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.

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

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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  A Social Security Dollar Doesn't Go as Far as It Used To -- Here's Why

  Motley Fool

Why Bull Market Could Rise Over 25% In 2019 Despite Trade War

The escalating U.S.-China trade war has raised bearish sentiment, but several respected investment strategists remain bullish, predicting the S&P 500 Index (SPX) will be up by 25% to 30% in 2019. Through the close on May 23, the S&P 500 gained 12.6% year-to-date. Binky Chadha, head of asset allocation and chief equity strategist at Deutche Bank, projects that the S&P 500 will end 2019 at 3,250, up by 29.7% for the year, and the most bullish call among 17 firms surveyed by CNBC.

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.

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.

Michigan Legislature approves bill to cut high auto premiums

Michigan's Legislature on Friday passed a landmark bill that would cut the country's highest auto insurance premiums by letting drivers forego a one-of-a-kind requirement to buy unlimited medical coverage for crash injuries. The votes followed the announcement of an agreement between Republican legislative leaders and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She said the legislation would guarantee rate reductions for every motorist and offer choice among personal injury protection, or PIP, levels.

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  Bipartisan Deal Aims to Lower Michigan's Highest-in-the-Nation Car Insurance Premiums

  Car and Driver
• The Latest: Michigan Legislature passes auto insurance bill

  Associated Press

Traders May Beat Central Bank to Rescue of Beleaguered Korea Won

While the Bank of Korea has little scope to hike interest rates to defend the won at its meeting this week, investors trading on technical levels in the foreign-exchange market may help arrest the currency's decline. Policy makers in Seoul have struggled to slow the won's fall against the dollar, despite a flurry of jawboning comments from the central bank and the finance ministry, since it broke out of a 10-month trading range in April. Yet the won's 6.1% decline against the greenback, which make it Asia's worst-performing currency this year, has brought large speed bumps into sight.

Silver Weekly Price Forecast – Silver tries to rebound

Silver markets initially tried to rally during the week but found enough resistance above the turn around and roll over slightly. All things being equal, this is a market that will be sensitive to the US dollar and of course global growth as it is an industrial metal. The $16.00 level above is massive resistance, and quite frankly I think it would be very difficult to break above there.

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  GBP/USD Weekly Price Forecast – British pound stabilizes slightly

  FX Empire
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  USD/JPY Price Forecast – US dollar stabilizes

  FX Empire

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.

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.

Josh Brown: How to double your money

Ritholtz Wealth Management CEO and Fast Money Halftime Report Trader Josh Brown on the power of compounding your money and the rule of 72.

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.

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.

The most grim sentence about the economy we've heard in weeks

“Worse may be to come,” said Chris Williamson, IHS Markit's Chief Business Economist. This grim statement came on Thursday in response to the latest IHS Markit Flash U.S. Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) report, which showed growth among U.S. manufacturers and services businesses plunged to a three-year low this month. Williamson's statement is a stark contrast to other forecasts suggesting that the unfavorable business conditions stemming from the trade war would be transitory.

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.