What I Am Reading

December 30 (Thursday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Markets Cash Floods Municipal-Bond Market | W Global Economists warn of inflation inequality in 2022 | C Covid-19, Inflation Make a Mess Out of Predictions | W US The rich benefit as Democrats forgo tax on unrealized capital gains | C China China Evergrande shares fall after report of missed coupon payments | R Geopolitics & trade Biden, Putin Plan Call at What U.S. Says Is a ‘Moment of Crisis’ Over Ukraine | W Industries & companies Pharma: Who Invented Covid-19 Vaccines? Drugmakers Battle Over Patents | W Retail: Should Retailers Split E-Commerce From Stores? A High-Level Debate | W Corporate finance IPOs Had a Record 2021. Now They Are Selling Off Like Crazy. | W Virus I U.S. Hit With Record Number of New Covid-19 Cases | W U.S. Covid cases rise to pandemic high as delta and omicron circulate | C Analysis: Experts question new U.S. CDC policy on COVID isolation period | R Virus II Covid variant: Fauci says data suggest omicron less severe than delta | C Covid: WHO says omicron has not spread widely among vulnerable, severity unclear | C Omicron ‘not the same disease’ as earlier Covid strains: Oxford scientist | C Covid-19: U.S. Deaths Fall Even as Omicron Cases Jump | B Virus III Covid Treatments: What Are They and What Does Omicron Mean for Them? | B Covid-19: Infectious Omicron Drives More Americans to Up Mask Game to N95s | B How Delta Variant Spread in India: Deadly Errors, Inaction, Covid Crisis | B

December 29 (Wednesday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Markets S&P 500 ends lower after four-day rally to record high | R Stock Pickers Are Struggling to Beat the Market | W Central banks Biden Eyes Raskin as Top Fed Banking Regulator | W US U.S. home prices surge 18.4% in October | C Covid-induced poverty: Nearly 100 million people may stay poor this year from the pandemic | NN Global Why People Are Quitting Jobs and Protesting Work Life From the U.S. to China | B Geopolitics & trade Biden’s Worker-First Trade Policy Rankles Foreign Partners | W China’s new rare earth merger hands it ‘trump card’ in global fight for resources Industries & companies Cruise Lines: Is It Safe to Take a Cruise? 89 Cruise Ships Have Covid, CDC Investigating | B Shipping: Shippers Plan New Strategies, Stopgap Measures to Ease Freight Pain | W Corporate finance The Number of Zombie Companies Fall in U.S. Despite Inflation, Covid Woes | B Virus U.S. CDC estimates Omicron variant to be 58.6% of cases, revises projection | R Omicron Has Lower U.S. Hospitalization Rate Than Prior Covid Waves | B Covid: Omicron appears to protect against delta and could displace it, study says | C Omicron Reinfections Can Trigger Milder Symptoms, New CDC Research Shows | W Covid: Nebraska omicron cluster suggests faster symptom onset | C Exhaustion, fear, and resignation: Welcome to Covid-19, 2022 edition | Vox AMD Joins Companies Canceling In-Person CES Attendance as Omicron Spreads | B Technology SpaceX’s Future Depends on a Gigantic Rocket and 42,000 Internet Satellites | W

December 28 (Tuesday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Markets S&P 500 set to end at record high on retail sales cheer | R Tech Shares Finish Higher in Broad Stock Rally | W Water As an Asset Class Is Here by Willem H. Buiter | Project Syndicate Bubblicious used car prices rising faster than bitcoin, Jim Bianco warns | C Global Omicron Variant Is Expected to Dent Global Economy in Early 2022 | W US U.S. holiday retail sales rise 8.5% as online shopping booms -Mastercard | R These Food Items Are Getting More Costly in 2022 | W Another ‘Great Resignation’ wave is coming, Muse CEO says. How to prepare | C China China Evergrande Says Construction Has Resumed at Vast Majority of Its Projects | W Japan Japan’s Nov factory output soars on jump in car production | R Emerging These Numbers Show How India’s Economy Grew Steadily — Before Omicron Hit | B Why investors remain bullish on India’s start-up outlook for 2022 | C Geopolitics & trade Germany’s Vast Foreign Surpluses Are Finally Falling, Fulfilling an Old U.S. Demand | W Industries & companies Airlines: American Airlines, Saddled With Debt and Growing Pains, Turns to New CEO | W Retail: Walmart Sparks Public Outcry in China Over Products From Xinjiang | W Tech: Thanks to the Chip Shortage, Texas Instruments Is Worth $170 Billion | W Tech: Apple closes stores to customers in New York City due to Covid surge | C Corporate finance The $900 Billion Cash Pile Inflating Startup Valuations | W Virus CDC recommends shorter Covid isolation, quarantine for all | C Biden says Covid surge needs to be solved at state level, vows full federal support | C Biden Tells Hutchinson, Governors He’ll Support State Testing Plans Amid Omicron | B Omicron hits airline crews and sparks hundreds of holiday flight cancellations | C Fauci says U.S. should consider vaccine mandate for domestic air travel | C

December 27 (Monday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Markets Wall Street Bets S&P 500 Will Say Goodbye to Outsize Stock Gains in 2022 | W Omicron Isn’t Hurting Stocks. Why Investors Aren’t Worried. | BR Commodities Gains Were Across the Board in 2021—Except for Gold | BR Young people stand to make dismal returns on their investments | E Global Which economies have done best and worst during the pandemic? | E US U.S. holiday retail sales rise 8.5% as online shopping booms -Mastercard | R Omicron Will Hurt U.S. Economic Growth But the Pain Won’t Last. | BR   China Analysis: When China’s leading paper ignores Xi, all bets are off | Nikkei Asia China studied the collapse of the Soviet Union and learned three lessons to avoid a similar fate | ABC The Electric-Vehicle Push Empowers China | W Intel Apologizes After Asking Suppliers to Avoid China’s Xinjiang Region | W Industries & companies Energy: Battery Storage Soars on U.S. Electric Grid | W Hotels: Hyatt Hotels Executive Makes Big Purchase of Stock | BR Media: ‘West Side Story’ is officially a box office bomb | C Retail: Retailers Have Become More Agile in Navigating Volatility. The Outlook Is Positive. | BR Tech: Lawmakers Want Biden to Play Bigger Role Pushing Tech Legislation | W Tech: Thanks to the Chip Shortage, Texas Instruments Is Worth $170 Billion | W Virus Fauci says Covid cases will go much higher as omicron spread continues, warns against getting complacent | C As Omicron Spreads, What It Means to Be Fully Vaccinated Is Changing | W Omicron drives Christmas weekend flight cancellations above 1,500 | C Technology Robotic dogs taking on jobs in security, inspection and public safety | C

December 22 (Wednesday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. In praise of profits – Ed Yardeni’s stirring defense of capitalism   Markets U.S. Stocks Finish Sharply Higher, Ending Losing Streak | W Global Booming U.S. Economy Ripples World-Wide | W US I How the 2020s Economy Could Resemble the 1980s | N Surging Inflation Has Workers Demanding Bigger Raises. Could It Lead to a Wage-Price Spiral? | W Rising Prices Are a Consequence of Bad Politics | W Biden Still Hopes to Strike ‘Build Back Better’ Deal With Manchin | W Behind Manchin’s Opposition, a Long History of Fighting Climate Measures | N Republicans, ideology, and demise of the state and local tax deduction | TheHill US II Covid-19 Pandemic Drives U.S. Population Growth to Record Low | W American Workers Are Burned Out, and Bosses Are Struggling to Respond | W Architects Are the Latest White-Collar Workers Drawn to Unions | N Geopolitics & trade Putin says Russia has ‘nowhere to retreat’ over Ukraine | R Industries & companies Airlines: Why the mask mandate on planes is good for business | NN Airlines: Delta asks CDC to cut quarantine guidelines for breakthrough Covid, citing workforce impact | C Energy: Battery Storage Soars on U.S. Electric Grid | W Virus Biden calls on Americans to vaccinate to fight Omicron as Europe braces for ‘storm’ | R Covid: Biden says vaccinated can safely celebrate holidays as omicron spreads | C CDC Dir. Walensky: “being vaccinated with two doses may not be enough” | C Americans are tired of Covid, official response to omicron creates confusion | C Biden Administration to Combat Omicron By Distributing 500 Million At-Home Covid-19 Test Kits | W Omicron Is Turning Europe’s Busy Season Silent | N Biden Is Considering Lifting Travel Ban on Southern African Countries | W

