On Wire

Breaking news, updates, and reports on current events.

Credit Market `Probably the Riskiest Ever,’ Pimco’s Mather Says

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via Bloomberg: Credit market risk is at an all-time high, according to Scott Mather, chief investment officer of U.S. core strategies at Pacific Investment Management Co. The investment firm is defensive on the asset class as it sees high likelihood of a recession over the next three-to-five years. “We have probably the riskiest credit market that we … Read more

Oklahoma prosecutors blast J&J in first day of landmark opioid trial. State says drugmaker ran ‘deceitful, multibillion-dollar brainwashing campaign’

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via cnbc: So this will probably stir up political commenters from r/politics and lead to a locked thread, but I’m interested in long term J&J holders thoughts. It seems like J&J rolled the dice by playing hardball and not settling like the other two drug makers named in the suit did. Increasingly, it seems like J&J has taken … Read more

The Fed Has Seemingly Lost Control of Its 10-Year Treasury Note

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via confoundedinterest: The Federal Reserve has seemingly lost control of its 10-year Treasury Note. Rather than follow The Fed’s quantitative easing/ tightening, the 10-year Treasury Note yield is following trade patterns. And speaking of losing control, a Japanese lender is planning to issue a 0.99% JUNK BOND. (Bloomberg) — Japan’s negative interest rates have upended many conventions … Read more

Risk-Markets Take a Beating in May

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via jugglingdynamite: Risk assets have taken a fresh thumping in May.  As of last night, the S&P 500 index was down 5.5% on the month, with energy (-9.2%), technology (-8%), materials (-7.4%), industrials (-7.1%) and financials (-5.6%) faring worst, and so-called ‘defensives’: real estate (-.05%), utilities (-1.6%), health sick care (-2.3%) and consumer staples (-2.9%) faring less bad, as … Read more

Mises: Digital Cash, Another Dangerous New Idea in Monetary Policy

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via mises: While modern monetary theory has provided some distraction for public and commentators alike, the war on cash goes on. In the latest issue of the Cato Journal, the distinguished economic historian Michael Bordo and his co-author Andrew Levin lament the failure of the experiments in unconventional monetary policies of the last decade to stimulate aggregate demand. While … Read more

Sears Buyer Wants to Skip $43 Million Severance for Workers — When Eddie Lampert committed to buy out Sears from bankruptcy, he agreed to pay displaced workers up to $43 million. Now, he’s changing his mind.

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Sears filed for bankruptcy last year. A few years ago Eddie Lampert, a Wall Street investor, tycoon billionaire bought Sears up out of bankruptcy, and agreed at the time to pay the workers of that corporation the $43 million they were owed in severance after it inevitably shuttered its doors. Now Lampert is asking a … Read more

HEH: Vox Media has shifted its hiring toward part-timers and contract workers since its staff unionized. Unexpectedly!

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via niemanlab: Many editorial and video employees at Vox Media are, at this hour, finishing up a walkout to protest their employer’s stance on a number of wage and other issues — including guaranteed annual raises, better severance, and revenue sharing on derivative works. (They’re represented by the Vox Media Union, which is an affiliate of Writers Guild … Read more

Why is Mexico’s Growth Slowing?

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By Harry Dent Didn’t expect that! Mexico first had a worrying growth hiccup in the second quarter of 2018. Now its slowdown is looking real. Italy fell into an official recession late last year, and Germany’s growth is declining fast. It barely escaped a recession with a minor bounce in the first quarter. Its demographic trends look like … Read more