Today’s Issue Cluster: Japan Election
China – Patent fiction
World – Peer-to-peer lenders coming of age?
Dairy – Egg Market Disrupted in US as Cages Made Roomier
Japan – Dec: Tankan Manufacturers Growing More Cautious Over Future; +12 from +13 / WSJ / B *
US – Nov: Manufacturing output surges; +1.1% from +0.4% / R / WSJ / AP / B *
US – Dec: NAHB Homebuilder sentiment edges lower; 57 from 58 / R / B *
Currencies – Ruble: Fifth Rate Increase Fails to Halt Record Low B / WSJ / FT *
Currencies – Ruble: Russia’s foreign-exchange reserves What’s really there? e *
China – Not only passes, but dwarfs US and Japan patent output r *
Japan – Abe strengthens grip FT / WSJ / NYT / B / R / AP *
Japan – Feeble challenge from once-powerful DPJ FT
Japan – A ballot on Abenomics FT * * * * *
Japan – Business Optimism Waning WSJ
Japan – Abe Vows to Push for Wage Increases WSJ *
Japan – Election Gives Abenomics Second Wind WSJ / AP / B *
Japan – Sweeping LDP victory brings next test for Abe N *
Fed – Likely to Stare Down Oil-Price Drop WSJ *
Fed – Aims to Signal Shift on Low Rates WSJ / FT / ft *
Fed – Opportunistic overheating E *
Fed – Introducing the Bloomberg “Spectrometer” b *
World – Lending Club banks 56% surge on debut FT / WSJ / FT *
World – Peer-to-peer lenders coming of age? E *
World – Banks are taking a risk by treating peer-to-peer lenders lightly FT
Retail – Niche Stores Use Savvy And Smartphones To Outflank Big Boxes IBD
Retail – Supermarkets: Day of the discounters FT * * * *
Retail – UK turns into nation of online shoppers FT / FT / FT *
Mobiles – Chinese Global Ambitions Face Obstacles WSJ / FT / NYT *
Mobiles – Apple’s Bigger Slice of the Smartphone Pie WSJ *
Mobiles – New cellphone laws hurting Samsung at home N *
Dairy – NZ farmers tighten tap on milk production as prices plunge R / WSJ / B / r * *
Dairy – Egg Market Disrupted in US as Cages Made Roomier B
Hay – Exports to China Shrivel Up WSJ *
Oil – UAE Sees OPEC Output Unchanged Even If Price Drops to $40 B / WSJ / G&M
Oil – Tracing the Plunge In Prices Back to Texas WSJ * *
Oil – Why investors’ view of falling prices has just pivoted FT *
Oil – Prices Pushing Down Business Costs, Not Just for Airlines, Shippers wsj / wsj *
Oil – America Is Shaking Off Its Addiction bp / B *
Oil – Energy Boom’s Other Winner: Utilities WSJ
Oil – Energy Bills Send Shivers in New England NYT
Oil – US Residential Power Use Been Steady for Three Decades WSJ *
How democracy, autocracy and colonialism fared over the last century wapo *
