Todays Markets

Bloomberg: Stocks Decline; U.S. Futures Rise on China News: Markets Wrap
Asian equities dropped in the wake of the biggest slide in stocks on Wall Street since mid-October. U.S. futures advanced after China pledged to quickly implement some steps on trade in the wake of the weekend summit in Buenos Aires. The dollar ticked up. [more...]

Bloomberg: U.S. Stocks Battered by Trade, Yield Concerns: Markets Wrap
U.S. stocks plunged, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling almost 800 points, as a litany of concerns wiped out the rally in risk assets. Trade-sensitive shares sank as angst mounted that the U.S. and China made no meaningful progress on the trade front this weekend. [more...]

Bloomberg: Apple Resorts to Promo Deals, Trade-Ins to Boost iPhone Sales
Apple Inc. is experimenting with iPhone marketing strategies it rarely uses -- such as discount promotions via generous device buyback terms -- to help goose sales of its flagship product. [more...]

Bloomberg: The Trump-Xi Truce Questions That Are Leaving Markets Flummoxed
President Donald Trump’s dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping yielded a cease-fire in the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies, though the details are proving less than satisfying to those hungering for a lasting truce. [more...]

Bloomberg: Stock Market Misery Runs Deeper Than Trump and the Fed
At first glance, investors got what they wanted: a less aggressive Federal Reserve and calming words on trade. That they still aren’t pleased suggests a bigger issue is underscoring their anxiety. [more...]

Bloomberg: Tumbling Stocks Show You Can't Ignore the ‘Harbinger of Doom’
U.S. stocks suffered the biggest rout in almost two months Tuesday, and among the primary culprits is a shift in how bond investors view risks to the economy. Known as the inversion of the yield curve, where short-term interest rates climb above longer-dated ones, the signal is considered among the best predictors of a future slowdown. [more...]

Bloomberg: The Santa Rally Grinch May Be Recession Fear: Taking Stock
Investors’ relief from the U.S.-China truce on the trade front was short-lived. Wall Street plummeted after the European close yesterday, with the S&P 500 losing 3.2%. [more...]

Bloomberg: Not Everyone's Scared About a Brexit Vote in the Commons
Some of the biggest money managers aren’t spooked by the prospect of a defeat of the U.K.’s Brexit divorce deal in Parliament. Aberdeen Standard Investments, Allianz Global Investors and Investec Asset Management, which between them manage nearly $1.5 trillion, are keeping long positions on sterling. [more...]

Bloomberg: Ex-JPMorgan Traders AI Fund Readies for FX Volatility Surges
An artificial intelligence-driven hedge fund run by two former JPMorgan Chase & Co. derivatives traders is betting on currency volatility to rise further in 2019, with China’s yuan and Turkey’s lira their prime targets for money-making opportunities. [more...]

Reuters: Stocks retreat as falling U.S. yields, trade worries sour mood
Asian stocks slid across the board on Wednesday, dragged down by Wall Street’s tumble as sharp declines in long-term U.S. Treasury yields and resurgent trade concerns stoked investor worries about global economic growth. [more...]

Reuters: Oil prices fall on global growth concerns, U.S. supply glut
Oil prices fell on Wednesday, pulled down by a U.S. supply glut and a drop in stock markets as China’s government warned of increasing economic headwinds and as Japan was expected to report another quarter of GDP contraction. [more...]

CNBC: Theresa May’s Brexit deal is ‘good for both sides,’ analysts say
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans for Brexit have come under significant fire in recent months, but experts and political analysts have talked favorably of her proposals and believe they provide benefits for both sides of the negotiating table. [more...]

CNBC: Iraq could be the next to break ranks with OPEC, analyst says
Compliance across OPEC is in question amid conflicting interests regarding oil production cuts and an abrupt withdrawal announcement from Qatar. While the tiny Gulf kingdom’s departure is largely symbolic and unlikely to lead to further exits, a top energy analyst believes that if any country were to break ranks next, it would be Iraq. [more...]