Why it matters: GM may be investing billions to transform its business for the future, but to many investors, Tesla's lead in the fledgling electric vehicle market is seen as insurmountable.
My ride this week is a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500, a heavy-duty pickup truck with a hood that's almost as tall as I am.
The big picture: Heavy-duty trucks are meant for people doing serious work, like towing a large boat, a horse trailer or a camper — not for driving to the health club or supermarket, like I did.
The retired chief executive of Pacific Investment Management, Douglas Hodge, was sentenced to nine months in prison for what a federal judge presiding over the case called "repeated and enduring criminal conduct" in the sprawling college admissions scandal, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: Hodge's "tab was the largest of any parent charged," and his sentencing is the harshest so far in the scandal that involves about 50 parents and college coaches across the country, per the Journal.
Regulators are starting to rewrite rules for self-driving cars to share the road with traditional vehicles.
The big picture: Automated test vehicles are allowed on public roads in some states — so long as they comply with existing safety standards written for human-driven vehicles.
Activist investor Elliott Management has acquired around a $2.5 billion stake in SoftBank Group, saying the market "significantly undervalues" the Japanese group's assets.
The state of play: So far the relationship appears to be friendly, but Elliott isn't shy about getting into the mud if that's where it feels the most profit lies.
The U.S. economy added 225,000 jobs in January, the government said on Friday, far above economists’ expectations of 161,000. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 3.6% — just above last month's 50-year low of 3.5%
The big picture: The result showcased the continued resiliency of the labor market, and the strong numbers are sure to be seized on by President Trump as he plots his course to re-election following his acquittal in the Senate's impeachment trial.
The latest reading of the Green Street Commercial Property Price Index fell in January for the first time since March 2019. Prices had held steady over the previous three months and have risen just 2.1% in the last 12 months.
Why it matters: The data suggest price increases in commercial real estate have hit a standstill.
The steady decline in U.S. interest rates helped the housing sector recover from its malaise in early 2019, and the momentum is continuing so far in 2020.
Yes but: Prospective homeowners are finding it increasingly difficult to find a home, as the lower rates have brought on increased selling prices and fewer available homes.
With more than half of the companies on the S&P 500 having reported earnings, the consensus estimate for fourth-quarter earnings is down just 0.1% from three weeks ago. That's well above the 1.3% average decline for the past five years, excluding 2018, which was boosted significantly by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
By the numbers: So far, 22% of S&P companies have revised first-quarter profit targets higher, the highest percentage since Q2 2018 and third-highest since 2012, Bloomberg data show.
The five biggest U.S. stocks — Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook — have grown so explosively that they account for nearly 18% of the S&P 500 index by market value, AP reports.
Why it matters: Never before have five companies held such powerful sway over the index, according to Morgan Stanley strategists.
Netflix has taken down just nine pieces of content around the world in response to written government demands since it was founded 23 years ago, the company revealed for the first time.
Why it matters: As Netflix aims to grow its business abroad, it wants to be transparent about the way it handles censorship efforts in markets it looks to invest in.
The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is already scuttling supply chains and wreaking havoc on companies around the world that do business in China, but if analysts' projections are correct, the rebound from the virus could help propel the U.S. economy to new heights right around the time of the 2020 presidential election.
Why it matters: With President Trump touting the stock market's performance and jobs growth as key accomplishments, that bounceback could play a major role in the election's outcome.
