04Apr2019 Pre-Market Commentary: Wall Street Futures Stall As Trade Talks Continue, DOW And SP 500 Flat, Gold Futures Fall $6.30 To $1,289

Here is the current market situation from CNN Money

European markets are mixed. The DAX is higher by 0.21%, while the FTSE 100 is leading the CAC 40 lower. They are down 0.51% and 0.24% respectively.

U.S. weekly jobless claims lowest since 1969

The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits dropped to a more than 49-year low last week, pointing to sustained labor market strength despite slowing economic growth.

Trump says U.S. economy strong despite ‘destructive actions’ by Fed

President Donald Trump on Thursday said the U.S. economy was very strong despite what he said were “unnecessary and destructive actions” taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve, his latest attack on the nation’s independent central bank.

Ethiopia urges Boeing to review controls, backs pilots

Ethiopian investigators urged Boeing to review its flight control technology and said pilots of state carrier Ethiopian Airlines had carried out proper procedures in the first public findings on the crash of a 737 MAX jet that killed 157 people.

Tesla shares skid after first-quarter deliveries disappoint

Tesla Inc shares fell more than 8 percent on Thursday after a bigger-than-expected drop in first-quarter deliveries, led by waning demand for its luxury Model S and X vehicles, added to worries about the electric carmaker’s finances.

Rage within the machine: Brexit headline blizzard overloads FX algos

Brexit is so confusing it’s even confounding the robots.

Constellation tops sales, profit estimates on Corona, Modelo strength

Constellation Brands Inc on Thursday reported quarterly sales and profit well above analysts’ estimates, as the brewer sold more of its popular Corona and Modelo beers, sending its shares up about 3 percent before the bell.

Target raises minimum wage to $13 an hour in tight labor market

Target Corp will raise its U.S. minimum wage to $13 an hour in June, from $12 currently, increasing its payroll costs and putting new pressure on rival Walmart Inc to attract retail workers in a tight labor market.

Brent oil resumes climb to $70 on tightening supply

Brent oil prices resumed their climb toward $70 per barrel on Thursday as expectations of tight global supply outweighed pressure from rising U.S. inventories and production.

Ethiopian Airlines says plane repeatedly nose-dived before crash

Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 repeatedly nose-dived before it crashed, a statement from the airline said, citing the preliminary report into the March 10 crash that was released on Thursday.

Initial Jobless Claims Crash To Lowest In 50 Years

The last time this few Americans sought the help of government after losing a job was in November 1969…

Initial Jobless Claims tumbled 10K from the prior week to 202k.

German Manfuacturing Collapse: “Awful” Industrial Orders Plunge Most Since Financial Crisis

One day after Germany’s leading economic institutes slashed their forecasts for 2019 growth by more than half on Thursday (and warned that the economy could slow much more if Britain quits the European Union without an agreement), Germany again confirmed just how bad the manufacturing recession at the heart of the Eurozone is, when it reported that Industrial orders fell by the biggest margin sequentially in more than two years in February, slumping 4.2%, badly missing consensus expectations of a 0.3% rebound, and worse than last monght’s -2.1% drop, highlighting the extent of the slowdown amid ongoing global trade disputes.

On an annual basis, the collapse was almost unprecedented, with the 8.2% drop matching the worst since the global financial crisis.

The End Of The Bull Market, In Three Charts

Authored by John Rubino via DollarCollapse.com,

Stocks have completely recovered from their flash bear market of late 2018.

But now they face a hard question: Can already record high prices continue to rise in the face of falling corporate profits?

Let’s start with the “falling corporate profits” part:

A business generates improving profits when the things it sells rise in price faster than the cost of production. So on the following chart you want labor costs to be flat or falling, and the other line – a measure of inflation – to be rising. But lately the opposite is true.

Dimon Slams Socialism, Warns Volatility Is “Harbinger Of Things To Come”

Coming just five weeks after Warren Buffett’s annual letter to Berkshire shareholders, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has published what CNBC has described as the “second-most anticipated CEO missive of the year”. In this year’s letter to JP Morgan shareholders, Dimon followed a familiar format: First touting the banks record revenue and earnings in 2018 (noting that the bank’s profits are at an all-time high, even without the boost from the Trump tax cuts), warned that the bout of market volatility in Q4 may be a “harbinger” of things to come, inveighed against the forces that are “fraying” the American dream, and articulated a passionate defense of capitalism as a “force for good.”

After US stocks started the year with one of their best quarterly advances in years, shrugging off signs that global fundamentals are deteriorating amid an environment of looming political risks (the US-China trade war, Brexit, the looming US debt ceiling battle), Dimon commented that though everything is awesome right now, the volatility in Q4 might be a “harbinger of things to come” – though he of course remains “optimistic” about the long-term outlook for markets.

In the second section of this letter, I comment on important forward-looking issues. While we remain optimistic about the long-term growth of the United States and the world, the near-term economic and political backdrop is increasingly complex and fraught with risks — both known and unknown. And we face a future with less overall confidence in virtually all institutions, from corporations to governments to the media. The extremely volatile global markets in the fourth quarter of 2018 might be a harbinger of things to come — creating both risks for our company and opportunities to serve our clients.

Tapping into the political zeitgeist, where the debate about the growing popularity of so-called “Democratic socialism” has been raging since …

Walmart Voice Order is one more option for grocery customers, especially young shoppers

Walmart has added a voice-shopping option for groceries, which should appeal to a growing number of younger shoppers.

Economic Report: Jobless claims touch lowest level since 1969, falling to 202,000 at the end of March

The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits at the end of March fell to the lowest level since December 1969, a reassuring sign for the U.S. economy amid a bounty of other evidence showing slower growth early in the new year. Jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 202,000

Bond Report: Treasury yields edge lower as traders eye trade talks

Treasury yields fall Thursday, trimming their weekly rise. Germany’s 10-year bond yield falls into negative territory.