What I Am Reading

Dec 29 (Tuesday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets U.S. stock futures rise slightly after Monday’s record-setting jump | C Stock market today: Dow jumps 200 points to record as traders cheer stimulus bill signing | C U.S. Stocks Finish at Records After Stimulus Bill Passage | W Central banks Fed’s Rate Promise Could Be Yield of Dreams | W US Nashville Bombing Exposes Weak Point for Business Communications | W Online shopping leads to strain at Port of Los Angeles | C US politics Trump Signs Covid-19 Aid Bill Averting Government Shutdown | W House Votes to Increase Stimulus Checks to $2,000, Override Trump Veto of Defense Bill | W Biden accuses Trump’s Pentagon and OMB of obstruction, demands cooperation | C China Pushback on Xi’s Vision for China Spreads Beyond U.S. | W China’s Empire of Concrete | W Geopolitics & trade Trump administration bolsters order barring U.S. investment in Chinese firms | C Industries & companies Media: Imax CEO expects ’embarrassment of riches’ from slate of 2021 movie releases | C Media: Wonder Woman 1984: Streaming vs theatrical release gets first big test | C Retail: Instacart Looked Like a Savior. Now Stores Aren’t So Sure. | W Virus Biden to invoke Defense Production Act to spur Covid vaccine production | C US Covid-19 Surge Sidelines Health Workers When They’re Needed Most | B Novavax Starts Late-Stage Trial of Covid-19 Vaccine in U.S., Mexico | W Cryptocurrency Bitcoin: Chart points to crypto ‘peaking out’ in early 2021 | C Corporate finance Qualtrics Files for U.S. IPO Two Years After Sale to SAP | B Qualtrics files S-1, aims for valuation of up to $14.4 billion in IPO | C

Dec 28 (Monday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Market Edges Toward Euphoria, Despite Pandemic’s Toll | N What Will 2021 Bring for Investors? Less Epidemiology, More Economics. | BR Do record-low interest rates justify the stock market’s overvaluation? Here’s the answer | MW Global One Vaccine Side Effect: Global Economic Inequality | N Monetary & fiscal policy Neel Kashkari on Interest Rates, Inequality, and Government Debt | BR The [MMT led] Boom of 2021 US politics Covid stimulus: Unemployment benefits run out as Trump refuses to sign | C Pelosi Sets Up Showdown on Trump’s $2,000 Checks After GOP Balks | B $300 unemployment benefits: Covid bill revives return to work argument | C Digital currency Digital Currencies and US Dollar Dominance | AIER China Envisions Its Digital-Currency Future, With Lotteries and a Year’s Worth of Laundry | W China China Tells Ant Group to Refocus on Its Payments Business | W Alibaba Shares Tumble on Regulatory Crackdown in China | BR Industries & companies Autos: Japan to Phase Out Gasoline-Powered Cars, Bucking Toyota Chief | W Consumer: Consumer Brands Bet Working From Home Is Here to Stay | W Energy: 2020 Was One of the Worst-Ever Years for Oil Write-Downs | W Media: Disney Looks Unstoppable. How to Play the Stock Before Earnings. | BR Media: Wonder Woman 1984 opening weekend leads to fast-tracked third film | C Travel: Try These 6 Travel and Leisure Stocks to Play a Vaccine-Driven Rebound in Demand | BR Virus I More Than 4.2 Million Shots Given: Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker | B Pfizer, BioNTech, Moderna Covid-19 vaccine: Will the U.S. trust it? | C EU kicks off Covid-19 vaccine campaign | C Covid vaccine: NY healthcare provider under investigation after obtaining doses | C Virus II Covid-19 in 2020 – The year when everything changed | E How the Covid-19 pandemic affected our privacy in 2020 | Vox U.S. to require people flying from the UK to test negative for Covid, CDC says | C Corporate finance DoorDash and Airbnb Were Hot in 2020. IPOs Will Remain Robust in 2021. | BR Offbeat Investigators Identify Person of Interest in Nashville Explosion | W

Dec 24 (Thursday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Stock futures slightly higher ahead of holiday-shortened session | C Stocks Close Higher as Data Point to Uneven Economic Rebound | W US U.S. core capital goods orders, shipments rise in November | R U.S. Household Spending Drops for First Time in Seven Months | W Economic Recovery: What Does a Baa-Shaped Recovery Look Like? | B Workers have new requirements for pandemic unemployment benefits in 2021 | C Restaurants Can Require Servers to Share Tips Under New U.S. Rule | W US politics I Trump vetoes $740 billion NDAA defense bill | C Covid stimulus update: Trump threat could force shutdown, unemployment lapse | C Trump demands bigger stimulus checks in Covid relief bill | C Stimulus checks: Biden to push for more payments in next Covid plan | C Dems use Trump push for $2,000 Covid checks to boost Georgia Senate race | C US politics II Dominion Voting warns Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani of litigation | C Martial law, conspiracy theories rattle White House as Trump seeks to undo Biden win | C Andrew Yang files paperwork to run for New York City mayor | C China WeChat Becomes a Powerful Surveillance Tool Everywhere in China | W Apple’s China App Store Sheds Videogames as Beijing Tightens Internet Control | W Geopolitics & trade How the U.S. Misread China’s Xi: Hoping for a Globalist, It Got an Autocrat | W Industries & companies Consumer discretionary: Amazon warehouse workers could vote to unionize next month | C Financials: Goldman Sachs is close to offering wealth management for the masses | C Pharma: Pfizer Nears Covid-19 Vaccine Deal With U.S. to Boost Supply | W Retail: Gift Cards Are the Go-To Holiday Gifts of 2020 | W Retail: U.S. Sues Walmart, Alleging Role in Fueling Opioid Crisis | W Telecom: 5G Auction Shatters Record as Bidding Tops $69 Billion | W Virus I Covid-19 Variant Could Make Herd Immunity More Difficult, Says BioNTech | W New Coronavirus Strain Splits Scientists, as U.K. and Others Act to Curb Spread | W CDC says new Covid strain in UK could already be circulating undetected in U.S. | C Tennessee emerges as new COVID-19 epicenter in U.S. as pandemic rages | R Virus II Millions of U.S. vaccine doses sit on ice, putting 2020 goal in doubt | R Covid vaccine distribution has been slower than U.S. officials thought it would be | C Why Covid vaccine is ‘more like a tetanus shot,’ says NIH Director | C Covid vaccine: Biden warns doses won’t stop deaths of ‘tens of thousands’ Americans | C Covid vaccine: Pfizer nears deal with U.S. government for more doses | C Cybersecurity Covid-19 Vaccines Are Coming—So Are Hackers | W Offbeat Cheating in Online School? Some Students and Parents Say It’s OK | W

Dec 22 (Tuesday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets S&P 500 closes lower in volatile session after new Covid strain causes U.K. to lock down | C Central banks Here’s how a dispute over the Fed’s emergency powers almost sank the stimulus package | MW US Rich Americans Who Fear Higher Taxes Hurry to Move Money Now | B US politics Congress Gets 5,593-Page Text of Relief Bill Hours Ahead of Vote | B Covid-19 Aid Package Set for Final Votes in House, Senate | W ‘Better than nothing’- the U.S. $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus helps but underwhelms | R Stimulus checks will arrive as soon as next week, Mnuchin says | C Rental assistance in new Covid relief plan is not enough, experts warn | C Stimulus deal leaves out key provision to help student loan borrowers | C Adult dependents are once again not eligible for second stimulus checks | C Europe Who Takes the Eurostar? Almost No One, as the Pandemic Fuels a Rail Crisis | N Virus Trump Covid vaccine czar says ‘extremely low’ chance Pfizer and Moderna shots won’t work against new strain | C WHO says new Covid strain in U.K. appears more contagious | C Britain faces isolation as world tightens borders to keep out new coronavirus strain | R Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Cleared for Use by EU Drug Agency | W U.S. States With Fastest Covid-19 Vaccine Progress: West Virginia, Dakotas Lead | B Joe Biden receives Covid vaccine, encourages public to get inoculated | C Industries & companies Autos: Tesla Stock Slides on First Day of Trading in S&P 500 | W Energy: Shell Signals Another Poor Quarter for Oil Majors | W Homebuilders: Housing stocks may be on brink of sell-off that creates opportunity: Analyst | C Media: Hollywood changed this year. Some things will never go back to the way they were | NN Retail: Holiday Shopping 2020: Americans head to malls as Christmas approaches | C Tech: Exclusive: Apple targets car production by 2024 and eyes ‘next level’ battery technology | R Cybersecurity SolarWinds Hack Victims: From Tech Companies to a Hospital and University | W AG William Barr says Russia behind SolarWinds hack, contradicts Trump | C Cybersecurity Stocks Extend Advance on Bets for Robust Demand | B Corporate finance IPO Euphoria Drives Record $435 Billion in U.S. Stock Sales | B Thoma Bravo Agrees to Buy RealPage for $9.6 Billion | W Offbeat ‘Profit’ Is Not A Four-Letter Word

Dec 21 (Monday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Will the Stock Market Continue to Recover in 2021? Expect Gains, Barron’s Experts Say. | BR What could rattle markets in 2021, even as vaccines are rolling out | MW The Pandemic Hammered Oil Prices. Vaccines Could Start to Boost Them Again. | BR Central banks Fed’s Daly Welcomes More Fiscal Aid as Stimulus Deal Nears | B US Worried About Inflation After Covid? Don’t Be | Yahoo How COVID-19 has reshaped the economy’s balance sheet | FO US politics Congress Strikes Long-Sought Stimulus Deal to Provide $900 Billion in Aid | N Amid Vaccine Rollout and Historic Hack, Trump Remains Focused on Reversing Election | W China How China Censored Covid-19 | N China could restrict bank tie-ups with fintech platforms, official suggests | R Europe Locked and loaded – The EU gives itself a weapon to battle against rule-of-law violations | E Britain, EU tell each other to give way in ‘difficult’ trade talks | R Geopolitics & trade U.S. lawmakers to back $1.9 billion to replace telecom equipment from China’s Huawei, ZTE – source | R Industries & companies Airlines: Airlines on track to get $15 billion in federal aid | C Tech: Taming big tech – America and Europe clamp down on big tech | E Tech: Chip Giants Intel and Nvidia Face New Threats From Amazon to Google to Apple | W Virus I Moderna starts shipping its COVID-19 vaccine in U.S. | MW Covid-19 vaccine shortfalls due to confusion over FDA requirements | C CDC panel says frontline essential workers, people 75 years and older should get Covid vaccine next | C Virus II Experts expect vaccines to protect against the UK’s fast-spreading Covid strain | C The U.K. has identified a new Covid-19 strain that spreads more quickly. Here’s what they know | C U.K. orders stricter Covid lockdown in London — ‘We cannot proceed with Christmas as planned’ | C Belgium, Austria, Italy, Netherlands halt UK flights over new coronavirus strain | C Hospitals Retreat From Early Covid Treatment and Return to Basics | W Technology How jetpacks, flying motorcycles could be next for human flight | C Cybersecurity Biden chief of staff says hack response will go beyond ‘just sanctions’ | R Massive cyber attack that hit government agencies and Microsoft, explained | C Corporate finance Wall Street Looks Ready to Service a Pent-Up Demand for Deal Making | BR Banks Have Begun to Merge. Next Year Could See Even More Deals. | BR Jack Ma Makes Ant Offer to Placate Chinese Regulators | W Offbeat Barry Ritholtz and Josh Brown Won’t Predict The Market, But They’ll Talk About Anything Else. | BR A Christmas Star? Jupiter and Saturn Alignment Sparks Comparisons | W

Dec 19 (Saturday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Dow falls more than 100 points as lawmakers struggle to seal last-minute stimulus deal | C Stocks End Day Lower as Stimulus Talks Continue | W Aluminum Prices Push Toward 2020 High on Sanction Worries, Demand | W Government Leaders Clash Over Next Step for Trump’s Ban on Chinese Stocks | W Central banks Fed to allow big banks to resume share buybacks, with limitations | C Fed sees ‘strong capital levels’ at banks after stress tests, greenlights share buybacks | R Fed’s Kaplan says will be time to pull back on bond buying when economic recovery is clear: WSJ | R Late-breaking dispute over Fed rules risks U.S. COVID-19 relief as deadline nears | R US Why Some States Are Seeing Higher Revenue Than Expected Amid Job Losses | N Average debt held by oldest households jumped 39% over last decade | C Millions to lose jobless benefits temporarily even with Covid deal | C US politics GOP senators fight over need for second $1,200 stimulus checks | C Government shutdown looms as Congress crafts coronavirus stimulus bill | C Infrastructure-Investment Binge Is Set to Continue—With or Without Washington | W Geopolitics & trade U.S. Blacklists China’s Top Chip Maker, Escalating Tech Fight | W Opinion | The W.T.O. Is Having a Midlife Crisis | N Industries & companies Autos: Buying Tesla stock? Here’s what one analyst says ahead of S&P 500 addition | MW Autos: General Motors, Ford won’t mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for employees | C Consumer discretionary: Amazon readies to face union vote at Alabama warehouse | C Logistics: FedEx Revenue Jumps on Holiday Surge | W Media: Roku Torments Entertainment Giants in Quest to Dominate Streaming | W Media: ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ reviews: What critics are saying | C Retail: Nike (NKE) reports Q2 fiscal 2021 earnings, sales beat | C Tech: Intel falls on report Microsoft will design own chips for PCs, servers | C Virus Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine Could Widen Immunization Effort | W Mike Pence Gets Covid-19 Vaccine Amid National Immunization Campaign | W China to Vaccinate 50 Million People With Its Covid-19 Shots | W Cybersecurity Suspected Russian hack on U.S. is much worse than first feared | C Hackers’ broad attack sets cyber experts worldwide scrambling to defend networks | R Cyber technology shares soar as security attacks pile up | R Corporate finance Chat Service Discord Doubles Valuation to $7 Billion | W

