It is the New Year in Asia and markets were mostly down on the day, but the Shanghai Composite ended the year up 9.4% and Japan's Nikkei was up 9.3% in 2015. (CNBC)

 

The oil market is ending the year on a down note, with prices down by a third in 2015. U.S. government data released on Wednesday showed a surprise 2.6-million-barrel build in U.S. crude stockpiles. (Reuters)

 

ConocoPhillips and NuStar Energy are about ready to sail the first tanker of freely traded U.S. crude oil following the lifting of a 40-year-old oil export ban. The shipment could be at sea by the end of today. (WSJ)

 

Bad news for lots of you muni-bond holders; Puerto Rico will default on a portion of a $1 billion loan due to bondholders on January 4th. Puerto Rican officials say they will not be able to make two out of the 13 total payments. (CNBC)

 

Weight Watchers' stock was up 19% yesterday as the company launched an advertising campaign starring Oprah Winfrey. The media icon bought a 10% stake in the company in October. The stock is up over 300% since then. (CNBC)