Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's constitutional court ruled on Sunday that parts of the law organising parliamentary elections starting March 21 violate the charter, in a decision that may force a delay.

The administrative court, which rules on state related matters, will now decide whether to formally rule on delaying the election.

The constitutional court said sections of the law dividing the electoral districts were unconstitutional.

Lawyers who appealed against the law had said it failed to divide districts in a way that would adequately represent the electorate.

One of the lawyers told AFP that the ruling meant the election will be delayed and the process will start from scratch.

"The election will be delayed and the process will have to start from the beginning," said Mohamed Abdel Wahhab.

Former constitutional court judge Tahany al-Gebaly told AFP it was not immediately clear whether the poll would be pushed back or for how long.

The law may be amended in time for the election to start on schedule, but if candidates have to register again it would be delayed, she said.

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Leonard Nimoy, famous for his role as Spock — the infallibly logical character in the Star Trek TV series and movies — died on February 27, and astronaut Terry Virts gave the beloved actor the perfect send off.

Virts has been living on board the International Space Station since September, 2014 and he snapped a photo of himself giving a Vulcan salute when the ISS passed over Boston — the city in which Nimoy was born.

The Vulcans are a race in Star Trek that Spock's father belonged to. Nimoy himself actually came up with the idea for the Vulcan salute, and its become the most iconic symbol of the show. The salute means "Live long and prosper."

Virts took this photo from the largest window on the ISS called the cupola:

Star Trek originally aired in the 1960s just a few years before NASA put Neil Armstrong on the moon. Ever since then, Star Trek has been inspiring people to pursue science and space exploration with it's famous message that space is the "final frontier." 

Nimoy received a public outreach award in 2010 from the Space Foundation for his role as Spock.

NASA gave its own tribute to Nimoy when the organization tweeted a photo from 1976 that showed the space shuttle Enterprise, named after the famous starship from Star Trek.

SEE ALSO: NIMOY: One of the greatest things about Star Trek was that it inspired scientists

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NOW WATCH: Research Reveals Why Men Cheat, And It's Not What You Think

At one of Target's shops in downtown Chicago, one recent weekend, customers congregated in the electronics department and the area that sells towels and bedding. Upstairs, the women's clothes department was almost deserted. A quick examination of its stock revealed why: dowdy dresses, garish sweaters and jackets that any reasonably fashion-conscious woman under 60 would surely spurn.

For many shoppers, Target no longer hits the spot. In its annual results this week it admitted that the cost of retreating from a disastrous foray into Canada, and of closing underperforming shops in America, would be a whopping $5.1 billion.

It is an astonishing reversal of fortune. A decade ago Target had such a chic image that people called it "Tar-zhay" with a faux French accent. The Minneapolis-based discounter thrived after reinventing itself as a seller of designer-label clothing at affordable prices. It teamed up with designers such as Alexander McQueen, Proenza Schouler and Zac Posen, and attracted young, predominantly female shoppers with higher disposable incomes than those who usually go to discounters.

But in 2011 Target's growth began to slow, and margins to shrink. Its designer lines had seemingly lost their sparkle, and the rest of its clothing range never was that impressive. The squeeze on Americans' real incomes did not help, but it struggled to keep up with the rise of "fast-fashion" retailers such as Uniqlo and Zara.

Dissatisfied with its online sales, which it had been outsourcing to Amazon since 2001, Target took direct control of them, launching a slick new website. But by then its rivals were ahead of it in e-commerce. Target also expanded its food offering, hoping to coax shoppers to visit more often--and buy a higher-margin item such as a sweater even if they had only popped in for some milk. Great theory; didn't work in practice. "They became too focused on food and consumables, and lost their Tar-zhay cachet," says Brian Yarbrough of Edward Jones, an investment firm.

Things got far worse in 2013. During the pre-Christmas shopping season, the company suffered a massive hacking attack that compromised credit-card and other details of up to 70m customers. Shoppers deserted its stores, and profits plunged.

Meanwhile Target's newly launched Canadian operations began bleeding money. "The Canadian debacle was a symptom of a broader set of problems," says Sarah Kaplan, professor of management at the University of Toronto. Target seems to have stopped listening to its shoppers. The American executives it put in charge of the shops in Canada did not understand that Canadians tend to shop "off the flyer": special-offer leaflets are the most effective way to tempt them into a store.

Last May Gregg Steinhafel, the chief executive, was shown the door. His successor, Brian Cornell, was horrified to find, on an unannounced visit to some of the Canadian shops, that they were deserted on the Saturday before Christmas. He concluded that all 133 stores north of the border must shut. Target's first international expansion had ended in defeat.

Target's share price has recovered sharply in recent months, as confidence has grown that Mr Cornell can turn it around. But there is much to be done. David Schick of Stifel, a stockbroker, says it needs to go back to "differentiated discount", which means offering a selection of desirable items--a trendy handbag, say, or a novelty watch--which no rival is selling. The food department needs a facelift too, says David Strasser of Janney Montgomery Scott, a financial-services firm. He thinks Target should try to be more like Trader Joe's, a thriving own-label supermarket chain that is part of Aldi, a German discount-grocery giant.

Target also needs to catch up with its more successful peers in becoming an "omni-channel" retailer, offering customers a seamless choice of how to shop: in stores, on internet browsers or on smartphone apps. It has only recently begun to switch its emphasis from huge, out-of-town stores towards smaller, more central ones that provide a "click-and-collect" service for online and smartphone orders.

Mr Cornell has made a good start, but it is far from certain that Target can return to its glory days in the home market. As for venturing abroad again, it would face so many nimble and successfully globalised rivals that its chances would be slim.

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NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do

Moscow (AFP) - At least 10,000 people turned out Sunday in central Moscow to march in memory of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down in a high-profile assassination, AFP reporters said at the scene.

Access to the underground rail network was almost impossible due to the crowd, but Moscow police, often accused by critics of downplaying turnout at opposition rallies, estimated the numbers at 7,000.

Another 2,500-3,000 people, some wrapped in Ukrainian flags, marched in the second city of Saint Petersburg, an AFP journalist said.

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Health and fitness are two of the biggest areas of focus for the Apple Watch, and the company hasn't been shy about reminding us of that.

Victoria's Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel flaunted the watch on the cover of Self magazine's March issue, in which she talked about how the Apple Watch could help her stay in shape. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook also recently called sitting "the new cancer," referring to the detrimental effects sitting for extended periods of time can have on your health. 

The Apple Watch, which starts at $350 and launches this April, certainly has a lengthy list of features that can make it appealing for health enthusiasts. It reminds you to stand up at least once an hour, it suggests goals for how many calories you should burn each day, and it keeps track of your exercise.

But many cheaper fitness devices and wearables offer similar features, so it's unclear whether or not the Apple Watch will have the impact Apple hopes. We asked a few personal trainers how they feel about the Apple Watch to gauge whether or not fitness experts are excited about it. 

Here's what they had to say based on what they know about the Apple Watch.

(Note: These are answers based on initial impressions fitness experts had after learning about the Apple Watch through research and Apple's website. None of the fitness experts we interviewed have actually tried the watch. For an overview of the Apple Watch's features, check out our gallery here). 

• Most of the fitness experts we spoke with didn’t know much about the Apple Watch and what makes it different than other fitness trackers and smartwatches on the market. A few of them weren’t even aware that the Apple Watch hasn’t been released yet.
• Even though they weren’t very familiar with the Apple Watch, three out of five of the fitness experts we spoke with seemed enthusiastic about it. Joshua Stolz, a personal trainer at Equinox who was deeply familiar with the watch and its features, said a few of his clients are planning to buy it.
• The Apple Watch and other fitness trackers are generally most useful for those looking to get in shape rather than experienced athletes, says Kirstin Kapustik, an independent private personal trainer. “It’s really great for clients and those who lead a sedentary lifestyle to see how little exercise they’re actually getting,” she said.
• The Apple Watch seems a bit expensive to Kapustik. “I don’t see a really high investment because it’s more than anything just a marker for the individual,” she said. “Something to recognize where you are in your fitness level and where you want to be. I don’t know if a high priced item is gonna be that much more beneficial than your iPhone that can monitor your steps." The Apple Watch is much more than a fitness tracker, which is why it's more expensive than devices like the $150 Fitbit Charge HR and the $100 Jawbone UP24. It's priced about the same as the Moto 360 and Samsung Gear S, but those who mainly want a gadget specifically for fitness may want something cheaper like a Fitbit, Kapustik said. 
• Nearly all of the personal trainers we interviewed agree that the ability to measure your heart rate is one of the most important features a health-focused wearable should have.“If you think you’re out of breath and you’re really not, you can push yourself more and that’s when you’re really going to lose weight,” Jill Hanner, a certified personal trainer at the YMCA in New Rochelle, NY, said. Hanner also said that although she’s curious about the Apple Watch, she’s not “too excited” and doesn’t plan to rush out and buy it immediately.
• But it’s not just about measuring your heart rate while you work out — you need to know your resting heart rate to determine the state of your health.“People sometimes don’t know when they are in a danger zone because they’re pushing themselves,” said ShaNay Norvell, a brand ambassador for Nike that previously worked as a personal training director for LA Fitness. Many fitness bands have heart rate monitors, including the Apple Watch, Fitbit Charge HR, and Basis Peak among others. 
• The Apple Watch will ultimately succeed because Apple has a history of making great products, according to Christine Lusita, a personal trainer and fitness expert that previously worked with Planet Fitness. To Lusita, motivational notifications and reminders to hydrate are the most important features for a health-focused fitness wearable. That's why the Apple Watch's standing ring caught her attention.

SEE ALSO: One of the coolest things about the Apple Watch may be a feature no one really talks about

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NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do

A lot has changed since Satya Nadella took over at Microsoft a little more than a year ago.

Windows no longer rules the roost. The energy has shifted away from big expensive software to "cloud" services. It's investing in cutting-edge products like HoloLens. Morale is better than it's been in years, according to long-time employees.

But Nadella can't do it alone. Who's helping him out?

We talked to some people close to the company to find out who the most important execs are under Nadella right now. Here's what we heard.

Scott Guthrie, Executive VP of Cloud and Enterprise

Guthrie oversees big bread-and-butter products that companies use in their data centers, like Windows Server and SQL Server, which was Microsoft's fastest-growing business through the 2000s.

But he's also in charge of Windows Azure, Microsoft's cloud answer to Amazon Web Services, where Microsoft hopes a lot of its future growth will come from. In addition, he runs the group responsible for creating Microsoft tools for developers.

