Dr. Ed's Blog

December 15 (Wednesday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 13.

Markets
U.S. Stocks Extend Monday’s Losses | W

Central banks
BOJ’s Kuroda says inflation may approach 2% target through ‘various channels’ | R
The Federal Reserve is expected to take a very big step toward its first rate hike | C
Investors Should Care About the Logic Behind the ‘Powell Pivot’ | W
Fed mistake is behind surging housing, auto prices, Peter Boockvar says | C

US
U.S. Senate approves boosting debt limit to $31.4 trillion, sends to House | R
U.S. Producer Prices Climbed Sharply in November | W
Millennials Are Supercharging the Housing Market | W

China
China retail sales grow by 3.9% in November, slower than expected | C
Xi Jinping says China must be ‘self-sufficient’ in energy, food and minerals amid global challenges | SCMP
China Fines Weibo for Spreading ‘Illegal Information’ | W

Japan
Japan admits overstating GDP component data for years | R

Geopolitics & trade
U.S. House passes measure clamping down on products from China’s Xinjiang | R

Corporate finance
Biden Administration Presses to Scrutinize Bank Mergers, Potentially Delaying Deals | W

Virus
Covid booster dose is crucial against omicron variant, here’s why | C
Omicron is spreading faster than any other Covid variant, WHO warns | C
Google employees to lose pay if don’t comply with vaccination policy | C
Kroger to End Some Covid-19 Benefits for Unvaccinated Workers | W
JPMorgan Tells Unvaccinated Workers To Stay Home | W

Technology
Heating Your Home Is Expensive and Carbon Heavy. Will Heat Pumps Help? | W

December 14 (Tuesday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 13.

Markets
S&P 500 retreats from record to start the week, Dow sheds 300 points | C
Lithium Prices Soar, Turbocharged By Electric-Vehicle Demand and Scant Supply | W
Meme stocks AMC, GameStop tumble to lowest levels in months as investors take off risk | C

Global
Omicron, Inflation, Evergrande: 10 Biggest Risks to the Global Economy in 2022 | B

Central banks
How long until Democrats throw Jerome Powell under the bus? | TheHill
Global Central Banks Diverge as Omicron Clouds Growth, Inflation Outlook | W

US I
Why U.S. Job Gains Are So Hard to Count During Covid-19 | W
Jobs have never been so secure. Bosses have stopped firing people | NN
Opinion | How the Great Resignation Could Help Workers | N

US II
Who’s to blame for inflation? It’s complicated | NN
How Do You Feel About Inflation? The Answer Will Help Determine Its Longevity | W
U.S. Home-Price Surge Looks Much Tamer in Government CPI Report | B
Rent is going up again. Here’s why. | C
Real estate investment trust are one option for inflation protection | C

US III
What’s still in Democrats’ Build Back Better Act? – Vox
The Real Cost of Biden’s Spending Plan | W
Republicans mustn’t enable Biden’s overspending by waiving PAYGO | Washington Examiner
Biden Seems Set on Making ‘Transitory’ Inflation Last | W
The Biden Stagflation Is Coming | W

China
China’s Quest for Space Power Starts With Moon Dust | W
Used Electric Car Sales Jump in China With Tesla, Xpeng, Li Auto, Nio Sought | B

Geopolitics & trade
Fear of Iran, Shrinking U.S. Role in Middle East Push Rivals Together | W
 
Industries & companies
Financials: UBS Penalties Slashed by Around $3 Billion in French Tax Case | W
Media: Vox Media, Group Nine Media in Advanced Talks to Merge | W
Tech: Apple nears $3 trillion market cap. Why it still has more room to run | C

Virus
Supreme Court rejects bid to block Covid vaccine mandate for NY health workers | C
Northeast States Deploy Soldiers and Home Tests in Covid Battle | B
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says at least one patient has died with omicron | C

Beyond markets
Elon Musk named Time’s 2021 ‘Person of the Year’ | R

December 13 (Monday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 6.

