The Market In 5 Minutes: Airbnb, Buffett, Mueller-Manafort-Gates

IN THE NEWS

Two of the hottest investments on Wall Street in recent months have been semiconductor stocks and cryptocurrencies, and the link is no coincidence: Link

Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said there’s no perceivable disconnect between what investors want and what the midwest offers: Link

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B) shareholders will look to Warren Buffett’s annual letter on Saturday for new clues of what the conglomerate plans to do with more than $100 billion in cash: Link $

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office obtained new tax and bank fraud charges against Paul Manafort and Richard Gates on Thursday, adding pressure on the former Trump campaign manager and his longtime deputy, who have been fighting the case: Link $

Home-booking company Airbnb has sparred with regulators across the globe, but Chief Executive Brian Chesky on Thursday spoke of coming to terms with his responsibility for how the company can impact housing markets and neighborhoods: Link

Efforts to quickly address gun violence in the wake of a mass shooting at a Florida high school are beginning to face a familiar political reality, as gun-rights advocates reassert their traditional power in Washington: Link

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin brushed aside signs that investors are nervous about rising prices and criticism that growing debt will harm U.S. economic security, declaring that President Donald Trump’s policies won’t cause inflation: Link

ECONOMIC DATA

• New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley is set to speak in New York at 10:15 a.m. ET.
• Boston Federal Reserve Bank President Eric Rosengren will speak in New York at 10:15 a.m. ET.
• The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET.
• Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester is set to speak in New York at 1:30 p.m. ET.
• San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams will speak in Los Angeles at 3:40 p.m. ET.

ANALYST RATINGS

• Wells Fargo upgraded Hudson Pacific HPP from Market Perform to Outpeform
• Jefferies downgraded QTS Realty QTS from Buy to Hold
• DA Davidson downgraded Acacia Communications ACIA from Buy to Neutral

This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. To get the full version of this note every morning, click here.