People pass by a video sign display with the logo for Roku, a Fox-backed video streaming firm, that held it’s IPO at the Nasdaq Marketsite in New York, September 28, 2017. The S&P 500 fell from its record high on Monday after the worse-than-expected manufacturing data sparked risk-off mood. Roku , which was up five-fold this year through Friday, tanked more than 16% Monday after a downgrade from Morgan Stanley. The biggest stock winners this year are leading the market decline on Monday as inves

Moreover, the concentration of influence in the owners of these data centers justly gives cause for concern. On the other hand, fewer than 500 big data centers effectively govern the critical computer calculations of the modern world. The United States might ban Chinese firms, but whether we like it or not, the rest of the world will not. This is the burgeoning new ecosystem that the post-merger market structure of communications firms will and must create. The United States might ban Chinese fi

Cyber Monday shoppers have already spent $473 million in online sales, as of 9 a.m. States that saw more than 2 inches of snow also saw a 7% boost in online sales, Adobe said. Last year, Cyber Monday sales hit $7.9 billion. This year, shoppers didn’t wait until Cyber Monday to start their online shopping. Online spending hit a record of $5.4 billion, up 22.3% from a year ago, according to Adobe data Sunday night.

CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Monday he doesn’t think the stock market will drop in December as it did last year. “Nothing worries me in the sense of looking for a big sell-off in December,” Cramer said on “Squawk on the Street.” But 2018 saw the S&P 500 drop more than 9% in the final month. The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Wednesday. The S&P 500, as of Friday’s slightly lower close, was up more than 25% this year.

“Breaking News: The President of Ukraine has just again announced that President Trump has done nothing wrong with respect to Ukraine and our interactions or calls,” Trump tweeted. According to Trump, his Ukrainian counterpart had absolved him of the central question in the ongoing House impeachment inquiry. Can you clarify this issue of the quid pro quo?” On the contrary, the Ukrainian president criticized Trump for freezing congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine, which is at war

Apple could change its iPhone release strategy to launch new devices twice a year starting in 2021, J.P. Morgan analysts predicted in a note distributed on Monday, citing supply chain checks. If Apple were to launch new iPhones twice a year, as the J.P. Morgan analysts suggest, it would be a major strategy shift for Apple’s most important product line. That’s a change from the three-model strategy Apple has used since 2017. They also believe that Apple will release a low-cost iPhone resembling t

Pretty much every trade has worked on Wall Street this year except one: natural gas. Futures prices fell to a one-month low on Friday after plunging more than 12% for the week. The commodity is currently trading around $2.34 per million British thermal units, which is nearly 50% below where it traded a year earlier. For the week ending Nov. 12 bearish contracts outweighed bullish contracts by nearly 90,000, The Wall Street Journal said, using data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. F

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesJack Dorsey’s stated plan to move to Africa for up to six months is dividing Square and Twitter analysts. For Twitter, it comes in an election year in which social media companies will likely face increased scrutiny. Africa is ‘the future of payments’Some Square analysts see Africa as an untapped and under-served market. “I can see products like Square’s merchant working capital, and the ability to purchase bitcoin and do fractional investing, having signi

This is not the first time that the Trump campaign has revoked a media outlet’s credentials. The Trump campaign, however, called on Bloomberg News to reverse its decision. “The decision by Bloomberg News to formalize preferential reporting policies is troubling and wrong,” wrote Brad Parscale, a campaign manager for Trump 2020. “Since they have declared their bias openly, the Trump campaign will no longer credential representatives of Bloomberg News for rallies or other campaign events,” continu

Gun owners and second amendment advocates gather at the Ohio State House to protest gun control legislation on September 14, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. A decision in thew New York case is expected by July, in the midst of the 2020 presidential election. The case was challenging a New York City gun regulation that barred the transport of handguns outside of the city, even to a second home or firing range. Roberts also asked whether gun owners could still seek damages if the high court were to find t

YouTube will no longer restrict violent video game content starting today, as announced in a new Google support post. This means that “future gaming uploads that include scripted or simulated violence may be approved instead of being age-restricted” and that “there will be fewer restrictions for violence in gaming.” Likewise, if the video solely centers on gory content, like “dismemberment, decapitations, [or] showing of human corpses with severe injuries,” it’ll still likely get age-restricted.

The end of the year means it’s time to buzz about what’s been buzzed about for the past 12 months. Overwatch was Tumblr’s top game last year, and continues to hold that spot, but a new challenger emerged for second place. Amanda Brennan, head of content insights on Tumblr, attributes some of this popularity to the game’s ten year anniversary, with popular YouTubers streaming Minecraft. “There’s a lot of aesthetic content around [Minecraft], like the beautiful gifs and beautiful sceneries, people

Arise: A Simple Story is a narrative game with a difference. These have become familiar tropes in the narrative game genre, which has exploded in the last decade. The figure we see is an old man from pre-agricultural times, evidently a beloved tribal leader. But more than that, it’s a moving narrative game that investigates the passage of human life and the importance of companionship. Arise: A Simple Story is out on Dec. 3 for PlayStation 4, Windows PC via the Epic Store, and Xbox One.

2019 has been a great year for Polygon’s video team and the stories we’ve told on our YouTube channel. But if you’ve had a busy year, you might’ve missed some of the videos we’ve released in the last twelve months. Or perhaps you want to rewatch some of your favorite videos with friends and family and don’t want to go hunting for clips. From Unraveled to Overboard, here’s a collection of some of our favorite Polygon videos of 2019. Be sure to head to the Polygon YouTube channel for more.

Pokémon Go has basic missions that players can complete in exchange for Pokémon encounters, items, and Stardust. They’re called Field Research Tasks. Spinning Pokéstops will give players a Field Research Task to complete. After turning in seven stamps, one of these will spawn with a chance to be Shiny. Here’s a complete list of the current Field Research Tasks and the rewards, as of Dec. 1, 2019.

The Legend of Zelda’s Link is coming to Super Mario Maker 2. Nintendo posted a trailer today, which showcases the exciting update — the Master Sword is coming, and it’ll let players transform Mario into an 8-bit Super Mario Bros. styled Link in Super Mario Maker 2. Nintendo showed off all the ways Link can add challenge to Super Mario Maker 2 courses, including a level that’s built specifically around the character himself — a four-player Link adventure. As you’re playing, you’ll see other playe

US president Donald Trump is seen during his press conference at the 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium on July 12, 2018. Defense spending, againSpending is likely to be a key issue again this week with the latest figures not making for comfortable reading. Given the slow progress made by members, Trump is likely to be heavily critical again. The European nation only spent an estimated 1.36% of its GDP on defense spending in 2019, setting up another potential clash with the U.S. In September

Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China November 27, 2019. China said on Monday U.S. military ships and aircraft won’t be allowed to visit Hong Kong, and also announced sanctions against several U.S. non-government organisations for encouraging protesters to “engage in extremist, violent and criminal acts.” China last week promised it would issue “firm counter measures” after U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law the “Hong Kong Human Rights and Democr

If there is one thing that Instagram has shown us is that the world is filled with fascinating natural wonders. Unlike other hotspots of the photo-sharing world, Trolltunga — which translates to “Troll’s tongue” — is every bit as beautiful as photographs portray. Interestingly, the website for the regional tourism office keeps it real with an expectation-managing photograph of its most famous spot. It’s common to see photos of breathtaking Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, that typically look like t

Infinity Ward is putting its foot down regarding one of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s most controversial changes. advertisingRELATED: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Confirms New Gunfight ModesCompetitive Call of Duty players have been asking Infinity Ward to revert the minimap changes since Modern Warfare’s beta. At a recent content creator retreat for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward multiplayer design director Joe Cecot set the record straight regarding the minimap. Call of Duty: Mod