Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong has been indicted on bribery charges, about 10 days after he was taken into custody for the second time in a month over a corruption scandal that helped take down South Korea’s president – WSJ
A collection of corporate heavy hitters are betting big on the blockchain technology behind bitcoin rival Ethereum to build a computing system to track data and financial contracts. The project is seen by some as a way to ensure that IBM’s Hyperledger Foundation isn’t the only player in the corporate blockchain field – NYTimes
The Senate has confirmed 79-year-old billionaire Wilbur Ross as the new Commerce Secretary – WSJ and Bloomberg
The Oracle of Omaha’s been doing more than writing shareholder letters these days. He’s also been increasing his already big bet on Apple and talking up the company’s march toward a market cap of $1 Trillion – NYTimes and WSJ and Bloomberg
The US Chamber of Commerce is taking its challenge to the DOL’s fiduciary duty rule to the 5th Circuit – Law360
AIG CEO Peter Hancock has a tough road ahead to convince his Board that should remain at the helm of the giant insurance company after a “major setback” [in the form of a $3 billion+ Q4 loss] in the company’s turnaround plan – WSJ
Here’s an interesting long-read on the administration’s plans for Dodd-Frank that makes a case for reform in order to help Main Street – Vanity Fair
In what’s being called a “significant” opening, China has decided to give foreign investors access to the country’s Forex derivative market to allow hedging of onshore bond positions – Bloomberg
Streetwise suggests that the oil roller coaster that’s messed with economic and inflationary forecasts in recent years is likely throwing off stock-market valuations as well, especially in the energy sector – WSJ
Special spot in your heart for the moon? Well, next year, you and Elon Musk (and a whole lot of Benjamins) might be able to see it up close and nearly personal – NYTimes and WSJ