Dec 18 (Friday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Stock market today: Stocks close at record highs as traders bet that a fiscal stimulus deal is coming | C US politics Coronavirus stimulus update: Congress tries for Covid relief bill | C The Right Answer Is to Throw Money at the Problem | The Nation Biden Energy secretary pick Jennifer Granholm has past ties to utilities, chemical companies | C Geopolitics & trade China a No-Show at Joint Military Safety Meeting With U.S. | W Industries & companies Consumer: Coca-Cola to Cut 2,200 Jobs | W Logistics: FedEx (FDX) earnings Q2 2021 | C Retail: Home Depot to Pay $21 Million Penalty for Alleged Lead-Safety Violations | W Virus Moderna Covid vaccine: FDA panel recommends emergency approval | C Tracking Viral Misinformation: Latest Updates | N French President Macron Tests Positive for Covid-19 | W Cybersecurity Exclusive: Suspected Russian hacking spree reached into Microsoft – sources | R Department of Energy says it was hacked in suspected Russian campaign | C Biden hints at a tougher stance against state sponsors of cyberattacks | C Corporate finance Google Must Silo Fitbit Data, EU Says, Clearing $2.1 Billion Deal | W Poshmark releases S-1 for IPO and shows profits | C Offbeat 10 money moves to make before the year ends | MW

Dec 17 (Thursday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Stock market today: S&P 500 inches higher amid stimulus hopes, Fed commitment to keep supporting economy | C Central banks Fed raises its economic outlook slightly, sees 4.2% growth next year and 5% unemployment rate | C Fed decision December 2020: Buying bonds until economy hits full employment | C Fed vows to buy bonds until it sees ‘substantial progress’ in economic recovery | R Fed Joins Climate Network, to Applause From the Left | N US politics U.S. Congress could vote on $900 billion COVID-19 aid bill by Thursday | R Second Round of Stimulus Checks Discussed By Congressional Leaders  | W ‘We want them infected,’ Trump HHS appointee said in email pushing to expose infants, kids and teens to Covid | C White House National Security Adviser O’Brien Cuts Trip Short to Address SolarWinds Hack | W Geopolitics & trade Huawei Gets Conditional Green Light in Germany as Government Approves Security Bill | W Industries & companies Consumer discretionary: Amazon Has Stopped Guaranteeing Some Holiday Shipping Options | B Communication services: Texas antitrust lawsuit against Google alleges unlawful agreement with Facebook | C Communication services: Facebook Wades Into ‘Fortnite’ Maker’s Dispute With Apple | W Retail: Holiday shoppers pull back on impulse buys amid coronavirus pandemic | C Virus I New York Gov. Cuomo warns a January economic shutdown is possible as Covid cases soar to springtime records | C Covid vaccine: U.S. quarantines Pfizer shipments in California, Alabama after transit ‘anomaly’ | C Vaccination Campaign at Nursing Homes Faces Obstacles and Confusion | N Ellume’s at-home Covid test may be for sale at drugstores in February: CEO | C FDA authorizes Abbott’s rapid $25 Covid test for at-home use | C Virus II Covid-19 antibody drug used to treat President Trump isn’t getting to Americans | C Cold Storage, Key to Coronavirus Vaccine, Lures Investors | N Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Volunteers Note Occasional Harsh Side Effects | W Corporate finance StockX Snags $2.8 Billion Valuation in Latest Funding Round | W Technology Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite internet tests prototype antenna | C

Dec 16 (Wednesday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Stock market today: Dow jumps more than 300 points on renewed stimulus hope | C U.S. Stocks Rise as Investors Track Stimulus Talks | W Short-Term Oil-Demand Outlook in Rich Countries Is Bleak | W High-Frequency Traders Push Closer to Light Speed With Cutting-Edge Cables | W Central banks Fed joins global club of peers in climate change fight | R European Bank Dividend Ban Lifted, but Restrictions Remain | W US U.S. manufacturing production solid; imported inflation muted | R Unemployment benefits: How the Covid relief bill would help workers | C What Happens to the Unemployed When the Checks Run Out | N Majority of small U.S. businesses see worst coronavirus impact still ahead -poll | R Use It or Lose It: Tenant Aid Effort Nears a Federal Cutoff | N Digital Markets Act: EU’s new rules on Big Tech | C Fleeing New Yorkers resulted in an estimated $34 billion in lost income -study | R US politics Bipartisan coronavirus aid bill includes $300 a week for jobless and extensions on student loan, eviction help | MW Senate GOP leader McConnell congratulates Joe Biden following Electoral College vote | C Biden has call with McConnell after top Senate Republican acknowledges win | R Manufacturing, Mining Drive November Increase in Industrial Production | W Fannie, Freddie Privatization Decisions Likely to Be Left to Biden Administration | W Joe Biden selects Pete Buttigieg as Transportation secretary | C China China’s Economy Continues Broad Recovery Despite Covid-19 Surge Elsewhere | W Chinese Stimulus Won’t Do Heavy Lifting in 2021 | W Europe Brexit: Long Lines of Trucks at the U.K.-EU Border as Deadline Looms | W Technology Amazon-Owned Self-Driving Taxi Zoox Reveals Its Secret Vehicle | FO Virus I Moderna nears U.S. authorization for COVID-19 shot with FDA staff endorsement | R FDA staff recommends watching for Bell’s palsy in Moderna and Pfizer vaccine recipients | C More Americans now say they’ll get a COVID-19 vaccine once it’s available | MW Vaccines will boost confidence dramatically, lift yields: Wells Fargo | C What We Saw on Day 1 of the Vaccine Rollout | N Virus II New coronavirus strain spreading in UK has key mutations, scientists say | R Cold Storage, Key to Coronavirus Vaccine, Lures Investors | N Teacher Shortage Compounds Covid Crisis in Schools | W Industries & companies Airlines: United Airlines starts flying Pfizer vaccine on U.S. passenger flights | C Autos: Auto industry wants more government support for electric vehicles | C FAANGs: Facebook will lift temporary political ad ban in Georgia | C Technology: Apple’s seismic change to the mobile ad industry draws near | C Cybersecurity Suspected Russian Cyberattack Began With Ubiquitous Software Company | W Russian hacks weigh on private equity’s software investments | R Twitter Fined for Breaking EU Privacy Law in First for U.S. Tech Firm | W Offbeat Schools Work to Speed Up Internet in Rural Homes for Remote Learning | W

Dec 15 (Tuesday) YRI Morning Briefing PDF Daily Markets Markets Dow stages 325-point U-turn as COVID lockdowns seen intensifying amid U.S. vaccine rollout | MW Tech Stocks Extend Rally | W China Set to Plug Liquidity Gap as $92 Billion of Funds Mature | B Central banks ‘Dissonance’ confronts Fed, with vaccine weighed against joblessness | R Federal Reserve emergency-lending program deserved to die | P US U.S. consumers uncertain about labor market, finances -New York Fed survey | R US politics U.S. Congress in sprint to fund government, approve COVID-19 emergency aid | R Coronavirus stimulus updates: Bipartisan relief bill will be released | C Election results: Electoral College votes to cement Joe Biden’s victory over Trump | C Geopolitics & trade Trade With China Roars Back As Americans Are Stuck At Home | N US companies riddled with members of Chinese Communist Party | P Industries  & companies Airlines: Boeing Widens 787 Dreamliner Inspections After Finding More Assembly-Line Defects | W Communication services: Is Google Down? Gmail, YouTube Suffer Outages | W Energy: Exxon Promises to Cut Greenhouse-Gas Emissions, End Flaring by 2030 | W Financials: ‘The Best Year Ever’: 2020 Was Surprisingly Good to Small Banks | W Pharma: Where Do Covid-19 Vaccine Stocks Go From Here? | W Tech: Apple Fitness Plus review: A strong Peloton competitor for less money | C Tech: Semiconductor Analysts Bullish on 2021, But Valuation a Concern | B Virus U.S. administers first shots of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine, launching a historic rollout | C Covid vaccine: U.S. plans to ship 6 million Moderna doses once FDA gives OK | C Kentucky doesn’t need more lockdowns | WashingtonExaminer Gov. Cuomo destroys restaurants and jobs — for no reason | P Covid vaccine: Pfizer negotiating with U.S. to provide an additional 100 million doses, CEO says | C Corporate finance Blackstone Raises Wager on Life Sciences With $3.5 Billion Property Deal | W Adidas Explores Sale of Reebok | W Cybersecurity & data privacy U.S. Homeland Security, thousands of businesses scramble after suspected Russian hack | R Suspected Russian Hack Said to Have Gone Undetected for Months | W FTC orders Amazon, Facebook and others to explain how they use personal data | C Apple adds privacy labels in App Store listings | C Offbeat Google CEO email delays return to Sept 2021, no permanent remote work | C