Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Real News with David Knight

9:00 am 12:00 pm



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

Asian equities’ valuations still cheaper than its global peers: Refinitiv data

A panel displays global stock indexes at the Hong Kong Exchanges in Hong Kong
A panel displays global stock indexes at the Hong Kong Exchanges in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

April 2, 2019

(Reuters) – Asian stocks valuations’ rose on the back of a strong rally in the first quarter of 2019, but regional equities still look attractive compared with global peers, Refinitiv data showed.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares rose about 9 percent in the first quarter of 2019, its biggest quarterly gain since January-March 2012. That propelled the index’s forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) to a 10-month high of 12.89 at the end of March.

However, it was still less than the MSCI All Country World index’s forward 12 month P/E of 14.78, the data showed.

South Korea, Hong Kong and China were the lowest-cost shares in the region, with P/E multiples of about 12 or less.

India and Malaysia were the most expensive, with ratios of 18.3 and 15.8 respectively.

“The region trades at a steep discount to global equities,” DBS Bank said in a note.

“The China equity market is particularly attractive on aggressive policy tailwinds and MSCI index re-weighting,” it said.

(Graphic: Valuation of Asian equities – https://tmsnrt.rs/2VdEmtK)

(Graphic: MSCI Asia Pacific and World Index’s forward PE – https://tmsnrt.rs/2WEy1HU)

(Reporting by Patturaja Murugbaoopathy and Gaurav Dogra in Bengaluru)

Source: OANN

0 0

Brexit: UK loses 6.6 billion pounds a quarter since referendum, S&P says

An anti-Brexit protester demonstrates outside the Houses of Parliament in London
An anti-Brexit protester demonstrates outside the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

April 4, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – The United Kingdom has lost 6.6 billion pounds ($8.7 billion) in economic activity every quarter since it voted to leave the European Union, according to S&P Global Ratings, the latest company to estimate the damage from Brexit.

In a report published on Thursday, the ratings agency’s senior economist, Boris Glass, said the world’s fifth-biggest economy would have been about 3 percent larger by the end of 2018 if the country had not voted in a June 2016 referendum to leave the EU.

Quarterly growth rates would have averaged about 0.7 percent, rather than 0.43 percent, he said.

“Immediately after the referendum, the pound fell by about 18 percent. This was the single most pertinent indicator of the impact of the vote and the drag it created, via inflation, has been spreading through the economy,” he said.

As imports became more expensive, inflation started to rise, curbing household spending. S&P estimated inflation was 1.8 percent higher than it would otherwise have been by the third quarter 2017.

The estimate is slightly lower than an assessment by Goldman Sachs earlier this week, which pegged the cost to the economy at about 600 million pounds per week. That equates to 7.8 billion pounds a quarter, according to Reuters calculations.

The S&P report was based on the Doppelganger approach, an econometric technique that used a synthetic UK economy based on the performance of other economies to estimate how the UK would have performed had it not decided to leave the EU.

The other countries included the United States, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Denmark, Portugal and Hungary.

(Reporting by Josephine Mason; editing by Gareth Jones, Larry King)

Source: OANN

0 0

Biden’s Senate records held by his alma mater won’t be released until late 2019, possibly even later

The public is being denied access to about 2,000 boxes of records from Joe Biden’s Senate career -- information that spans more than three decades.

The University of Delaware, where the Biden archive is stored, says the records might not be available until late 2019, possibly even later.

The news comes as the former vice president is set to announce his candidacy for president on Thursday morning, joining a crowded Democratic primary field where he’s going to immediately stand out. The latest polls already put him on par with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., another leading 2020 candidate.

JOE BIDEN WOULD BE 'MOST SANE' DEMOCRAT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, LARA TRUMP SAYS

The delay in access to Biden's records -- coinciding with new scrutiny he is facing over behavior toward women -- results from the conditions of his donation to the University of Delaware.

“The Biden senatorial papers are indeed still closed, pending completion of processing (still underway) and as per our agreement with the donor, which is that the papers would remain closed until the later date of 12/31/2019 or two years after the donor retires [from] public service,” L. Rebecca Johnson Melvin, head of the university library's archives department, told HuffPost.

“The Biden senatorial papers are indeed still closed, pending completion of processing (still underway) and as per our agreement with the donor, which is that the papers would remain closed until the later date of 12/31/2019 or two years after the donor retires [from] public service.”

— L. Rebecca Johnson Melvin, University of Delaware library official

GOP STRATEGIST COLIN REED ON BIDEN'S EXPECTED 2020 ANNOUNCEMENT: 'THE GLOVES WILL COME OFF RIGHT AWAY'

She added that it remains to be seen whether the records will be released even after the December 2019 deadline.

Biden voluntarily donated the records to his former school back in 2011, initially setting out the following condition for their release to the public: “no sooner than two years after [Biden] retires from any public office.”

But an updated agreement with the university was somewhat amended after he left office in 2017, reflecting Biden’s growing political ambitions. The records will now be sealed until at least the end of the year or even further, as the university library official confirmed.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The library is reportedly holding about 1,850 boxes of archival records and “extensive electronic records” from Biden’s time in the Senate.

Source: Fox News Politics

0 0

Starbucks' Howard Schultz's Poverty Childhood Claim Disputed

Former Starbucks CEO and 2020 presidential candidate Howard Schultz often describes his life as a rags-to-riches success story while telling how he grew up as a poor child in a tough housing project in Brooklyn who ended up founding a coffee empire, but his former neighbors don't remember it that way.

“It was a shiny, wonderful world,” said Elyse Maltz, 65, one of the many people who lived in Brooklyn's Bayview housing project in the 1950s and 1960s when Schultz lived there with his family, told The Washington Post. "You were interviewed to get in. My family was pretty well off."

Maltz said she wants Schultz to quit depicting people who lived in Bayview when he was there as poor or destitute, because "it's insulting."

Schultz wasn't interviewed for The Post story, but campaign spokesman Tucker Warren said that claiming his family wasn't poor is a comment on the state of today's politics.

“Other families at Bayview may have had more money or better jobs, but the Schultz family was poor, period," said Warren.

Shelly Blank, a longtime Bayview resident who runs a Facebook group for people who had lived there, said that in the early days, Bayview was "brand new, a beautiful new place with new kitchens, new plumbing. We’re excited that he’s running, but I yell at the TV when he says this stuff.”

Schultz himself has changed his description of Bayview over the years. In 1997, he described the project in his book "Pour Your Heart Into It" as "not a frightening place," but after that, his descriptions got darker.

Source: NewsMax Politics

0 0

Donna Brazile: Obama did ‘everything he could’ to prevent Russian meddling

Fox News contributor Donna Brazile defended former President Barack Obama on Friday as he faced criticism for his response to Russian meddling during the 2016 election.

"I think they did everything they could without sounding all of the alarm bells," she said of Obama's administration. The subject came up as Fox News host Dana Perino asked Brazile on "The Daily Briefing" about Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report — something Brazile said should be a "wake-up call" due to its troubling findings about Russian interference.

If Obama did more on Russian meddling, she said, critics would have accused him of trying to help his former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in her race against then-candidate Donald Trump.

KIMBERLEY STRASSEL: MUELLER'S REPORT SPEAKS VOLUMES

"He was in a box," Brazile said of Obama. "Perhaps President Trump is in a box," she added, before calling for action to prevent future meddling. Her comments came as the Obama administration faced renewed scrutiny over spying on the Trump campaign.

Mueller's investigation did not find sufficient evidence to formally accuse Trump's campaign of collusion, although it contained details about activity related to that issue.

During an earlier interview on "Outnumbered," Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., defended the former president, saying that he shouldn't have to apologize, given Mueller's findings. Mueller's report, he said, "laid out a multiplicity of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians."

Fox News Chief National Correspondent Ed Henry, who joined Brazile on "The Daily Briefing" panel Friday, indicated that Democrats should give Trump associates credit for not taking Russian "bait." "Where's the credit for the Trump folks who didn't take the bait? I mean, we've heard for two years that they did," he said.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, AFTER MUELLER REPORT'S RELEASE, SAYS PRESS APOLOGIES ARE IN ORDER

Brazile countered that the Trump campaign "exploited" information from Wikileaks, an organization with suspected ties to Russia, to create a "false narrative."

