These factors are constraining builders' ability to construct homes in the lower price segment of the market, which continues to experience a shortage of homes for sale. The housing market hit a soft patch last year, with investment in homebuilding contracting 0.3 percent, the weakest performance since 2010.

But more than the election results themselves, it is the substance of an economic reform package that is needed to calm markets, experts say. That effort has so far not gone well.

Of note, an investor discussion with Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak during the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC last week received decidedly negative reviews.

Investors described Turkish officials as unprepared and lacking details, and a J.P. Morgan survey carried out during the event revealed that more than 80% of investors did not have confidence in Ankara's ability to turn things around.

...

Some make the case that the dearth in trading activity reflects a lack of participation in the market by a broad swath of investors.

According to The Washington Post, both Trump's personal attorneys and White House counsel Pat Cipollone are preparing the ground for a legal fight to block any subpoenas from the various House committees running investigations and will not turn anything over to Congress.

Trump is already not complying with information requests related to security clearances, meeting with foreign leaders, and other topics his team says are covered by executive privilege, the Post reported, citing aides familiar with White House discussions.

"They are fighting us on everything now, Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, told the publication. "It's an assault on the separation of powers and specifically the congressional oversight function."

...

The House Financial Services Committee is exploring the Trump family finances and his relationship in particular with Deutsche Bank, which, despite his checkered history with debt continued to lend him and his company money over the years.

The House Ways and Means Committee is trying to draw out Trump's tax returns from the IRS amid suspicions of fraud, denied by the president. And the House Foreign Affairs Committee is looking into Trump's business relationships abroad to see if they have had any influence on his presidency.

...

For example, the oversight committee has requested from Mazars, Trump's personal accountant, 10 years of his financial documents. The judiciary committee recently hit 81 people with information requests related to Trump.

It's obvious now (if it wasn't before) that Trump is hiding something big.

This is 100% what we expected; if you don't make tax cuts economically significant for most people, duh, they won't notice. It never mattered if peanuts were being thrown to the proles while large cuts were being given to the wealthy and major corporations. Why would it? You can stoke fake hysteria about immigrants and muslim terrorists all you want, and certain people will buy into that -- precisely because it's imaginary -- but you can't fake what's in people's wallets. Trump told his fans he'd make them "so rich", and that clearly didn't happen. Of course, one could only have believed that if one fell for the con of a seasoned con artist...

...

The bank cut compensation and benefits set aside for employees in the first quarter by 20% to $3.26 billion, or about $90,780 for each of the bank's 35,900 workers. A year ago, that figure was $119,323 for each of the bank's 34,000 workers.

...

Compensation has been sliding on Wall Street ever since post-financial crisis rules crimped risk taking and as automation and electronic trading take over more flows from clients. Under CEO David Solomon, who took over in October, the firm is reevaluating all of its businesses and has already started to pull back resources from parts of underperforming areas like commodities trading. ''

Four other executives are being charged, the prosecutors office said in a statement, without giving their names.

...

Prosecutors said Winterkorn was accused of a particularly serious case of fraud, breach of trust and breaching competition laws because he had not acted -- despite having a special responsibility to do so as the company's CEO -- after it became clear on May 25, 2014, that diesel engines had been manipulated.

He neglected to inform authorities in Europe and the United States as well as customers of the illegal software and he also did not prevent the continued installation of such software, the prosecutors said.

...

In a related case, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Winterkorn last month, saying U.S. investors were informed too late about the German automaker's diesel emissions scandal, alleging a "massive fraud".

The outcome of such a debate, though arcane, is important. Some outside critics contend the Fed balance-sheet process contributed to the stock-market meltdown in December. Senior Fed officials want to make sure whatever they do reduces instability in the U.S. financial system.

...

The deal is expected to close later this quarter and means Newmont will bypass Barrick Gold Corp. and take the triple crown as biggest gold company in the world by market value, production and reserves.

The deal announced in January was eventful from the start. About a month after it was announced, Barrick made a hostile takeover bid for Newmont and urged Newmont to drop its quest for Goldcorp. Even later, when Barrick dropped its effort to acquire Newmont, more uncertainty arose when Goldcorp announced it had agreed to almost triple the retirement package of Ian Telfer, its chairman, to US$12-million. The payout angered some shareholders at Goldcorp, especially considering Mr. Telfer agreed to sell the company with its stock near a historical low.

...

Much of the drama evaporated when Newmont sweetened the pot by agreeing to pay a special dividend to its shareholders worth US$470-million if a yes vote was achieved. That dividend will now be paid out on May 1 to people who hold shares as of April 17.

The court inquiry stemmed from complaints filed last October, after an investigation by The New York Times found that the Trumps had engaged in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the inherited wealth of Mr. Trump and his siblings. Judge Barry not only benefited financially from most of those tax schemes, The Times found; she was also in a position to influence the actions taken by her family.

Judge Barry, now 82, has not heard cases in more than two years but was still listed as an inactive senior judge, one step short of full retirement. In a letter dated Feb. 1, a court official notified the four individuals who had filed the complaints that the investigation was "receiving the full attention" of a judicial conduct council. Ten days later, Judge Barry filed her retirement papers.

Nothing to see here...