28Feb2019 Midday Update: Wall Street Stocks Drift Near Unchanged Line Despite Better-Than-Expected U.S. Growth, DOW Down 5 Points, Growth Fears Reverberate

Here is the current market situation from CNN Money

North and South American markets are mixed to lower. Shares in Brazil are off as the Bovespa drops 1.67%. The IPC is down 1.52% while the S&P 500 in U.S. is unchanged.

Exclusive: KKR, China’s Tencent eyeing bids for Universal Music – sources

U.S. buyout fund KKR and China’s Tencent Music Entertainment Group are exploring rival bids for up to half of Vivendi’s iconic Universal Music division, a deal potentially worth up to 20 billion euros ($23 billion), sources told Reuters.

U.S. economic growth slows moderately in fourth quarter

The U.S. economy slowed less than expected in the fourth quarter amid solid consumer and business spending, leaving 2018 growth just shy of the Trump administration’s 3 percent annual target.

Ex-Barclays CEO had to delegate responsibility during 2008 fundraising

John Varley, former CEO of Barclays, told investigators in 2014 he had had to delegate responsibility during the British bank’s efforts to raise more than 11 billion pounds ($15 billion) at the height of the credit crisis.

Wall St. dips after early end to Trump-Kim summit, bleak earnings

U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday as a U.S.-North Korea summit ended abruptly without an agreement, with a clutch of weak earnings adding to the downbeat sentiment.

U.S. embassy in Sweden asks financial watchdog for meeting on Swedbank

The U.S. embassy in Sweden has asked the domestic watchdog FI for a meeting to discuss allegations of Swedbank’s involvement in a Baltic money-laundering scandal, raising concerns that U.S. authorities might be mulling a probe of the Nordic bank.

Exxon’s Cyprus gas discovery adds another giant to East Med collection

ExxonMobil added another giant gas discovery to the east Mediterranean region after finding a gas-bearing reservoir offshore Cyprus but infrastructure bottlenecks and geopolitical disputes mean output from the field could be far off.

FAA fines American Airlines, Delta for long tarmac delays

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it had fined American Airlines $1 million and Delta Air Lines Inc $750,000 for violating federal rules prohibiting lengthy tarmac delays at U.S. airports.

Starboard to vote against Celgene/Bristol deal, move ahead with proxy

Activist investor Starboard Value LP plans to vote against Bristol-Myers Squibb Co’s proposed $74 billion takeover of biotech Celgene Corp and urged other shareholders to join it in voting down the “poorly conceived and ill-advised” deal.

Rolls-Royce quits race to power Boeing’s planned mid-market plane

Rolls-Royce dropped out of the race to power Boeing’s planned mid-market aircraft on Thursday, saying it did not want to risk more disruption for its airline customers by rushing out a product without extensive testing.

“People Lining Up For Food Is A Good Thing” – There’s A Real Chance This Man Could Become The Next President

Authored by Mac Slavo via SHTFplan.com,

If there’s one thing we know about Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, it’s that he loves breadlines… and Communists.

While Sanders didn’t quite make it during the 2016 election – arguably because he was robbed of his nomination by the Clinton campaign – Americans who believe in Constitutional rule of law, liberty and everything that makes this country great better wake up, because Sanders raised over $5 million within 24 hours of announcing his candidacy, suggesting that a massive segment of the U.S. population is supportive of what he stands for.

Well, they may think they know what Sanders stands for… The problem, of course, is that hardcore leftists reside in an echo chamber which has, through harassment and violence, shielded itself from any ideas or arguments that sit outside their very close knit, media supported narratives.

As an example, consider the following 1985 interview from Bernie Sanders.

During his State of the Union address President Trump warned A …

What Is Behind The Crash In FX Vol, And When Will It Finally End

Yesterday we presented some thoughts from Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank on the recent plunge in government bond vol, which according to the MOVE index has tumbled to all time lows.

However, it’s not just bonds where volatility has evaporated: in addition to equities in both developed and emerging markets, vol has also crashed in currency trading, as represented below by the Deutsche Bank CVIX FX vol index.

Has Trump Overplayed His Hand With Saudi Arabia?

Authored by Tim Daiss via Oilprice.com,

Last year, President Donald Trump successfully convinced Saudi Arabia to help keep a lid on global oil prices by ramping up production. The Saudis acquiescence to Trump’s tweets at the time were likely appeasement to the president for placing fresh sanctions against Saudi Arabia’s middle eastern nemesis, Iran. Moreover, most concede that Riyadh was a deciding factor in swaying the president to withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran. Consequently, Saudi Arabia’s kowtow to Trumps’ tweets was a returned favor.

However, when Trump later granted waivers that allowed several countries to keep importing Iranian crude, oil prices started their nosedive during the last quarter of the year, catching Saudi Arabia flat-footed, and according to many accounts furious at the president for what they saw as a betrayal of trust.

Now, Trump is tweeting again about high global oil prices and asking OPEC+ to reconsider its oil production cut deal that was im …

Israeli Attorney General Indicts Netanyahu On Charges Of Bribery, Fraud & Breach Of Trust

Three months after Israeli police recommended that the country’s attorney general pursue charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his alleged involvement in “Bezeq Walla Affair”, it appears an indictment is finally being handed down on Thursday, much to the longtime leader’s chagrin.

Since Netanyahu and his wife have become embroiled in multiple scandals over the past few years, seemingly all of which have yielded recommendations of prosecution, let us pause a moment for a quick refresher on the most serious allegations. The crux of the case is that Netanyahu and his wife accepted bribes from Shaul Elovitch, the owner of Israel’s largest telecoms firm, Bezeq. Elovitch also owns the “Walla” news website. The prime minister crossed a line when he allegedly fired Communications Ministry Director-General Avi Berger and hired ex-Netanyahu campaign manager Shlomo Filber in a bid to help guarantee special treatment for Elovitch and his companies. In exchange, Netanyahu and his wife purportedly struck a deal with Elovitch for favorable coverage on his news website.

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Commodities Corner: Why gold is down for the month, but still on a long-term track to reach $2,000 an ounce

Gold prices have pulled back from a 10-month high in recent sessions, leaving investors wondering why the many geopolitical and economic issues plaguing the market haven’t been able to fully support the metal’s haven appeal.

The Margin: Alex Jones completely loses it — again — during marathon Joe Rogan podcast

If you’ve got 4 hours and 40 minutes to spare, please do something else. But if you’re like 2.5 million-plus other gluttons for podcast punishment, Joe Rogan just served up a bowl full of crazy with his interview on Wednesday of Alex Jones.

Millennial cancer survivors are going broke fighting to stay alive

Young adult cancer survivors are at higher risk for debt and work-related physical and mental impairment after their treatment, new research finds.