The Philadelphia Fed's manufacturing business outlook rose to near its highest level on record and notched its biggest reading above economists' expectations in history.

The big picture: Analysts at BMO Capital Markets note that the monthly reading is among the highest in history (in the 99th percentile) going back 30 years and marked the largest two-month jump since 1995.

When California passed its boardroom law requiring public companies based there to have at least one female director, there were concerns it would spark a gold rush for the same handful of well-known women — but that hasn’t happened.

Why it matters: Of the 138 women who joined all-male California boards last year, 62% are serving on their first company board, per a study by accounting firm KPMG. That means a majority of companies aren't contributing to so-called overboarding in corporate America.

A Silicon Valley startup is attempting to make executive physicals — which are frequently offered as part of C-suite compensation — available to a larger audience, STAT reports.

Between the lines: The $3,500 annual membership is cheaper than a $20,000 weekend at the Mayo Clinic, but is still expensive and still subject to the same criticism — mainly that it's unnecessary.

The problem of surprise medical billing — which Congress failed to solve last year — is about to get worse, thanks to a feud between an insurance giant and a company that employs thousands of doctors.

The big picture Parents who have babies in intensive care, women with high-risk pregnancies and people who need anesthesia could receive unexpected bills in the mail as a result of the fight between Mednax, the physician-staffing firm, and UnitedHealth Group.

Despite historically low interest rates, U.S. companies are being unusually frugal, holding back on issuing new debt and pumping up their balance sheets with cash.

Why it matters: Historically, when interest rates are low and the economy is strong, companies have levered up to increase capital expenditures and buy assets in order to expand. The opposite is happening now.

Mike Bloomberg's first debate appearance drove ratings to a record-high Wednesday night, according to Nielsen ratings provided by NBC News. The debate averaged nearly 20 million live TV viewers across NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, according to preliminary numbers.

Why it matters: Bloomberg's highly anticipated debate debut drew contentious zingers from opponents who were eager to spar with him on stage for the first time.

Donald Trump loves Wall Street shenanigans. Companies owned by him have declared bankruptcy six different times, and he was once sued alongside Mike Milken for participating in a scheme to artificially inflate junk-bond prices.

Driving the news: Trump pardoned Milken this week, with an official statement positively gushing over Milken's role in developing the wilder side of fixed-income capital markets.

Morgan Stanley is buying E*Trade Financial, the company known for helping everyday Americans manage their money, in a $13 billion all-stock deal, the investment bank said Thursday.

Why it matters: The deal signals Morgan Stanley's desire to bulk up in wealth management, a strong profit arm of its business model. As the WSJ notes, Wall Street banks have been looking for steadier sources of revenue, now that "postcrisis regulations and a long period of eerie calm in the markets" have taken a toll on profits.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Mike Bloomberg’s campaign is hiring people to regularly post from their personal social-media accounts and send texts in support of Bloomberg to their contacts. Pro Rata producer Naomi Shavin is joined by Axios media reporter Sara Fischer to discuss the campaign’s social media strategies and how platforms are responding.

Go deeper: Read the Wall Street Journal report

L Brands is reportedly near a deal to sell a 55% stake in Victoria’s Secret to Sycamore Partners, which will take the women’s lingerie company private and value it at about $1.1 billion, per the Wall Street Journal.

Details: L Brands will keep the remaining stake in a separate company along with sister brand Pink, while the core company will now only operate Bath & Body Works. Leslie Wexner will step down as CEO and chairman but remain on the boards of both companies.

Markets are behaving strangely as investors attempt to make sense of the growing threat of the novel coronavirus. Assets that typically move in opposite directions are moving together, and assets that traditionally are very correlated are taking inverse tracks.

State of play: The market's two most popular safe-haven assets, gold and the Japanese yen, have decoupled and are moving in opposite directions.

The coronavirus outbreak already is eating into companies' 2020 plans, with a number of firms announcing significant expected hits to their sales.

What's happening: After warning that it would need to write down its revenue expectations, a new report from Nikkei says Apple's iPhone inventories could remain low until April or longer and that suppliers are "currently operating at around 30% to 50% of capacity."

UnitedHealth Group will be ending contracts with Mednax anesthesiologists, neonatologists and obstetricians in four states this year, affecting $70 million of revenue, Mednax said Thursday. Mednax and UnitedHealth did not immediately respond to questions.

Why it matters: If the two sides don't strike a new deal, Mednax doctors will be out-of-network for all people who have UnitedHealth insurance, regardless if those doctors work at in-network hospitals — putting patients at risk of receiving surprise medical bills from those Mednax doctors. Congress has not resolved surprise billing.

Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan are joining the list of banks, brokerages and trading firms that back the Members Exchange, or "MEMX" — a new stock exchange that says it will go live in July and challenge incumbent exchanges by charging lower fees.

Why it matters: MEMX, which is still awaiting regulatory approval from the SEC, could be a formidable competitor to the entrenched "big three" stock exchanges.