Retail Sales in the U.S. Increased in May and April Revised Higher

This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com.

Despite the capital markets getting racked by trade wars in May, retail sales grew 0.5 percent and data was revised higher in April to 0.3 percent, according to the Commerce Department. Economists polled by data company Reuters were forecasting a 0.6% in May, but compared to the previous time last year, retail sales actually increased […]

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Iran says it is responsible for Gulf security, calls on US forces to leave

A senior Iranian security official said on Monday that Tehran was responsible for security in the Gulf and called on U.S. forces to leave the region, as tensions rose following last week's attacks on oil tankers.

"We have always said we guarantee the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz," the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster IRIB.

"We repeat our stance and call on U.S. forces to finish their presence in the region as they are the main source of crisis and instability.""We repeat our stance and call on U.S. forces to finish their presence in the region as they are the main source of crisis and instability."

Symantec stock gains after Mizuho upgrade

Symantec Corp. shares SYMC, +3.05% are up more than 3% in Monday morning trading after Mizuho’s Gregg Moskowitz upgraded the stock to buy from neutral, arguing that the risk/reward profile is "too attractive to ignore" as Symantec has been "a massive underperformer over the last many months." The shares are down nearly 30% since the start of 2018, compared with an 8% rise for the S&P 500 SPX, +0.25% in that time. "First and foremost, we believe that the new management team, consisting of Interim CEO Rick Hill and CFO Vincent Pilette, will be much more focused on margin improvement–particularly within Enterprise Security–as compared with prior management," Moskowitz wrote. "If we are correct about Symantec’s increased focus on optimization, it is difficult to see how more earnings power doesn’t translate to share price improvement." Shares are up 6% so far this year, as the S&P 500 SPX, +0.25% has gained 15%.

Gloria Vanderbilt, Anderson Cooper's mother and iconic fashion designer, dead at 95

Gloria Vanderbilt, fashion designer and socialite, has died, her son CNN anchor Anderson Cooper said Monday. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

Gloria Vanderbilt, fashion designer and socialite, has died, her son CNN anchor Anderson Cooper confirmed on Monday morning. She was 95.

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Cooper said Vanderbilt had gone to the doctor recently and discovered she had “very advanced cancer in her stomach that had spread.”

"Gloria Vanderbilt was an extraordinary woman who loved life and lived it on her own terms. What an extraordinary life. What an extraordinary mom. What an incredible woman," Cooper said in a eulogy that aired Monday on CNN.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Elon Musk says he’s deleting his Twitter account, months after tweets got him in trouble

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Elon Musk says he’s deleting his Twitter account 10 months after his use of the social media site landed him in trouble with U.S. regulators.

The Tesla CEO changed his Twitter display name to Daddy DotCom on Father’s Day. Daddy.com is an existing website that provides parenting information to new and expecting fathers.

Musk got in trouble with the Securities & Exchange Commission in August for tweets about taking the company private and saying he had secured funding to do so with no evidence to back that up. Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million in to settle with the SEC.

Just deleted my Twitter account

As part of a court settlement, Musk is required to have Twitter posts approved by a company lawyer if they have the potential to affect the company’s stock. While Musk remains CEO of the electric car company, the settlement also required him to relinquish his role as chairman for at least three years.

SpaceX: Elon Musk shows off Starlink internet satellites ready for launch

Musk got into some trouble in February, when he sent a tweet projecting that Tesla would make about 500,000 cars this year. About 4 1/2 hours after that tweet, Musk corrected his statement, saying he meant that Tesla had started to make cars at a weekly clip that would translate into 500,000 cars during a yearlong period, but not necessarily for calendar 2019.

Tesla Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ex Nissan Chief’s Wife Seeks Trump’s Support In Ghosn’s Legal Battle

Carole Ghosn, wife of the jailed former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, has appealed to President Donald Trump to use his good offices to press Japan for a fair trial for her husband.

Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo in November over allegations that he under-reported his salary and transferred personal investment losses to Nissan.

Ghosn is awaiting trial on charges of financial crimes relating to his handling of the Nissan-Renault alliance.

In an interview to BBC, Carole said that she hasn’t been able to speak to her husband since his arrest.

“I’d like President Trump to speak to Prime Minister Abe about fair trial conditions, to let me speak to my husband and also to respect his presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” Carole told the BBC’s Michelle Fleury.

Both the leaders are set to meet at a G20 world leaders summit in Tokyo during June 28-29.

Ghosn, who holds citizenship of three nations, was first arrested in November and later released before being rearrested several times over new allegations.

Carole, who already sought support for her husband from the US, French governments, plans to go to Brazil to appeal to its President Jair Bolsonaro for help.

The 52-year-old Lebanese rejected suggestions that she was implicated in her husband’s alleged financial crimes.