Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:

• What Happened in the World Economy This Week and What It Means. (video)

• Bloomberg’s New Global Politics Weekend Reads.

• As CERAWeek Oil Gabfest Starts, Here's What We're Listening For.

• Axa in Advanced Talks to Buy U.S. Insurer XL Group. Axa SA is in advanced talks to buy XL Group Ltd., a property and casualty insurer with a market value of $11 billion, people familiar with the matter said. A deal could be announced in coming days, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public. XL has also attracted interest from insurers including Germany’s Allianz SE, Bloomberg reported last month. A final deal hasn’t been reached and another bidder may yet emerge or talks may fall apart, the people said.

• Netflix(NFLX) Shrugs Off Market Turmoil With Shares Rising Past $300.

• Quick Dips, 1% Days Are New Normal in Ever-Shifting 2018 Stocks. (video)

• U.S. Inflation May Be Less Than Meets the Eye, These Gauges Show.

Wall Street Journal:

• Russia Moves to Scrap Accords to Send Gas to Ukraine. Move, which comes amid tensions between nations, could affect flow of gas bound for Europe.

• In a Pennsylvania Steel Town, Donald Trump’s Tariff Is a Winner. Local workers hope for more jobs and better pay from the president’s proposed levies. 

• The New Arms Race in AI. China is making big investments in artificial intelligence, looking for military advantage—while the Pentagon is determined to maintain its edge.

• Crypto Investing Comes With a Big Risk: The Exchanges. Recent hacks show the vulnerability investors can face when buying speculative tokens on startup exchanges.

Barron's:

• Had bullish commentary on (LOW), (NVR), (LEN) and (MTH).

MarketWatch.com:

• S&P 500 companies expected to buy back $800 billion of their own shares this year.

Fox News: 

• Violent criminals among illegal immigrants caught in California raid derailed by Dem mayor. (video)

CNBC:

• No-frills micro hospitals with as few as 8 rooms emerge as a new way to cut health-care costs.

• Iran calls on US, Europe to scrap nuclear arms, missiles.

• Kudlow: Mr. President, tariffs are really tax hikes.

• These founders designed self-driving cars at Stanford. Now they're building a home camera that understands what it sees.

Zero Hedge:

• Trump Threatens Europe: "We Will Tax Your Cars".

• Hope Hicks Kept "Detailed Diary" At White House, Gets $10MM Book Offer.

• One Company Now Owns Over 7% Of The Entire S&P500. 

• It's Not All Bad - These 6 Charts Show How The World Is Improving.

• As Russian Bot Narrative Unravels, Even Liberals Say Enough Is Enough.

• Carmageddon 2.0: Auto Sales Slump As Hurricane Bump Fades.

• 7 Dead After "Monster Nor'easter" Pummels East Coast, Leaving Floods, Outages.

• Worsening Lumber "Supply Crisis" Is Driving Record Home Prices Higher.

• Justice Department "Reviewing" Actions Of "Gang Lookout" Oakland Mayor.

• Fed's QE Unwind Marches Forward Relentlessly.

• Tariff Tantrum Ends With Massive Short Squeeze. (graph)

Business Insider:

• The DOJ is scrutinizing Andrew McCabe over his handling of the FBI's Clinton investigation.

• US issues travel alert in Mexico after explosives were found on a ferry in a tourist hotspot.