of the DOJ’s “cover-up” when they’re released this Thursday. | |
Oxford University To Issue £250 Million Ultra Long 100-Year BondIndividual Oxford colleges – there are thirty-eight altogether – have issued bonds in the past, but this will be a first for the ancient University as a whole. Timed to perfection for its upcoming bond issue, Moody’s today assigned a “AAA” credit rating, with a stable outlook, to the 900-year old institution. According to Moody’s, “The Aaa issuer rating assigned to Oxford reflects its extraordinary market position as one of the world’s elite universities, ensuring consistent student demand and wide-ranging support from the government, donors, and research funding bodies.”
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Batteries Are Taking Over the WorldThe battery industry is mustering for exponential growth as car makers electrify their fleets. But for investors the path to profitability is far from clear, and technological breakthroughs could upset the competitive order. | |
Amazon’s Early Christmas BonusProjections for retail and cloud businesses are growing as Amazon’s already-rich valuation gets another boost. | |
Trump Is Ignoring a Healthy Opportunity in ChinaWhat’s the highest-margin, protected growth industry in China? Hint: It isn’t energy, finance or beef. | |
America: What Did Mencius Mean?Written by Frank Li After listening to Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Confucius, Aristotle, Sun Tzu, and Plato, let’s listen to Mencius, shall we? | |
The Perfect Storm Of The Coming Market CrisisWritten by Lance Roberts, Clarity Financial It is always refreshing to step away from the keyboard for a few days and hit the “reset button,” which is exactly what I did last week. My wife and I took a quick trip to Mexico to get a little sun on our face while we wiggled our toes in the sand. | |
Gifts That Pay Off: How to give gifts that truly pay off for friends and familyGift givers and recipients frequently disagree on what constitutes a ‘good’ gift. | |
Gifts That Pay Off: These holiday gifts will help your friends and family earn a promotionFrom networking to professional gear, these presents could get you where you want to go. | |
Gifts That Pay Off: Help your children save for college and pay off student debtThese gifts can provide value for a lifetime. |
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