"Every day, the Trump campaign would get the Wikileaks information; they would blast it. He used it in his daily rallies and daily meetings," Brazile said.

Brazile, who served as interim Democratic National Committee chair during the election, backed away from making any determination about whether her party should pursue impeaching the president.

That question arose after Mueller's report stopped short of accusing Trump of obstructing justice, but highlighted 10 items that were concerning in relation to that issue.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"I think it's premature to talk about what the next step is," she said. "Before we can move into what I call the impeachment gear, perhaps we should just dive into this report," she added.

While congressional Democrats have already pushed for more information regarding the investigation, the party as a whole seemed hesitant about impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has quashed the idea on multiple occasions but newcomers — like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., — have thrown their weight behind impeaching the president. Like Brazile, DNC Chair Tom Perez appeared to sidestep impeachment questions on Thursday and said it was unclear whether or not obstruction occurred.

Source: Fox News Politics

0 0

Lawmakers consider reflectors, lights on horse-drawn buggies

Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would require horse-drawn buggies to have reflectors or lights at night.

The Portland Press Herald reports the push comes after several crashes involving motor vehicles in northern and central Maine, home to a growing number of Amish communities. In a January crash, several children were injured.

State Rep. Chloe Maxmin says it's impossible for drivers to see buggies at a distance, and there's no margin for error for stopping on rural roads.

Rep. David McCrea's bill would require reflective white tape on the buggies and an oil lantern that shines red when viewed from the rear and white when viewed from the front.

Whitefield resident Ben Zook says he and other Amish community members are willing to work with lawmakers on safety concerns.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Industrial policy row masks deeper German struggle over post-Merkel era

FILE PHOTO: Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party congress in Berlin
FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks to Peter Altmaier during a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party congress in Berlin, Germany, February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch -/File Photo

April 15, 2019

By Andreas Rinke and Paul Carrel

BERLIN (Reuters) – After a brief ceasefire, Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats are fighting among themselves again over the future shape and leadership of their party as the chancellor stage-manages her exit as German leader.

The battle, ostensibly over a new industrial strategy led by Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, is symptomatic of a deeper struggle in the party over its future and has broken a truce agreed in December after a divisive leadership contest.

At stake are both the direction the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) takes as it starts to chart a course for the post-Merkel era, and the prospects of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer – the new party leader and Merkel’s protege.

The debate pits supporters of a more interventionist industrial policy like Altmaier against CDU traditionalists who seek to limit the state’s role to creating the right legal framework for competition to flourish. They see this approach, known as “ordo-liberalism”, as key to Germany’s postwar economic revival.

Altmaier was forced on Friday to dismiss reports his job was under threat from Friedrich Merz, who narrowly lost out to Kramp-Karrenbauer in December’s run-off vote to decide the CDU leadership.

“This standoff is clearly about the future of the CDU,” said Carsten Nickel at Teneo Intelligence, a consultancy.

“Under Merkel, the party has focused on the new urban middle classes. The looming end of that era seems to be reinvigorating the more traditional parts of the CDU’s base such as small business owners,” added Nickel. “Merz is their hero.”

Altmaier, a close Merkel ally and formerly her chief of staff, annoyed the CDU’s free-market-loving base in February with plans for a more defensive industrial strategy that could see Berlin buy stakes in companies to prevent foreign takeovers.

His policy pivot was driven by concerns about Chinese firms acquiring German know-how, but by riling CDU traditionalists it has challenged Kramp-Karrenbauer to define her economic stance.

A social conservative, Kramp-Karrenbauer is pragmatic and more centrist on economic policy, like Merkel, whom she is in pole position to succeed after winning the CDU leadership that the chancellor decided last year not to seek again.

But her narrow margin of victory over Merz – 517 votes to 482 in a run-off – means she is taking care to appeal to the CDU’s conservative business base, which he represents.

To that end, Kramp-Karrenbauer appeared with Merz at a CDU campaign rally on Friday ahead of European elections in May.

CDU conservatives, led by former finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, warm to Merz, a businessman, who would have a platform for a potential run for chancellor if he were to take over as economy minister.

BALANCING ACT

A CDU source dismissed as “nonsense” the idea that Merz could replace Altmaier. Asked whether Merz was after his job, Altmaier told Deutschlandfunk radio on Friday: “I do not have the impression that a plot is being hatched in the party.”

But one senior German official said Altmaier was isolated in his own ministry over his industrial policy plan: “The minister is very committed to this. But if you talk to the ministry officials, it is very different.”

Carsten Linnemann, head of the MIT group that represents small and mid-sized businesses in Merkel’s conservative bloc, called for “corrections” to Altmaier’s industry plans.

“But it is unfair to make Mr Altmaier the economic lobby’s scapegoat for its discontent with the grand coalition,” he said.

Altmaier remains a close Merkel ally and his position is not in jeopardy, government sources say.

“Altmaier is not up for discussion,” said one. “Of course there are differences, like over the industry policy proposals. The chancellor has said these can be discussed in detail. But it was her express wish that Altmaier kick off a debate.”

He may nonetheless be forced out in the longer term, especially if Kramp-Karrenbauer keeps close to Merz.

Like Kramp-Karrenbauer, known as ‘AKK’ after her initials, Altmaier is from the tiny western state of Saarland. Should she become chancellor, two CDU Saarlanders in the cabinet may be one too many for other party members from bigger states.

Kramp-Karrenbauer has been working hard to unite the CDU and improve ties with its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, which last year clashed with their Social Democrat (SPD) allies and pushed the ruling coalition close to collapse.

However, a series of gaffes this year – most recently poking fun at trans-gender people – have raised questions about her suitability for the highest office. She needs to be careful with her policy positions as well as watching her style.

If Kramp-Karrenbauer moves too far right and the left-leaning SPD performs poorly in European elections, a state vote in Bremen – also in May – or regional polls in eastern Germany in the autumn, the party could decide to rebuild in opposition.

The SPD only joined the coalition after a bitter internal debate last year.

“AKK is catering heavily to the traditionalist right now,” said Nickel. “But the risk for the coalition is that this rightist turn will provoke a nervous SPD to pull the plug later this year.”

(Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Source: OANN

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Real News with David Knight

9:00 am 12:00 pm



The headquarters of Wirecard AG is seen in Aschheim near Munich
FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of Wirecard AG, an independent provider of outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payment transactions is seen in Aschheim near Munich, Germany April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

April 26, 2019

BERLIN (Reuters) – Wulf Matthias will not stand for a second term as Wirecard’s chairman in 2020, German daily Handelsblatt said on Friday, citing sources in the financial industry.

For age reasons alone this would not be an option for Matthias, aged 75, Handelsblatt added.

Matthias will keep his mandate until it ends in 2020, the paper quoted a company spokeswoman as saying.

Wirecard was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.

(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Thomas Seythal)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: The Credit Suisse logo is pictured on a bank in Geneva
FILE PHOTO: The Credit Suisse logo is pictured on a bank in Geneva, Switzerland, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

April 26, 2019

ZURICH (Reuters) – Shareholders approved Credit Suisse’s 2018 compensation report with an 82 percent majority on Friday, overriding frustrations expressed at its annual general meeting over jumps in executive pay during a year its share price plummeted.

Three shareholder advisers had recommended investors vote against Switzerland’s second-biggest bank’s remuneration report, while a fourth backed the report but expressed reservations about whether management pay matched performance.

The approval marked a slight increase over the 80.8 percent support garnered for the bank’s 2017 compensation report.

(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Michael Shields)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the trading floor of Barclays Bank at Canary Wharf in London
FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the trading floor of Barclays Bank at Canary Wharf in London, Britain December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Simon Jessop and Sinead Cruise

LONDON (Reuters) – Activist investor Edward Bramson is likely to fail in his attempt to get a board seat at Barclays’ annual meeting next week, even though shareholders are dissatisfied with performance of the group’s investment bank.