Markets
Why the Markets Shrugged Off the Latest Inflation Numbers | BR
ETF Inflows Top $1 Trillion for First Time | W
Iran Bases Next Year’s Budget on $60-a-Barrel Oil, Fars Says | B
Own everything but bubble assets tech, crypto: investor Rich Bernstein | C

Central banks
Inflation Surge Pushes U.S. Real Interest Rates Into More Deeply Negative Territory | W
The Fed Is the Main Inflation Culprit | W
America’s economy needs tighter monetary policy | E

US
Biden Aims to Win Pivotal Democrat’s Support for $2 Trillion Spending Plan | W
Janet Yellen Walks Political Tightrope to Deliver on Biden’s Climate Promises | W
How inflation is changing the 2022 annual work pay raise equation | C
How landlords thwart America’s attempts to house poor people | E
In Bid for Control of Elections, Trump Loyalists Face Few Obstacles | N

China
Another Problem for Chinese Stocks: Activists Press Big Investors on Human Rights | BR
Abandoned Projects Shatter Confidence in China’s Housing Market | B

Geopolitics & trade
G-7 warns Russia of ‘massive consequences’ if it attacks Ukraine | C
If the United States pulls back, the world will become more dangerous | E

Corporate finance
Buybacks Hit Record After Pulling Back in 2020 | W

Technology
AWS outage and HashiCorp IPO point to a multicloud future | C
Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Are Coming. Here’s How to Get Ready. | W

Virus
Israeli study finds Pfizer Covid booster protects against omicron variant | C
Covid booster is ‘optimal care,’ but fully vaccinated definition stays put, Fauci says | C
UK hikes its coronavirus threat level as omicron variant surges | C
Where Are Workers Going? Long Covid Prevents Millions From Returning to Work. | BR

Climate
Tornado Left Deadly Path of Destruction up to 250 Miles Long in Six States | W
Late snowfall in the American West is part of pattern | E

December 10 (Friday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 6.

Markets
Elon Musk, Other Leaders Sell Stock at Historic Levels as Market Soars, Tax Changes Loom | W
Analysis: Xi’s next term needs a new China portfolio, investors say | R
 
Global
IMF chief economist sees inflationary pressures, risks from Omicron | R
How Supply Chain Disruptions Are Affecting the Medical Device Industry | N

US
U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to Lowest Level in 52 Years | W
Investors brace for the highest inflation reading in nearly 40 years | C
U.S. household wealth increase in Q3 smallest of pandemic era, Fed says | R

US II
U.S. Senate passes, sends Biden bill paving way for debt limit hike | R
Dems’ $1.9T spending bill likely most expensive bill of past 50 years | P
Covid relief money: US has used most, but billions haven’t been spent | C

Europe
Uber Workers Would Be Classed as Employees Under EU Proposal | W

Japan
Japan’s wholesale inflation hits record high as price pressure broadens | R

China
China’s Latest Challenge Is Engineering a Soft Landing for a Sputtering Economy | W
China Evergrande Has Defaulted on Its Debt, Fitch Says | N

Geopolitics & trade
China’s Treatment of Uyghurs Amounts to Genocide, U.K.-Based Panel Finds | W
U.A.E. Shut Down China Facility Under U.S. Pressure, Emirates Says | W
 
Industries & companies
Financials: Bank stocks still have room to grow, portfolio manager says | C

Virus
Explainer: Omicron vs COVID-19 vaccines: What more do we need to know? | R
Bill Gates: How Covid pandemic ends and becomes endemic with omicron | C
FDA expands Pfizer Covid booster eligibility to 16- and 17-year-olds | C

Corporate finance
Amazon Fined $1.3 Billion in Italian Antitrust Case | W

December 09 (Thursday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 6.

Markets
U.S. Stocks Finish Higher, Led by Nasdaq | W
Stock Market’s Covid Pattern: Faster Recovery From Each Panic | N

Climate
Biden to order federal government to become carbon neutral by 2050 | C

Central banks
Powell’s fourth major shift raises questions about Fed’s policy cred | C
Federal Reserve’s Powell will do too little too late to save U.S. economy | WT
Beijing Reins In China’s Central Bank | W
 
US I
U.S. job openings jump to 11 million; fewer workers voluntarily quitting | R
Jobs Gap Has Grown to Two Unemployed Workers Per Three Openings Since Summer | W
Workers Are Poised to Take Greater Slice of the Pie | W
Pandemic-Era ‘Excess Savings’ Are Dwindling for Many | N
‘6% inflation is devastating’ to Americans, financial expert says | C
This Inflation Defies the Old Models | W

US II
Think You’ll be Safe from ‘Wealth Taxes’? Think Again | RealClearPolitics
Meet The Billionaires Donors Who Have Contributed To Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s Campaign | FO
Why Washington Won’t Fix Student Debt Plans That Overload Families | W

Europe
Italy, Recovering Under Draghi, Debates His Premiership | W

Industries & companies
Manufacturing: Lego to Build New Factory in Asia to Meet Rising Demand | W

Virus
Covid cases more than doubled in South Africa last week as omicron variant spreads, WHO says | C
Pfizer, BioNTech vaccine neutralises Omicron with three shots | R
Not Vaccinated? In Singapore, You’ll Pay for Your Own Covid-19 Treatment | W

December 08 (Wednesday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 6.

