Written by Gary
House passes bill to increase $600 stimulus checks to $2,000 (SPY +0.4%). Surge in online shopping is straining America’s busiest port.
Here is the current market situation from CNN Money | |
 | European markets are broadly higher today with shares in London leading the region. The FTSE 100 is up 2.07% while France’s CAC 40 is up 1.20% and Germany’s DAX is up 0.14%. |
What Is Moving the Markets
| Here are the headlines moving the markets. | |
 | 3 Ways to Play the $30 Trillion ESG Boom in 2021Theres an old dictum in investment circles that says that the trend is your friend. For decades, megatrends have always set the stage for winning investments, whether they involved technological revolutions, population demographics, or government-driven regulations. And right now, the $30 Trillion ESG Megatrend ticks all the right boxes… Especially with Joe Biden about to give a big boost to the sector. Over the past half-decade, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing has emerged as the single |
| Russian To Aid Iran In Major Sanction-Skirting Energy MegaprojectsAlongside the continued development of its huge West Karoun oil fields, the completion of the supergiant South Pars non-associated gas offshore sector (including the implementation of Phase 11 operations), and the finalisation of the crude oil transfer pipeline from Guriyeh to Jask, Irans core focus in the current sanctions environment is to optimise the output and revenues from its already world-scale petrochemicals sector. This has always played a key role in Irans resistance economy model – the concept of generating |
| Hydrogen: The Beginning Of A New Era In Energy2020 was a year of radical shifts in energy markets. The first, but not the most important one, was the deliberate failure of the OPEC+ deal in March. This was largely predetermined by the reallocation of standings of the major players in the oil market. In 2016, when the first OPEC+ deal was announced, the share of OPEC in global oil and liquid hydrocarbon production was 37.8%, but in 2019 it was only 34.4% according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The share of the United States in the same period increased from 15.2% to 19.3%, |
| China’s Energy Shortage Threatens Bitcoin MiningCoal prices in China have risen over the last month as China continues to block coal carriers from entering Chinese portsand it’s causing more than just residential and industrial energy shortages and blackouts. China’s Bitcoin mining is now under siege. China is attempting to ration its power, but bitcoin mining’s unquenchable thirst for high power use is now being threatened by China’s standoff with Australia, frozen wind turbinesand Russia’s own short supply of coalthat has left sailors and crew stranded at sea for months. |
| Will Batteries Kill Off Traditional Power Plants?Many of us typically do not give much thought to the batteries that power our electronic devices other than when our cell phones, laptops, or EVs run out of juice. Fewer still associate them with our power supply since they tend to be tucked away from sight and are not nearly as imposing as the towering smokestacks of fossil fuel power plants. Yet, the humble lithium-ion battery is beginning to threaten coal and natural gas power plants as utilities everywhere increasingly plug them into the electric grid. Indeed, theres an unfolding |
| Is The Energy Transition Creating A Major Investment Bubble?Tesla this month joined the S&P 500 as the fifth-largest company on the index, after its stock skyrocketed this year, driving a lot of appetite for EV investment in general. NextEra, the solar power firm, overtook Exxon as the most valuable energy company in the United States, albeit just briefly. Everyone is talking about hydrogen. The energy transition narrative is hogging energy headlines. But what if it turns out to be one huge bubble? Not all EVs are Teslas At least half a dozen electric car startups got a boost from Teslas |
| Boeing 737 Max set to return to U.S. skies after crashesAmerican Airlines is set to become the first U.S. carrier to return the Boeing 737 Max to commercial service. |
| Pierre Cardin, ground-breaking fashion designer and master marketer, dies at 98Cardin brought geometric shapes to haute couture and put his name on everything from clothing to perfume to pens during his more seven decades in fashion. |
| U.S. could be missing the new Covid variant ‘because the holes in our net are too wide,’ expert saysA smaller sample of virus sequences means the new mutation could already be present in the country without having been detected, the CDC says. |
| Movie releases next year could make for an ’embarrassment of riches,’ Imax CEO says“In a way, 2021, if things do open early in the year, it’s an embarrassment of riches There’s an awful lot of content, and that’s true on a global basis,” Imax CEO Richard Gelfond said. |
| Surge in online shopping is straining America’s busiest port, official saysShipments processed at the Port of Los Angeles were up 22% in November as American consumers bought more goods online, Executive Director Gene Seroka said. |
| 5 things to know before the stock market opens TuesdayU.S. stock futures climbed Tuesday morning after the major averages all reached fresh record highs in the previous session. |
| How Covid derailed Olive Garden’s successWith Covid-wary consumers pivoting to takeout and delivery, casual-dining restaurants like Olive Garden have struggled with falling sales. |
| Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Boeing, SAP, Lemonade, Alibaba & moreThese are the stocks posting the largest moves before the bell. |
| New York attorney general investigating whether clinic fraudulently obtained Covid vaccine doses, Cuomo says“We want to send a clear signal … that if you violate the law on these vaccinations, we will find out and you will be prosecuted,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. |
| The retail industry is leading the way as women take over CEO rolesA record 41 female CEOs are soon going to be leading Fortune 500 companies, with Lauren Hobart set to take over Dick’s Sporting Goods in February. |
| Biden will invoke Defense Production Act to boost Covid vaccine production, advisor saysThe wartime production law allows the president to compel companies to prioritize manufacturing for national security purposes. |
| UK expected to approve Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine this weekThe coronavirus vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will is expected to be approved for use in the U.K. in coming days. |
| JPMorgan is acquiring a major credit card rewards business in a bet that travel will rebound next yearJPMorgan had partnered with cxLoyalty for its popular credit-card rewards program until 2018, when the bank switched to using Expedia. |
| Hunter’s Laptop: Computer Repair Shop Owner Sues Twitter For $500 Million In Defamation SuitHunter’s Laptop: Computer Repair Shop Owner Sues Twitter For $500 Million In Defamation Suit Twitter has been sued by a Delaware computer shop owner who says the social media giant effectively labeled him a “hacker” after he was outed as the source of Hunter Biden’s laptop. John Paul Mac, who provided signature evidence that Hunter Biden dropped his laptop off at the Wilmington, Delaware repair shop – subsequently abandoning it, says Twitter’s actions forced him to shut down the ‘Mac Shop’ after Twitter said the New York Post’s exposà on the laptop violated its “hacked materials” policy – which they initially disallowed from being shared across the network, according to Variety.
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| Navigating Market Lingo In 2021Navigating Market Lingo In 2021 Authored by Lance Roberts via RealInvestmentAdvice.com, In February, Institutional Investor published a brilliant piece entitled œAsset Manager B.S. Decoded.  As we approach the year-end of 2020, succeeding in 2021 may come down to navigating the œmarket lingo  successfully.
What They Say Versus Mean Now is a good entry point = Sorry, we are in a drawdown. We have a high Sharpe ratio = We don’t make much money. We have never lost money = We have never made money. We have a great backtest = We are going to lose money after we take your money. We have a proprietary sourcing approach = We invest in whatever our hedge fund friends do We are not in crowded positions = We missed all the best-performing stocks. We are not correlated = We are underperforming while the market keeps going up. We invest in unique uncorrelated assets = We have an illiquid p … |
| Futures Hit New Record High After House Approves $2,000 Stimulus ChecksFutures Hit New Record High After House Approves $2,000 Stimulus Checks US index futures and global stocks rose for a fourth straight day, hitting new all time highs on Tuesday after the Democrat-controlled House sided with Trump and passed a bill boosting stimulus payments for most Americans from $600 to $2,000 (which will almost certainly die in the Republican-controlled senate). The dollar dropped while oil and 10Y yields rose. At 07:30 am ET, Dow E-minis rose 129 points or 0.43%, S&P 500 E-minis gained 16 points or 0.43% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis added 46.25 points or 0.36%.
Boeing added 0.6% in pre-market trade as American Airlines was set to restart U.S. 737 MAX commercial flights on Tuesday morning. Apple was up 0.6% before the bell, set to open at $137.44 and extending a rally that has returned it near record levels. The stock rose 3.6% on Monday and closed at a record, though it fell short of an intraday peak of $137.98 set in September. The iPhone maker has gained 86% this year, and it is set to close out a second straight year with a gain ab … |
| Ripple Plunges After Coinbase Announces It Will Suspend XRP TradingRipple Plunges After Coinbase Announces It Will Suspend XRP Trading Submitted by Cointelegraph
Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase will suspend trading for XRP in response to the SEC taking legal action against Ripple. According to a blog post published late on Monday by Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal, the exchange will fully suspend XRP trading starting on Jan. 19 at 10:00 am PST. Coinbase clarified that œtrading may be halted earlier as needed to maintain the exchange’s market health metrics. In addition, the suspension will reportedly not affect Ripple-backed Flare Network’s upcoming Spark (FLR) token airdrop. “The trading suspension will not affect customers’ access to XRP wallets which will remain availabl … |
| UK shares jump as markets react to Brexit dealThe FTSE 100 gains, but bank shares fall, as stock markets get their first chance to react to the trade deal. |
| Tesla: Soaring share price creates army of ‘Teslanaires’Many people have become millionaires from Tesla’s share price rocketing more than 700% this year. |
| China and EU ‘on verge’ of major investment dealBrussels wants to make it easier for European companies operating in a number of Chinese industries. |
| Promoters of Vedanta Ltd pledge and encumber 55.11% stake with OCM Verde InvestmentThe promoter entities here include Vedanta Mauritius Limited, Finsider International, Westglobe Limited, Welter Trading Limited and Twin Star Holdings Limited. |
| Vedanta Resources to issue $400 million notes to Oaktree CapitalThe notes will be partly secured by shares in Mumbai-listed unit Vedanta Ltd., according to separate exchange filings from Vedanta and the U.S. hedge fund. |
| The ABCD of trading in commodity derivativesIn late 2002-2003, national multicommodity exchanges came up after the government lifted a 40-year ban on forwards trading. Here are answers to some basic questions about trading in commodity derivates. |
| : How many people have to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity? ‘The faster we do it, the faster we get back to life’‘I think the real range is somewhere between 70 to 90%. But, I’m not going to say 90%,’ Anthony Fauci said. |
| What side effects, if any, can you expect from a COVID-19 vaccine shot?Doctors have advised the CDC to be transparent and forthcoming about any side effects. |
| The Moneyist: I earned $100,000 in 2019, but far less in 2020. Why did I not get a stimulus check? How is that fair?‘I also know people who made over $100,000 in 2019, but can’t get a stimulus because of their 2019 tax return’ |
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