Russia’s Dirty Oil Crisis Is Worse Than Almost Anyone Predicted

After any normal voyage the tanker would quickly deliver its 700,000 barrels of Russian crude into a refinery for processing into gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products. Back in April, unusually high levels of the chemicals known as organic chlorides were discovered in Russian crude flowing through the giant Druzhba pipeline, built in the 1960s to carry crude from the U.S.S.R. to allied countries in Eastern Europe. The chlorides can severely damage oil refineries and on April 24 Russia's state pipeline operator, Transneft PJSC, halted shipments.

Huawei's 'fake demand' distorted global semiconductor growth

In the months leading up to Washington's decision to ban Huawei from doing business with US suppliers, the Chinese company stockpiled nearly a years worth of components in anticipation of coming headwinds. Now, the global semiconductor sector may have to pay for it. In all, analyst Sebastian Hou says the Chinese company's inventory buildup added 8% to the chip sector's global revenue growth in the 1st quarter, or $35 to $40 billion.

How China could use its massive US debt holdings as a trade war weapon

China is currently the largest holder of U.S. government debt. It now owns $1.12 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds. If China decided to sell off its U.S. government debt holdings as a form of retaliation in the ongoing trade war with the U.S. and President Donald Trump, it could upend global financial markets and drive U.S. interest rates higher.

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  China accuses U.S. officials of misleading public on trade war

  Reuters
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  Global stocks climb on muted trade hopes, dollar slips

  Reuters

25 Stocks to Avoid After Memorial Day

Below, we take a look at the 25 worst stocks to own the week of Memorial Day. Looking at S&P 500 Index stocks over the past 10 years -- and considering only stocks with at least eight years' worth of returns -- a handful of bank names made the list. STI and FITB have ended the week lower 80% of the time, averaging losses of 2.49% and 2.07%, respectively, per data from Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White.

Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and wife stopped from leaving India - airport official

The couple were taken into custody by immigration officers, the Indian Express reported, citing sources. Local media, citing sources, reported earlier this month that the ministry of corporate affairs had been looking into Jet's books and had asked for a corporate fraud investigation into the airline, suspecting that its promoters siphoned off funds. Once one of India's largest carriers, Jet was forced to ground all flights last month after running out of money and failing to secure funds, crippled by mounting losses as it attempted to compete with low-cost rivals.

Avoid Paying Taxes on Social Security Income

Some people have to pay federal income taxes on the Social Security benefits they receive. Typically, this occurs only when individuals receive benefits and have other substantial sources of income from wages, self-employed earnings, interest, dividends, required minimum distributions from qualified retirement accounts, and other taxable income that must be reported on their tax returns. Taxable Social Security Income In accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules, you won't pay federal income tax on more than 85% of your Social Security benefits.

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  4 Ways to Score Higher Social Security Benefits

  Motley Fool
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  Bernie Sanders on Social Security: 10 Things You Should Know

  Motley Fool

Here's how the world's billionaires make their money

Most billionaires in the world didn't inherit their wealth. Most billionaires put their money into public holdings — 36.4% of their portfolios were allocated to this asset class — followed by private holdings at 35%, liquid assets such as cash at 26.4%, and real estate and luxury assets at around 2.2%. Breaking the group down, those with $1 to $2 billion in assets generally invested mostly in liquid assets, while those with over $50 billion invested mostly in public holdings.

Markets Show They're Finally Waking Up to Global Wall of Worry

President Donald Trump lit the touchpaper days before, signing an order effectively curbing Huawei Technologies Co.'s access to the American market. The move against Huawei -- a metaphorical hand grenade in the heart of global tech -- has forced market participants to ditch the rose-tinted glasses. “The market needed an excuse to correct and the trade-war headlines were the trigger, but the underlying weakness is much more complex than that,” said Alberto Tocchio, the chief of Heron Asset Management, a Switzerland-based family office with 2.5 billion Swiss francs ($2.5 billion) under management.

Fintech Companies To Buy And Watch Amid Rise Of Digital Payments

Modern technology has vastly altered the competitive landscape in e-commerce, payment networks, online lending, money transfers, business-to-business payments, personal finance and banking. Fintech companies, short for financial technology, operate within these areas. As a result, there are a plethora of finch companies to buy and watch.

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  Facebook plans cryptocurrency launch next year: BBC

  AFP Relax News
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  Bitcoin vs Ethereum vs Litecoin

  Coin Rivet

Could Ford Buy Tesla? Here's How Likely A "Doomsday" Scenario Is

The auto maker is burning through $1 billion in cash a quarter, the cash from the latest $2.7 billion funding round will be gone within ten months, and demand is falling off. One of the classic business solutions would be an acquisition. Maybe a white knight with the cash and managerial and operational wherewithal to come in, buy the company, fix the broken parts, and let Tesla become what it had the potential to be.

China's largest chipmaker is delisting from the Nasdaq

SMIC, which is backed by the Chinese government and state-owned shareholders, will focus on its existing Hong Kong listing going forward but there will be trading options for those holding U.S-based ADRs. In its announcement, SMIC said it plans to delist for reasons that include limited trading volumes and "significant administrative burden and costs" around the listing and compliance with reporting. What it doesn't say is that this is linked to the frosty relationship between the U.S. and China, and already the company has played that rationale.

China ramps up war of rhetoric in trade standoff with US

Stepping up Beijing's propaganda offensive in the tariffs standoff with Washington, Chinese state media on Friday accused the U.S. of seeking to "colonize global business" with moves against Huawei and other Chinese technology companies. There was no word from either side on progress toward resuming talks between the world's two largest economies, though President Donald Trump said he expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, next month at a G-20 meeting in Japan. Negotiations over how to cut the huge, longstanding U.S. trade deficit with China and resolve complaints over Beijing's methods for acquiring advanced foreign technologies foundered earlier this month after Trump raised tariffs on billions of dollars of imports from China.

3 Oil Stocks to Drop Now

To keep production high, the Administration is giving the oil companies everything they always wanted. It's possible because oil and gas no longer represent cheap energy. The lifetime cost of solar and wind installations, $63.20 per Megawatt-hour, is now below that of coal, and approaching that of natural gas. The solar power expansion that began early this decade in the Far West, spurred by favorable tax laws, has now spread to the heart of the U.S. oilpatch.

Friday’s Vital Data: National Oilwell Varco, Halliburton and American Airlines

American Airlines (NYSE:AAL) also saw unusual options activity as it tests a critical support zone. Let's take a closer look: National Oilwell Varco (NOV) Yesterday's crude oil crash sent oil stocks sliding. National Oilwell Varco dropped 4.41% on the highest single-session volume in two years.

The Real Reason Microsoft Stock Stands Out Among Other Big Tech Names

In 2015, a year after Satya Nadella became its CEO and committed his company to the cloud, I put some Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) shares in my retirement account and forgot about them. With a market cap of $972 billion, Microsoft is now the world's most valuable company, and despite his earnest philanthropy, co-founder Bill Gates is worth over $100 billion.

6 Marijuana Stocks With Critical Levels to Watch

In financial markets, there are certain price levels that are more significant than others with regard to the amount of supply and demand that exists at them. When understood and applied correctly, technical analysis is an illustration of these dynamics. Being aware of, and understanding where these levels and trends are when investing in marijuana stocks can lead to massive profits.

PayPal Stock Will Move Higher, but There Are Way Better Choices

Given the growth in the payments industry, PYPL will continue its rise long term. However, the question is not whether to buy PYPL stock, but if investors should choose it over its closest peers. PayPal stock continues to register impressive growth, even as it seeks to address the competitive threat posed by Square (NYSE:SQ).