Markets
U.S. Stocks Close Higher, Oil Gains on Omicron Optimism | W
Junk-Bond Investors Fear Bumpy 2022 After November Slump | W

US I
To Fix the Problem of Bare Shelves, Fix American Ports | RCMs
Companies Plan Big Raises for Workers in 2022 | W
Amazon Emerges as the Wage-and-Benefits Setter for Low-Skilled Workers Across Industries | W
The Big Quit — and what Americans want from a job after COVID-19 | TheHill
Traffic in Cities Is Rising but Still Largely Below Pre-Pandemic Levels | W

US II
Biden bank regulator pick Saule Omarova withdraws after Senate fight over her background | C
Elon Musk speaks out against Biden social spending and climate bill | C

China
China Evergrande Heads Toward Default as It Misses Payment Deadline | W

Japan
Japan’s Q3 GDP revised down to 3.6% annualised contraction | R

Geopolitics & trade
Biden Warns Putin Invasion of Ukraine to Be Met With Economic Response and More | W
China Aims to ‘Revise the Global Rule Set,’ Top U.S. General Says | W

Industries & companies
Autos: Ford is doing ‘whatever it takes’ to double production capacity for electric F-150 pickup, says CEO | C
Communication Services: How TikTok Reads Your Mind | N
Tech: Amazon Web Services outage causes issues at Disney+, Netflix, Coinbase | C

Virus
Early Lab Test Shows Omicron Weakening Vaccine Effectiveness [But Helps Against Severe Disease] | W
Covid: Pfizer CEO says omicron appears milder but could lead to more mutations | C
The US needs a clear Covid-19 goal now more than ever | Vox
U.S. court temporarily halts Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors nationwide | C

December 07 (Tuesday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on December 6.

Markets
Boeing, travel stocks surge as investors shrug off omicron concerns | C

Global
The Supply Chain’s Inconvenient Truth – Michael Rentz | lawliberty.org
California ports delay imposing unprecedented fees on carriers | C

Central banks
High Inflation, Falling Unemployment Prompted Powell’s Fed Pivot | W
Opinion | Why the Fed Chair Won’t Call Inflation ‘Transitory’ Anymore | N
China to cut reserve requirement ratio for second time this year to boost economic growth amid strong headwinds | SCMP

US
David Perdue to Challenge Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in Republican Primary | W
High-Income Business Owners Escape $10,000 Tax Deduction Cap Using Path Built by States, Trump Administration | W

China
China Moves to Boost Slowing Economy | W
China Increasingly Obscures True State of Its Economy to Outsiders | W
China Evergrande’s Managed Restructuring Is Under Way; Stocks and Bonds Sink | W
U.S. officials to boycott Beijing Olympics over rights ‘atrocities’ | R
Hong Kong protests: Telegram group operator jailed for nearly 5 years over incitement offences tied to 2019 clashes | SCMP

Corporate finance
Toyota to build $1.29 billion EV battery plant in North Carolina | C
Chinese AI Leader SenseTime Launches Scaled-Back IPO Amid Tech-Stock Rout | W

Virus
Omicron travel: Here are the new rules to enter the U.S. from abroad | C
Omicron Covid variant’s risk profile starts to emerge with early data | C
Daily COVID deaths are just 0.00026 percent of the US population — it’s time to move on | P
New York City Sets Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate for Private-Sector Workers | W
Pfizer and Merck Covid-19 Pills Are Coming Soon in the U.S., but Other Countries Will Have to Wait | W
WHO strongly advises against convalescent plasma for treating Covid patients | C

December 06 (Monday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on November 29.