December 21 (Tuesday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Markets Dow Falls 1.2% on New Covid-19 Curbs | W Stocks slide to start the week as omicron fears intensify, Dow falls 430 points | C U.S. Sets 55-Mile-a-Gallon Fuel-Efficiency Standard for 2026 Models | W   US With Biden spending plan blocked, economists lower 2022 growth forecasts | R Schumer Plans Build Back Better Vote Next Year | W Opinion | What Economists Think About Immigration Doesn’t Really Matter | N Industries & companies Autos: Electric vehicle stocks tumble after Manchin rejects Biden’s climate and social plan | C Media: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ had second-highest domestic box office opening | C Pharma: Biogen Cuts Price for Alzheimer’s Drug Aduhelm by Half | W Geopolitics & trade The U.S. Pursued Professors Working With China. Cases Are Faltering. | W China’s Growing Access to Global Shipping Data Worries U.S. | W Virus Omicron Variant Accounts for 73% of U.S. Covid-19 Cases, CDC Says | W Davos Economic Forum Is Postponed as Omicron Leads to Further Cancellations, Travel Bans | W Moderna Says Covid-19 Booster Dose Works Against Omicron Variant in Lab Tests | W Behind a New Pill to Treat Covid: A Husband-and-Wife Team and a Hunch | W Corporate finance Oracle’s Larry Ellison Targets the Health Cloud With $28.3 Billion Bid for Cerner | W Crypto The New Get-Rich-Faster Job in Silicon Valley: Crypto Start-Ups | N Beyond markets We’re Cursing More. Blame the #%$ Pandemic. | W

December 20 (Monday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Markets U.S. Stocks Close Lower Amid Interest-Rate Worries | W Sky-High Lumber Prices Are Back | W Global Supply-Chain Mess Threatens Holiday Sales, From Hot Sauce to Board Games | W Supply-Chain Crisis Isn’t Going Away | NR Central banks Central Banks Worry Omicron Could Sustain Inflation | W Fed policymakers make case for rate hikes after end of bond-buying taper | R China’s central bank cuts a benchmark rate for the first time since the pandemic | C US Vast Household Wealth Could Be a Factor Behind U.S. Labor Shortage | W The Path Ahead for Biden: Overcome Manchin’s Inflation Fears | N Sen. Joe Manchin says he won’t vote for Biden’s Build Back Better Act, potentially killing the social and climate bill | C Covid-19’s Omicron Variant Starts to Take Toll on Businesses | W China In China, Job Cuts Mount in Sectors Hit by Tighter Regulations | W Virus Biden to deliver Tuesday speech on omicron variant as Covid cases rise |C Omicron cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread, WHO says | C U.S. to push for vaccines and boosters to stem ‘raging’ omicron variant, Fauci says | C Omicron Prompts New Covid-19 Restrictions | W Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker test positive for Covid | C China’s Sinovac Vaccine Won’t Fully Protect Against Omicron | B

December 18 (Saturday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Markets Dow tumbles more than 500 points to end a volatile week, S&P 500 sheds 1% | C U.S. Stocks Close Lower Amid Interest-Rate Worries | W Emerging Markets Pose Long-Term Benefits Despite Short-Term Risk | N Central banks Central Banks Around the World Raise Rates as Fed Prepares Move | W Analysis: Fed’s hawkish pivot includes historically bullish view of U.S. job market | R Omicron Is an Economic Threat, but Inflation Is Worse, Central Bankers Say | N   US Inflation Is Near a 40-Year High. Here’s What It Looks Like. | W What Will ‘Build Back Better’ Buy? Inflation. Taking Joe Manchin Seriously | W China Special Report: Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm | R Geopolitics & trade Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine | R Virus New York state reports highest number of daily Covid cases of entire pandemic at more than 21,000 | C Doctors and Nurses Are ‘Living in a Constant Crisis’ as Covid Fills Hospitals | N Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024 | C Pfizer Delays Plans to Seek Authorization of Covid-19 Vaccine for Young Children | W Moderna Drops Pursuit of U.S. Patent for Key Component of Covid-19 Vaccine | W Climate & energy Nord Stream 2 won’t go live in first half of 2022, German regulator warns | R Alibaba Unveils Climate Goals, Seeks to Reassure Investors | W Global Coal Power Expected to Hit Record Despite Climate Fight | W U.S. to face increasing power reliability issues over next 10 years – NERC | R

