Bloomberg: The personal data of more than half a billion Facebook Inc. users reemerged online for free on Saturday, a reminder of the company’s ability to collect mountains of information and its struggles to protect these sensitive assets. (not on facebook, never was, never will be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

 

Saturday Night Music

 

Quick Overview is up to date

 Notes today:

• Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalnysaid he’s started a hunger strike to pressure prison authorities to provide him with medical care instead of “torturing” him with sleep deprivation.

• Coinbase Global, the outfit that’s closely intertwined with bitcoin, plans to go public on April 14. 
• The CME announced it will expand its suite of crypto derivatives with the introduction of a new Micro Bitcoin futures contract on May 3. The Micro Bitcoin futures will be one-tenth the size of one bitcoin. 

• MLB is taking its ball and heading out of Georgia. 👍

• Apple’s Tim Cook joined the chorus of business leaders who have belatedly come out in support of voting rights – others include: Coca-Cola, Delta, American Air, American Express, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Microsoft, ATT..
• I suppose we’ll find out if they meant what they said. If companies, and they hold the cards, stick to their guns Georgia etc. are likely to back down. Being on the right side of history is good business.

• QuantumScape (QS) said it has successfully met the technical milestone that was a condition to close for the investment of an additional $100 million by Volkswagen. The milestone required Volkswagen to successfully test the latest generation of QuantumScape’s solid-state lithium-metal cells in their labs in Germany. (Long way to go but so far so good)

• The US economy added 916,000 jobs in March, a greater number than forecast and more than the 468,000 positions created in February. The unemployment rate fell to 6% from 6.2% in February.

 

Notes today:

• Microsoft wins US army contract for augmented reality headsets worth up to $21.9bn. 

• Coke and Delta denounce Georgia voting restrictions - Finally!! 

• Richmond Fed. President Thomas Barkin said he is very “bullish” on the U.S. economy this year and expects household savings accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic to help fuel growth in 2022 and 2023 as well. “People just have a lot of money in their pockets,” 

• Japan factory output shrank 2.1% from the previous month in February, dragged down by falls in production of cars, electrical machinery. 

• Chinas non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) surged to 56.3 from 51.4 in February. 

• President Joe Biden announced a $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan over an 8-year period including $621 billion for transportation and $580 billion for manufacturing. To pay for the plan, Biden proposed to raise the corporate income tax to 28% from 21%..

• On a monthly basis, pending home sales shrank 10.6 percent, the second consecutive month of declines.

 

 July Corn (see Freed below)

 July Beans

 

Steve Freed on limit up corn/beans USDA report

The Swiss armed forces is taking a big step to recruit more women – by no longer making female recruits wear men’s underwear.

AT&T said Trump's tax cut would create jobs – now it's laying off thousands of workers

AT&T lobbied aggressively in favor of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, promising to create 7,000 new jobs and invest $1bn in capital expenditures if it passed. AT&T saved an estimated $21bn when the tax cuts passed and the company saved an estimated $3bn annually due to the lower corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.

 (And, so far, the stock’s performance is still dismal anyway).

Viacom CBS (VIAC) I go fishing and this is what happens to one of the biggest media co. in the world. 😲

 Filibuster

 Quick Overview is up to date

Notes today:

I had 36 “last chance” emails today, another last chance, and another, and another - nothing but last chances.  

• In addition, I also had 6 emails today, “please let us know how we are doing -we value your insights”. Well, how about paying me for my time and insights that are so valuable to you. (Please Note "handy" Donate Button to the right)👉

• Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest Management expects Tesla Inc. stock to hit $3,000 by 2025, up from its current price of $655. At that price, the company would be worth almost $3 trillion, based on the number of shares outstanding. 

• The anti-science, anti-mask, superspreader, it’ll just vanish by Easter, drink bleach, hates masks, etc., etc., now wants credit for the vaccines. 

• Were the Airline Bailouts Really Needed?
• Once again, we have socialized an industry’s losses and privatized its profits. Airline chiefs collected tens of millions per year in compensation before the pandemic, in part by boosting their companies’ share prices by regularly buying back tens of billions in shares. That meant setting aside less money for a rainy day — or, in this case, a pandemic.

• The American Psychological Association reports that in a recent survey they conducted fully 48% of Millennials say they’ve had undesired weight gain during the pandemic, with the average weight gain being a mind blowing 41 pounds. 

• Aflac, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Southern Company, Home Depot, and UPS are huge republican donors in Georgia. And all seem mum regarding voter suppression. So, Boycotts are building. Not particularly good for business, I would think. (“please let us know how we are doing - we value your insights “.See above, and make a donation)😁

Bank of America thinks that the price of real assets relative to financial assets are at lowest since 1925..

 Gone Fishing

Matt Wuerker

 Quick Overview is up to date

Notes today:

•  Putin again tried to tilt a U.S. presidential election toward Trump, this time by authorizing efforts to attack Joe Biden’s candidacy. 

• The White House says a coming U.S. tax plan will raise rates on corporations and the rich while providing relief for households that bring home around $110,000 per year. 

• The EU is set to unveil plans for a vaccine certificate, aka vaccine passport. This is raising questions about how the EU will manage to link up various health systems, keeping people’s data secure and private, while possibly creating a two-tier society. 

• Prices for U.S. imports rose 1.3%t in February following a 1.4-%t advance in January. Export prices rose 1.6% in February, after increasing 2.5% MoM. YoY import prices rose 3.0%t and export prices rose 5.2%. 

• US Feb. industrial production much weaker than expected at -2.2% vs. +0.3% est. 

• Coca-Cola and Home Depot have made it clear that they oppose voting restriction bills in Georgia.

 

Notes today: 

• Bloomberg: The Nasdaq stock exchange is poised to push businesses to a new level of inclusion with its proposal to require all listed companies to have at least two diverse board members. 

• 49% of republicans have no plans for getting a covid shot.
• 6% of democrats have no plans for getting a covid shot. 

• Boris Johnson – this is the wrong time for a referendum on independence. 

• India will propose a law banning cryptocurrencies, fining anyone trading in the country or even holding such digital assets, a senior government official told Reuters.

• Google (GOOGL) will face a $5b lawsuit that it didn't notify users that their data can still be collected while in "incognito" mode, a judge ruled on Friday👍👍

• According to Robert Reich the names below had a change in net worth from March 2020 to March 2021

  Musk: +$118B

  Bezos: +$58B

  Page: +$33B

  Brin: +$32B

  Zuck: +$29B

  Ellison: +$28B

  Gates: +$24B

  Ballmer: +$23B

  Dell: +$18B 

  So, I suppose the two Google Dudes won’t be much troubled by a 5 billion fine..