Highlights:

Digimg For Gold…

Newmont Mining announced it would acquire smaller rival Goldcorp in a deal valued at $10 billion. The move will create the world’s largest producer by output. The gold mining industry has come under fire from investors in recent months for poor management of capital. Combined with falling gold reserves and higher extraction costs have prompted miners to look for cost efficiencies. Goldcorp. Shareholders will receive 0.3280 shares of Newmont and $0.02 for each share they own. That translates to $11.46 per share, an 18 percent premium from Goldcorp’s close on Friday.

Streaming…

Comcast Corp, parent company of NBCUniversal, announced it will launch a free, ad-supported streaming service in the first quarter of 2020. The new service will be free to cable subscribers and around $12 a month for customers without a cable provider. The service will air three to five minutes of commercials per hour, and will also offer an ad-free option for an additional fee. The service will include 1,500 hours of NBCU content, such as SNL, Universal Pictures, live sports, and licensed content from Sony, Discovery, and Warner Bros. According to reports NBCU is not expected to pull its content from other steaming services. The news does raise questions about the future of Hulu, which NBCUniversal owns a 30% stake.

Markets:
Asia: Asian markets closed higher after China signaled more economic stimulus could be on its way.
Europe: European stocks closed lower on Monday after Chinese data showed the sharpest decline in exports in two years.
U.S: U.S. markets slipped on Monday after disappointing economic news from China had investors questioning global growth. DJIA: -86.11 23,909.84 NASDAQ: -65.56 6,905.92 S&P: -13.65 2,582.61

Word Of The Day:

Diversification

Diversification is a risk management technique that mixes a wide variety of investments inside a portfolio, which on average provides higher returns.

Dinner of Drink:
Journeyman

1 part Jim Beam® Straight Rye Whiskey

3/4 part Liard’s® Applejack Brandy

1 teaspoon Honey

3 parts Soda Water

1/2 part Lemon Juice

Garnish with Lemon Peel

Add lemon juice and honey to bottom of glass and stir to dissolve honey. Measure and pour in Jim Bean Rye and Applejack. Fill glass completely with ice, top with soda. Garnish and serve.

Highlights:

Leader Of The Pack…

Beer drinks can no longer claim ignorant bliss when it comes to their drink of choice. Starting next month, packages of Bud Light will have prominent labels black and white labels showing the beer’s calories, ingredients, amount of fat, carbohydrates and protein per serving. Bud Light is the first beer to make the move however, many rivals will most likely fallow. The new labels are not legally required, but major beer makers agreed in 2016 to voluntarily disclose nutrition facts on their products by 2020. Individual bottles and cans of Bud Light will not have the full labels, but they’ll continue to have some nutrition information printed in small type.

Round 15….

The risk of exploding air bags made by Japanese manufacturer Takata continues to plague automakers. A day after Toyota announced it will recall 1.7 million cars to deal with the potentially lethal devices, Fiat Chrysler announced it will recall 1.6 million vehicles. The recall covers 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler SUV,
2010 Ram 3500 pickup and 4500/5500 Chassis Cab trucks, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota pickup, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2011-2015 Dodge Charger sedan, and 2010-2015 Chrysler 300 sedan. Fiat Chrysler owners can check to see if their vehicle have been recalled on the company’s designated site or call (866) 220-6765 to schedule an appointment to fix the air bags.

Markets:
Asia: Asian shares closed lower on Monday as China’s disappointing trade data spooked investors.
Europe: European stocks closed flat as investors tried to navigate through political uncertainty across the globe.
U.S: U.S. markets closed mostly flat on Friday as the government shutdown started to weigh on investors minds. DJIA: -5.97 23,995.95 Nasdaq: -14.59 6,971.48 S&P: -0.38 2.596.26

Word of The Day:

Consumer Discretionary

A sector of the economy which consists of business that sell nonessential goods and services, like retailers, apparel companies, media companies, and automobiles.

Dinner or Drink:

Spring Fling

1 – 2 oz. Seagram’s® Extra Dry gin

6 oz. lemon-lime soda

6 oz. cranberry juice

Pour in the Gin over two ice cubes. Then pour in the Cranberry Juice, then the soda. Kind of a fruity taste but very smooth and drinkable over a long period of time

Highlight:

Ouch…

Ford announced on Thursday it will cut thousands of jobs, exit unprofitable markets and discontinue loss-making vehicle lines as part of a turnaround effort aimed at achieving a 6 percent operating margin in Europe. The carmaker is under pressure to restructure its European operations after rival General Motors raised profits by selling its European Opel and Vauxhall brand to France’s Peugeot SA. The company will also seek to exit the multi-van segment, stop manufacturing automatic transmissions in Bordeaux in August, review its operations in Russia, and combine the headquarters of Ford U.K. and Ford Credit to a site in Dunton, Essex. Ford’s announcement on layoffs came as Britain’s biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is also set to announce “substantial” job cuts. Currently Ford Europe, which currently employs 53,000 people, has struggled to turn a profit, reporting a 245 million euro ($282 million) loss before interest and taxes in the third quarter, equivalent to a negative 3.3 percent EBIT margin.

Markets:
Asia: Asian stocks closed higher on Friday after another positive handoff from Wall Street.
Europe: European markets closed higher on Thursday despite continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
U.S: U.S. markets closed in the green despite news from Macy’s holiday were not great and lower earnings guidance from American Airlines.

Word of The Day:

Durable Goods

Consumer goods, such as consumer electronics, toy makers, small tool manufacturer, and jewelry, which do not have to be purchased frequently.

Dinner or Drink:

Goin’ Home

1 oz. gin
1 oz. peach schnapps
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1/3 oz. lime juice
1 1/2 Oz sparkling apple juice

Shake all ingredients (except apple juice) and strain into an old-fashioned glass half-filled with broken ice. Add apple juice, and serve.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend, Ya’ll!