Apple didn’t say it was hiring 20,000 new workers, nor bringing back all of its overseas cash

Apple Inc. announced a series of plans Wednesday that were celebrated as promises to hire thousands of workers and bring home all of its overseas cash. Well, not necessarily. Apple AAPL, -0.45%  said in its release that the company planned to “create over 20,000 new jobs through hiring at existing campuses and opening a new one.” The key word there is “create,” which Apple really likes to use when discussing jobs: The company even has a portion of its website dedicated to “job creation” that claims it is “responsible for 2 million jobs” in the United States, most of which are jobs “attributable to the App Store ecosystem.” Apple currently employs 84,000 people in the U.S., it said Wednesday,

Netflix, Starbucks, and a government shutdown — What you need to know for the week ahead

The biggest political story all week was the impending government shutdown, which took effect at midnight on Friday. During the most recent 16-day shutdown in 2013, the S&P 500 gained 3.1%. Economists at Goldman Sachs estimated that each week the government is shut down in the first quarter would take 0.2% off first quarter GDP. Meanwhile, Treasury yields continued their recent market higher with the two-year Treasury yield settling above 2.05% and the 10-year Treasury settling at 2.64%, above the 2.63% Jeff Gundlach called out earlier this month as a key level for the benchmark government bond.

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  Global stocks, dollar sag after U.S. government shutdown

  Reuters
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  Wall St Week Ahead-Where Netflix goes, Big Tech may follow, despite U.

  Reuters

Why retiring in America has become less attractive

Getting old in America isn’t what it used to be. In a worldwide study, the U.S. fell to No. 17 (down three spots from last year) in the Natixis Global Asset Management Global Retirement Index. The index ranks 43 mainly developed countries on their ability to offer its citizens a secure retirement. Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Sweden top the list. Why did the U.S. have such a dismal showing? The U.S. took hits in income equality, health care spending and life expectancy. While America may have the fifth-highest income per capita, we have the sixth lowest score for income equality, suggesting that retirement saving is difficult for average workers. Our life expectancy fell, yet we spend the

The Singapore Exchange has gathered a share of Belt and r...

Sutat Chew of the Singapore Exchange says Chinese firms took to the bourse last year to raise equity and debt funds that were part of Belt and Road initiatives.

GOLDMAN SACHS: The government shutdown will take a toll on the US economy, but the pain won't last long

Goldman Sachs says the government shutdown will result in a 0.2% reduction in first-quarter GDP for every week it persists. Expect the government shutdown to slowly drain the US economy, says Goldman Sachs. Now that the federal government has failed to successfully negotiate a funding bill, first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) will slip by 0.2 percentage points for each week the shutdown persists, according to Goldman.

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  To end government shutdown, Trump suggests Senate use 'nuclear option'

  The Arizona Republic
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  Why the government shutdown might last longer than you think

  CNN

Ford earnings: Disappointing outlook, stock weakness among stumbling blocks

Ford Motor Co. comes to the week of its fourth-quarter earnings release hobbled by weak guidance and lows for its stock. The auto maker is scheduled to report results after the bell on Wednesday. Ford’s guidance earlier this month has disappointed Wall Street, and analysts are likely to scour earnings for signs the company can weather the storm. Bright points for Ford F, -0.58%  include its best-selling pickup trucks and SUVs, the type of vehicles that U.S. residents have taken a marked liking in recent years at the expense of sedans and compacts. The company is also looking at launching compact SUVs this year, which have also grown in popularity. “That’s where the profits are, and where the

This $4 Billion Manager Is Preparing for an Inflation Surprise

Inflation is what could jolt the markets this year. At least that’s what the tactical asset allocation team at DNB Asset Management is preparing for. “Inflation surprising on the upside is the biggest risk,” Torje Gundersen, portfolio manager, said in an interview in Oslo on Thursday. “2018 can be the year when stronger inflation surprises a lot of investors.” Global economic growth spurred the stock rally in 2017. But inflation expectations are likely to rise as the prolonged expansion eats into spare capacity and the U.S. cuts taxes. The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note climbed in the past week to the highest levels since 2014. “The timing of the tax cuts are therefore wrong in our view,”

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  Bank of America has found the formula for a market meltdown — and we're dangerously close

  Business Insider
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  2018 likely to see high inflation due to rising global growth, US tax cuts

  Business Standard India

U.S. stock index futures dip after government shutdown continues

Democrats and Republicans, locked in a bitter dispute over immigration, failed to agree on a last-minute deal to fund government operations, causing a shutdown at midnight on Friday. Investors shrugged off the threat last week, saying they were not worried about a major pullback in shares if U.S. lawmakers failed to strike a deal. "These things have no near-term or midterm economic impact whatsoever," said Michael Purves, chief global strategist and head of derivatives strategy for Weeden & Co in New York.

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  Resolution of the US government shutdown needs a 'pressur...

  CNBC Videos
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  Schumer calls Trump 'dysfunctional' as government shutdown enters day two – video

  the Guardian

Twitter's Noto Is Said to Be Among Finalists as SoFi CEO

Anthony Noto, Twitter Inc.’s chief operating officer, is in talks with Social Finance Inc. to become the online lending company’s new chief executive officer.  San Francisco-based SoFi has been searching for a leader since September, when co-founder and CEO Mike Cagney departed amid turmoil at the firm. Noto has yet to accept an offer, and talks could still fall apart, according to people familiar with the matter. He is one of fewer than a handful of finalists for the role, with as many as two women and two men in the running, said the people, who asked not to be identified since the matter is private. SoFi declined to comment. Twitter spokeswoman Kristin Binns said, “As a policy, we don’t comment

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  SoFi in talks with top Twitter exec about CEO position: WSJ

  Reuters
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  Sources: Twitter COO Anthony Noto, who has led Twitter's push into live video, is in talks to become SoFi's new CEO, following Mike Cagney's departure

  Techmeme

Stock Market Bears Are the Dumbest Thing on Wall Street

The stock market is on fire in 2018. In just 13 trading sessions, the S&P 500 and Dow have rallied close to 5% each, with the Nasdaq closing in on a 6% year-to-date gain. So what's with the melancholy attitude, Wall Street bears? There's no sugar coating it: the stock market will, at some point, endure a correction. But timing is what needs to take focus here. Some of the best and most respected analysts on the Street have said stocks will continue to rally in 2018. And they have good reason to be bullish: tax reform is likely to unleash a wave of much better than expected profit reports this year and next. Giant companies such as Action Alerts Plus holding Apple (AAPL) , Boeing (BA) and Disney

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  Wall Street Week Ahead: Where Netflix goes, Big Tech may follow

  Reuters
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  Australia shares to track Wall Street higher; NZ up

  Reuters

Credit Suisse Plans Low Bonus Pool Increase for 2017

Credit Suisse Group AG, Switzerland’s second-largest bank, plans to increase its bonus pool for last year as the lender makes progress on its three-year restructuring plan, two people familiar with the plans said. Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende earlier reported that the pool would probably increase by about 10 percent. Credit Suisse declined to comment.

Recent ‘Odd’ Market Moves May Be a Warning Sign for Stocks

Something odd has happened in U.S. markets in recent days, and it may be a sign that it’s time to start worrying about the stock rally, according to Citigroup Inc. While the S&P 500 Index has extended record highs, high-yield credit spreads have been widening a little, and implied volatility has been ticking up. “Especially the latter is odd and usually only occurs in an equity market dip, at least a small one, and not a rally,” strategists including Jeremy Hale wrote in a note to clients Friday. “We are monitoring the moves in credit and equity volatility as another potentially bearish tactical signal for stocks.” Stocks across the world have had a strong start to the year, helped by bullish

• As stock market rockets to records, TD Ameritrade to roll out round-the-clock trade

  MarketWatch
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  Wall St Week Ahead-Where Netflix goes, Big Tech may follow, despite U.

  Reuters

JPMorgan Private Bank's Cheng Sees Asia Starting to Outperform

Jan.21 -- JPMorgan Private Bank Head of Asia Equity Strategy Raymond Cheng discusses the economy and the markets. He speaks on "Bloomberg Markets." (Corrects guest's last name in headline and description.)

