Hedge funds are snapping up insurance against a South Korean default as the nuclear threat from North Korea appears to grow. As of last August, S&P had an AA credit rating and a stable outlook for South Korea. President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that a trade deal between the U.S. and China will be more favorable to Beijing if it can put pressure on North Korea. Trump also tweeted that “North Korea is looking for trouble” and that the U.S. is ready to solve the problem without China if

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, traded more than 6 percent higher at 15. The index had traded more than 10 percent higher earlier in the session. LPL’s Detrick said the Vix snapped a 103-session streak in which it closed below its 200-day moving average on Monday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday the U.S. will stand up against anyone who commits crimes against humanity. Earnings are also on deck for investors, as JPMorgan Chas

Over the past few years, Apple has entered into a relatively predictable pattern of iPhone launches. Most of the time we head into September expecting a 4.7-inch iPhone and a larger 5.5-inch iPhone Plus model. That means we should expect a regular 4.7-inch iPhone, another 5.5-inch iPhone Plus and yet another device, which has often been referred to as either the iPhone 8, the iPhone Anniversary Edition or the iPhone X. The standard 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones are expected to go on sale in Sept

Google Maps is perfect for getting directions from point A to point B, or for finding a nearby restaurant, but it also has a bunch of interesting hidden features of which most people are unaware. I use Google Maps every day and I didn’t even know about some of these until Google pointed them out. I guess that’s the very definition of hiding in plain view, right? Anyway, here are some Google Maps secrets that might help you get more out of the app, and you might not have known they were even ther

Investors should buy Western Digital shares because the company’s earnings next year will come in significantly above current expectations, according to JPMorgan, which upgraded the company to overweight from neutral. “We expect the company to benefit from the ongoing NAND [flash memory] shortage. In addition, we note that the PC market is improving,” analyst Rod Hall wrote in a note to clients Tuesday.

David Kostin, chief U.S. equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, shared his views on the market in an interview Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” When asked about President Donald Trump’s agenda: “My characterization that early March will be the point of maximum optimism reflects that view. On the firm’s favorite sectors: “We focus on financials and technology as areas for better growth. That’s how we set up a portfolio now,” he said. He also discusses:Corporate earningsMarket’s valuationBon

Now, Tillerson, a former oil executive with no diplomatic experience, is charged with avoiding a major U.S. confrontation with Russia while exacting some concessions from Moscow. Those include getting rid of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s remaining chemical weapons and pressing Assad to negotiate Syria’s future. The Kremlin said on Monday Tillerson was not scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit, a move that could point to tensions. It may also suggest that T

The New York Times won three Pulitzer Prizes, and The New York Daily News and ProPublica shared the prize for public service, as journalism presented its highest honors on Monday at a time of steep financial challenges for the industry and unabashed antagonism from a new presidential administration. The reporting drove New York City to re-examine the nuisance law and pass sweeping reforms. More from The New York Times:2017 Pulitzer Prize WinnersRead The New York Times Articles That Won a 2017 Pu

North Korea’s parliament convenes Tuesday for an annual meeting that’s expected to commemorate Kim Jong-un’s leadership amid increasing pressure from the U.S. Known as the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), the parliament is made up of hundreds of members and is the country’s highest body of power, according to the constitution. In reality, experts say the SPA is actually just a rubber-stamp institution that confirms decisions on official appointments, the state budget, and legal amendments that a

Japan’s Toshiba Corp filed twice-delayed business results on Tuesday without an endorsement from its auditor, increasing the likelihood that the nuclear-to-TVs conglomerate will be delisted. The filing carried a disclaimer from auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Aarata LLC that it was unable to form an opinion of the results. The move is unprecedented for a major Tokyo-based firm and will put financial regulators and the Tokyo Stock Exchange center stage as they weigh whether to accept it, as

