Qualcomm is moving to decide how to price NXP deal to lure in enough shareholders

Qualcomm and its advisors have been working to reassert control over the company's deal to acquire NXP Semiconductors this weekend, by trying to figure out what price will be enough to garner the 80 percent of shares needed to close the deal, sources tell CNBC. On Friday, Qualcomm's advisors at Goldman Sachs began contacting large holders of NXP to ascertain at what price those holders would be willing to sign voting agreements stipulating their support for a deal, according to people familiar with the conversations. While no specific price was offered, Qualcomm's advisors were said to have broached "the low $120's" as a possibility for a deal. This is Qualcomm's first effort in months to see what price large holders of NXP Semi would be willing to accept in order for Qualcomm to close the all cash deal, which is worth more than $40 billion.

Global dividends break records in 2017

Growth in Europe has been much slower over the last few years, Ben Lofthouse, co-manager of global equity income at Janus Henderson Investors, said.

• 
  Global Dividends Set For Record 2018

  Morningstar UK
• 
  Global dividends hit record $1.25 trillion 

  The Telegraph

David Tepper's Appaloosa Portfolio Jumped Nearly 50%: 13F

Billionaire David Tepper, the head of Appaloosa Management, recently filed his quarterly 13F report. According to the SEC filings, Appaloosa's value increase by almost 50% in the last quarter of 2017. As of the start of 2018, Appaloosa Management's largest holdings were Micron Technology Inc. (MU), Facebook Inc. (FB), and Powershares QQQ Trust (QQQ). $10.5 Billion Portfolio Stocks in Appaloosa's portfolio which were represented on the 13F filings totaled $10.5 billion as of December 31, 2017. The list value for those stocks was up an astonishing 47.5% as compared with the previous quarter, according to Value Walk. By comparison, the S&P 500 was up just over 6% over the same period. At a time

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) Shares Bought by ETRADE Capital Management LLC

  The Cerbat Gem
• Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $3.75 Million Stake in CIGNA Co. (CI)

  The Cerbat Gem

Iran Fails To Comply With OPEC Deal

The OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report is out production data for January 2018. All data, unless otherwise noted, is through January 2018 and is in thousand barrels per day. OPEC crude only production has held steady for three months.

• 
  Oil hits two-week high on share market recovery, Middle East tensions

  Reuters
• 
  Oil Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Setting Up for Rangebound Trade

  FX Empire

Amerisource shares jump on Walgreens buyout report

Shares of AmerisourceBergen soared Tuesday on reports that Walgreens is pursuing a complete takeover of the huge drug distributor. The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. reached out to AmerisourceBergen Corp. about a potential deal several weeks ago. Walgreens already owns about 26 percent of the company, according to data provider FactSet.

Proxy advisory firm ISS says Qualcomm should negotiate sale to Broadcom

Qualcomm has been seeking to walk a fine line between resisting Broadcom's acquisition approach, which it says undervalues it and is fraught with regulatory risks, and demonstrating to shareholders and proxy advisory firms such as ISS that it is willing to engage to secure a better deal if possible. In a report published late on Friday, ISS recommended to Qualcomm shareholders that they vote for four out of the six board director nominees that Broadcom has put forward for election at Qualcomm's shareholder meeting on March 6.

• 
  Qualcomm Should Negotiate With Broadcom on a Deal, ISS Says

  Bloomberg
• 
  Broadcom Dealt a New Blow in Battle to Buy Qualcomm

  The Street

Biggest Risk From U.S. Trade Tariffs on Metals Is Retaliation

While U.S. steel and aluminum producers surged Friday after the Commerce Department released its recommendations for restricting imports, a muted reaction among the biggest Asian metals stocks suggests the international impact will be spread thinly -- unless U.S. action prompts retaliation from its biggest suppliers. Japan’s top steelmakers, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. and JFE Holdings Inc., and its largest maker of aluminum products, UACJ Corp., all rose in Tokyo, while Posco, South Korea’s biggest steel mill, was unchanged. The proposals risk a chain effect under which restrictions on U.S. imports encourage other nations to impose duties -- top producer China has already warned as much -- or divert shipments to alternative markets, SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. said in a note.

• 
  South Korean experts: U.S. tariffs on steel likely to backfire on American jobs

  UPI
• 
  China warns of retaliation if U.S. imposes steel, aluminum tariffs

  UPI

A $470 billion investment chief at JPMorgan tells us the one thing that could turn a healthy market correction into a deeper slump

Bob Michele, chief investment officer for fixed income, currencies and commodities at JPMorgan Asset Management, tells Business Insider inflation expectations are key to the market's fortunes. Michele believes equity markets can absorb rising bond yields — barring an inflation spike that makes Treasury rates jump more quickly than foreseen. Ongoing monetary easing from the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan could provide some downward pressure on bond yields.

Environment looks quite bond unfriendly: Aberdeen Standar...

James Athey, senior investment manager at Aberdeen Standard Investments, speaks about investing in bonds given recent equity market volatility.

Walmart, Home Depot — What you need to know for the week ahead

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, which was the only losing among the major averages on Friday, paced gains for the week, rising 5%. Fourth quarter earnings season is winding down, but a couple of premier reports are expected on Tuesday morning as both Walmart (WMT) and Home Depot (HD) will report results. Walmart earnings on Tuesday morning will give investors a read on the U.S. consumer.

• 
  3 Things to Watch in the Stock Market This Week

  Motley Fool
• 
  Will Home Depot Announce a Big Dividend Boost This Week?

  Motley Fool

Is Africa The Next Big Market For Cryptocurrencies?

Africa is rarely mentioned among the largest markets for cryptocurrencies. But it may be set to steal a march over other markets. (See also: The Rise Of Africa.)  The surge in popularity of cryptocurrencies spurred the opening of at least 15 trading venues there within the past year alone. Peer-to-peer marketplaces also recorded a spike in trading volumes as bitcoin’s price skyrocketed last year. For example, trading volumes in Kenya on localbitcoins.com increased to $8.1 million in December 2017. Luno reported 2000 BTC worth of transactions in November 2017, when the cryptocurrency’s price was hovering in the $10,000 range. Approximately 37% of those transactions occurred in South Africa.   

• 
  Bitcoin Prices Will Double in 2018: 'Shark Tank' Star Robert Herjavec

  The Street
• 
  Paying Your Taxes With Bitcoin or Litecoin May Soon Be a Possibility in This State

  Motley Fool

60 Seconds: Here's How Your Paycheck Will Change Thanks to the New Tax Law

Thanks to the new tax law there are new lower tax rates - that means there also need to be different withholding rates -- and THAT could that your paycheck is going to change. But give us 60 seconds and you'll tell you why you shouldn't get too excited yet.  The withholding tables tell your employer how much to withhold from your paycheck each pay period so that you pay in enough tax throughout the year. Come February, many of you will have less money withheld and watch your paychecks go up. Or not. So watch our video to see if you are one of the lucky ones. (Fingers crossed for your sake.)  For more 60 second tips, subscribe to our YouTube channel here:

• Your paycheck will probably get bigger this month because of the new tax law

  The Charlotte Observer
• Guess How Many Americans Don't Expect to Benefit From Tax Reform

  The Motley Fool

Few Wealthy Investors Deployed Cash in Meltdown, UBS Survey Says

Only about 10 percent to 15 percent of investors took advantage of the recent market pullback to boost their equity allocations or put cash to work, according to UBS Group AG. “We believe that this bull-market correction provides an opportunity,” Michael Ryan, Americas chief investment officer, and Justin Waring, Americas investment strategist, wrote in a report discussing a UBS survey of more than 1,000 high-net-worth individuals and business owners. The survey was taken the week of Feb. 5, in the middle of the market meltdown.

Many people spend their tax refund on this immediately

Forget vacations, new wardrobes or money toward a new car — when people get their tax refunds, health care spending rises 60% immediately in the week following, according to a recent study. Health care continues to be the top expenditure with these tax refund payments over the next 100 days, according to the report “Deferred Care: How Tax Refunds Enable Healthcare Spending” by J.P. Morgan Chase Institute. Cash-strapped families are more likely to use the money towards health care — out-of-pocket medical expenses on debit cards increased 83% following a tax refund check, instead of no real change to credit card spending, suggesting the people who needed the money were the ones making the transactions