Markets
Small-Cap Stocks Hit Hard by Covid-19 Omicron Variant | W
The Mutual Fund That Ate Wall Street—Based on an Index Few People Know About | W

Central banks
The Case Against Green Central Banking by Willem H. Buiter | PS

Global
Retreat From Globalization Adds to Inflation Risks | W

US
Evidence for the “great resignation” is thin on the ground | E

Geopolitics & trade
Chinese Tariffs Fuel Boom in U.S. Trade With Tech Exporter Taiwan | W
China Seeks First Military Base on Africa’s Atlantic Coast, U.S. Intelligence Finds | W
BlackRock investments in China: Consumers’ Research warning consumers, governments | FO

Industries & companies
Autos: Elon Musk Needs China. China Needs Him. The Relationship Is Complicated. | W
Consumer Discretionary: How Amazon beats supply chain chaos with ships and long-haul planes | C
Cruise Lines: Norwegian Cruise ship with Covid-19 infections arrives in New Orleans | C
Tech: Nvidia’s Deal Setback Eased by Soaring Chip Demand | W

Crypto
Bitcoin’s weekend carnage sends jitters through the crypto markets | MSN
Hackers take $196 million from crypto exchange Bitmart, security firm says | C

Virus I
Biden and Local Officials Avoid Lockdowns, New Mask Mandates in Omicron Fight | W
CDC chief: Omicron Covid variant in 15 states and cases likely to rise | C
Clues to Omicron Variant’s U.S. Spread Include Test Samples, Sewage | W
WHO’s top scientist says Omicron could displace Delta | R
Omicron Mutation Speed Worries Scientist Who Discovered Variant | B

Virus II
S. African official says children sick with COVID-19 have mild infections | R
Omicron Covid variant may have picked up a piece of the common-cold virus | C
Is the best strategy against omicron to boost with the original vaccine? | C
U.S. Plans to Fast-Track Revamped Covid-19 Vaccines | W
U.S. Ready to Expedite Omicron-Specific Vaccine, If Needed | Barron’s | BR
Omicron Mutations Signal Vaccine Evasion, But Similar Symptoms | B
Germany plans to make vaccination compulsory for some jobs | R

December 04 (Saturday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on November 29.

Markets
Stocks, yields slide after U.S. jobs report as Omicron looms | R
Markets End Downbeat Week as Tech Stocks Fall, Omicron Weighs On Markets | W
Worst-performing tech stocks this week suggest U.S. over lockdowns | C
JPM’s Kolanovic Says Buy the Dip, Omicron May Be Less Deadly | B
Didi Hunts for Way to Delist in New York, Rocking Other Chinese ADRs | W

Central banks
November’s Jobs Message to the Federal Reserve | W
 
Global
Global tax deal leaves billion-dollar loopholes, Reuters analysis finds | R

US
America Is Running Out of New Ideas | The Atlantic
Gains in Workforce Point to Loosening of Labor Market | W
Supply Chain Snarls for Cars on Display at a Kansas Terminal | N

Europe
Europe Sees Boost in Uptake of Covid-19 Shots but Vaccine Mandates Are Still on the Table | W

Virus
U.S. Covid vaccinations spike as several states confirm omicron cases | C
South Africa’s New Covid Cases Almost Quadruple in Four Days | B
Omicron variant may have picked up a piece of common-cold virus | R
Omicron Cases at Norway Christmas Party Provide Clues on New Variant’s Spread | W
Lilly’s Covid-19 Antibody Treatment Authorized for Use in Children | W

Beyond markets
The Financialization of Everything | The Atlantic

December 03 (Friday)

YRI
Daily Markets Overview
See subscribers’ link below for today’s Morning Briefing.
Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on November 29.

Markets
Stocks Finish Higher After Omicron-Driven Selloff | W
Recurring revenue loans show how everything is a growth stock | B
The FAANG Market Is Fading | Morningstar
Didi Global Plans to Delist From New York Stock Exchange | W

Central banks
Fed’s Bostic Wants to Accelerate Pace of Bond Buying Taper | W

US
Covid-19 Made Americans Into Super Savers. Now They’re Hoarding Cash. | W

China
Kaisa Default Risks Rise After Swap Rejected: Evergrande Update | B

Geopolitics & trade
U.S. to Lead Global Effort to Curb Authoritarians’ Access to Surveillance Tools | W

Corporate finance
U.S. FTC sues to block Nvidia deal to buy Arm | R

Technology
U.S. to Lead Global Effort to Curb Authoritarians’ Access to Surveillance Tools | W

Virus
Covid news: Biden says no lockdowns, won’t expand vaccine mandates this winter | C
Biden to Toughen Testing for International Travelers to Slow Omicron | W
Scientists Studying Omicron in South Africa See Rise in Covid-19 Reinfections | W