Housing affordability in America is its worst in nearly a decade, and there's one clear culprit

Housing affordability hit its worst level in nearly a decade during the first quarter, according to Attom Data Solutions. Attom measures affordability by comparing average wages to median home prices to determine the share of income people need to spend on housing. Prospective buyers needed to shell out more because mortgage rates rose.

• 
  U.S. Home Prices Least Affordable in Almost a Decade

  Bloomberg
• 
  As N.J. rents continue to rise, finding an apartment becomes even harder

  Philly.com

Dollar May Have Not Peaked Yet, Cumberland Advisors CIO Says

Jun.24 -- David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors Inc., shares his views on emerging markets, the trade disputes and the dollar. He speaks with Haidi Lun and Yvonne Man on "Bloomberg Daybreak: Australia."

China Won't Target U.S. Companies in Trade Dispute, SCMP Says

China has no plan to target U.S. companies operating in the nation amid escalating trade tensions, as that would run counter to Beijing’s goal of attracting foreign investments, South China Morning Post reported on Sunday, citing unidentified people. The policy makers sought to reassure foreign businesses in China amid fears that the Beijing government would retaliate for U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese goods by harassing American firms or depriving them of commercial opportunities, the Hong Kong-based newspaper reported, citing "two Chinese government sources." The option of targeting these business "has never been on the cards," according to one of the people. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. President David Solomon, United Parcel Service Inc. Chairman David Abney and Pfizer Inc. Chief Operating Officer Albert Bourla were among top executives at the meeting, according to the newspaper.

• 
  US Defense chief to visit China amid S. China Sea tensions

  The Hanford Sentinel
• 
  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is making his first visit to China — here are 6 big issues hanging over his trip

  Business Insider

Paul Tudor Jones: Here's why the 1987 crash was an accident waiting to happen

Legendary hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones became famous after predicting the market crash of October 19, 1987, known as “Black Monday” when the Dow Jones dropped more than 22%. “The crash of ’87 was really interesting just because the crash of ’87 probably never would have happened except for, again, the market infrastructure at that point in time,” Jones said in a conversation with Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein as part of the firm’s “Talks at GS” series. Jones, 63, began his career at E.F. Hutton as a commodities trader in the cotton pits in 1976 before transitioning to macro trading and founding his hedge fund, Tudor Investment Corp in 1980.

Should You Buy Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Right Now?

Shares of Caterpillar CAT closed up marginally on Friday, ending a streak of nearly two straight weeks of losses on the back of heightened trade war tensions between the U.S. and China. With that said, now might be the time for investors to consider buying Caterpillar stock based on its currently stellar valuation picture and strong growth prospects. Caterpillar has been one of the Dow’s worst performers during its recent downbeat stretch, which stands in stark contrast to its standing over the last few years.

As trade war looms, China cuts some banks' reserve requirements to boost lending

China's central bank said on Sunday it would cut the amount of cash that some banks must hold as reserves by 50 basis points (bps), releasing $108 billion in liquidity, to accelerate the pace of debt-for-equity swaps and spur lending to smaller firms. The reserve reduction, the third by the central bank this year, had been widely anticipated by investors amid concerns over market liquidity and a potential economic drag from a trade dispute with the United States. Expectations of a cut had risen after the State Council, or cabinet, said on Wednesday monetary policy tools including targeted cuts in banks' reserve requirement ratios will be deployed to strengthen credit flows to small firms and keep economic growth in a reasonable range.

• 
  China Girds For A Trade War

  Forbes
• 
  China to Unleash $108 Billion in Reserve Cut for Some Banks

  Bloomberg

This startup is letting anyone start their own ISP business so they can provide a better alternative to Comcast or AT&T

Necto, a startup which was recently accepted into Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator, wants to make it easy for users to set up their own ISP. While the type of network Necto is using isn't anything new, the company has an different business model it hopes will set it apart. Necto provides network management resources to "operators," who invest up front for network infrastructure and recruit local customers to pay and sign up for the service.

Investing Insights: Dividends, TIPS, and Tax Deductions

We discuss asset growth at PIMCO Income, dividend stock picks in healthcare, and more on this week's episode.

• 
  1 Days Left Before Armada Hoffler Properties Inc (NYSE:AHH) Will Start Trading Ex-Dividend, Is It Worth Buying?

  Simply Wall St.
• 
  Does Medistim ASA (OB:MEDI) Have A Place In Your Portfolio?

  Simply Wall St.

Etihad to loan pilots to competing UAE airline Emirates

Long-haul airline Etihad Airways will loan pilots to competing Dubai-based carrier Emirates under a new program, officials acknowledged Sunday, marking a rare cooperation between the two state-owned carriers who operate only 115 kilometers (70 miles) apart. There's always been competition between Emirates, founded by Dubai's rulers in 1985, and Etihad, begun by Abu Dhabi's rulers in 2003.

Renewed Focus on Profitability Bodes Well for Tesla Stock

If we sidestep the dramatic sabotage acts going on at Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) right now, we run into the company’s recent solar news. While Tesla stock has been stampeding higher, fueled by a short squeeze, many are still questioning the automaker’s underlying fundamentals. Earlier this month, CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will layoff approximately 9% of its workforce.

• 
  From Mark Zuckerberg's Beast to Elon Musk's Marvin, meet the dogs of 8 tech titans

  CNBC.com
• 
  How Tesla Is Building Cars in Its Parking Lot

  Wired News

Gold Price Forecast – Gold sideways on Friday

Gold markets have been sideways during the trading session on Friday, as the $1275 level above is resistive. Ultimately, I think that Gold markets will continue to be very noisy, and I think we will go higher to retest the previous uptrend line that I have marked on the chart.

• 
  S&P 500 Price Forecast – S&P 500 rallies on Friday

  FX Empire
• 
  Natural Gas Weekly Price Forecast – natural gas finds three dollars too much

  FX Empire

Where Autistic Workers Thrive

Social interaction and communication skills can be a challenge for people with autism spectrum disorder, but companies looking to hire untapped talent for tech-related jobs are discovering that those with autism are unusually detail-oriented, highly analytical, and able to focus intensely on tasks, making them valuable employees. Last October, six companies—Ford Motor, DXC Technology, EY, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and SAP—formed the Autism at Work Employer Roundtable to share best hiring and workplace practices and to help other companies see the return on investment in hiring autistic employees. One of the first companies to seek out autistic talent was SAP, a multinational software company that began hiring autistic employees to do software testing.

EU to respond to any U.S. auto tariff move - report

The European Union will respond to any U.S. move to raise tariffs on cars made in the bloc, a senior European Commission official said, the latest comments in an escalating trade row. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose a 20 percent tariff on all imports of EU-assembled cars, a month after his administration launched an investigation into whether auto imports posed a national security threat. "If they decide to raise their import tariffs, we'll have no choice, again, but to react," EU Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen told French newspaper Le Monde.

• 
  European authorities will react to any U.S. auto tariff move: Le Monde

  Reuters
• 
  As Tariffs Take Hold, It’s Corporate Crunch Time

  barrons.com

Here’s why Goldman says stock-market gains will be capped even as earnings rise

Corporate earnings will rise and the economy will expand in the next few years, but the stock market will see only limited gains, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. In a Thursday note, strategists led by David Kostin raised their S&P 500 earnings estimate for each of the next three years, but left the price target for the index unchanged at 2,850 for year-end 2018 and 3,000 by the end of 2019. The S&P 500 (SPX) has been unable to break out of its recent range, finishing with a loss of 0.6% on Thursday and down more than 4% from its all-time high set in late January.