“Markets are constantly in a state of uncertainty and flux and money is made by discounting the obvious and betting on the unexpected.” — George Soros

1. EPA Curbs Ethanol Mandate — the Environmental Protection Agency proposed trimming corn-based ethanol use in fuels as fuel demand levels off. The draft rule would cut ethanol content to a bit less than 10% of fuels, 16% lower than currently. Refiners will have to buy fewer pricey ethanol credits. Some companies to benefit from this change — Valero(VLO), Tesoro(TSO), Phillips66(PSX).
2. China issues new reform details — Marketwatch, the recent third plenum of the party’s 18th issued a 20,000-word document detailing decisions finalized at the closed-door meeting. Key items include state-owned enterprises (SOE) to contribute more of their profits to the government and allow more couples to have a second child.
3. Japanese export growth accelerates — Japanese exports rose at their fastest pace in three years in October, jumping 18.6% on year vs 11.5% in September and beating consensus. Exports also grew 4.4% in volume terms, suggesting that Japan is not just relying on the weak yen to boost trade. Imports jumped 26.1% – again driven higher by soaring fuel costs – helping the trade deficit rise to ¥1.09T ($11B) from ¥932.1B a month earlier.
4. FOMC Meeting Minutes: Taper in Coming Month — the minutes from the Central Bank minutes from the Oct 29-30 meeting shows Policymakers said they might cut their $85 bil-a-month bond buying program even if the job market isn’t strong. Fed officials also discussed telling markets that they wouldn’t raise rates until unemployment falls below 6.5% from the stated goal.
5. Bank of Japan keeps ultra-loose policy unchanged — the Bank of Japan has left its key interest rate at 0.1%, and maintained its program of expanding the monetary base at an annual rate of ¥60-70T ($611-713B) a year.
6. Latest Key ETFs Performance — courtesy of BIG, below is the recent performance of various ETF asset classes.

The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com: