Stocks didn’t love the latest on the Trade War front yesterday. And oil wasn’t helping the cause, either....more
7/12/2018
/ Alphabet Company ,
Bitcoin ,
Broadcom ,
Comcast ,
Financial Markets ,
Imports ,
Papa John's International ,
Rupert Murdoch ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Back at it. Hope everyone had a good 4th. Let’s get caught up . . . .
Some analysis of a pretty solid US Jobs Report for June—the last, mind you, before the trade war went hot – NYTimes and Marketplace and WSJ
Ahh...more
Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson announced on Monday that it will shift some of its motorcycle production overseas “to avoid retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union” in response to the White House’s trade moves....more
6/26/2018
/ Anti-Steering Rules ,
Anticompetitive Agreements ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Baker Hughes ,
Barclays ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Burden of Proof ,
China ,
Credit Card Surcharges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Denial of Certiorari ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
EU ,
EURIBOR ,
Facebook ,
FHFA ,
Financial Markets ,
General Electric ,
Harley-Davidson ,
Illegal Tipping ,
Insider Trading ,
Instagram ,
Merchant Fees ,
Merchants ,
Ohio v American Express ,
RBS ,
RMBS ,
Rule-of-Reason Analysis ,
SAC Capital ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities Fraud ,
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) ,
Social Networks ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Retaliation ,
UK ,
Virtual Currency
The DOJ vs. the AT&T/Time Warner deal. The much-anticipated ruling’s finally in, and . . . the merger’s a go. Repeat, the merger’s a go....more
6/13/2018
/ AT&T ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bitcoin ,
Comcast ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Homeless Issues ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Investment Fraud ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Low Income Housing ,
Martin Act ,
Merrill Lynch ,
Price Manipulation ,
RMBS ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Tesla ,
Time Warner
A political crisis in Rome has economics [at least partially] and EU commitment at its core and is reminding some observers of the Greece morass of a few years back. The uncertainty the situation’s creating is not expected to...more
5/29/2018
/ Automotive Industry ,
Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Canada ,
Chrysler ,
Coinbase ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Data Breach ,
Digital Currency ,
Director Mulvaney ,
Dodd-Frank ,
EU ,
Fiat ,
Fidelity Investments ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Global Market ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Italy ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Retail Market ,
RICO ,
Sun Capital Partners ,
Volcker Rule
Deutsche Bank—in keeping with its post-Cryan plans to shrink its US footprint—has been considering plans “in recent weeks to eliminate close to 10,000 jobs.” [It’s now looking like 7,000.]
...more
5/24/2018
/ Automotive Industry ,
Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Chipotle Grill ,
Comcast ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Digital Currency ,
Imports ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Lay-Offs ,
Lowe's ,
Market Manipulation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Spoofing ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment
Vodafone will spend $23 billion in cash to snap up operations in four European countries from Liberty Global PLC, which specializes in cable operations....more
5/9/2018
/ Australia ,
Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Comcast ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Culture ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Breach ,
Equifax ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Nike ,
NYSE ,
Oil & Gas ,
Oil Prices ,
Token Sales ,
Trading Platforms ,
Trump Administration ,
Valeant
Facebook’s Q1 results make a strong case for Zuckerberg and his ilk riding out arguably its most serious crisis to date (the flood of criticism over its privacy practices and handling of user data) with next-to-no effect on...more
4/26/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
Chipotle Grill ,
Comcast ,
Commodities ,
Consumer Complaint System ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Facebook ,
Futures ,
Housing Market ,
Market Manipulation ,
Mortgages ,
Operating Lease ,
Public Disclosure ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Quarterly Report ,
Spoofing ,
UBS
A scary combination of rising bond yields (across the 3% Rubicon!) and a warning from Caterpillar (which called its expectation-beating performance for Q1 the “high watermark for the year”) helped propel stocks significantly...more
4/25/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
Comcast ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Dun & Bradstreet ,
European Commission ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Fines ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Hackers ,
High Yield Bonds ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stock Prices ,
Subprime Mortgages ,
Telecommunications ,
Wells Fargo ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Yahoo!
China announced yesterday that it was loosening its rules forcing foreign carmakers to link up with a local partner before building factories in China—a move that some see as a step to lowering tensions with the US....more
4/18/2018
/ Automotive Industry ,
Bitcoin ,
Broker-Dealer ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Discriminatory Lending Practices ,
E-Commerce ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
IRS ,
Markups ,
Online Sales Tax ,
Recessions ,
RMBS ,
South Dakota v. Wayfair ,
Stored Communications Act ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Reform ,
Tax Returns ,
Tesla ,
Third Party Lenders ,
US Trade Policies ,
US v Microsoft ,
Wells Fargo
In what can only be deemed a major reversal, the White House has reportedly ordered its economic adviser and trade representative to study rejoining the Trans Pacific Partnership, just a year after yanking the US out of deal...more
4/13/2018
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Bank of America ,
Bernie Madoff ,
Bitcoin ,
Business Assets ,
China ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Deregulation ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
General Electric ,
NAFTA ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Public Offerings ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Virtual Currency ,
Volkswagen ,
Wall Street
The Journal reported yesterday that the DOJ will allow Bayer to move forward with its plans to acquire Monsanto, a deal valued at more than $60 billion, after the companies “pledged to sell off additional assets to secure...more
4/10/2018
/ Bank of America ,
Barclays ,
Bayer ,
Best Buy ,
Bicycles ,
Bitcoin ,
Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
China ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Deutsche Bank ,
EURIBOR ,
Facebook ,
Global Market ,
Mark Zuckerberg ,
Monsanto ,
Nordstrom Inc. ,
PayPal ,
Retail Market ,
Student Loans ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Relations ,
Uber
The White House’s protectionist plan to impose roughly $60 billion in annual tariffs on Chinese imports went over like a lead balloon on Wall Street, sparking fears of a trade war, increased volatility, and unintended ripple...more
3/23/2018
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
AT&T ,
Bitcoin ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Culture ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
Forex ,
Grocery Stores ,
HSBC ,
Imports ,
Infrastructure ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Martin Shkreli ,
National Security ,
Nike ,
Private Equity ,
RBS ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Virtual Currency ,
Whole Foods
Breakingviews on what the White House’s intervention into Broadcom’s [dropped] bid for Qualcomm could mean for the US-based chip maker. [Hint, it involves China, and it’s not great for the big Q]....more
3/14/2018
/ Alphabet Company ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bear Sterns ,
Bitcoin ,
Broadcom ,
Digital Currency ,
Dropbox ,
Electric Vehicles ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Crisis ,
Moody's ,
Mortgage Servicers ,
Mortgages ,
Nationwide Insurance Co. ,
New Zealand ,
Qualcomm ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Taxi Cabs ,
Trump Administration ,
Virtual Currency ,
Volkswagen
Notwithstanding Lloyd’s assurances that the rumors of his demise are premature, Goldman has cleared the path forward for David Solomon (aka, one of its current co-Presidents, aka, DJ D-Sol) to assume the CEO position when Mr....more
3/13/2018
/ Alibaba ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Antitrust Litigation ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Apple ,
Bank of America ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Bear Sterns ,
Bitcoin ,
Broadcom ,
BSA/AML ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Digital Currency ,
Digital Media ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Forex ,
Hilton ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Know Your Customers ,
Leveraged Loans ,
Qualcomm ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Timeshare ,
Token Sales ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Virtual Currency
The Journal dropped something of a bomb on Friday with news that Goldman Sachs’ CEO Lloyd Blankfein is heading out the door as soon as the end of the year. If true, Goldman will likely look for his replacement within its...more
3/12/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
China ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Officers ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Dow Chemical ,
Dropbox ,
DuPont ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Job Creation ,
Martin Shkreli ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
RMBS ,
Securities Fraud ,
Term Limits ,
Unemployment ,
Virtual Currency ,
Wells Fargo
Heath insurance behemoth Cigna has agreed to buy Express Scripts—a “pharmacy benefits manger”—for $67 billion in cash and stock, including assuming $15 billion of its debt. The merger is one of a series of big moves in the...more
3/8/2018
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Aluminum Sales ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Bitcoin ,
Brick-and-Mortar Stores ,
Broadcom ,
CIGNA ,
Coca Cola ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
E-Commerce ,
Global Market ,
Housing Market ,
Imports ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Internet Retailers ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Retailers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Token Sales ,
Toys R Us ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Virtual Currency
The Chinese government has seized control of Anbang Insurance Group, the formerly staid insurance conglomerate with a murky leadership structure that in recent years has amassed billions in debt through a global acquisition...more
2/23/2018
/ Anbang ,
Bitcoin ,
Bribery ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Digital Realty Trust Inc v Somers ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Greece ,
High Yield Bonds ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
Mutual Funds ,
Political Corruption ,
Retailers ,
RMBS ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Snapchat ,
Stock Prices ,
Token Sales ,
Toys R Us ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
Walmart’s shares took a hit yesterday on Q4 results that showed slowing online sales and below-expected earnings despite a rise in revenue....more
2/21/2018
/ AT&T ,
Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Fannie Mae ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Freddie Mac ,
HSBC ,
Janet Yellen ,
Money Laundering ,
Quarterly Report ,
SCOTUS ,
Tax Evasion ,
Time Warner ,
U.S. Treasury ,
UK ,
Virtual Currency ,
Wal-Mart
A quiet Monday appears to be leading to a busy Tuesday morning, with Qualcomm upping its bid for NXP (in a move that could help it fend off Broadcom) and Albertson’s looking to join forces with what’s left of Rite Aid Corp...more
2/20/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
Caterpillar ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Cybertheft ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Digital Currency ,
France ,
Hackers ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
International Labor Laws ,
Johnson & Johnson ,
Olympics ,
Qualcomm ,
Reinsurance ,
Rite Aid ,
Spotify ,
Tax Liability ,
Virtual Currency
The SEC is blocking the proposed sale of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to a group of Chinese investors based on “unresolved questions” over the “proposed ownership structure and concerns for the regulatory agency’s ability...more
2/16/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Digital Currency ,
Dual Class Share Structures ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Ford Motor ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
Mortgages ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stock Prices ,
USPS ,
Viacom ,
Virtual Currency
Volatility was again the name of the game on Thursday in the US markets, which closed down nearly 4% again and headed into official “correction” territory....more
2/9/2018
/ Alphabet Company ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Appraisal ,
Bitcoin ,
Broadcom ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Real Estate Market ,
Countrywide ,
Cryptocurrency ,
currency ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dow Jones ,
Driverless Cars ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
NYDFS ,
Qualcomm ,
Samsung ,
Shipping ,
Social Media ,
SoftBank ,
Trade Secrets ,
Twitter ,
Uber ,
Virtual Currency
Mr. Dow’s wild ride ended on an upswing yesterday, with the DJIA adding back nearly 600 points and the three primary US indices up between 1.7 and 2.3%....more
2/7/2018
/ Bitcoin ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Currency ,
Dow Jones ,
Financial Markets ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
Keurig Inc ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Stock Prices ,
Virtual Currency
Markets proved that last Friday’s 600-point Dow drop wasn’t an isolated incident, as all major US indices were down nearly 4% (at least) in a nasty Monday of trading....more
2/6/2018
/ Alphabet Company ,
Automotive Industry ,
Banking Sector ,
Bitcoin ,
Class Action ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Digital Currency ,
Dow Jones ,
Driverless Cars ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
HSBC ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
RMBS ,
Samsung ,
South Korea ,
Stock Prices ,
Uber ,
Virtual Currency ,
Wells Fargo ,
White Collar Crimes
A look at the big-time Wells Fargo/Fed settlement of last Friday night, which saw the Fed blasting the bank’s board for oversight failures, forcing Wells to replace a full fourth of its 16-member Board, and instituting a rare...more
2/5/2018
/ Administrative Proceedings ,
Asset-Backed Securities ,
Automotive Industry ,
Bitcoin ,
Broadcom ,
CBS ,
CFTC ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Reporting Agencies ,
Derivatives ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Digital Currency ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equifax ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
HSBC ,
ISDAfix ,
Job Creation ,
Qualcomm ,
Technology Sector ,
Tesla ,
Viacom ,
Virtual Currency ,
Wells Fargo