19Feb2020 Pre-Market Commentary: China Stimulus Hints, Slowing Spread Of Virus Lift Wall Street, DOW Futures Up 80 Points, WTI Crude Hits Higher At 53.00

Here is the current market situation from CNN Money

European markets are higher today with shares in London leading the region. The FTSE 100 is up 0.73% while France’s CAC 40 is up 0.64% and Germany’s DAX is up 0.54%.

China stimulus hints, slowing spread of virus lift stocks

A decline in the number of new coronavirus cases in China and mounting expectations for more policy stimulus boosted global equity markets on Wednesday and pushed the yen to nine-month lows as alarm caused by Apple’s revenue warning faded.

Nokia to acquire optical networking tech firm Elenion

Finnish telecom networks maker Nokia Oyj said on Wednesday it has agreed to acquire privately-held U.S.-based company Elenion Technologies to boost its optical networking business and broaden its offering to telecoms operators.

Futures rise on China stimulus hopes, signs of slowing virus spread

U.S. stock index futures advanced on Wednesday as signs of slowing coronavirus infections and expectations that China would take more steps to bolster its virus-hit economy helped investors return to equities after Apple’s sales warning.

Kuwaiti parliament to investigate Airbus aircraft orders

Kuwaiti lawmakers agreed on Wednesday to set up a committee to look into whether Airbus’s aircraft orders from the Gulf Arab state involved alleged corruption, the state news agency reported.

U.S. urges EU to use 5G by Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, seen on par with Huawei

EU countries have no reason to use 5G mobile technology from Huawei because Sweden’s Ericsson , Finland’s Nokia and South Korea’s Samsung are on par with the Chinese group in the field, a senior U.S. diplomat said.

T-Mobile owner sets sights on becoming U.S. number one

Deutsche Telekom is aiming to become market leader in the United States, CEO Tim Hoettges said on Wednesday, now that a deal for its T-Mobile US unit to take over Sprint is within reach.

Air France faces new strikes over domestic network cuts

Air France unions have called for strikes at its domestic carrier Hop as pilots seek improved pay and conditions and ground staff press for job guarantees, union officials said.

Lyft resumes shared electric bike rentals in NYC

Lyft Inc will roll out a fleet of several hundred electric bikes for rent across New York City, the company said on Wednesday, 10 months after it pulled them following complaints and injury reports.

Exclusive: Vodafone, Telecom Italia offer rivals access to some sites to ease EU concerns – EU paper

Vodafone and Telekom Italia have offered to allow rivals access to sites in some cities for up to nine years, a proposal aimed at allaying EU antitrust concerns over the creation of Italy’s largest mobile tower company, according to an EU document seen by Reuters.

US Producer Prices Rise At Fastest Pace In 9 Months As Service Costs Soar

US Producer Prices Rise At Fastest Pace In 9 Months As Service Costs Soar

US Producer Prices spike 0.5% MoM in January, sending the Final Demand data up 2.1% YoY -the hottest inflationary print since April 2019.

Iran Confirms First 2 Cases Of COVID-19; ‘Diamond Princess’ Confirms 79 More Cases As Quarantine Ends

Iran Confirms First 2 Cases Of COVID-19; ‘Diamond Princess’ Confirms 79 More Cases As Quarantine Ends

Update (0845ET): As the G-20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors begins in Riyadh, the IMF has published an essay warning that newfound “uncertainties” brought about by the coronavirus could lead to a “long-lasting and more severe outbreak”.

In the lengthy piece, penned by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, warns that after central banks around the world including the Fed cut rates 71 times last year, the biggest monetary boom since the global financial crisis has left the global economy in good shape.

Still, China presents a serious problem. If the virus is contained, the economic impact on the mainland will be short-lived, and the knock-on effects for the rest of the world, transmitted via disruptions to global supply chains, will be minimal.

But if Beijing can’t get a handle on this thing, well…

The coronavirus is our most pressing uncertainty: a global health emergency we did not anticipate in January. It is a stark reminder of how a fragile recovery could be threatened by unforeseen events. There are a number of scenarios, depending on how quickly the spread of the virus is contained. If the disruptions from the virus end quickly, we expect the Chinese economy to bounce back soon. The result would be a sharp drop in GDP growth in China in the first quarter of 2020, but only a small reduction for the entire year. Spillovers to other countries would remain relatively minor and short-lived, mostly through temporary sup …

Building Permits Surge To 13 Year Highs Thanks To Warm Weather In Northeast

Building Permits Surge To 13 Year Highs Thanks To Warm Weather In Northeast

After December’s surge in starts and tumble in permits, analysts expected a reversion in both in January’s data and that is what happened with a huge 9.2% MoM spike in building permits (the most since June 2017) and housing starts dropped 3.6% MoM (though notably less than the 11.2% drop expected)…

Chipping Away At The Market’s Omnipotence

Chipping Away At The Market’s Omnipotence

Authored by Sven Henrich via NorthmanTrader.com,

$AAPL, the largest tech stock on the planet, pounds out a revenue warning and $NDX makes new all time highs. Ha ha.

Apple’s biggest money spinner is a source of worry for it right now

Apple’s biggest money spinner is a source of worry for it right nowApple’s earnings warning is an unfortunate reminder that it remain ‘the iPhone company’.

Come April, India will boast of cleanest fuel

Come April, India will boast of cleanest fuelCome April, India will join nations using petrol and diesel containing just 10 parts per million of sulphur.

A pen is changing India’s healthcare sector

A pen is changing India’s healthcare sectorDoxper, a healthtech startup, is helping doctors to digitise their case sheets using digital pen and encoded papers.

January 2020 Producer Price Final Demand Year-over-Year Growth Jumps To 2.1%

Written by Steven Hansen

The Producer Price Index (PPI) year-over-year inflation grew from 1.3 % to 2.1 %,

Europe unveils new digital strategy that will restrict tech giants and hurt Facebook, Google owner Alphabet, and Amazon

Facebook, Google owner Alphabet, and Amazon are bracing themselves for new restrictions being set out today by the European Commission to restrict the use of artificial intelligence and data.

Need to Know: In a market with ‘no respect for risk,’ what’s the difference between investment and speculation?

Investors seem to be ignoring risk. Is that investment or speculation?

Economic Report: U.S. wholesale prices surge in January, but it’s probably a false alarm

The wholesale cost of U.S. goods and services posted the sharpest increase in January in 15 months, but most of the uptick appeared to reflect temporary price swings instead of an underlying increase in inflation. The producer price index jumped 0.5% last month.