The Fed releases minutes of its Jan. 28-29 policy meeting today, which could help explain what the central bank is thinking about potential economic risks, including those stemming from the coronavirus. It may additionally provide insight into the central bank's balance sheet policy, with Powell having indicated that both Treasury bill purchases and role of repo operations in the open markets would decline during Q2. (SA)

Facebook has been accused of downplaying the value of its intellectual property. Tax authorities say Facebook is deliberately misrepresenting the value of its assets as part of a scheme to pay less US tax, in a court case that could cost the social media company more than $9bn. The trial centers on how the company valued intellectual property, such as software and trademarks transferred to an Irish subsidiary in 2010. (FT)

The gap between open jobs and unemployed workers is about as wide as the one between the kinds of available positions and the qualifications that the workforce collectively has to fill them.  A recent survey from the Manpower Group, a job placement firm, exemplifies the chasm: Nearly 7 in 10 employers reported talent shortages in 2019, the worst level ever and a jump of 17 percentage points from just a year ago. It’s also more than three times higher than a decade ago.  The data comes as the Labor Department reports that there are still about 670,000 more job vacancies than there are unemployed potential workers.  (CNBC)

With Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management, a Registered Investment Advisor I am Josh Fenili.