New York-based Bramson’s Sherborne Investors and the board of the British bank have been sparring for months over Barclays’ strategy.

Bramson wants to scale back Barclays’ investment bank to reduce risk and boost shareholder returns. Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley remains staunchly committed to growing the business out of trouble.

After failing to persuade Staley to change course since he began building a 5.5 percent stake in the bank in March last year, Bramson hopes a board seat will rachet up the pressure.

Both sides have written to shareholders pitching their case and Bramson has courted investors in one-on-one meetings, although none have publicly backed him yet.

Interviews by Reuters with five institutional investors in Barclays suggest Bramson has failed to persuade them.

Sherborne declined to comment.

Mirza Baig, head of investment stewardship at top-40 shareholder Aviva Investors, said Bramson was welcome on the bank’s register but the boardroom was a step too far.

“He has created a lot of value at other businesses, but, generally, when he has come in as executive chair and taken full control. This would be a different case where he would just be one lone voice on the board,” he said.

A second Barclays shareholder said he backed Bramson’s goal of improving returns but via an “evolutionary” approach.

“If you look at banks that have tried to restructure their operations in investment banking – you look at Natwest Markets, Deutsche Bank – I struggle to think of an example where a roughshod restructuring has been accretive to shareholder value.”

A third, top-30 investor said he had been impressed by incoming Chairman Nigel Higgins’ grasp of the challenge in hand, and felt investors would give him time.

“Management know they have to execute and deliver improved returns… [Higgins] will continue to re-shape the board but obviously he didn’t feel that having someone with a diametrically opposed view on it would be helpful.”

A fourth, top-30 investor agreed: “We voted for the chairman to come in and it would be crazy to allow an activist to join the board (at this time).”

Jupiter Fund Management, the 24th largest investor, said it also planned to vote against Bramson.

Barclays has nearly 500 institutional shareholders, Refinitiv data showed.

Since Staley joined Barclays in 2015, the investment bank returns relative to capital invested have increased but are still underperforming the overall business.

Barclays’ first-quarter figures showed the investment bank posted a 6 percent drop in income from its markets business and a 17 percent fall in banking advisory fees.

Returns in the investment bank fell to 9.5 percent from 13.2 percent a year ago.

Famed for successful campaigns against smaller British companies in sectors from chemicals to advertising, Bramson’s board seat pitch has been rebuffed by shareholder advisory firms.

Institutional Shareholder Services, the world’s biggest, said Bramson’s proposal “falls short of what can reasonably be expected from a shareholder trying to address issues at a 28 billion pounds, systemically important bank”.

Glass Lewis also flagged concern about Bramson’s lack of banking experience and “questionable” shareholding structure, referring to Sherborne’s use of derivative contracts to hedge losses should its strategy fail.

Critics said the arrangement meant his interests are not truly aligned with those of other long-term shareholders.

British advisory firm Pirc, however, said it recommended that investors abstain in the vote on Bramson’s proposal as a challenge to the board to do better in the year ahead – or face a similar contest in 2020.

(Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2019/04/918/516/02_2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

After an over 15-month pregnancy, “Akuti,” a 7-year-old Greater One Horned Indian Rhinoceros, gave birth as a result of induced ovulation and artificial insemination at Zoo Miami, April 23, 2019.

Ron Magill/Zoo Miami

https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2019/04/918/516/02_2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

Source: Fox News World

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: File photo of a Chevron gas station sign in Del Mar, California
FILE PHOTO: A Chevron gas station sign is seen in Del Mar, California, in this April 25, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – U.S. oil and natural gas producer Chevron Corp reported a 27 percent fall in quarterly earnings on Friday, hit by lower crude prices and weaker margins in its refining and chemicals businesses.

Net income attributable to the company fell to $2.65 billion, or $1.39 per share, for the first quarter ended March 31, from $3.64 billion, or $1.90 per share, a year earlier.

Earlier in the day, larger rival Exxon Mobil Corp reported earnings well below analysts’ estimates, as margins in its refining business were hurt by higher Canadian prices and heavy scheduled maintenance.

(Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist