Valentine's Day!! (see yesterday's Rant for advice) .. But, DON'T DO what Chris Castillo did. Castillo had his first-time Tinder Date pick him up at his parents house because, "his car was in the shop". He had the girl stop at a bank in North Attleboro, Massachusetts so he could "get some money". A few minutes later he came running out of the bank with $1,000 in cash, jumped in the car and told her, "FCKIN GO !!!!". Yup, hadn't even kissed her and made her be the getaway driver!!! The good news is the cops didn't charge her !!!
Coronavirus Update: Well, they gave it an official name: COVID-19. What's up with that?? I never heard of the first 18 COVIDs.. Anyways.. I think Im done reporting the "official" numbers because they all seem to be Bullsheet. ..But, MORE people keep getting diagnosed, including a bunch of hospital workers, and China keeps firing or demoting the people that report anything about the outbreak to the Press. ..and.. in other Coronavirus news
An expert (at least that's what it said on the bottom of the TV screen) in China and Korean markets says that North Korea is "Definitely Lying" that there are no cases of Coronavirus in their country. Apparently, Kim Jung Un does not want to appear "weak". But, this man says that there is "constant movement of people across the border from North Korea into China and that North Korea relies on illegal trade with China to exist. There is NO WAY there are not some infected people in North Korea" The man says the ramifications could be disastrous because North Korea does not have the capability to deal with an outbreak and "millions of people could die there". There are only 25 million people in North Korea, TOTAL. I hope the "expert" is wrong.. .and..
The US has charged Chinese Tech company Huawei with Racketeering and trying to steal American Trade Secrets. The whole world knows they do this... the whole world knows the Chinese Companies are very close to the government and use tech secrets to aid the Chinese Military. You know what this tells me? That there will be no "Phase 2 Trade Deal" with China. Not before the election. Not AFTER the election. Not EVER ... and..
If you're in Oklahoma and forgot to murder someone last year.. You missed your chance.. Oklahoma will resume lethal injections after a 5 year hiatus due to mishaps. I never understood the whole debate over lethal injections. This whole argument, "Its Inhumane.. it doesn't kill them properly and quickly.." The solution is SIMPLE. Use Heroin. NO ONE that has ever used heroin has said, "Oh, this is painful. I hate this". NO.. Heroin is SO DAMN GOOD that people throw away their LIVES to get more of it. Just get a Turkey baster full of heroin and start injecting. The Inmate will LOVE IT.. and at some point there will be too much heroin in him and.. POOF.. he will glide off into Never Never land.. and maybe meet Hitler and Idi Amin !!! .. Simple, right? Im a problem solver... and..
In Da Swamp: Hope is BACK !!! Keep Hope Alive !!! Hope Hicks has returned to the White House. Hope was the Communications Director and left to work in Communications for Fox Corporation. She returns to the White House as a Senior Advisor and will work for Jared Kushner.
Attorney General Barr lashed out at the President in an interview on ABC. Barr said the "Presidential Tweets about pending cases are inappropriate and make it impossible to do my job". (He AIN'T WRONG) Barr said, "I'm not going to be bullied. I am going to do what I think is right. The President should just stop with these tweets". Senate Leader Mitch McConnell was asked to comment and said, "The President should follow Barr's advice"... The White House did not "Back Down" but gave their version of an apology, "The President has a right to voice his opinion and will continue to do so. And, the President has confidence in AG Barr and is certain he will continue to do his job well". I guess that's the best you can hope for.... and...
Mike Bloomberg tried to be relevant to Millennials and seems to have missed the mark. His campaign released a bunch of memes and they were..uhh.. Not well received.. President Trump continued to "keep it classy" and said Bloomberg is a "5' 4" Mass of Dead Energy". Bloomberg responded by saying, "Trump, You're a Circus Barking Clown. Even your supporters laugh at you behind our back. I will defeat you!!!" Geez .. is this Second Grade?? and...
Bernie Sanders fired back at James Carville's criticisms calling him, "a political hack". Carville responded, "Well, at least I'm not a Communist" .. AHAHHA.. Again.. Second Grade !!
Happy Birthday to Chuck Yeager. The WW II Hero Fighter Pilot was the first pilot to break the sound barrier. Happy 97th Birthday !! and Thanks for your service !!!
SPORTS: You shoulda bet me !!! Matt Kuchar leads at Riviera but Tiger Woods is right there at -2 and T17 after round 1. He'd need a TOTAL meltdown to miss the cut at this point.. and..
NBA: All Star Game on Sunday Night. Who ya got? Team Lebron or Team Giannis?? 7:00 tonight is the Celebrity game and Mike Wilbon from ESPN's PTI will coach a team. That should be fun..
Track and Field: Three girls have filed suit in Connecticut to force the State to mandate that biological males cannot compete in girls sports. It is hard to believe that this is even an issue. Attorneys for the girls say the state's policies violate all sorts of things including Title IX Education Amendments of 1972. The ACLU says, "this is obviously aimed at the "Trans kids" and we will help their voice to be heard". Also, a male has qualified for the Women's US Olympic Trials to try to make the team as a marathoner. This sheet is just plain Craziness. Its Lunacy. If you have a Y chromosome in your cells you're male and must compete against other males. If you want to live your life as a girl of the track, go ahead. But, this sports against girls is CRA- CRA. !!!
CELEBRIDIOTS: Fat, Bald and Old ..No, that's not my prom date .. .. those are Finalists for the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit issue. A 56 year old, a plus sized model and a bald fitness trainer are all "still in it". They post things like, "Confidence it your weapon". and "Self-Love is your power". I LOVE the positive attitudes. But, will that sell Swimsuits or Swimsuit magazines? ... It's a BOLD strategy, Cotton. Let's see how it works out for them.... and..
Justine Beiber wants you all to know that she has sex with her wife. In an interview Justine said that when her concerts are over she likes to Netflix and Chill with Hailey and it gets a little crazy!!! YIKES !!!! .. I would say, "TOO MUCH INFORMATION JUSTINE" but I have the ability to close off half my brain and just picture one side of that equation. The "GOOD" side... The Hailey Baldwin side. HERE .. Hailey, If you ever decide to date men again, call me!!!
In a "Welcome to Real Life" moment .. Superstar Singer Carrie Underwood has sold millions of records and earned millions of dollars. HERE Carrie was brought quickly down to earth by her 4 year old son's Valentine's Day project. Her son dutifully filled out his answers for his Mom's Special Card in school. My Mom's hair is: Blonde. My Mom's eyes are: Brown. My Mom is 70 Years Old. ..If my Mom has time she would: Ride Horses. My mom's job is: Washing Laundry... My Mom is good at: "Folding Laundry". AHHAHAHA.. Stick with what you're good at, I Guess .. At least the kid didn't say she was good at: Smashing Pick-up trucks with baseball bats !!! ...
From SeekingAlpha.com
Nasdaq futures increased 0.27%, S&P futures inched up 0.14% and Dow futures are basically flat as investors continue to sort through data on how the coronavirus outbreak is spreading. In Asia, the major markets except for Tokyo and Mumbai rose. In Europe, the FTSE 100 is down 0.3%, Stoxx Europe 600 has slipped 0.1% and the DAX is roughly flat. Crude oil is up 1.3% to $52.10, while gold and the U.S. Dollar Index are all little changed.
The SEC is investigating potentially improper payments made from contracts in the Middle East since 2014, Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) disclosed in its 10-K filing. The probe relates to payments made by the company or its Thales-Raytheon Systems joint venture with European defense electronics firm Thales (OTCPK:THLEF). Raytheon doesn’t expect the results of the inquiry to have a materially negative effect on results.
The International Energy Agency slashed its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2020 by 365,000 barrels per day to 825,000 barrels per day, the lowest level since 2011, as the coronavirus dampens demand in China’s oil-hungry economy. In its latest monthly outlook, the IEA sees global oil demand shrinking by 435,000 barrels per day in Q1, which would be the first quarterly contraction since the global financial crisis in 2009. Go deeper: See Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLE) price momentum.
Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) capital raise is said to price at $767 per share, according to Bloomberg. That’s about a 4.6% discount to Thursday's close of $804. The car and battery maker planned to offer about $2B in stock along with a $300M underwriter option.
Although at the end of January the company played down the effect the coronavirus will have on its operations, Tesla’s (TSLA) 2019 10-K filing said the epidemic’s effect on global supply chains is unknown if the epidemic persists for an extended period of time. In the filings’ risk factors section, it said expenses and delays “could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.”
The cruise line has canceled a total of 18 sailings in southeast Asia and modified several itineraries, causing an estimated impact on its FY2020 financial performance of about 65 cents per share. Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) said if the company were to cancel all of its remaining sailings in Asia through the end of April — which is not currently planned — it would hurt 2020 financial performance by an additional 55 cents per share.
Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) advanced 8% in premarket trading after a solid Q4 revenue rose 49% to $411.2M, beating consensus by $18.5M. Its operating loss of $17.4M narrowed from $26.5M in the year-ago quarter. And the company added a record 4.6M incremental active accounts, ending the year with 36.9M. Go deeper: See Roku’s history of earnings surprises.
Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) fell 2.6% in after-hours trading Thursday after Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) quietly released a potential rival app. Hobbi is an app for saving and sharing photos of activities such as cooking and home improvement. The app is available in the iOS App Store in Colombia, Belgium, Spain and Ukraine, The Information reports.
What else is happening...
China urges U.S. to halt suppressing Chinese companies.
Nissan (OTCPK:NSANY) -9.6% after cutting profit forecast, dividend.
Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) set to open first APAC engineering center.
Pulse Biosciences (NASDAQ:PLSE) discloses NSE letter from FDA.
Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM) cuts 2020 production guidance.
Thursday's Key Earnings
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) +7.3% PM on earnings beat, data center strength. Roku (ROKU) +8% PM on revenue jump in holiday season. Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) -8.5% PM on Q4 revenue drop. Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ:SWIR) -8.4% PM on worse-than-expected loss. Yelp (NYSE:YELP) -8.2% PM as revenue turnaround falls short in Q4. Mattel (NASDAQ:MAT) +2.7% PM on profit beat. Expedia (NASDAQ:EXPE) +11.7% PM on earnings beat, guidance. Agnico Eagle (AEM) -1.5% PM on 2020 production guidance cut. Cognex (NASDAQ:CGNX) -4.6% PM on mixed Q4, downside outlook. DexCom (NASDAQ:DXCM) +6.2% PM on Q4 beat. Datadog (NASDAQ:DDOG) -4.3% PM despite earnings beat, upside outlook. Chemours (NYSE:CC) +6% PM on better-than-expected quarter. Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) flat AH on mixed Q4. GoDaddy (NYSE:GDDY) +5.8% PM on Q4 beat, strong ARPU. Cloudflare (NYSE:NET) +2.1% PM on earnings beat.
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan -0.59%. Hong Kong +0.31%. China +0.38%. India -0.50%. In Europe, at midday, London +0.08%. Paris -0.18%. Frankfurt +0.13%. Futures at 6:20, Dow +0.06%. S&P +0.14%. Nasdaq +0.27%. Crude +1.23% to $52.05. Gold +0.03% to $1,579.20. Ten-year Treasury Yield -2.2 bps to 1.595%.
Today's Economic Calendar
8:30 Retail Sales 8:30 Import/Export Prices 9:15 Industrial Production 10:00 Business Inventories 10:00 Consumer Sentiment 1:00 PM Baker-Hughes Rig Count
Regards,
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