17Jan2019 Market Close: Wall Street Rises On Report Of US Considering End To China Tariffs, DOW Closes Up 162 Points, WTI Settles In The Low 52 Handle, Treasury Yields Stage Late-day Surge

Trian to skip PPG board challenge after new commitments: sources

Trian Fund Management LP will not challenge PPG Industries Inc’s board of directors at its 2019 shareholder meeting after the U.S. paints and coatings company met some of the activist hedge fund’s demands and announced new financial targets, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Bogle’s legacy: Booming index funds with perhaps too much reach

John “Jack” Bogle, the founder of index investment pioneer Vanguard Group Inc, changed Wall Street by convincing millions to turn away from mutual funds that actively pick stocks, but his legacy will also be shaped by the unintended consequences of index funds.

Fitch says PG&E’s bankruptcy will not hurt California’s credit rating

Fitch Ratings said on Thursday power company PG&E Corp’s planned bankruptcy will not at this point hurt the credit quality of California.

Nissan to lay off 700 contract workers in Mississippi

Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s U.S. arm said on Thursday it plans to lay off up to 700 contract workers at its Mississippi assembly plant, citing slowing sales of its vans and Titan pickup trucks.

Wall Street rises on report of U.S. considering end to China tariffs

U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday as a published report that the United States was considering lifting tariffs on Chinese imports lifted investor sentiment.

Walmart partners with four more grocery delivery companies

Walmart Inc said on Thursday it has partnered with another four companies as part of its goal of offering grocery home delivery in more than 100 U.S. cities.

Hitachi debacle strengthens Franco-Chinese hand in UK nuclear

Hitachi’s decision to freeze its $28 billion nuclear power project in Britain strengthens the hand of France’s EDF and its Chinese partner in talks with the government on how to finance new reactors.

U.S. stocks edge up on defense, healthcare gains; pound firms

Gains in defense shares as well as healthcare helped to keep U.S. stocks in positive territory on Thursday, while an end to the latest chapter in Britain’s exit from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May’s defeat of a confidence vote, lifted sterling.

Trump tariffs force tough choices at U.S. auto suppliers

Bob Roth makes no bones about his feelings towards U.S. manufacturing.

Billionaire Investor Sam Zell Says He’s Buying Gold “For The First Time In My Life”

Amid a cresting wave of consolidation in the gold mining space as spending on new mines has dried up since 2011, billionaire investor Sam Zell is buying the shiny metal “for the first time in his life” because he sees opportunities stemming from an expected shortage in supply.

Gold notably didn’t perform as well as many might have expected during the eruption of market volatility during Q4, but some investors see scope for the shiny metal to embark on its strongest rally since the crisis after years of lackluster returns as global economic growth slows and investors look for somewhere to hide.

That, and the impending supply crunch that Zell envisions from the drop in new mining capacity – the capacity of unmined gold still buried in existing mines shrank by 40% in 2017 – are the two reasons why Zell has been buying.

“For the first time in my life, I bought gold because it is a good hedge,” Sam Zell, the founder of Equity Group Investments, said in a Bloomberg TV interview. “Supply is shrinking and that is going to have a positive impact on the price.”

“The amount of capital being put into new gold mines is a most nonexistent,” Zell said. “All of the money is being used to buy up rivals.”

And though official rate of inflation has started to decelerate once again in recent months, signs that the actual rate of inflation in the underlying economy is higher than …

“It’s A Reunion For People Who Broke The World”: Author Explains Why Davos Should Be Cancelled

Paris is burning, a large chunk of the US federal government is shut down and Britain is careening toward a delay of Article 50 – or possibly a second referendum – as the Brexit process descends into chaos, calls for the World Economic Forum to cancel its annual conference in Davos, a notorious rendezvous for the world’s financial and political elite, are growing louder. Particularly after Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and now Theresa May have all decided to skip the conference this year to attend to their respective crises.

While these demands from a frustrated public might seem baffling to the global elites who see Davos as an opportunity for less-fortunate emerging economies to “pitch” themselves in an effort to attract more FDI, one former New York Times columnist and the author of a new book that explores the causes of the surge in populism sweeping the Western world offered a surprisingly articulate and trenchant explanation for why people across the west are “mad as hell”, and, furthermore, what role the average Davos attendee played in bringing our society to this point.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Anand Giridharadas placed the blame on plutocrats like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos for helping to “break the world” with ruthless corporate agendas that helped monopolize political power in the hands of the elite…leaving the rest of the population with deep-seated feelings of frustration as the usual avenues of social mobility have been closed, and people feel more powerless to change their future.

By building a product that has helped undermine the American Democratic process, Zuckerberg has helped steal the future from the average American, Giridharadas said.

“The story of our time is that the people who have monopolized progress and stolen the future from the people…are the change agents. Mark Zuckerberg, who is one of the great change agents of our time, has compromised American democracy…a …

Chicago’s Only 3-Michelin Star Restaurant Offers Clemson Tigers “Special” Victory Meal

How many tasting menus would a 300-pound lineman need to consume to feel satisfied? Well, we might be about to find out.

After “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan, in a pioneering example of what we’ve termed “lobster signaling”, invited the members of the championship Clemson Tigers football team to a “proper meal” of lobster and caviar while criticizing President Trump’s now-infamous shutdown-inspired “fast food feast”, Alinea,Chicago’s only three-Michelin star restaurant, has decided to one-up the former Superbowl-winning pro football player by inviting the team for a special victory meal at its restaurant.

Of course, given the NCAA’s rules against players accepting gifts, it’s unclear whether the team will be abl …

The Strongest Season For Silver Has Only Just Begun

Authored by Dmitri Speck via Acting-Man.com,

Commodities as an Alternative

Our readers are presumably following commodity prices. Commodities often provide an alternative to investing in stocks – and they have clearly discernible seasonal characteristics. Thus heating oil tends to be cheaper in the summer than during the heating season in winter, and wheat is typically more expensive before the harvest then thereafter.

Silver: 1,000 ounce good delivery bars [PT]

Precious metals are also subject to seasonal trends. Today I want to put silver under a magnifying glass on your behalf. Its price has lagged the gold price significantly – the gold-silver price ratio currently stands above 80, which is close to historic highs.

Are seasonal patterns currently suggesting a positive outlook for silver?

Silver: Shooting Star at the Beginning of the Year

The chart below illustrates the seasonal pattern of the silver price. Contrary to a standard chart, it does not depict prices over a specific …

Bond Report: Treasury yields stage late-day surge on U.S.-China trade optimism

Treasury yields rose Thursday after stocks mounted a late-session rally in response to reports that the U.S. was debating ending tariffs on Chinese imports.

Will Americans pay companies to protect their personal data? Here’s their answer

The vast majority of Americans would like online services to collect less of their data, but at what price?

Love & Money: Are you tired of Marie Kondo’s ‘does it spark joy’ question? Here are 5 other ways to declutter

Try the ’20-20′ rule: If you could replace the item in 20 minutes for $20 or less, it’s safe to let go.