“A peak performance trader is totally committed to being the best and doing whatever it takes to be the best. He feels totally responsible for whatever happens and thus can learn from mistakes. These people typically have a working business plan for trading because they treat trading as a business.” — Van K. Tharp

1. S.Korea to Pay More for U.S. Troops — South Korea will shell out $920M this year for the 28,500 U.S. military personnel stationed in the country, representing an increase of about 8% from what Seoul paid in 2018 and about half of the overall cost. “Most of our contributions for the cost-sharing is returned to the Korean economy by helping create jobs, boost domestic consumption and develop regional economy,” according to the Ministry of Defense.
2. U.S. Lawmakers Reached a $1.38B Border Security Funding Deal — U.S. lawmakers reached a tentative $1.38B border security deal that could help avert another government shutdown. Democrats kept funding for physical barriers along the border far below President Trump’s $5.7B request. The deal headed to Trump’s desk for approval.
3. Trump Considers Extending March 2nd Deadline U.S.-China Deals — President Trump said he was willing to “let slide” a March 2 deadline for resolving the U.S.-China trade conflict if negotiations were progressing well. The softer tone suggests the two sides are making headway on key issues like intellectual property theft and force technology transfers.
4. Germany Avoids Recession With 0% Growth — the German economy narrowly escaped recession in the final quarter of 2018, recording output growth of just 0.02%, following a 0.2% contraction in the previous quarter. Fallout from global trade disputes and Brexit are threatening to derail a decade-long expansion in Europe’s economic powerhouse. Morale is also being depressed by weaker demand for German products in China, the eurozone and emerging markets.
5. Amazon Cancels NY HQ — Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is canceling plans to build its HQ2 in New York City, blaming opposition from local leaders upset by the nearly $3B in incentives promised by state and city politicians. The facility was intended to create 25,000 jobs in Long Island City. General Electric (NYSE:GE) has also scrapped a 12-story headquarters office tower on Boston’s waterfront, choosing instead to lease smaller buildings nearby.
6. Buffett’s Berkshire 4Q 2018 Holdings — New 13F filings show Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) took a new stake in software maker Red Hat (NYSE:RHT) valued at $733M at the end of December and reduced its holdings in Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) by about 1%. The group also dumped its entire stake in Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) only months after revealing its $2B investment, and reduced holdings in United Continental (NASDAQ:UAL) and Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX).

The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com: