Tuesday Morning Reads

Trump trade speech

Awaiting a key speech from President Trump at the Economic Club of New York, U.S. stock index futures are holding steady, while global stocks trade firmly in positive territory. "You can expect the president to highlight how his policies of lower taxes, deregulation, and fair and reciprocal trade have supported the longest economic recovery in U.S. history with record low unemployment, rising wages, and soaring consumer confidence," White House spokesman Judd Deere said, without giving further details. Markets will still be hanging on to every word that could reference trade talks, and any suggestion that tariffs could be lifted or delayed.
Go deeper: John Hussman discusses pitfalls of identifying market conditions.

More auto industry partnerships?

Tata Group (NYSE:TTM), the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, has approached carmakers including China's Geely (OTCPK:GELYY), the owner of Volvo Cars, and BMW (OTCPK:BMWYY) as it seeks partnerships to share the cost of a new generation of vehicles, Bloomberg reports. Scale has become increasingly critical in the auto industry as carmakers pool resources to tackle electrification and self-driving capabilities. Volkswagen (OTCPK:VWAGY) this year decided to team up with Ford (NYSE:F), while PSA Group (OTCPK:PEUGF) last month agreed to merge with Fiat Chrysler (NYSE:FCAU) to create the world's fourth-largest automaker.
Go deeper: Trump may delay decision on European auto tariffs.

WeWork may hire T-Mobile CEO

T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) CEO John Legere is reportedly in talks to become the new CEO of WeWork (WE) as the troubled office-share company looks to get a fresh face at the helm as soon as January. Legere has been busy trying to shepherd his company's merger with Sprint (NYSE:S), a lucrative deal if he can get it past the multistate lawsuit set to go to trial in a few weeks. Legere would replace two execs (Artie Minson and Sebastian Gunningham) who have served as co-CEOs since the resignation of Adam Neumann, who left under pressure from majority holder SoftBank (OTCPK:SFTBY) following an IPO flop.
Go deeper: T-Mobile is making a streaming move of its own, writes Max Greve.

Wearable tech

The race is on to replace our smartphones with smart glasses as Big Tech transforms how we interact with the world around us. The latest report from The Information suggests Apple (AAPL) could release its planned AR headset in about two years and a pair of AR glasses in 2023, while Snap (NYSE:SNAP) releases its $380 Spectacles 3 today, which will allow pictures/videos to be overlaid with special AR effects in Snapchat. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Magic Leap are also working on some form of smart glasses or headset.

Boeing takes off on 737 MAX progress

Boeing (NYSE:BA) shares rose nearly 5% on Monday after the planemaker said deliveries of the 737 MAX could begin in December. The company has completed a test of flight control software with the FAA in a simulator, though regulators still must sign off on new pilot training and Boeing needs to conduct a certification flight with officials. Airlines have said they will need at least a month to complete training and install revised software before flights can resume.
Go deeper: BA is uninvestable right now, says Cestrian Capital Research.

Meatless craze goes global

Capitalizing on the rollout of its Impossible Whopper in the U.S., Burger King (NYSE:QSR) today is launching a vegetarian burger in more than 20 markets across Europe. The Rebel Whopper, made with patties from Unilever-owned (NYSE:UN) The Vegetarian Butcher, will be available in more than 2,500 locations across the continent. Boosted by the success of the Impossible Whopper, Burger King’s U.S. same-store sales grew by 5% during the third quarter, its biggest jump since 2015.

Anheuser-Busch drinks down Craft Brew

Craft Brew Alliance (NASDAQ:BREW) soared 120% premarket after Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) agreed to purchase the remaining 70% of the company it doesn't already own for $16.50/share. The transaction is subject to closing conditions, including shareholder and regulatory approvals, but is expected to close in 2020. Craft Brew Alliance operates a variety of beer brands including Kona Brewing Company, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, Cisco Brewers, and Redhook Brewery.

Tighter regulation on vaping industry

"Will be meeting with representatives of the Vaping industry, together with medical professionals and individual state representatives, to come up with an acceptable solution to the Vaping and E-cigarette dilemma. Children’s health & safety, together with jobs, will be a focus!" President Trump wrote on Twitter. So far there have been 2,051 confirmed and probable U.S. lung injury cases and 39 deaths associated with use of vaping products, and additive Vitamin E acetate is thought to be the "one very strong culprit," according to the CDC.

Google secret project gathers health data

Google's (GOOG, GOOGL) Project Nightingale is collecting personal health data from Ascension facilities in 21 states without patient or doctor knowledge, according to WSJ sources. The data includes lab results, diagnoses, and other information, including patient names and dates of birth. Privacy experts say Project Nightingale appears allowable under the federal HIPAA law, which lets hospitals share data with business partners if the information helps "the covered entity carry out its healthcare functions."

What else is happening...

Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) Singles' Day sales hit record $38B.

Central bank digital currencies are pointless - Greenspan.

Formula One (NASDAQ:FWONA) to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Nissan (OTCPK:NSANY) slashes forecast after 70% profit plunge.

Nat gas slumps to biggest loss since January.

PG&E (NYSE:PCG) offers $13.5B compensation to fire victims.

Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) adding Topics, taking on 'deepfakes.'

Goldman (NYSE:GS) explores ways Apple Card users can share accounts.