How to Make Money From Volatility Rise: Morgan Stanley's Ideas

Prospects for a winding back of central bank stimulus this year, along with a potential pick-up in global inflation, have boosted the risk of greater fluctuations in asset markets that have largely moved in tandem in recent years. Expensive financing -- or carry -- costs in many markets mean investors have to pay up for potential returns from price swings. Morgan Stanley analysts have mapped out several proposals, including using options to bet on higher oil prices and increased stress in the high-yield bond market.

Stock investors don't seem to care about government shutdowns — but this one comes right in the middle of earnings season

After Republicans, who control both the House and Senate, were unable to pass a spending bill by midnight Friday, the US government has entered a partial shutdown, with all nonessential services going into a freeze. Historical data suggests that a big market move shaking stocks is unlikely, but a shutdown would still be concerning to investors. "Although a government shutdown sounds scary, the reality is it has been a non-event historically for equities,” Ryan Detrick, a senior market strategist at LPL Financial, said in an email.

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  Wall St Week Ahead-Where Netflix goes, Big Tech may follow, despite U.

  Reuters
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  U.S. stock index futures dip after government shutdown continues

  Reuters

How Interest Rates Affect Every Aspect of Your Personal Financial Life

If you've ever made a student loan payment or carried a credit card balance into a new month, you already know how interest rates work. In those cases, it's the percentage tacked onto your principal debt, or the price you pay later for borrowing money now. The federal funds rate (FFR), the interest rate of all interest rates, is calculated by the Federal Reserve and determines how much a bank needs to pay if it borrows money from another bank.

IBM could struggle just to meet its disappointing outlook

International Business Machines Corp. will be challenged in the short term to stabilize its margins, meet its somewhat disappointing outlook and maintain a minuscule tax rate, analysts said Friday. IBM IBM, -3.99%  shares started falling late Thursday and dropped 4% to close at $162.37 Friday, after the company offered a disappointing outlook along with an earnings beat and return to revenue growth following 22 straight quarters of declines. Friday marked the biggest one-day percentage drop for the stock in six months, when shares fell 4.2% on July 19, and wiped out gains from earlier in the week. By comparison, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.21%  , which counts IBM as a component,

• Analysts Expect Five9 Inc (FIVN) to Post $0.04 EPS

  The Cerbat Gem
• Brokerages Expect Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc (FRGI) to Announce $0.13 EPS

  The Cerbat Gem

For Investors Used to Political Drama, Shutdown Is One More Sideshow

After a year of political spectacle, it’s doubtful a government shutdown will be enough to divert investors from the economic and earnings tidings that have occupied Wall Street’s minds of late. “I’m not overly worried,” Jurrien Timmer, head of global macro at Fidelity Investments, said in a phone interview Wednesday. Unless the stalemate lingers, the impact may have a hard time rattling markets that have been focused on benefits from the recently passed tax overhaul, improving corporate profitability and synchronized global economic growth.

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  Long shutdown could hurt economy, a short one just 'a blip'

  Associated Press
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  Stock-market investors eager for more guidance on tax-cut impact

  MarketWatch

Wall Street Week Ahead: Where Netflix goes, Big Tech may follow

Netflix Inc's quarterly results on Monday may offer an advanced preview of whether Facebook Inc , Amazon.com Inc and other heavyweights behind much of the U.S. stock market's record-breaking rally can keep delivering. Wall Street on Friday shrugged off a looming U.S. government shutdown and propelled the S&P 500 to a record high as investors focused on upcoming quarterly reports. Many of the largest companies - Microsoft Corp , Apple Inc , Alphabet Inc and Amazon.com - have outperformed the broader market in the first 13 trading days of 2018, with investors betting strong earnings growth will justify tech valuations at their highest levels in a decade.

• As stock market rockets to records, TD Ameritrade to roll out round-the-clock trade

  MarketWatch
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  Wall St Week Ahead-Where Netflix goes, Big Tech may follow, despite U.

  Reuters