the chief investment officer of calstrs.e will be back in just a minute. ♪ alix: welcome back to the bloomberg market day. i'm alix steel. we want to get back to the top stories of the afternoon. state lawmakers in south carolina has set the stage on a debate on whether to remove the confederate flag from the statehouse grounds. the senate joined the house today to extend the current session which was set aside to have budget votes. this comes as hundreds gathered in the sweltering heat outside the south carolina statehouse demanding the flags removal. virginia's governor called for the confederate flag to be banished from state license plates. retailers, including walmart, ebay and amazon, say they will no longer sell confederate flag products, saying the image has become a symbol of divisiveness and racism. it was a victory for president obama and his trade agenda. the senate voted to begin full debate on the fast-track negotiation authority. the vote avoids a filibuster. previous presidents have enjoyed fast-track authori