Tag: heels

Fiat Chrysler revs up as Peugeot points to merger potential

March 19, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler shares jumped on Tuesday to the top of Europe’s STOXX 600 after the president of Peugeot family holding company FFP told French daily Les Echos he would support a new deal and suggested Fiat Chrysler was among the options.

“With them, as with others, the planets could be aligned,” Robert Peugeot was reported as saying, asked about targets for acquisitions or mergers.

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) declined to comment.

Shares in the Italian-American carmaker were up 5.2 percent by 1050 GMT, while Peugeot gained 2.7 percent, helping boost Europe’s autos index which was up 2.5 percent.

Peugeot’s remarks came on the heels of reports the group’s CEO Carlos Tavares is open to deals and that Fiat, General Motors, and Jaguar Land Rover could be ideal partners.

FCA’s new boss Mike Manley, who took over after deal-making guru Sergio Marchionne died last year, said this month the carmaker was open to pursuing alliances and merger opportunities if they make sense and strengthen its future.

FCA is often cited as a possible merger candidate because of its strong exposure to the North American market, where it generates the lion’s share of profits, and because of its popular Jeep, RAM and Maserati brands.

“PSA is essentially an EU pure play as things stand (roughly 90 percent of consolidated unit sales in EU) so an acquisition of a company with a broader reach would make strategic sense,” said Evercore ISI analyst Arndt Ellinghorst.

Investors and analysts alike were wary of betting on an imminent deal, though, mindful of potential antitrust obstacles.

“Although we believe that some M&A could materialize in the automotive sector, we do not expect it in the short term,” said Mediobanca Securities analyst Andrea Balloni.

(Reporting by Helen Reid, Danilo Masoni, Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Keith Weir)

Apple’s iCloud is the latest service to suffer an outage this week

Apple iCloud outage

Source: Jacob Siegal

Following the Verizon outage on Tuesday morning, the Gmail and YouTube issue on Tuesday night, and the “server configuration change” that took down Facebook and Instagram for hours on Wednesday, Apple has decided to join in on the fun with an outage of its own. According to the System Status dashboard on Apple’s site, virtually every iCloud service is currently experiencing issues, including Contacts, Drive and Mail.

By my count, there are twenty problematic services at the time of writing, with all of the issues having begun at 11:00 a.m. this morning. Apple hasn’t provided any additional details beyond which services are struggling, mostly using a single phrase to explain every issue: “Users may be unable to access this service.”

There has been no evidence released to this point that would indicate that multitude of online service outages this week are related, but the way that each has seemingly cropped up right on the heels of the last is suspicious, to say the least. That said, Facebook made it clear that it wasn’t the target of a DDoS attack or anything of that nature, but rather that a seemingly innocuous server problem internally caused the massive outage.

Image Source: Apple

Apple has yet to comment on the matter, but unless it turns out to be something serious, it’s unlikely we’ll hear much of anything at all. In the meantime, if you notice anything iCloud-related acting up, at least you know why. Plus, you can keep track of Apple’s progress on the System Status dashboard.

French minister Loiseau wants to lead Macron’s EU election campaign

March 14, 2019

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Europe Minister Nathalie Loiseau, who has handled French Brexit preparations, said on Thursday she wanted to lead President Emmanuel Macron’s party in May’s European Parliament elections.

At the end of a long TV debate with far-right leader Marine Le Pen, Loiseau, a career diplomat who headed the elite ENA school of administration before joining Macron’s government, put herself forward as the headline candidate in elections for seats in the European Parliament.

“I don’t want tomorrow’s Europe to become the one you would draw with your neo-liberal nationalist friends,” Loiseau told Le Pen on public TV France 2’s flagship political show.

“So tonight, I’m ready to be a candidate,” she added.

Macron has yet to unveil his list of candidates for the May 26 election, which he has framed as a battle between anti-immigrant nationalists and pro-EU “progressives” such as himself.

Loiseau said she did not know whether Macron’s Republic On the Move party would eventually choose her. Loiseau’s name, as well as that of Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, have circulated as possible top candidates in French media.

Macron’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

“I’m glad you’re a candidate. Because you’re a complete technocrat,” said Le Pen, whose National Rally party is nipping at the heels of Macron’s party in voter intention surveys.

(This story has been refiled to fix typo in paragraph six.)

(Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Global Economy Is Sinking Fast, And It Will Take The U.S. With It

Although many declared the deceleration in the economy in December to be a “soft patch” that we’ve somehow recovered from, others aren’t so sure.  The rest of the global economy is slowing down and sinking at a fairly rapid rate, and the U.S. economy will likely go with it.

According to a report by Forbes, there is no “economic immunity” for the United States once the global economy is in tatters. The report points to many problems in the global marketplace that could signal a major downturn for the economy pushing the U.S. ever closer to an unavoidable recession. When the U.S. consumer goes on strike (quits buying things for any reason), the odds of a recession skyrocket. So, it would behoove market watchers to stop ignoring the growing potential for a significant economic slowdown.

Japan’s latest employment data was very poor while China’s high and rising bond defaults are still showing a contraction although the February number (49.9 PMI – still slightly in contraction) moved up from the 48.3 January disaster. Other problems are arising in the Eurozone as well.  The manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) of 49.3 is the lowest since 2013.  The latest U.S. trade deficit number was a record -$79.5 billion.  Exports fell -2.8%. This confirms the weakness in foreign economies. Perhaps the only good news is that Germany did show decent January retail sales growth. That means consumers spent more of their disposable income.

The U.S. did not fare well when it came to auto sales either.  New car sales in February were at an 18-month low. Part of the problem is that new and used car prices are now at record highs, and bank credit has tightened making getting into a brand new vehicle simply too expensive for many. A report earlier in February also indicated that auto loan delinquencies are now at highs seen right before the Great Recession.

Just on the heels of the United States government’s debt surpassing $2 trillion comes the news that there are now a record number of Americans who are behind on their record high car payments. According to CNBC, more than 7 million Americans are at least 90 days behind on their auto loans, according to the New York Fed. This is a major concern, considering the average car payment in the U.S. is now $523. –SHTFPlan

Forbes states that it may be too soon to come to the conclusion that the U.S. has made it through the “soft patch,” or December of 2018’s market downturn.

Means of Control: Russia’s Attempt to Hive Off the Internet

Such measures were always going to come on the heels, and heavily so, of the utopians.  Where there is Internet Utopia, Dystopia follows with dedicated cynicism.  Where there are untrammelled means of searching, there will be efforts to erect signposts, …

The post Means of Control: Russia’s Attempt to Hive Off the Internet appeared first on Global Research.

Han Solo Pimps World Government – #PropagandaWatch


Fresh off the heels of pimping for Amazon, Harrison Ford is back at it, this time lending his face and voice to climate change buffoonery for the World Government Summit taking place in the United Arab Emirates. I wish I was making this up. Today, I break down the World Government Summit and the real nature of these globalist institutions that seemingly sprout out of nowhere.

TSA Busted Running $100 Million Cocaine Smuggling Ring

TSA caught running $100 million dollar cocaine ring

A large number of TSA employees are facing life in prison after abusing their positions to smuggle over 100 million dollars of cocaine into the U.S. from Puerto Rico. 

Twelve members of the cocaine ring, including TSA baggage screeners and security personnel are facing charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute.

Aol.com reports: Authorities say as much as 20 tons of cocaine over an 18 year period was smuggled in.

They claim A baggage handler in the ring picked up cocaine filled suitcases at check-in counters and put them into TSA X-Ray machines that another suspect cleared.

After, the baggage handler took them to their respective flights, making sure no police or K-9 units intervened.

According to reports, up to five smugglers were used in each flight, each carrying as much as 33 pounds of the illegal substance at a time.

This comes in the heels of a homeland security report that found many of the major U.S. airports do not have full employee screenings.

Italy’s Salvini Stands Up To Merkel – Reduces Migrant Entry By 95%

by Jon Hall, FM Shooter: During an awards acceptance speech on Monday, Germany’s Angela Merkel called on the international community to “stand up” to “excessive populism and nationalism”. Merkel’s desperate plea to “stand up” to the frightening boogey-man of nationalism comes on the heels of news that Italy’s migration policy under Matteo Salvini, the interior minister, has dropped migration entry by […]

The post Italy’s Salvini Stands Up To Merkel – Reduces Migrant Entry By 95% appeared first on SGT Report.

PBOC Fixes Yuan Dramatically Stronger Following Gold Spike

PBOC fixed the yuan dramatically stronger against the dollar overnight, sending offshore yuan surging to its strongest against the dollar in six months.

While the Chinese currency is reportedly strengthening on the heels of trade talks optimism (which is entirely the opposite of the rhetoric coming out of Washington), we note that this was the biggest positive shift in the yuan fix in 19 months…

Notably, the yuan is strengthening considerably more against the dollar than it is against the broad basket of trade partner currencies…Shanghai Accord 2.0?

And coincidentally, the surge in yuan comes the day after gold prices broke out higher…

Perhaps the PBOC’s aggressive action was prompted to manage the Yuan peg against gold back into balance?

Citadel’s Griffin buys New York condo for record $238 million

January 23, 2019

By Herbert Lash

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of hedge fund Citadel, has paid $238 million for a penthouse condominium overlooking Manhattan’s Central Park, a spokesman for Griffin said on Wednesday, in a deal that sets a record for a U.S. home sale.

Griffin has closed on the unit in the 79-story residential tower, which is under construction for an estimated cost of $1.4 billion at 220 Central Park South.

The purchase follows on the heels of reports that Griffin bought a mansion in London within sight of Buckingham Palace for 95 million pounds ($124.2 million), among other recent deals.

The price paid for the New York condo eclipses the prior record for a U.S. residential purchase, set by another hedge fund billionaire, Barry Rosenstein, for a home in East Hampton, on New York’s Long Island in 2014.

The Griffin purchase also shatters the record for the most expensive apartment sold in New York City, which was last set by computer company founder Michael Dell’s purchase last year of a condo for $100.47 million, according to published reports.

Vornado Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust, is building 220 Central Park South and expects it to generate $1 billion in after-tax cash flow and net income once all condo units are sold, a regulatory filing in October showed.

The building, with 397,000 “salable” square feet, was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

About 83 percent of the units are under sales contracts, with closings scheduled through 2020, according to Vornado, which declined to comment on Griffin’s purchase.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the purchase by Griffin, who first signed a contract for the condo in 2015.

Griffin, who publisher Forbes estimates is worth $9.9 billion, in November paid $58.75 million for a four-level penthouse in Chicago, the most ever for a home in that city, according to media reports.

Public records show Griffin has spent close to $250 million for land in Palm Beach, Florida, the Journal said.

Vornado was represented by Deborah Kern of the Corcoran Group in the transaction, while Griffin was represented by Tal and Oren Alexander of the Alexander team at Douglas Elliman.

(Reporting by Herbert Lash; Editing by Leslie Adler and Tom Brown)

Harvard Law Prof: Trump Is a ‘National Emergency’

Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig said Sunday that President Donald Trump is a “national emergency.” 

Lessig’s comments came on the heels of Trump saying that he “may declare a national emergency” if Congress does not act to appropriate enough money …

The post Harvard Law Prof: Trump Is a ‘National Emergency’ appeared first on Global Research.

The Trade War Goes On And The United States Could Lose

The newest information about the trade war seems to state that the Chinese are in trouble and the United States is ready to declare a victory.  However, many analysts claim otherwise, saying the December “ceasefire” only gives China more time as the real issues still go unaddressed.

According to Seeking Alpha‘s John Engle,  the trade war is far from over. The December “ceasefire” has provided China with some breathing room and Trump with a totemic victory, but the real issues remain unaddressed. Additionally, there is no guarantee that we (the United States) will win. If anything, China may now have the upper hand. The continuation of the trade war will continue to inject uncertainty into already quite volatile financial markets. A resolution, even marginally in China’s favor, could well lead to a return to relative normalcy.

If the trade war continues to drag on, or if it intensifies at all, investors will suffer on both sides and markets around the globe will continue to suffer. Any sign of serious escalation, or of either side digging in its heels for a knock-down drag-out fight, investors would be wise to consider looking for safe-harbor investments to see them through the storm.  There have already been some harsh lessons the American public is having to deal with thanks to the trade war, and if this bleeds heavily into global markets, the entire world could be caught in the middle.

As the United States’ economy continues to undergo strain from all aspects (debt, tariffs, regulations) a prolonged and intensified trade war looks to be the proverbial straw that could break the camel’s back. The trade war’s underlying disputes remain largely unchanged and as long as China can keep the uneasy peace, or even prevent more than modest intensification, it should be able to weather the Trump storm and withstand the sustained winds of rhetoric.

 

Economic Downturn: Small Business Owners’ Confidence Weakens

On the heels of weakening confidence from new home builders, comes the lack of confidence from small business owners. This is the fourth consecutive month that the outlook on business conditions fell and confidence is now at its lowest point since 2016.

According to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the conservative-leaning small-business lobby said its optimism index fell to 104.4 in December from November’s 104.8 reading. Economists had expected a December reading of 103, according to a Wall Street Journal survey as reported by the outlet.

The NFIB survey is a monthly snapshot of small businesses in the U.S. and accounts for about half of all private-sector jobs. And this is not the only segment losing confidence in the economy.

Housing Demand Stalls: Homebuilder Confidence Plummets

A lack of confidence signals a sign of a weakening economy with growth concerns and a slowdown in the markets. The NFIB’s December survey results showed fewer respondents from a month earlier. But many thought now was a good time to expand their operations, as several of them cited economic conditions and the political climate.

“Over the past few months, owners’ expectations for the future have tempered, while reporting continued solid economic activity,” the NFIB said in its report, based on responses from 621 small-business owners. “The Index remains at historically high levels but can’t be expected to improve every month.”

Consumer confidence and spending rose, however, despite an economic slowdown. Another key indicator economists use to gauge domestic consumer spending is the University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment. That rose in December as confidence in job and wage prospects appeared to outweigh worries about financial markets.  But likely, much of the spending was debt, as Americans have reached a historically high level of consumer debt.

The $1.2 Trillion College Debt Crisis Is CRIPPLING The Economy

 

If you’re an average American, you spend $1.26 for every $1.00 that you earn. For example, if your annual income is $50,000, you spend $63,000, a difference of $13,000. If your annual income is $75,000, you spend $94,500, a difference of $19,500. If your annual income is $125,000, you spend $157,500, a difference of $32,500. And so forth. –Tough Nickle

The debt bubble is likely the reason for continued increases in consumer spending, but it will also add unnecessary pain to those who continue to borrow when the “everything” bubble finally pops.

‘The Everything Bubble’: Why The Coming Collapse Will Be Even Worse Than The Last

McConnell Thumps Pelosi: The Senate Will Not Waste Its Time Considering a Democrat Bill Which the President Won’t Sign (VIDEO)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) thumped Speaker-Designate Nancy Pelosi Wednesday night from the Senate Floor.

McConnell said the Senate won’t even consider legislation passed by the House Democrats this week because it won’t include border wall funding.

“Democrats will have to get serious about border security so that a government funding agreement can pass the House, earn 60 votes in the Senate, and receive a presidential signature,” McConnell said, adding, “All three of these things are needed. One partisan vote in the House won’t solve anything.”

“As I’ve said consistently for the last two weeks, the Senate will not waste its time considering a Democratic bill which cannot pass this chamber and which the President will not sign,” McConnell said.

Take that, Pelosi!

VIDEO:

Earlier Wednesday Chuck and Nancy emerged from the meeting with President Trump at the White House vowing to pass bills that will re-open the government and stiff the President on border wall funding.

“Tomorrow we will bring to the floor legislation that will open up government. It will be based on actions taken by the Republican Senate,” Pelosi said.

 

Thankfully Mitch McConnell is digging in his heels and refuses to entertain Pelosi’s “showboating.”

POLL: Who do you blame for the Government shutdown – Trump or the Democrats?

McConnell also announced the Senate reached an agreement to confirm more of Trump’s judicial nominees.

Report: Redskins tell Gruden his job is safe

January 4, 2019

With eight of the 32 NFL head-coaching jobs available, reporters asked Jay Gruden earlier this week if the Washington Redskins would be the ninth. He admitted he was not sure.

On Friday, the team reportedly informed its head coach that he will indeed be back for the 2019 season, according to NBC Sports Washington.

The news comes on the heels of the Redskins’ season falling apart, as they finished 7-9 after a 6-3 start that saw them in first place in mid-November. Gruden, who is 35-44-1 in his five seasons in Washington, has finished in third or fourth in all but one campaign (2015) leading the Redskins — including no playoff wins.

Speculation about Gruden’s job status lingered past Black Monday after the Redskins ended the season by getting shut out at home 24-0 by NFC East rival Philadelphia, especially considering the history of notoriously impatient owner Daniel Snyder. But Gruden may have been helped by the avalanche of injuries that rocked the team in 2018, including losing their top two quarterbacks (Alex Smith, Colt McCoy) to season-ending injuries during the season’s second half.

Gruden is the seventh head coach, not including interim coach Terry Robiskie in 2000, during Snyder’s ownership since 1999. Gruden has the longest tenure of all of them with his five seasons in Washington.

Under Snyder, the Redskins have just six winnings seasons in 20 years, winning 10 games just three times. Washington has just two playoff wins since Snyder bought the team in 1999.

–Field Level Media

Wall Street plunges as factory data, Apple warning fuel slowdown fears

January 3, 2019

By Stephen Culp

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street plunged on Thursday after slowing U.S. factory activity on the heels of a dire revenue warning from Apple Inc <AAPL.O> fueled fears of a global economic slowdown.

The magnitude of Apple’s holiday quarter revenue shortfall sent shockwaves through the technology sector, which pulled all three major U.S. stock indexes down more than 2 percent, with the Nasdaq posting a 3 percent loss.

S&P Technology companies <.SPLRCT> slid 5.1 percent, its biggest one-day percentage drop since August 2011. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index <.SOX> ended the session 5.9 percent lower.

Late Wednesday, Apple chief executive Tim Cook wrote in a letter to investors that the company had not foreseen the extent of China’s economic deceleration, which was exacerbated by U.S.-China trade tensions. The iPhone maker’s shares dropped 10.0 percent.

A report from the Institute for Supply Management showed U.S. factory activity <USPMI=ECI> in December suffered the biggest drop since October 2008, the height of the financial crisis. Its PMI reading, while still in expansion territory, hit its lowest level in more than two years.

“The Chinese slowdown was expected but today’s softer-than-expected ISM number took investors by surprise because the U.S. seemed to be the only port in the storm,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist of CFRA Research in New York. “But now it appears that our economic growth is facing trade related headwinds.”

“Investors are worried that this is an indication that things could be getting worse from here and Apple is only the tip of the iceberg,” Stovall added.

Major automakers reported weak U.S. new car sales in December, with Ford Motor Co <F.N> and General Motors Co <GM.N> reporting sales falling by 8.8 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively. Ford shares fell 1.5 percent, while GM dropped 4.1 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average <.DJI> fell 660.02 points, or 2.83 percent, to 22,686.22, the S&P 500 <.SPX> lost 62.14 points, or 2.48 percent, to 2,447.89 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 202.43 points, or 3.04 percent, to 6,463.50.

Of the 11 major sectors in the S&P 500, all but defensive real estate <.SPLRCR> and utilities <.SPLRCU> stocks closed in the red.

Trade-sensitive industrials also weighed on the Dow, led by Caterpillar Inc <CAT.N>, 3M Co <MMM.N> and Boeing Co <BA.N>.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co <BMY.N> shares dropped 13.3 percent after the drugmaker announced plans to buy rival Celgene Corp <CELG.O> for about $74 billion. Celgene shares jumped 20.7 percent on the news.

Shares of U.S. commercial air carriers slid after Delta Air Lines <DAL.N> cut its fourth quarter revenue estimate. The S&P 1500 Airlines index <.SPCOMAIR> sank 5.9 percent.

Yields on 2-year Treasuries dipped below the federal funds effective rate for the first time since 2008, a move many believe suggests the central bank will not be able to continue its monetary tightening policy. The outlook for higher rates has been considered a headwind to equities in recent months.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.39-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.28-to-1 ratio favored decliners.

The S&P 500 posted no new 52-week highs and 13 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 6 new highs and 48 new lows.

Volume on U.S. exchanges was 8.11 billion shares, compared to the 9.16 billion average over the last 20 trading days.

(Reporting by Stephen Culp; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

Ron Paul: We’re ‘nibbling at’ Romney’s heels

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Ron Paul: We’re ‘nibbling at’ Romney’s heels 10 Jan 2012 Riding high from his second-place finish in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday, Texas Rep. Ron Paul proclaimed the evening a victory “for the cause of liberty” – and warned that he is “nibbling at” the heels of winner Mitt Romney. “Now, I called Governor Romney a short while ago, before he gave his talk, and congratulated him, because he certainly had a clear-cut victory. But we’re nibbling at his heels,” Paul told supporters. But, he added, “there was another victory tonight. He had a victory, but we have had a victory for the cause of liberty tonight.”

Citizens for Legitimate Government

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