December 17 (Friday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 13. Markets Stocks fall, Nasdaq drops nearly 2.5% as tech sector stumbles | C Stocks, Led by Tech Shares, Fall Amid Decisions From Central Banks | W Central banks Europe’s Top Central Banks Take Divergent Tracks as They Confront Inflation | W BOJ may scale back emergency funding as pandemic strains ease | Reuters Dashing Fed’s Hopes, Low Unemployment Becomes an Inflation Threat | W The Federal Reserve still has a lot of questions to answer about its long-term strategy | C Jerome Powell, Fiscal Lobbyist | W Global Covid-19 Surge Slows U.S., European Recovery, but Supply Problems Ease | W US Build Back Better Senate vote likely delayed due to Joe Manchin’s opposition | Vox Taking Joe Manchin Seriously | W Top Biden Economist Cecilia Rouse: ‘I Really Do Believe’ Inflation Will Ease | B Biden’s EV charging network plan will be slow going | Vox White House Revs Up Trucker Recruitment Drive | W Kamala Harris Says She and Biden Haven’t Discussed Running for Re-Election in 2024 | W China Podcast: Great Resignation in China Doesn’t Amuse President Xi Jinping | B Industries & companies Financials: How Banks Win When Interest Rates Rise | W Financials: Climate Risks for Big Banks Could Hurt Financial System, OCC Says | W Media: Fox News loses bid to dismiss Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit on election coverage | C Tech: Apple Makes ‘Essentially Extortion’ Payment to China Corporate finance Oracle in Talks to Buy Cerner | W Virus I Covid surge is gripping New York City ahead of the holidays: ‘We’ve never seen this before’ | C CDC recommends Pfizer, Moderna vaccines over J&J due to rare blood clot cases | C MIT scientist tells British Parliament COVID likely began in lab Biden Says Unvaccinated Face Winter of Severe Illness, Death | B Virus II Apple delays return to corporate offices indefinitely | C ‘I Was Wrong’: Omicron Wrecks CEOs’ Plans for Office Return | B Here We Go Again: NYC Shows Canceled, Cases Rise, Offices Empty | B

December 16 (Thursday) YRI Daily Markets Overview See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing. Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 13. Markets Stocks Close Higher as Investors Welcome Fed Decision | W Dow jumps 380 points, Nasdaq surges 2% in relief rally after Fed gives rate hiking timeline | C Treasury Yields Rise After Fed Signals Turn to Tighter Monetary Policy | W Fed will aggressively dial back its bond buying, sees three rate hikes next year | C Central banks Powell Declares Inflation Big Threat as Fed Signals Rate Hikes | B Fed Officials Project Three Interest Rate Rises in 2022 and Accelerate Stimulus Wind-Down | W US I Democrats’ $2 Trillion Package Stalls as Manchin Talks Make Little Headway | W Build Back Better Act: Democrats unlikely to pass Biden social spending plan | C House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposes banning stock buys by Congress members | C US II U.S. Retail Sales Slow With Holiday Shoppers Facing Inflation, Shortages | W Campbell Soup CEO: Some inflation causes will be difficult to overcome | C How millions of jobless Americans can afford to ditch work | NN More People Quit to Take a New Job From an Old Boss | W China Xi Jinping’s Leadership Style: Micromanagement That Leaves Underlings Scrambling | W Japan Japan’s factory activity growth slows in December – flash PMI | R Geopolitics & trade U.S. Set to Ban American Investment in Some Chinese Companies Over Surveillance | W Cybersecurity Hackers Backed by China Seen Exploiting Security Flaw in Internet Software | W Virus Princeton, Cornell, Others Urge Students to Head Home Because of Covid-19 Outbreaks | W Covid: Delta drives surge of U.S. hospitalizations amid omicron fears | C Omicron: UK reports record daily Covid cases since pandemic began | C