Here’s Why Weight Watchers International, Inc. Lost 46% in 2016

After reality set in and it became clear that the former talk-show host did not possess a magic way to turn the company around, its shares went on a sort of yo-yo diet. They popped on hints of good news or comments by Winfrey, then they tanked when those effects wore off: After opening 2016 at $21.34, Weight Watchers closed the year at $11.45, a 46% drop.

How to Deal With Trump’s Cabinet

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees “need a thorough vetting.” He’s right, but exactly what he and his colleagues mean by that won’t be clear until the Senate’s confirmation process begins this week.

Trump Says He’s – Exploring’ Forming Commission to Study Autism

President-elect Donald Trump’s team said Tuesday that he’s considering establishing a special autism commission after vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Trump had invited him to head up a panel on immunization safety and science. After meeting with the incoming president in New York at Trump Tower, Kennedy told reporters he had accepted an offer to lead a panel on “vaccine safety and scientific integrity.”

VW Closes in on $4.3 Billion U.S. Accord in Diesel Scandal

Volkswagen AG is closing in on a deal to pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties to settle a U.S. probe into the rigging of diesel-powered cars to cheat emissions tests. The agreement, which VW said Tuesday will include a guilty plea, raises the cost of the scandal to more than $23 billion in the U.S. and Canada, blowing by the 18.2 billion euros the carmaker had set aside to resolve the disputes.

Valeant Sells $2.1 Billion in Assets to Ease Debt Burden

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. agreed to sell about $2.1 billion in assets in two deals, an important first step in the struggling drugmaker’s endeavor to get cash and begin easing its debt burden. L’Oreal SA, the Paris-based cosmetic giant, will pay Valeant $1.3 billion for three skin-care brands, according to a statement Tuesday.

Big Oil Hits Sweet Spot as New Projects Reap Rewards of Recovery

Big Oil is poised to reap rewards this year as investments made before the crude-price slump pay off just as the recovery starts. Seven of the world’s largest energy companies will together boost oil and natural gas output by 398,000 barrels a day, the most since since 2010, according to data from Oslo-based consultant Rystad Energy AS.

Plot twists, suspense mark George Lucasa plans for museum

This undated file concept design provided by the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art shows a rendering of their proposed museum, just west and north of the Coliseum in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. “Star Wars” creator George Lucas and his team announced Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, they have chosen Los Angeles over San Francisco as the home of the museum that will showcase his work.

Gross Says 10-Year at 2.6% Is a Bigger Deal Than Dow at 20,000

Investors should watch for 10-year Treasuries to move above 2.6 percent, a threshold that would mark an end to the three-decade bond bull market and be a more important barometer than the Dow Jones Industrial Average passing 20,000, according to billionaire bond manager Bill Gross. “It is the key to interest rate levels and perhaps stock price levels in 2017,” Gross, manager of the $1.8 billion Janus Global Unconstrained Bond Fund, wrote in a monthly investment outlook released Tuesday.

Obama Alum David Plouffe Joins Zuckerberg’s Philanthropic Group

David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, will lead policy and advocacy for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic organization created by Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. Plouffe, who has been a full-time adviser for Uber Technologies Inc., will step away from his day-to-day duties, but he’ll remain a non-voting Uber board member, the ride-hailing company said.

Trump Asks Vaccine Skeptic Kennedy to Lead U.S. Safety Panel

President-elect Donald Trump has asked Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead a committee on the safety of vaccines, selecting an environmentalist who has linked the shots to autism in defiance of broad scientific consensus. Kennedy met with the incoming president at Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday and afterward told reporters that he had accepted an offer to lead a panel on “vaccine safety and scientific integrity.”

VW Closes in on $4.3 Billion U.S. Accord in Diesel Scandal

Volkswagen AG is closing in on a deal to pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties to settle a U.S. probe into the rigging of diesel-powered cars to cheat emissions tests. The agreement, which will include a guilty plea according to VW, raises the cost of the scandal to more than $23 billion in the U.S. and Canada, blowing by the 18.2 billion euros the carmaker had set aside to resolve the disputes.

What’s Next For Celgene

The presentation included updates to its financial guidance, and a peek into management’s plans for its drug pipeline. Are Celgene’s best days ahead of it? Over the past five years, Celgene’s sales and earnings per share have grown by a compounded 20% and 25% per year, respectively, and based on management’s updated financial guidance, that double-digit growth isn’t going to end anytime soon.

Nasdaq Hits Another Record

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 32 points, or 0.2%, to 19856, after rising within 50 points of the never-before-reached 20000 level earlier in the session. The S&P 500 was flat, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.4%, a fresh record.

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After the company reported in December that a key late-stage drug had come up short in trials, a sharp sell-off caused Opko Health to finish the fourth quarter down 12.2%, capping a 7.5% loss for the year,according to S&P Global Market Intelligence . Opko Health is run by billionaire CEO Phillip Frost, and until recently, Frost has been very successful at commercializing clinical-stage drugs that he’s purchased for Opko Health at bargain prices.

Here’s How Trump’s Tax Cuts Could Affect U.S., Global Economic Growth

Donald Trump’s vowed tax cuts could goose global economic growth this year and next, the World Bank said Tuesday, fresh fuel for a world struggling with stagnant trade, weak investment and rising policy uncertainty. In its semiannual flagship economic report, the development institution said the global economy should expand by 2.7% this year, down a bit from the 2.8% predicted last June.

John Malone on Netflix’s Reed Hastings: “He Really Broke the Mold With His Success”

The media mogul told Lionsgate’s Investor Day that traditional media distributors were “asleep at the switch” as Netflix built scale to go direct to consumer. Billionaire media baron John Malone, fresh from helping engineer the Lionsgate-Starz merger to compete on the content side against Netflix, on Tuesday praised the video streaming giant’s CEO, Reed Hastings.

Finance Industry Veteran David Clementi Named BBC Chair

The former deputy head of the Bank of England will lead a new unitary board of the U.K. public broadcaster and effectively replace outgoing Rona Fairhead. David Clementi, who drew up a report calling for the current BBC Trust governing body to be abolished, has been picked as the U.K. government’s preferred candidate for the role of chair of the public broadcaster’s new unitary board.

Trump AG Nominee Sessions Says He’ll Recuse Himself From Clinton Probes

Jeff Sessions would recuse himself from any Clinton-related probes as Attorney General, he said at Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, the Republican Senator from Alabama nominated to become U.S. Attorney General, will recuse himself from any Clinton-related probes if he gets the job, he said at Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Just How Far-fetched Is Alibaba’s Goal to Create One Million Jobs in the U.S.?

U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that trade with China already supports over 40 million jobs in the United States. Can Alibaba tack on another million? During a 40-minute meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower on Monday, Alibaba founder and executive chairman Jack Ma pledged to create one million jobs in the U.S. by helping small businesses sell products and services to China.