01Apr2019 Midday Update: Wall Street Rally On China’s Factory Rebound, Trade Hopes, Dow Rises More Than 250 Points, WTI Crude Up Sharply To $61.47, Retail Sales Declined

Here is the current market situation from CNN Money

North and South American markets are broadly higher today with shares in Mexico leading the region. The IPC is up 1.19% while Brazil’s Bovespa is up 0.97% and U.S.’s S&P 500 is up 0.92%.

When it comes to disclosing sponsors, your Google Assistant may be mute

On stage at an investor conference last month, Google’s Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler identified a vexing challenge for the company’s most prized app: its virtual assistant.

Novartis must face doctor kickback lawsuit, U.S. judge rules

Novartis AG must face a U.S. government lawsuit accusing it of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to doctors so they would prescribe its drugs, after a federal judge ruled on Monday that the government had offered evidence of a “company-wide kickback scheme.”

China’s Kunlun in talks with U.S. over Grindr: filing

Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd said on Monday that it was in talks with U.S. government authorities about whether it should continue to own popular gay dating app Grindr LLC.

U.S. Labor Department moves to ease companies’ liability for franchisee wage violations

The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday issued a proposal that would make it more difficult to prove companies are liable for the wage law violations of their contractors or franchisees, a top priority for business groups.

Kellogg agrees $1.3 billion cookie sale with Nutella-maker Ferrero

U.S. food group Kellogg Co has agreed to sell its Keebler biscuits brand and other assets to Nutella maker Ferrero for $1.3 billion as it focuses on its core cereals and snacks businesses.

Sweden will not pursue Browder’s Swedbank complaint

Sweden’s Economic Crime Authority said it will not investigate Swedbank over a criminal complaint alleging money laundering brought by campaigning investor Bill Browder.

U.S. airlines back up after second system glitch in a week

Major U.S. airlines were back up and running on Monday after a system-wide outage delayed hundreds of flights and fired-up customer complaints on social media, the second such disruption in a week.

Stocks rally on China’s factory rebound, trade hopes

Global stocks rallied on Monday, building on gains from their best quarter since 2010, as investors cheered upbeat factory activity data in China and the United States and signs of progress on the U.S.-China trade front.

U.S. opens new probe into 3 million Kia, Hyundai vehicles for fire risks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday it would open a new safety defect investigation into three million Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Motors Corp vehicles for fires not caused by crashes.

Twitter Blocking Users From Following Anti-Abortion Film In Second Recent ‘Glitch’

After temporarily suspending the Twitter account of a Christian-focused production company’s anti-abortion film with no explanation, some Twitter users are now reporting that they can’t follow the account for the movie Unplanned – as Twitter automatically “un-follows” them upon a refresh.

Cross-Asset Volatility Positioning “Is Now Worrisome Again” – Time For A New Explosion?

Authored by Andreas Steno Larsen via Nordea Bank,

The short positioning in VIX is heavier than prior to the February and October sell-offs, which is why we are on alert to a new potential squeeze of volatility positions. From the current levels, we see the best risk/reward in long vol across assets

Radioactive Fukushima Particles Found In Alaska’s Bering Strait

Radioactive particles from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have drifted as far north as a remote Alaskan island in the Bering Strait, according to scientists at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

Johnstone: Leaked ‘401’-Page Mueller Report Proves Barr Lied, Collusion Theorists Vindicated

Authored by Caitlin Johnstone via Medium.com,

An unredacted copy of the Robert Mueller report has been leaked to theWashington Post, who published the full document on its website Monday.

Retail Sales Decline In February 2019

Written by Steven Hansen

Retail sales declined according to US Census headline data. Last month’s data was revised upward but the rolling averages continue their downward trend.

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How rating everything from your Uber driver to your Airbnb host has become a nightmare

‘The reputation economy is making us a little more careful in everything we say, how we say it, and what we do.’

Here’s what it would take for users to give up Facebook for a month

Researchers test how much it would take to give up Facebook for a month as a way to estimate the value of free services to the increasingly digital economy.

Watch out for these April Fools’ pranks from Google, McDonalds, Fatburger — and maybe Tom Brady

Marketing experts warn most brands should avoid April Fools’ hoaxes in the “fake news” age, however.