Written by Gary
U.S. stocks fell again sharply today (SPY -1.0%) snapping longest monthly win streak since 1959. The S&P 500 was on track for its biggest monthly fall since January 2016.
Todays S&P 500 Chart
Tech stocks reclaim a key milestone from the dot-com era — but this time it’s different
4 reasons why bears are wrong to bet on a ‘day of reckoning’ for bonds
A historic streak for the S&P 500 is about to come to an end
These 9 experts warn that another stock-market correction is coming
Stock-market investors lost their ultralow volatility ‘security blanket’
February left stock-market investors without this ‘security blanket’
The Market in Perspective
Here are the headlines moving the markets. | |
Wall Street falls with energy; S&P set for biggest monthly fall since 2016NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks edged lower on Wednesday with a drop in energy shares, and the S&P 500 was on track for its biggest monthly fall since January 2016. | |
Surge in imports helps curb U.S. fourth-quarter economic growthWASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. economic growth slowed slightly more than initially thought in the fourth quarter after the strongest pace of consumer spending in three years depleted inventories and drew in imports as businesses struggled to produce enough goods and services. | |
Exclusive: U.S. regulators examine Wall Street’s Volcker rule wish list – sourcesWASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators are considering changes to the “Volcker rule” Wall Street has sought for years that would make it easier and cheaper for banks to comply and allow them more leeway in trading and investing, according to several regulatory and industry sources. | |
White House expects ‘frank exchange’ on trade with Chinese official: sourceWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top aides to President Donald Trump look to push a tough line on trade in talks on Thursday with an envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, with a White House official saying a frank exchange of views was expected. | |
Spotify files for direct listing of up to $1 billion(Reuters) – Music streaming service Spotify filed for a direct listing of up to $1 billion with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, becoming the first major company in the recent past to do so. | |
‘Pharma bro’ Shkreli seeks 12 to 18 month sentence, below guidelinesNEW YORK (Reuters) – Martin Shkreli, the former drug company executive convicted of defrauding investors in two hedge funds he ran, has asked a federal judge to sentence him to 12 months to 18 months in prison, much less than suggested federal guidelines. | |
Verizon, Straight Path pay $614 million civil penalty to U.S. FCC: statementWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Verizon Communications Inc and its Straight Path Communications unit paid a $614 million civil penalty as part of a January 2017 settlement with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the agency said on Wednesday. | |
Mexico concerns about U.S. steel tariffs hang over NAFTA talksMEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s trade minister will discuss the threat of U.S. steel import tariffs with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday, two sources said, adding to trade tensions during the latest push to renegotiate the NAFTA trade deal. | |
Exclusive: Bayer to win EU approval for $62.5 billion Monsanto dealBRUSSELS (Reuters) – German drug and crop chemicals maker Bayer is set to win conditional European Union antitrust approval for its $62.5 billion bid for world No. 1 seed company Monsanto , two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. | |
WTFebruary: Stocks Worst In 9 Years As Record Win-Streak Abruptly EndsThis is the first down-February for The Dow since 2009, the worst February for the S&P 500 in 9 years, first down-month since Oct 2016, and biggest monthly drop since Jan 2016 (right before the Shanghai Accord)…
Well it happened… This is also the worst month since August 2015 for ‘balanced’ portfolios with an aggregate bond and stock mix down dramatically (both bonds and stocks down)… | |
Ron Paul: Is The (Tea) Party Over?Authored by Ron Paul via The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity, The recently-passed big-spending budget deal’s failure to generate significant opposition from the “tea party” has led some to pen obituaries for this once-powerful movement. These commentators may have a point. However, few of them understand the true causes of the tea party’s demise. The movement commonly referred to as the tea party arose in opposition to the 2008 bank bailouts. The tea party grew as its focus shifted to opposition to President Obama’s policies, particularly his stimulus spending bill, cap-and-trade legislation, and, of course, the health care plan tea party leaders successfully branded as Obamacare. In its early days, the tea party was equally opposed to big spenders in both parties. In fact, it was often harder on Republicans than on Democrats. Tea party groups even backed primary challengers to Republican incumbents. Unfortunately, the tea party was quickly coopted by the GOP. As a result, while tea party grou … | |
Florida Killer Sought $800,000 Inheritance Before Shooting According To Court FilingAccused Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz tried to obtain a reported $800,000 inheritance nearly two months before the shooting, according to court records. The 19 year old signed a retainer agreement with lawyer Audra Simovitch on December 13 in order to pursue his share of the estate left behind by his adoptive mother, Lynda Cruz, who died in November. Nikolas was set to receive his share when he reached the age of 22, according to an order by Broward County Probate Division Judge Charles Greene. Simovich accused the public defender’s office of “obstructing justice” by denying access to Cruz, and telling the guardian of his younger brother, 42-year-old Roxanne Deschamps, that the suspected shooter may wish to “waive his interest in the estate.” | |
Geopolitical Risk Is On The Rise In Oil MarketsAuthored by Nick Cunningham via OilPrice.com, In the long-term, many oil analysts expect the world to become increasingly dependent on oil production from the Middle East, as U.S. shale fades in importance. However, geopolitical turmoil is already causing disruptions in major oil-producing countries in the Middle East, raising questions about the region’s ability to supply the global market in the long run. The IEA has repeatedly warned that while U.S. shale has led to oversupply in the short run, shale output cannot meet future demand by itself. By the mid-2020s, especially because there are questions about the longevity of U.S. shale, there could be a much greater reliance on the Middle East, just as there was in the past. However, according to the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), the deteriorating geopolitical landscape in the Middle East could leave longstanding scars on the region’s energy sector. Geopolitical threats are cropping up in various ways in the … | |
Why It’s Hard to Make Cold Cash Delivering Hot FoodCompanies that specialize in helping you order takeout food online have done a remarkable job delivering returns to shareholders. Now comes a new threat. | |
China’s Netflix Set to Come With a Pricey ValuationThe Netflix-like service iQiyi, from China, is set to go on show in the U.S. soon. Investors should pay attention to the price of admission. | |
No Magic Number for QualcommBroadcom’s reduced bid still represents substantial premium, but deal risk remains high. | |
Jeff Reeves’s Strength in Numbers: These 9 experts warn that another stock-market correction is comingDon’t underestimate the impact of rising inflation and higher interest rates. | |
Amazon HQ2? Housing experts put their money on Atlanta or Northern VirginiaA group of economists and industry experts think either Atlanta or the D.C. metro area is the most likely home of Amazon’s next headquarters. | |
The Tell: Here’s why ‘ultralow volatility’ isn’t coming backThe stretch of “ultralow” stock-market volatility is over. But rising volatility isn’t necessarily bad news for stocks, say analysts at Société Générale. |
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