Who’s Got The Edge In Iowa?

Sponsored by   EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW, RIGHT NOW. #IBTPulse   Who's Got The Edge In Iowa? Voters in Iowa will give presidential hopefuls their first real test of the 2016 campaign Monday, when they go to vote in the state’s caucuses. Polls show Donald Trump firmly in the lead on the Republican side, with Hillary Clinton out front among the Democrats. Despite the importance attached to the Iowa caucuses, some analysts suggest the poll is more about confirming the losers than picking the winner. Alphabet Could Wow Wall Street Google’s new parent company will report its full-year and fourth-quarter earnings later Monday. Crucially, Alphabet will break out its businesses, separating Google’s financial position from its more risky “side bet” businesses, like self-driving cars, which are expected to show losses. Every dollar of losses attributed to non-core activities, however, will improve the profit margin of the Google unit, and some analysts expect that strong numbers for Google could propel Alphabet’s market capitalization past that of Apple. Greek Reforms Face International Scrutiny Greece’s international lenders will begin a review process Monday, assessing what progress the country has made on the economic reforms it promised to implement in return for its third bailout. A successful conclusion of the performance review will open the way for debt relief talks, but the head of the European Stability Mechanism has ruled out a haircut for Greece’s debt. Extending debt maturities and deferring interest are options, however, that could be used to make it more manageable. A Crucial Day For 'Brexit' Talks British Prime Minister David Cameron holds last-ditch talks with European Council President Donald Tusk Monday, ahead of an EU leaders’ summit later this month. Cameron is aiming to restrict EU migrants’ access to in-work benefits for several years when they arrive in the U.K., which his Conservative Party government feels is responsible for an excess of immigration to the country. The U.K. is set to hold an in-out referendum on the country’s EU membership by 2017. HERE'S WHAT YOU MISSED LAST NIGHT. China's Factories Off To A Slow Start The government-compiled Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) showed that manufacturing activity slowed more than expected in January. The index stood at 49.4 in the first month of 2016, down from 49.7 in the previous month and below a consensus estimate of 49.6. January’s figures mark the weakest PMI result since 2012 and indicate a sixth straight month of contraction, adding to concerns over the state of China’s floundering economy. A Crucial Obamacare Deadline Passed Americans without healthcare coverage had until 3 a.m. EST Monday to either obtain health insurance or be subject to costly penalties. These penalties now stand at either 2.5 percent of a family’s income, or $695 per adult and $347.50 per child, for a total of up to $2,085. While the law has subsidies in place so families who cannot afford to pay in full can receive stipends for coverage, many Americans have said the subsidies are not enough to cover the cost of care. No Deal On US-EU Data Transfers, Yet EU and U.S. officials on Sunday failed to reach an agreement over how digital data, including citizens’ personal information and social media content, could be transferred between the two regions. Without an agreement, companies that regularly move data across the Atlantic, including tech giants like Facebook and Google, and traditional companies like General Electric, could find themselves on uncertain legal ground. Record Fines For Banks Over 'Dark Pool' Trading New York state regulators and the SEC revealed Sunday that Barclays and Credit Suisse will pay over $154 million to settle federal and state charges that they misled investors in their dark pools. Barclays will admit that it broke the law, and pay $70 million between the regulators. Credit Suisse will pay a $60 million fine split between the regulators, plus an additional $24.3 million to the SEC, but will neither admit nor deny the allegations.   7 Hanover Square, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004 © 2015 IBT Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please add pulse@ibt-mail.com to your contacts Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy