Valentines Day is tomorrow. If you didn't get anything for your honey, I want to tell you TWO things.
First, do NOT take her to dinner. Restaurants are overrun and the food, service, and overall experience is TERRIBLE. Go to Whole Foods. Get the food and TWO bottles of wine she likes. Make her whatever her favorite dinner is. Even if you screw it up you have back-up. A) You get an A for effort. B) After two bottles of wine ...she won't be able to tell you overcooked the Salmon Risotto...
The SECOND thing I want to tell you is this: The Two Biggest Nights of the Year on Dating Apps like Tinder are the First Sunday of the Year (After their man didn't get them what they wanted for Christmas, yelled at her mother, and watched Football ALL WEEKEND on New Years with his buddies) ..and then its Valentine's Day. So, if you haven't made a plan... and you DON'T Take my advice on the Dinner thing.. you can BET that while on the couch tomorrow night when she says, "Im playing Candy Crush and texting my sister on my phone" She is Swipin' and LYYIINNNGGGGGG !!!!
Coronavirus Update:Yesterday, there were claims the "number of new cases seems to be leveling off". Well, that didn't last long. Now, some regions of China are reporting new cases and underreported cases. The "official" number (to use the word "official" is kind of a joke) is over 60,000 cases and 1400 deaths. But, there are reports out of China that the leaders of regions that "reported" new cases have been replaced.
In Da Swamp: The international news sites are trying to understand why all of the US Media downplayed or ignored Bernie Sanders win in New Hampshire. One Russian site asked, "why are the headlines about the people that DIDN'T win? .. One had 'Amy Klobuchar gets her moment in New Hampshire'..and on CNN: 'New Hampshire gives Klobuchar a big boost and puts Warren and Biden on life support'. Why are all the headlines about the people that finished third?? " .. well... ILL TELL YOU..
For those out there that HATE TRUMP and think it's just him making stuff up about the "Fake News being an arm of the Democratic Party" watch this news cycle and the coverage of Sanders. The DNC HATES Bernie. They don't like him and don't think he is electable. The Donors are Executives at the TV Stations and FRIENDS of the Executives.. and they purposely downplay Bernie. and you know what? Its TOTAL CRAP.
If they didn't want Bernie to run as a Democrat they should have told him he CAN'T. Tell him BEFOREhe starts campaigning. It is COMPLETELY legitimate to tell him, "You list yourself as an Independent. You cannot run for President under our Party." That would be a simple answer, right? .. YUP.. . But, catastrophic to the Democrats and they KNOW it... They HAVE to let him run and then screw him.. Otherwise, he would be the Ross Perot of the 2020 Election, and they KNOW it. (For you Youngsters, Billionaire Perot ran as an Independent in 1992 and took enough of the Conservative votes to ruin the Bush '41 campaign. Perot and Alan Greenspan gave us President Bill Clinton).
Microsoft - Apple - Google - Amazon. See the Hidden Message? President Trump did. He held up a list of the three $1 Trillion Dollar US Companies. He bragged that it was HIS economy that helped these companies make it to a trillion dollar valuation. He held up a paper and told the Fox News guy, you better put this on FoxNews tonight. Microsoft - Apple - Google - Amazon. M.A.G.A !!! Just like his hats. AHHAAHH.. He is unbelievable.. and...
In other Swamp News: Elizabeth Warren heads to Nevada hoping to gain some ground there on Februarty 22nd and not be COMPLETELY irrelevant on SuperTuesday (March 3rd). As I told you yesterday, Joe Biden went to South Carolina where he enjoys strong support..and. yup.. he did it AGAIN!!!!. At a Rally, Joe tried to Shake off his losses and pump up his supporters .. "Alright !!! Well, we had a little disappointment but now we're here in SOUTH CAROLINA" <Crowd Cheers and Whoops> .. Joe: "Iowa and Nevada have spoken but now its time to hear SOUTH CAROLINA!!!!" <some cheers and some puzzled looks>. ..Umm.. Joe? It was Iowa and New Hampshire. You just flew in from New Hampshire.. Nevada is on Feb. 22, Joe. Do you need a drink, Joe? .. AHAHAHHAHA..
Finally, Deval Patrick has dropped out of the Presidential race. I know I know.. you say, "WHO???" Yup.. He was former Massachusetts Governor, Bain Capital, friend of Obama.. Got in too late.. Really, they should all Drop out and save the money. Let Bloomberg stay in case Trump gets arrested for whacking Pelosi with his hair and knocks her out...
SPORTS: I heard a great Mia Hamm quote. (Again, for those youngsters out there. Mia Hamm was greatest woman soccer player ever). She was asked in an interview once, "What's it like to be the best soccer player in the world". She said, "You know. Some people say that.. you say that. But, I don't believe it..and because I don't believe it.. .. someday, I might be". ...BAMM !!!! Drop the Mic.
GOLF: Genesis Invitational at Riviera starts today. The "story" is that this is the site of Tiger Woods first Pro Event.. and if he wins it will be his 83rd Tour win and he will be the Best Ever in Tour Wins. (Passing Sam Snead). So, Ill make this prediction: Not only does Tiger not win... He misses the cut. Im not saying this because I am a jerk. (I mean, I AMa Jerk.. but that's not why Tiger isn't gonna win.). Tiger won't win for a few reasons. 1) The course doesn't set up well for him. He is winless in 13 career starts here. 2) He is the Host.. That takes time away from prep. 3) Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy. Anyone out there wanna call Bullsheet? $100. I get those three and you get Tiger. Takers?
I got a few interesting responses about the Westminster Dog show comments I made yesterday. To be clear, YES. YES, I was "hating on" poodles. They're mean spirited and weird looking. Bulldogs are BETTER !!!
Fun Fact:Americas two most popular dogs over the years, "Golden Retriever and Yellow Lab" have NEVER won Best in Show at Westminster. Now, THAT is a controversy. The first one was in 1877. 143 Years and they have NEVER WON!!! Why is that??? I asked a Dog Expert why this is .. she said, "Off the record, the breeds are not very smart and they don't behave in crowds or listen to instruction". uhh..Wait ... What?? WHAT??!?!?! Americans LOVE Dumb Blondes that don't listen !!!!! It's what we DO !!!!! I'd give you a LIST of Dumb Blondes that Americans LOVE but I have a 32 million Character Limit on this Email service !!!
CELEBRIDIOTS: Runs in the Family .. Simone Johnson.. daughter of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who was in the WWE ..and grandaughter of Rocky Johnson who was in the WWE and Great Grandaughter of “High Chief” Peter Maivia who was ALSO in the WWE has JOINED the WWE !!! Good Luck Simone HERE . I'd say be careful.. but its all fake..
I think I'm done watching hockey on NBC. They have fired analyst Jeremy Roenick for making jokes on a podcast. He was on vacation with his wife and her friend (who also happens to work at NBC with Roenick) and he joked about threesomes. He also praised her for her on air work. I guess I'm sticking to NHL Network ...and...
As you all know I freely admit when I am wrong. I was called out by a reader for missing Vanessa Hudgens in the Oscar Voting. Clearly Classy. Clearly a smoke show. HERE .. Yes, I totally screwed this one up. She should have been a winner. I feel like Steve Harvey reading the wrong card. I am sorry to the world. I am sorry to Vanessa...and since you're newly single, Vanessa, Come on Over tomorrow night!!! Ill make you dinner and get you a trophy !!!
From SeekingAlpha.com
Following global markets into the red, U.S. stock index futures are pulling back from record highs - with the DJIA pointing to an opening loss of 200 points - ahead of earnings from Alibaba (NYSE:BABA), PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) and Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA). Denting sentiment are 15,000 new coronavirus infections in China that were calibrated using a new CT scan detection method, rather than confirmation via slower ribonucleic acid tests. That brings the national total to just over 60,000 cases, prompting China to replace its top officials in the central province of Hubei and its capital, Wuhan. While non-China deaths linked to COVID-19 still remain very low, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned the outbreak "could still go in any direction."
With swaths of individual companies pulling out of the exhibition over the past week, the GSMA telecoms association that hosts the get-together has called off the Feb. 24-27 event. Fears over the coronavirus outbreak were to blame despite assurances from local and national health officials that it would have been safe to hold it. The Mobile World Congress draws more than 100,000 visitors to Barcelona and is known as the year's biggest event for the telecom industry.
Just when it looked like the deal was done, the merger of Sprint (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) is again in question. Deutsche Telekom (OTCQX:DTEGY), the parent company of T-Mobile U.S., is pressing to renegotiate the terms of the takeover, as the shares and performance of Sprint have deteriorated since the deal was announced, sources told the FT. The move is opposed by Sprint's controlling shareholder, SoftBank (OTCPK:SFTBY) of Japan, according to people close to its chairman Masayoshi Son. S -5.8% premarket. Go deeper: Sprint investors should get out of the stock now, writes Stone Fox Capital.
The latest nominees to the Federal Reserve will face a crucial test at a Senate grilling today after the past two picks, economist Stephen Moore and Herman Cain, were rejected. Christopher Waller, director of research at the St. Louis Fed, is expected to easily pass muster, though lawmakers will closely examine the views of Judy Shelton, an adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016. She has a long history of unorthodox economic commentary, like questioning the basic role of the Fed, calling for near-zero interest rates and advocating for pegging the dollar to the gold standard.
Fresh data from the Treasury Department showed the federal government post a budget deficit of $389.2B in the first four months of fiscal 2020. That's a 25% gain over the same period last year and already about 40% of the total deficit for fiscal 2019. Tax receipts are actually on the rise comparatively, but the rate of federal outlays is adding to the shortfall, bringing the total national debt to $23.3T.
Worries about the European economy emerged on Wednesday as the euro fell to its weakest level against the dollar since 2017, dropping as much as 0.4% to $1.0877. On top of a weakened economy, impacts from the coronavirus are likely to send Germany into recession, while Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) expects to post a contraction in the fourth quarter. Also weighing on sentiment is a lingering succession battle at the top of the German government, a slump in eurozone industrial output and fears about the financial health of Italy. Go deeper: 'The Euro Currency Sits And Waits' by Andrew Hecht.
Britain's financial regulators are probing historical links between Barclays (NYSE:BCS) CEO Jes Staley and Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in jail last year while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The NYT previously said that Epstein had referred "dozens" of wealthy clients to Staley when he ran JPMorgan's (NYSE:JPM) private banking business, while Staley visited Epstein in prison when he was serving a sentence between 2008-09 for soliciting prostitution. The news came as Barclays released annual results: Profit before tax rose 26% Y/Y to £4.4B in 2019, though a cautious outlook was given for the year ahead.
Winning clearance from the U.K.'s competition watchdog, Google (GOOG, GOOGL) has completed its buyout of Big Data analytics firm Looker Data Sciences. The regulator said the acquisition was unlikely to lead to increased prices or lower quality, as the two are not considered close competitors by companies who use business intelligence tools. Looker was the first major acquisition for Google's new cloud business CEO Thomas Kurian, and it aims to build upon the success of Google Cloud's BigQuery, a tool for managing large datasets.
Airbus (OTCPK:EADSY) is raising its stake in Bombardier's (OTCQX:BDRAF, OTCQX:BDRBF) A220 passenger jet program to 75% (Quebec will own the rest), marking the Canadian company's exit from commercial aviation as it seeks to improve its financial position. The deal will bolster Airbus's advantage in the narrow-body market, where Boeing's 737 MAX is grounded. Airbus aims to deliver about 880 jets this year, up from a record 863 in 2019, and achieving that figure could propel its share price (the French planemaker's stock rose 55% last year vs. Boeing's 1% advance).
What else is happening...
BP (NYSE:BP) pledges net zero emissions by 2050.
MGM Resorts (NYSE:MGM) CEO Murren is stepping down.
Best profit since 2010 for Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS).
Kellogg's (NYSE:K) joins meatless craze with vegan bratwurst and sausage.
Wednesday's Key Earnings
Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT) +2% AH giving solid guidance. Annaly Capital (NYSE:NLY) +0.8% AH agreeing to internalize management. Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD) -0.2% despite raising its dividend. CenturyLink (NYSE:CTL) -4.4% AH posting an in-line Q4. Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) -4.6% AH on customer spending slowdown. CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) -0.1% holding off on major deals. Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) +7.8% after an earnings smasher. Teva Pharma (NYSE:TEVA) +9.1% continuing its turnaround.
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan -0.1%. Hong Kong -0.3%. China -0.7%. India -0.3%. In Europe, at midday, London -1.5%. Paris -1%. Frankfurt -1.1%. Futures at 6:20, Dow -0.7%. S&P -0.7%. Nasdaq -0.9%. Crude -0.8% to $50.75. Gold +0.4% to $1578. Bitcoin -1.3% to $10189. Ten-year Treasury Yield -4 bps to 1.58%
Today's Economic Calendar
8:30 Initial Jobless Claims 8:30 Consumer Price Index 10:30 EIA Natural Gas Inventory 12:45 PM Fed's Kaplan Speech 1:00 PM Results of $19B, 30-Year Note Auction 4:30 PM Money Supply 4:30 PM Fed Balance Sheet 5:30 PM Fed's Williams Speech
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