Guthrie has a particularly tough job because he's overseeing a lot of the businesses Nadella was running before he took over as CEO. Under his watch, Microsoft's development platforms and Azure cloud have started to support a bunch of non-Microsoft technologies — previously unheard of during the "Windows first, Windows forever" reigns of Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates.

Qi Lu, Executive VP of Applications and Services

Qi Lu joined Microsoft in 2008 from Yahoo and rose to lead its consumer online services, Bing and MSN. Those products lost a lot of money over the years and always seemed like a bit of an expensive hobby, and as a result Lu never seemed that important from the outside.

That couldn't be further from the truth today. Lu now leads Office 365, the most successful part of Microsoft's cloud business as well as the good old Office suite, which for years has been Microsoft's second-biggest product after Windows. He also continues to oversee Bing, which may not have toppled Google from the top rung in search, but is doing interesting research into artificial intelligence and coming up with things like the Cortana virtual assistant.

Plus, one source told us Lu regularly consults with another very important person at Microsoft...

Bill Gates, Founder and Technology Advisor

Gates returned to an active advisory role at Microsoft when Nadella took over, and while he's not involved in daily product and business decisions like he was as CEO or Chief Software Architect, we've heard this isn't just a figurehead position either. 

In particular, Gates is an active participant in a debate at the company about the role of Windows. In the old days, the Windows team almost always got what it wanted, and if another division wanted to create competing technology, Windows often made it back down. Nowadays, there's a camp within Microsoft arguing that Windows should be forced to earn its place like every other product group at Microsoft. 

If we had to guess, we'd say Gates is on the "Windows-first" side, but perhaps he's playing devil's advocate. Either way, he's spending more time at Microsoft than he has in years.

The Sunday Times devoted its cover and a massive three-page spread in its Style supplement at the weekend to the Apple Watch.

The coverage includes two stories on the device in the British broadsheet's "Big Spring Issue" on March 1. (Apple Insider drew our attention to it.)

Apple's launch strategy for the watch is to position it as a fashion object rather than a new tech gadget. The company has given all its earliest media access to fashion and lifestyle titles rather than the tech press.

Style went with a weird image of model Guinevere Van Seenus in make up that makes her face look like a clock, with the numbers on the clockface running backwards.

Journalist Claudia Croft seems sold on the idea of owning Apple's latest piece of kit. In the Style special she says she already has an "iPhone 6 and a vintage Rolex, but I want an Apple Watch like a four-year-old wants to eat cake at a birthday party."

Croft remarks that she's keen on the 18ct gold version, estimated to be priced at £4,000, and adds fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld also wants one.

JP Morgan analysts estimate Apple will sell 26 million watches after their release later this year.

Someone excitedly tweeted the inside of the feature yesterday:

The Times supplement, however, also notes the uncertainties around the product. Nobody quite knows how much it will cost at retail ($349 seems the most likely figure); or exactly when the Apple Watch will be released — in the US, the UK, and elsewhere.

Apple is likely to reveal more details at its"Spring Forward" event in San Francisco on March 9. 

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NOW WATCH: Here's How The Apple Watch Works

Some job interviewers ask tough questions to trip you up or to get you to reveal information you may be trying to conceal. Others want to get a better sense of your thought process or see how you respond under pressure.

Whatever the reason, you'll want to be prepared.

In her book "301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions," Vicky Oliver says in order to prevail, you need to "trounce your competition."

One of the best ways to stand out: have the smartest answers to the toughest questions.

Note: Many of these are examples of great responses to help guide you. They won't necessarily work for everyone, in every situation. You should never lie in an interview.

Vivian Giang contributed to a previous version of this article.

Q: What is your biggest weakness that's really a weakness, and not a secret strength?

A: I am extremely impatient. I expect my employees to prove themselves on the very first assignment. If they fail, my tendency is to stop delegating to them and start doing everything myself.

To compensate for my own weakness, however, I have started to really prep my people on exactly what will be expected of them. 

Source: "301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions"

Q: Will you be out to take my job?

A: Maybe in about 20 years, but by then, I suspect you'll be running the entire company and will need a good, loyal lieutenant to help you manage this department!  

Source: "301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions"

Q: You have changed careers before. Why should I let you experiment on my nickel?

A: As a career-changer, I believe that I'm a better employee because I've gained a lot of diverse skills from moving around. These skills help me solve problems creatively.

Source: "301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions"

The UK just got a new version of the Queen's face on its coins.

The Royal Mint unveiled the design on Monday, and it's only the fifth time in the Queen Elizabeth II's 63 years as monarch that the portrait has been redone. 

Here's how it looks:

The UK's current coins mostly carry the portrait which was done 17 years ago, in 1998, so the new one is the first of the 21st century. 

The artist who did the work is called Jody Clark - you can see the "J.C" gracing the coin just below the head. 

This from the Royal Mint on the changes:

There are some noticeable changes to The Queen’s image in the new portrait by Jody Clark. Her Majesty is seen wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem crown worn for her Coronation and earrings, similar to those in the portrait by Raphael Maklouf, are included. The Inscription ELIZABETH II – DEI – GRA –REGINA – FID – DEF hasn’t changed, however its position has, encompassing the effigy entirely.

Unlike in previous iterations, the new drawing was done entirely digitally. If you've got £3,700 to spare and are that way inclined, you can get the new coins struck in 22 carat gold. 

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NOW WATCH: This Video Of The Largest Breakage Of Ice From A Glacier Ever Filmed Is Absolutely Frightening

Warren Buffett has been incredibly successful, and he's extremely wealthy. Warren Buffett's wealth jumped by around $12.7 billion in 2013 alone. But how much is $12.7 billion anyway?

And how good an investor is Warren Buffett really? We've put together some facts that really put him in perspective.

99% of Buffett's wealth was earned after his 50th birthday.

Buffett made $62.7 billion of his $63.3 billion net worth after his 50th birthday.

$60 billion — nearly 95% — is from after his 60th birthday.

Talk about long-term investment strategies.

Source: Fool

Berkshire's Book Value beat the S&P 500 in 43 out of 44 years on a five-year rolling average basis.

From 2008 to 2013, the S&P 500 returned 128%, while Berkshire (based on book value per Class A share) returned 80%. 

Source: Berkshire Hathaway, Business Insider

Among legends, Buffett has the longest track record for beating the market.

That chart compares investors with the S&P 500 over time. You can see the longevity of Buffett's outperformance is greater than that of other great investors.

Source: Business Insider

Legendary investor Warren Buffett doesn't mince his words.

In his annual letter for his Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, released Saturday, Buffett revealed that he lost £288 million ($444 million) in the embattled British supermarket and he is "embarrassed" by taking too much time in exiting the beleaguered stock.

Above all, his letter showed that he really hates Tesco and its management. Here is his comment in full, from page 17. on in the letter (emphasis ours):

"Attentive readers will notice that Tesco, which last year appeared in the list of our largest common stock investments, is now absent. An attentive investor, I’m embarrassed to report, would have sold Tesco shares earlier. I made a big mistake with this investment by dawdling.

"At the end of 2012 we owned 415 million shares of Tesco, then and now the leading food retailer in the UK and an important grocer in other countries as well. Our cost for this investment was $2.3 billion, and the market value was a similar amount. 

"In 2013, I soured somewhat on the company’s then-management and sold 114 million shares, realizing a profit of $43 million. My leisurely pace in making sales would prove expensive. Charlie calls this sort of behavior “thumb-sucking.” (Considering what my delay cost us, he is being kind.) 

"During 2014, Tesco’s problems worsened by the month. The company’s market share fell, its margins contracted and accounting problems surfaced. In the world of business, bad news often surfaces serially: You see a cockroach in your kitchen; as the days go by, you meet his relatives.

"We sold Tesco shares throughout the year and are now out of the position. (The company, we should mention, has hired new management, and we wish them well.) Our after-tax loss from this investment was $444 million, about 1/5 of 1% of Berkshire’s net worth. In the past 50 years, we have only once realized an investment loss that at the time of sale cost us 2% of our net worth. Twice, we experienced 1% losses.

"All three of these losses occurred in the 1974-1975 period, when we sold stocks that were very cheap in order to buy others we believed to be even cheaper."

In January this year, Moody's and Standard & Poor's downgraded Tesco's credit rating to junk. Tesco is under investigation from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into how the group overstated profits by £250 million in September 2014.

The scandal knocked billions off pounds off Tesco's market value and the stock is at a 12 year low.

Tesco CEO Philip Clarke has now left the group and was replaced by Dave Lewis.

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NOW WATCH: This Video Of The Largest Breakage Of Ice From A Glacier Ever Filmed Is Absolutely Frightening

It's jobs week in America, which means we'll get a crucial update on the health of the US economy.

However, the investing world will continue to spend some time unpacking Warren Buffett's 2014 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, which was published on Saturday.

Among other things, Buffett revealed some old mistakes. Costly mistakes.

Here's your Monday Scouting Report:

Top Stories

• Warren Buffett reveals two massive mistakes, which cost him $100 billion.In Warren Buffett's new letter, the Oracle of Omaha revealed something very surprising: Berkshire as you see it today was the result of a big mistake. Buffett says he had the opportunity to sell his Berkshire shares to Berkshire's own Seabury Stanton at a 50% profit after holding them for just two years. But after they had a deal, Stanton decided he'd cut his offering price by $0.125 per share from $11.50.
  
  "I bristled at Stanton's behavior and didn't tender," Buffett said. "That was a monumentally stupid decision." Instead, Buffett bought more of this failing business in this failing industry, which he eventually shut down after 20 years of misery.
  
  That mistake beget another even bigger mistake. In 1967, Buffett bought Omaha-based insurer National Indemnity Company. Except instead of buying this company for Buffett Partnership Ltd., Buffett's investing vehicle which held most of his personal wealth, he bought this company through recently acquired Berkshire Hathaway, which came with a ton of legacy shareholders.
  
  From Buffett: "Despite these facts staring me in the face, I opted to marry 100% of an excellent business (NICO) to a 61%-owned terrible business (Berkshire Hathaway), a decision that eventually diverted $100 billion or so from BPL partners to a collection of strangers."
  

Economic Calendar

• Personal Income And Spending (Mon): Economists estimate income climbed by 0.4% in January as personal spending fell by 0.1%. Core PCE is estimated to have climbed by 0.1% month-over-month or 1.3% year-over-year. From Credit Suisse: "Healthy income details from the January jobs report point to a solid 0.5% rise in personal income. Nominal consumer spending likely softened, with tepid gains in core retail sales and a downtick in unit autos."
• Markit US Manufacturing PMI (Mon): Economists estimate this manufacturing index climbed to 54.3 in February from 53.9 in January. "Manufacturing companies indicated a robust and accelerated expansion of production volumes during February,"Markit's Chris Williamson said.
• ISM Manufacturing (Mon): Economists estimate this manufacturing index slipped to 53.0 in February from 53.5 in January. From Credit Suisse: "Regional surveys have weakened broadly and the recent decline in the New Orders index suggests the US goods sector has entered a soft patch. However, a strong outlook for US consumption should prevent the current momentum cycle from deteriorating too sharply in the medium-term."
• Construction Spending (Mon): Economists estimate construction spending increased by 0.3% in January. From Morgan Stanley's Ted Wieseman: "The 2% pullback in housing starts, with the higher value single-family component down 7%, points to a flat month for homebuilding activity. Nonresidential should be stronger, however. There’s been a regular pattern recently in this report of a weak current month for private nonresidential spending but significant upward revisions to prior months, suggesting technical issues with the survey. So we’re building in a good rise in January nonres but wouldn’t be surprised if instead January is weak again but the initially reported 0.2% decline in December is revised higher."
• Auto Sales (Tues): Analysts estimate that the pace of US auto sales improved to an annualized rate of 16.7 million units in February from 16.56 million in January. From Morgan Stanley's Ted Wieseman: "Mid-month industry surveys have pointed to a slight pickup in sales in February after the dip in January to a 16.6 million unit annual rate following the best two combined months in December (16.8) and November (17.1) in nine years. Much colder weather in the second half of February was probably a drag."
• ADP Employment Change (Wed): Economists estimate private payrolls increased by 218,000 in February.
• Markit US Services PMI (Wed): Economists estimate this services activity index climbed to 57.0 in February from 54.2 in January. "Stronger growth of service sector activity in February puts a June Fed rate rise firmly back on the table," Markit's Chris Williamson said. "While parts of the East coast have struggled in the face of adverse weather, other regions basked in unusually warm temperatures, boosting business above seasonal norms. Activity levels surged higher and inflows of new business boomed as a result."
• ISM Non-Manufacturing Index (Wed): Economists estimate this services index slipped to 56.5 in February from 56.7 in January. From BNP Paribas: "We likely saw some disappointment from the oilfield services sector; while a consumption boost from lower gasoline prices may have provided some offset. Weather effects and other seasonal factors present some downside risk to our forecast, as the winter months are particularly difficult to strip out seasonal volatility."
• Fed Beige Book (Wed): The Federal Reserve will publish its collection of economic anecdotes at 2:00 p.m. ET. From Credit Suisse: "Now that the drama of Fed Chair Yellen's semiannual testimony is over, next week’s Beige Book probably is not a significant focus for the markets. We will be searching through the report for anecdotes regarding the prospects for wage increases and looking for any hints that consumers are spending their gasoline savings elsewhere."
• Initial Jobless Claims (Thurs): Economists estimate the weekly jobless claims fell to 295,000 from 313,000 a week ago. "The four week moving average remains below 300k and is indicative of labor market conditions that continue to improve," Nomura said.
• Factory Orders (Thurs): Economists estimate orders climbed by 0.2% in January. From Morgan Stanley: "Durable goods orders gained 2.8% on a sharp rise in aircraft and 0.6% rebound in core capital goods, but a plunge in petroleum product prices is likely to lead to a steep drop in the dollar value of nondurable goods orders and leave overall factory orders down in nominal terms."
• The Jobs Report (Fri): Economists estimate US employers added 235,000 jobs in February, bringing the unemployment rate down to 5.6% from 5.7% a month ago. From Deutsche Bank: "...we project a 250k gain in nonfarm payrolls, which compares to a 12-month moving average of 257k. Recall that payrolls have tended to be revised higher. If weather was a factor, it would likely influence hours more than jobs. This is why we expect the nonfarm workweek to slip 0.1 to 34.5 hours. This should push earnings up 0.3% versus a 0.5% gain previously. Additionally, we expect the unemployment rate to fall two tenths to 5.5%, which is the upper bound of the Fed’s central tendency for the NAIRU (5.2% to 5.5%). This is the last employment report before the March 17-18 FOMC meeting, so Friday’s results could have significant bearing on how the Fed tweaks its forward guidance."
• Trade Balance (Fri): Economists estimate the trade deficit narrowed to $41.5 billion from in January from $46.6 billion in December. From Barclays: "January port statistics show a plunge in monthly container traffic, with inbound traffic down more than 20% m/m and outbound traffic slowing by about half as much. The labor disputes affecting West Coast ports were resolved in mid-February; however, port activity slowed in the preceding months and briefly ground to halt in February. We expect the unloaded container traffic to be processed in the coming weeks, but monthly trade statistics may remain volatile through the end of the first quarter."
• Consumer Credit (Fri): Economists estimate consumer credit balances increased by $15.0 billion in January. From Nomura: "Non-revolving consumer credit growth accelerated last year (likely due to an increase in auto loans). However, revolving credit growth was slow, showing some above-trend gains in only a few months. More solid growth in revolving consumer credit would suggest that consumers are more confident about their finances and could provide a boost for spending going forward."

Market Commentary

Some investing wisdom from Warren Buffett's new letter: "Periodically, financial markets will become divorced from reality — you can count on that. ...never forget that 2+2 will always equal 4. And when someone tells you how old-fashioned that math is — zip up your wallet, take a vacation and come back in a few years to buy stocks at cheap prices."

For more insight about the middle market, visit mid-marketpulse.com.

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NOW WATCH: How to invest like Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett is speaking with CNBC's Becky Quick after the release Saturday of his 50th letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.

Among the topics Buffett addressed was his current investing challenges and whether it was easier to invest 20 or 30 years ago. 

In response, Buffett didn't say whether it was easier, but he said he now has a different investing problem: size.

"If we're going to buy 5% of a company," Buffett said, "to make that purchase worth 1% of Berkshire, it has to be a $2 billion company ... and if the stock doubles, Berkshire makes 0.5%."

In other words, the size of Berkshire makes the opportunities for Buffett to see a dramatic increase in his wealth, or the value for Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, more sparse. 

Last week we highlighted comments that Buffett made 50 years ago about the size of the hedge fund he was then running, which he worried was getting too big. 

Berkshire is now a massive conglomerate with a market cap over $300 billion. So that problem certainly hasn't eased at all. 

Follow our complete coverage of Buffett's conversation on CNBC here.

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The Financial Times is redesigning its website, and a source sent us the below screengrab of one of the new looks the paper is considering. We don't know whether this will be the final version.

Both The Guardian and Bloomberg recently redesigned their websites, and each went with a more horizontal look. Traditionally news sites are dominated by one central column of stories, encouraging readers to scroll vertically downward. The FT design (and those from The Guardian and Bloomberg) both feature "three-across" layouts in which readers are directed to look horizontally across the page as well as vertically, with further horizontal groupings of stories by topic. This look became popular following the rise of Pinterest, which pioneered the modern non-vertical layout.

Here is the new look at the FT; below that is a screengrab from the current design:

Here is the current design:

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NOW WATCH: Why Samsung's most gorgeous Galaxy phones yet will leave you with mixed feelings

The Labour MP of Birmingham Edgbaston, Gisela Stuart, has suggested that the party should not rule out the possibility of forming a coalition government with the Conservatives after the General Election.

Stuart told the Financial Times: "If on May 8 you had a position where Labour had more seats than the Tories but not enough to form a government — but the Tories had more votes than Labour — I think you should not dismiss the possibility of a grand coalition in terms of regrouping of the main."

The suggestion is a radical one. There is no precedent for such a "grand coalition" in Britain outside of the all-party National Government coalitions in the First and Second World War.

To give you an idea of just how extraordinary such a deal would be, on current projections by Election Forecast UK a coalition between Labour and the Conservatives would mean a government with 563 seats of a possible 650 MPs in the House of Commons (with 326 seats needed for a majority).

But there are huge obstacles to such a strategy.

Firstly, there's a reason why these grand coalitions are traditionally strongly resisted by party members — the UK's two largest parties are defined (and, more importantly, their supporters define themselves) by their opposition to one another. Coming together to form a government in peacetime would effectively tell the electorate that the differences between the two are (largely) cosmetic and there are more similarities imn their policies than fundamental points of difference.

That's a big problem. Just look at what has happened to the poll numbers of the Liberal Democrats, Britain's erstwhile third party, since it elected to join a coalition with the Conservatives in 2010 — they've collapsed.

Secondly, there are already a number of better suited coalition partners that they are far more likely to attempt to form a government with first. For Labour the likely candidates are the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats — which are forecast to win around 60 seats between them — and the Conservatives would be expected to woo the Lib Dems and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, which currently holds nine seats in parliament.

In other words, a "grand coalition" isn't going to happen unless David Cameron and Ed Miliband decide to commit political harakiri and/or the UK goes to war in the next two months.

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Here is what you need to know.

Warren Buffett published the 50th annual letter to Berkshire shareholders. The conglomerate announced earnings of $2,412 per Class A share, missing analyst expectations of $2,702. The company has returned 1,826,163% since Buffett first began the letter in 1965.

There was a lot of stuff in Buffett's letter. Among other things, Buffett admitted regretting that he didn't sell the textile company (with the name that inspired the better-known holding company) Berkshire in 1964, he revealed a blundered insurance acquisition that cost him $100 billion, he took a huge shot at the private equity business, and he gave an endorsement to Airbnb.

China cut rates. The People's Bank of China lowered both its one-year loan rate and one-year deposit rate 25 basis points to 5.35% and 2.5%, respectively. The action comes after last week's data showed Chinese home prices were off 3.8% year-over-year.  

China's Purchasing Managers Indices outpaced estimates. Beijing saw a trio of numbers that were better than expected as Manufacturing PMI, Non-Manufacturing PMI, and HSBC Final Manufacturing PMI all topped forecasts. Notably, the Manufacturing PMI reading remained in contraction with a 49.9 print. China's yuan fell to 6.2729 versus the dollar, its lowest since October 2012. 

