Economics and Investing:

Largest U.S. Coal Producer Skips Interest Payment, Warns Of Bankruptcy; Stock Crashes – B.B.

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Companies to reduce employment in 2016? – P.S.

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

US News

The Liquidity Endgame Begins: Whitings Revolver Cut by $1.2B as Banks Start Slashing Credit Lines (Zero Hedge) Excerpt: “But while lender banks are all too eager to take advantage of the brief surge in equity prices just so they can “help” their clients dilute their shareholder base so to repay the very same lender banks, they know quite well that the equity offering window is rapidly closing; in fact it will slam shut as soon as the price of oil resumes its downward trajectory.” Warning: Commentary following the article may contain bad language and/or inappropriate avatar images.

Court Decision Could Accelerate Oil and Gas Bankruptcies (Oil Price) Excerpt: “…Where a New York judge ruled that bankruptcy allows Sabine to cancel contracts it holds with midstream firms on the company’s petroleum licenses in Texas. Here’s why this is a sea change….”

International News

One of the Top Hedge Funds of 2016 is Betting on a Crisis that Blindsides Everyone (Business Insider) Excerpt: “Japan has been an economy that’s living on borrowed time via hidden nonperforming loans and irregular accounting of equity gains as interest income.” Read on….

Japan January Core Machinery Orders Leap, Underlying Trend Seen Flat (Reuters)

Italy Sells 3-Year Debt with Negative Yield for the First Time (Bloomberg) Excerpt: “With bonds supported by the latest package of stimulus from the European Central Bank, the October 2018 securities were sold with an average yield of minus 0.05 percent.”

Italy’s BPER to Sell Bad Loans Worth About 900 Million Euros: Sources (Reuters)

Personal Economics and Household Finance

How to Avoid Newbie Fruit Gardener Mistakes and Save Money (Little House Living)

Pea Pointers (Learn2Grow) Excerpt: “Snap and snow peas have their advocates, but for me, a large bowl of freshly and lightly cooked green garden peas is nothing short of pure luxury.”

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