Europe

• Trump Alleges That ‘Millions of People’ Voted Illegally (WSJ)
• Oil slip sends dollar, bond yields skidding (Reuters)
• Italian Lenders Slide on Vote Worries to Drag Down Europe Stocks (BBG)
• OPEC makes last-ditch bid to save oil deal as tensions grow (Reuters)
• How Iran, Russia Could Derail Oil-Production Deal (WSJ)
• Tug of War Delays Some of Trump’s Key Appointments (WSJ)
• French conservatives back Fillon for president, left flounders (Reuters)
• How to Kill the Volcker Rule? Don’t Enforce It (WSJ)

European shares dipped and U.S. equity-index futures (-0.3%) pointed to a lower open as traders questioned the stability of the Italian banking sector ahead of next weekend's referendum as well as the longevity of the Trumpflation rally, pressuring the dollar, sending the USDJPY sliding as low as 111.355 overnight, before rebounding over 112. That was the dollar's biggest fall against its Japanese rival since October 7 and against a basket of top world currencies it was the greenback's worst day since November.

Submitted by Sieren Kern via The Gatestone Institute,

Submitted by Gregory R. Copley via OilPrice.com,

US President-elect Donald J. Trump in many ways faces the most circumscribed strategic options of any modern U.S. President entering office. Not only has the global context changed — and will change rapidly even further — so also has the United States’ abilities, tools, and resources to assert itself on the world stage.

Just as we were concluding our write up on the return of Europe's solvency crisis, facilitated by Donald Trump's NATO funding demands and the end of the ECB's unprecedented can kicking exercise, the FT reported that as many as eight of Italy’s troubled banks "risk failing" if prime minister Renzi loses next weekend's constitutional referendum and ensuing market turbulence deters investors from recapitalizing them, citing senior bankers.