India passes Modi's budget. Borrowing within the budget was below market expectations as Prime Minister Modi's government looks to improve infrastructure and crack down on the black-market economy. India's rupee is little changed at 61.85 against the dollar.  

European data mostly impressed. CPI Flash Estimate ticked up to -0.3% year-over-year from -0.6%, and the region's unemployment improved to 11.2% (11.3% previous). Spain's Manufacturing PMI was the only disappointment, sliding to 54.2 from 54.7. The euro is on session highs, up 0.3% at 1.1230. 

Britain's Manufacturing PMI hit its best level since August. The reading climbed to 54.1, outpacing the 53.5 that was expected. The British pound is down 0.2% at 1.5410. 

Samsung launched its new line of Galaxy phones. The Galaxy S 6 and Galaxy S 6 Edge were unveiled in Barcelona, Spain. The company also announced its new payment platform, which is expected to compete with Apple Pay. 

Global stock markets are higher. China's Shanghai Composite (up 0.8%) led Asian stock markets higher. In Europe, Britain's FTSE (up 0.3%) paces the advance. 

US economic data remains heavy. Core PCE Price Index, personal income, and personal spending are all due out at 8:30 a.m. ET. Those numbers will be followed by Final Manufacturing PMI at 9:45 a.m. ET, and ISM Manufacturing PMI and construction spending at 10 a.m. ET. Read Business Insider's preview of the data in the Monday Scouting Report.

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Warning: There are spoilers for "House of Cards" season 3, episode 1

"House of Cards" returned to Netflix Friday.

Those who tuned in to episode one of the new season quickly learned the answer to one of the biggest cliffhangers of season 2.

Last chance to head back before spoilers.

At the end of season 2, Frank Underwood's chief of staff Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly) was brutally attacked by a woman, Rachel Posner (Rachel Brosnahan). 

Though his death was never confirmed, it seemed pretty obvious that Stamper would not return for another season. After having his head beat multiple times with a rock, he was abandoned in the woods to bleed out.

So, it was a big surprise when it was revealed that Stamper actually survived.

The entire first episode revolves heavily around Stamper and his lengthy recovery process after sustaining an injury to the left frontal cortex.

The news was also a big surprise since it didn't get out that actor Michael Kelly was returning to reprise his character or that he was filming on set.

The actor told the Associated Press he went to great lengths to keep the news from leaking. 

"For a year, I've had to keep everything so secret," Kelly told AP. "I feel awful for having to lie, but what else could I do?" 

According to Kelly, he wore a hat and contact lenses in public to keep fans from noticing him on and around the "House of Cards" set.

It didn't always work.

When someone would notice him on set, he came up with a few clever lies of his own to throw people off like "I'm a producer" and "These are my friends I'm coming back to visit."

The lies worked, up until a few weeks ago when the first 10 episodes of season 3 leaked onto Netflix briefly after a technical glitch. Fans who were able to stream the first few episodes learned early that Stamper's character was alive and well.

"House of Cards" season 3 is streaming now on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: This simple chart paints a perfect picture of how "House of Cards" lead Frank Underwood has changed

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Lumber Liquidators shares are getting smoked after a report aired on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night that showed major issues at some of the company's factories in China. 

In premarket trade Monday, shares of Lumber Liquidators were down as much as 20%. 

The "60 Minutes" report showed a factory in China making laminate flooring for Lumber Liquidators that was deliberately mislabeled to show that it complied with California regulations — it did not. 

The report centered on elevated levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, in Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring products sold in California.

"60 Minutes" spoke to plaintiffs in a lawsuit that accuses Lumber Liquidators of selling laminate products in California with formaldehyde levels that exceed that state's standards by six or seven times, and the news program noted the state's standards were set to be adopted nationwide later this year. 

Lumber Liquidators, which saw its stock nearly double in 2013 and has seen shares fall more than 50% since the beginning of 2014, said on its earnings conference call last week that the coming "60 Minutes" report was likely to be tough on the company. Lumber Liquidators shares fell about 20% last week.

On its earnings call, CEO Robert Lynch said, "We now believe the news program '60 Minutes' will feature our company in an unfavorable light with regard to our sourcing and product quality, specifically related to laminates."

The investor reaction on Monday morning seemed to confirm this view.

SEE ALSO: '60 Minutes' airs troubling report detailing major problems at Lumber Liquidators factories in China

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On Sunday night, "60 Minutes"aired a damning report on Lumber Liquidators and what appeared to be intentional mislabeling of certain laminate flooring products made at a factory in China. 

And in a note to clients, Piper Jaffray analysts wrote that the report was worse than the firm had prepared for. 

Piper said the report was worse than expected based on these three points:

• How specific the story was.
• The evidence provided by "60 Minutes."
• A poor on-camera interview by the company's founder Tom Sullivan who conceded that the video evidence called into question the company's oversight of its suppliers. 

The "60 Minutes" report outlined apparent violations by the company relating to the amount of formaldehyde contained in some laminate flooring products sold in California.

Specifically, "60 Minutes" went to factories in China that produce laminate flooring for Lumber Liquidators that the company says is "CARB 2" compliant, meaning it complies with California standards. The news program's undercover team spoke with factory managers who acknowledged that inventory being produced for Lumber Liquidators was labeled "CARB 2" compliant when it was not.

Early Monday following the "60 Minutes" piece, shares of Lumber Liquidators were down as much as 20%. 

