- Futures rise as 'Trump rally' rolls on (Reuters), Oil Advances as European Stocks Extend Gains; Korean Won Slides (BBG)
- Syrian government forces press attack in east Aleppo (Reuters)
- Trump: China Will Have to ‘Play by the Rules’ (BBG)
- Trump’s Cabinet Picks Signal Coming Deregulation Moves (WSJ)
- Russia’s Military Buildup on the Baltic to Test Trump on NATO (WSJ)
- OPEC’s Historic Deal Won’t Be Enough to Drain Oil Stockpiles (BBG)
- OPEC Deal Faces Test as Cartel Seeks Russia Commitment (WSJ)
- Dutch court convicts anti-Islam politician Wilders of inciting discrimination (Reuters)
- Korea’s Park Impeached as Protesters Vent Anger Over Corruption (BBG)
- In Trump stronghold, jobs aplenty, but paychecks thin (Reuters)
- Trump Team Looks for Ways to Keep Nuclear Power Alive (BBG)
- Europe’s Next Big Currency Opportunity Just Got a Lot Closer (BBG)
- U.S. defense chief reassures Afghans amid questions over Trump's policies (Reuters)
- China Faces Off Against World on Open Global Markets (WSJ)
- Turkish jets hit Islamic State targets in Syria (Reuters)
- Democrats plot uphill fight against some Trump nominations (Reuters)
- China Car Sales Rise 20% as Buyers Rush to Beat Expiring Tax Cut (BBG)
- Euro zone bailout fund not preparing Italy aid: Regling (Reuters)
- ECB's QE powers limited as banks fail to transmit cheap credit: Rimsevics (Reuters)
Overnight Media Digest
WSJ
- Business leaders are predicting a dramatic unraveling of regulations on everything from overtime pay to power-plant emission rules as Donald Trump seeks to fill his cabinet with determined adversaries of the agencies they will lead. http://on.wsj.com/2hc9sPb
- John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth and a four-term U.S. senator, died at the age of 95. Glenn, a former military test pilot, was chosen by NASA in 1959 to become one of America's first astronauts in the "Mercury Seven" program in an age when astronauts were the ultimate heroes. http://on.wsj.com/2hlUetx
- Federal regulators are considering allowing airline passengers in coming years to routinely make phone calls during flights-so long as travelers are warned in advance about potential midair distractions. http://on.wsj.com/2gh42oL
- Time Inc hired banks to help field takeover or partnership interest after the country's largest magazine publisher received overtures from a group of media investors including Edgar Bronfman Jr. http://on.wsj.com/2gGyu84
- About 51 percent of American 30-year-olds earn more than their parents did, an enormous decline from the early 1970s and even rapid economic growth won't do much to reverse the trend. http://on.wsj.com/2h7LqnJ
- Ads from well-known companies often appear on sites with false or misleading news, helping them generate tens of thousands of dollars in monthly revenue. http://on.wsj.com/2ge4f7f
- Donald Trump uses a web of privately held LLCs and other entities to house his assets-from real estate to a vintage carousel in Manhattan's Central Park-making it impossible to gauge the full extent of potential conflicts he may face as president. http://on.wsj.com/2hjmDAK
NYT
- Congress has passed a bill outlawing bots, or computer programs that let users scoop up the best tickets and resell them at inflated prices. The House of Representatives passed the Better Online Ticket Sales Act, or BOTS Act, with bipartisan support, following the bill's passage a week ago in the Senate. It will now go to the White House for President Obama's signature. http://nyti.ms/2hbKIsy
- Federal prosecutors brought racketeering charges on Thursday against several former executives of Insys Therapeutics , a small Arizona drug company, saying they were part of a scheme that involved aggressive sales of the powerful and highly addictive pain drug fentanyl. http://nyti.ms/2hbGwJC
- Andrew Ceresney, the director of the S.E.C.'s enforcement division, said he planned to depart the regulator by year-end after three years at the commission. His move follows that of his boss, chairwoman Mary Jo White, who in November announced her plans to leave. http://nyti.ms/2hbKW2T
- Energy Transfer Partners has lost hundreds of millions of dollars from delays in the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Its standoff with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe over a section running through tribal lands could mean an additional $80 million a month in losses. http://nyti.ms/2hbwyb8
Canada
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** Lightstream Resources Ltd, which has been under creditor protection, said a Calgary court has approved the sale of its oil and gas assets to a newly formed company. https://tgam.ca/2grDAHv
** Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is widely expected to raise its $3.8-billion bid for a U.S. bank, and the question now is whether CIBC can close the ground-breaking deal without overpaying. https://tgam.ca/2grC3RS
NATIONAL POST
** Mayor John Tory visited the National Post editorial board Thursday to defend his plan to toll the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, putting the proceeds toward some C$33 billion ($25 billion) in approved-but-unfunded capital projects. http://bit.ly/2grterc
** The federal government is expecting a deluge of police requests for marijuana tests once cannabis is legalized and is concerned about whether Canada's shrinking number of forensic labs will be able to handle the surge. http://bit.ly/2grCnQj
Britain
The Times
McDonald's Corp is to move its overseas headquarters to the UK from Luxembourg in a boost to Britain's status as a trading post after Brexit. The American fast food company said that it would pay corporation tax in the UK on royalties generated by its hamburger restaurants outside the U.S. Abouttwo-thirds of McDonald's revenue comes from non-U.S. markets. (bit.ly/2gH5TiD)
National Grid Plc has agreed to sell a controlling stake in its 82,000-mile gas pipeline network to a group of international investors, including China's sovereign wealth fund. Britain's power network operator is offloading a 61 percent holding in the largest distributor of gas in the country to a consortium led by Mira, the infrastructure division of the Australian investment bank Macquarie. (bit.ly/2hqGc68)
The Guardian
British outsourcing company Capita Plc, whose contracts include collecting the BBC licence fee, is to replace staff with robots as it slashes costs. Capita, a FTSE 100-listed firm that also runs the London congestion charge, said it needed to axe 2,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting drive in response to poor trading. (bit.ly/2ghfel5)
The pension funds that own the company running Britain's only high-speed railway, HS1, are considering a sale after receiving a number of offers. The Canadian investors, Borealis and Ontario Teachers, have announced a strategic review of their ownership of HS1 Ltd, which operates and manages the line on a 30-year concession until 2040. (bit.ly/2ggptRY)
The Telegraph
G4S and Serco are facing extensive losses as a result of the Home Office's decision to extend its asylum seeker accommodation contracts until 2019, despite efforts to improve the agreements. Under the contracts, which were signed in 2012, both firms provide accommodation, transport and other related services for asylum seekers across the UK. (bit.ly/2hlk6WE)
Plans championed by Algy Cluff to create a new North Sea industry burning coal under the seabed to create gas have been officially killed off after the government said it did not intend to support the technology. The 76-year-old entrepreneur, one of the pioneers of the North Sea oil and gas industry, spent years lobbying for support for "underground coal gasification", which he hoped to carry out at a series of locations around the UK. (bit.ly/2gq0Rtc)
Sky News
The EU has announced legal action against the UK and six other countries over the way they handled the policing of car emissions, amid a backlash over the Volkswagen AG diesel scandal. Officials in Brussels said Germany, Britain, Spain and Luxembourg were accused of not imposing the same kind of penalties the automaker faced in the United States over its use of illegal software to mask emissions levels. (bit.ly/2ggv2zH)
The private equity firm whose investments include Wagamama and Jimmy Choo is in talks to buy Loungers, the bar and restaurant chain, for about 140 million pounds ($176.1 million). Lion Capital is in exclusive negotiations to acquire the company, which has more than 75 sites across the country. A deal could be wrapped up before Christmas, according to insiders. (bit.ly/2gh86FA)