But some are surprisingly optimistic, according to the latest survey by TD Ameritrade. According to Brankin, even though TD Ameritrade customers are optimistic looking ahead to the next three months, they’re not sticking their heads in the sand. But he said he expected the U.S. earnings season to drive for investor behavior more than anything else, with TD Ameritrade customers joining the rush back into energy. “ExxonMobil is still one of the larger kind of net new buys for our customer base at

The first 3-D printed components to be used on a commercial jet plane are all set to fly thanks to a partnership between U.S. aerospace giant Boeing and a Norwegian firm. Norsk Titanium confirmed on its website Monday that it’s now received a production order from Boeing for 3-D printed structural titanium components to be used on the Dreamliner 787. The Dreamliner will be the first plane to fly with “Additive-Manufactured” 3-D parts that make up part of the plane’s load bearing structure. “From

Alexander Bortnikov, chief of the FSB, the main successor to the KGB intelligence agency, said in comments carried by Russia news agencies on Tuesday that six members of terrorist cells have been detained in St. Petersburg and two in Moscow in connection with the attack. Bortnikov said all of them are from former Soviet Central Asian republics and that the police found a large amount of weapons and ammunition at their homes. Bortnikov admitted that intelligence agencies have failed in tackling a

Viral videos showing a passenger who appears to be of Asian ethnicity dragged off an overbooked United Airlines plane by security officers has triggered outrage on social media on China. The viral video was posted on Facebook by fellow passenger Audra D. Bridges, who told the Associated Press she heard the man “saying that he was being singled out because he’s a Chinese man.” The man who was forcibly evicted from his seat has not been identified and has not commented publicly. His identity as et

Azul and several shareholders raised 2.021 billion reals ($645 million) in a dual initial public offering in São Paulo and New York on Monday, as soaring investor demand led Brazil’s No. São Paulo-based Azul priced the equivalent of 72 million preferred shares at 21 reais each, the midpoint of the suggested price range. An additional 13 million shares were sold in the IPO as investors bid over five times the amount of Azul stock on offer, three people familiar with the deal said. The stock start

President Donald Trump’s decision to order a cruise missile strike on a Syria-government airfield is evidence he is not colluding with Russia and will not be “pushed around” by President Vladimir Putin, Eric Trump told the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph on Tuesday. The U.S. president’s son stressed his father would not be intimated by Putin’s hardline stance concerning the Syrian conflict and insisted his father would prove there is “no-one harder” should Moscow “cross us”.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has called on Russia to realign itself with the U.S. and break its alliance with Syrian President Bashar Assad. His words come as G-7 leaders in the Italian city of Lucca failed to reach a consensus on whether their should be new sanctions against Russia for its perceived role in the suspected chemical attack in Syria last week. “It is clear to us the reign of the Assad family is coming to an end,” Tillerson said shortly before leaving for Moscow, according to Re

North Korean state media on Tuesday warned of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of a U.S. pre-emptive strike as a U.S. Navy strike group led by a nuclear-powered aircraft steamed towards the western Pacific. Tension has escalated sharply on the Korean peninsula with talk of military action by the United States gaining traction following its strikes last week against Syria and amid concerns the reclusive North may soon conduct a sixth nuclear test. North Korea’s official Rodong Si

U.S. government debt prices were higher on Monday as investors awaited talks between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian officials. The yield on the benchmark10-year Treasury notes, which moves inversely to price, was lower at around 2.345 percent, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was also lower at 2.975 percent. On the data front, Friday will see the auction of $55 billion 4-week bills and $20 billion 10-year notes. In oil markets, Brent crude traded at around $55.90 a barr

The pan-European Euro Stoxx 600 was 0.1 percent higher with most sectors in positive territory and major bourses mixed. Europe’s Luxury-goods shares showed strength on Tuesday after LVMH reported an upbeat sales report. The French group recorded an uptick in first-quarter sales which beat analyst expectations sending shares 1.4 percent higher. G-7 meeting in focusG-7 Foreign ministers are poised to reconvene in Italy for the second and final day of the summit hosted in Italy. The ZEW monthly sur