1) Brexit, now on going for 2 ½ years, is dividing the British people in strife, the debate impacting and dividing family relationships across the country. The web site eHarmony reports one and a half million relationships have broken up over Brexit.
2) American retail workers face mass layoffs. In addition to the traditional after Christmas layoffs of seasonal workers, many permanent workers face significant reduction in work hours per week, if not actual layoffs in retail giants such as Amazon, Target and Walmart.
3) Stocks close lower because of Caterpillar and Nvidia announcing significantly lower profits than was expected. Caterpillar was down 9% and Nvida down 13.8%, with expectations of further poor performance in 2019. Caterpillar is considered a economic bellwether, and together with the IMF, is warning of international economies slowing down faster than expected.
4) 28 JAN 19 Stock market closing:
Dow 24,528.22 down 208.98
Nasdaq 7,085.68 down 79.18
S&P 500 2,643.85 down 20.91
10 Year Yield: down at 2.74%
Oil: up at $52.04