Piper added that:

While the validity of 60 Minutes evidence and claims will likely be vigorously disputed by the company — and we are still in no position to determine if there has been any wrongdoing — the piece portrayed LL in a negative light and will likely leave the company guilty in the court of public opinion for the foreseeable future. 

Piper also noted that the social media reaction to the "60 Minutes" piece was "overwhelmingly negative," noting that, "Individuals noted they will be returning recently purchased product, asking how their floors could be tested, and commenting on the poor performance by LL's founder."

You can watch the full report from "60 Minutes" here »

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An often-overlooked, but critical and growing part of Twitter's business is its huge repository of historical and real-time data.

You might not think that celebrity tweets and people moaning that their flights are delayed could serve any revenue-generating purpose. But, using Twitter's data, a local burger joint can find out that it desperately needs to change its fries recipe, big brands like Dove can create and operate far-reaching social media marketing campaigns like #SpeakBeautiful that aimed to crush negative tweets about people's body image on Oscars night, and officials in cities like Jakarta can not only warn residents about flooding but check in real-time which are the safest evacuation routes. Those are all real examples.

Twitter's VP of data strategy Chris Moody spoke to Business Insider at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and gave us TWO indications that Twitter's data business is about to become a massive deal this year. 

How Twitter makes money from its data

Twitter really began ramping up its data strategy last year, with its $134 million acquisition of long-time data partner Gnip. The Gnip team, including then-CEO Moody, joined the Twitter flock within its revenue division. The data team now comprises 110 people, and Moody says this will expand — both in terms of number and internationally — in 2015. 

With the help of Gnip, Twitter is able to license its data. It primarily sells subscriptions to business software providers like Oracle, Saleforce, and IBM (more on that later) who use their big data tools to analyze the conversations about their customers. Twitter also sells data licenses to its more direct customers — advertisers — and it uses that data to provide consultancy to clients and, inevitably, sell more advertising.

Twitter's data licensing and "other revenue" totaled $45 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, up 105% year on year. It's just a fraction (9.5%) of the total revenue Twitter made in the period. But there's some major indications that percentage is about to get a whole lot bigger.

Yes, Twitter can make money from its logged-out users

In recent months Twitter's CEO Dick Costolo has been talking up the worth of its logged-out users: The millions of people who see tweets on other websites, TV, in newspapers, but aren't actually registered Twitter users. Earlier this month Costolo said a logged-out user is worth around $2.50 in revenue to the company per year (compared to $4 for a logged in user.) But ad industry executives told Business Insider that figure was "fanciful," mostly down to the belief that they contribute little valuable data.

Moody gave us the impression that it might not be far off.

In the simplest of terms, a marketer with more data on the entire reach of their tweets (beyond Twitter alone) can make better business decisions. An airline, whose tweet about a new route opening up, could use that data to work out which publications are best to direct advertising money towards once tickets become available, for example.

Also, Twitter is working on getting far more data about its "syndicated users" as it calls them, who view tweets outside of the official Twitter platforms. Earlier this month Twitter announced plans to syndicate its tweets and ads into Flipboard and Yahoo Japan. Moody reminded us that data share is part of the deal. This isn't just about creating a larger advertising ad network, it's about data mining too. 

Twitter's partnership with IBM is going to help thousands of executives understand the value of its data

In October Twitter and IBM formed a partnership that the companies said would "transform decision making." The deal is huge — and not just because it means IBM's thousands of business customers now have the option to turn on Twitter data within IBM's dashboards straight away.

As part of the deal, IBM has also committed to training 10,000 consultants to train people how to use it. If each consultant only trained 100 people over the next year, that would mark a massive education program — one a small data division like Twitter's could never achieve at the same scale.

Moody told us that in the early days of Gnip, 50-75% of his time was taken up convincing people about the power of Twitter's data. "It's virtually no time now," he said, in part due to partners like IBM. A couple of weeks ago Moody met with the global chief marketing officer of a big brand and set up his pitch deck ready to go. He was stopped in his tracks by the marketer who said "you don't have to convince me, I want you to help me get started."

That's where IBM comes in. Marketers understand how useful Twitter's data can be in informing their business decisions, they just need help wading through the thousands of tweets about their companies and how to prioritize which insights are important.

"Other platforms are not always clear" about the public nature of their data collection

Twitter isn't alone in homing a hugely valuable real-time data platform. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and many more online platforms also offer similar services.

But Moody thinks it is transparency that sets Twitter apart and that's what makes it attractive to advertisers and partners.

He told us: "From our perspective, the vast majority of our data public and we are very clear about whats public and whats not. Tweets are public. Direct messages between your friends are not. Other platforms are not always clear on that."

And that's a good thing from a user perspective. If you're complaining about your plane being late (even without @ing the airline) and the brand gets in touch with live updates, that's a good user experience. And it's why customer service is a key focus for Moody this year.

Moody said: "My personal reason for that is we did the world a giant disservice in the 1950s when we introduced call centers. Big companies thought about customers service as an operational expense, reducing the cost of interacting with customers. Twitter is about brand building, and brand value often gets measured in billions for some brands, it's not about making a call cost 50 cents less."

Twitter clearly has big plans about its big data business that shouldn't be underestimated.

SEE ALSO: More coverage of Mobile World Congress 2015

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