Dr. Ed's Blog

Dec 02 (Wednesday)

YRI
Morning Briefing PDF
Daily Markets

Markets
Why the 2020s could favor market-timers over buy-and-hold U.S. stock investors | MW
Bets on More Fed Bond-Buying Help Contain Treasury Yields | W
Options Trading Is More Popular Than Ever Despite the Risks | W
China’s Covid-19 Comeback Lifts Iron Ore | W

China
China continuing to outpace the U.S. economy, CFO survey reveals | C

US politics
DOJ did not find fraud that would reverse Biden win over Trump, Barr says | C
Beware tax hikes under Biden, even if GOP holds the Senate | Washington Examiner
Pelosi, McConnell Fan Stimulus Hopes With 2020 Clock Running Out | B

Geopolitics & trade
Biden says will not kill Phase 1 trade deal with China immediately: NYT | R
Biden’s Economic Team Charts a New Course for Globalization, With Trumpian Undertones | W
Trump threatens to veto defense bill unless internet liability shield scrapped | C

Industries & companies
Retail: Tech Beats Toys for Holidays Despite Covid Screen Fatigue | W
Retail: Walmart+ members to get free online shipping without a minimum | C

Virus
Covid vaccine: CDC panel says health workers, nursing homes will get first doses | C
Opinion | The Line for a Coronavirus Vaccine Is Forming | N
UK approves Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, rollout next week | C
Roche’s coronavirus antibody test gets emergency use authorization from the U.S. | C

Corporate finance
Salesforce buys Slack for $27.7 billion in cloud company’s largest deal | C
JD Health Raises $3.5 Billion From Hong Kong’s Red-Hot Capital Markets | W
DoorDash Is Set to Deliver SoftBank a Big Hit | W

Dec 01 (Tuesday)

Markets
Dow futures rise more than 100 points after Wall Street wraps up historically strong month | C
Stock market today: Dow falls more than 200 points to end November, but still posts biggest monthly gain since 1987 | C
Dow Falls but Holds On for Best Month in Over Three Decades | W

Central banks
Powell stresses importance of lending programs, calls economic outlook ‘extraordinarily uncertain’ | C
Why Expiring Fed Programs Is No Emergency | MarketMinder | Fisher Investments

US
Labor Department Published Flawed Estimates of Weekly Jobless Claims, Watchdog Says | W

Europe
In Europe’s Nursing Homes, a Soaring Covid-19 Death Toll and the Pain of Isolation | W

US politics
Biden names top economic advisers as Arizona, Wisconsin certify vote results | R
Fact check: Biden outperformed Clinton in most major metro areas | USA
Will a Janet Yellen-run Treasury really help average Americans? | P

Geopolitics & trade
India Plots Smartphone Dominance Amid U.S.-China Trade War | W

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla’s stock will be added to the S&P 500 in a single step before the open on Dec. 21 | C
Autos: General Motors Will No Longer Take a Stake in Nikola | W
Airlines: Grounded Pilots Out of Practice Spark Airline Safety Fears | B
Energy: Exxon Slashes Spending, Writes Down Assets | W

Virus
Pence Says Covid Vaccine Distribution Could Begin Mid-December | B
Pfizer Covid vaccine update: First ‘mass air shipment’ arrives as airlines prepare for more | C
Moderna Asks Health Regulators to Authorize Its Covid-19 Vaccine | W
California at COVID-19 ‘tipping point’ as Trump administration hopes for vaccines by Christmas | R

Corporate finance
S&P Global leans in on recurring revenue in $44 billion IHS Markit deal | C
DoorDash Sets IPO Terms Pushing Valuation as High as $32 Billion | W
Facebook to Buy Kustomer, Startup Valued at $1 Billion | W

Technology
How autonomous robots by are changing construction | C

Offbeat
We Have Immune Systems, New York Times Reveals – AIER

Nov 30 (Monday)

Markets
Stocks Say Covid Recovery Is Nigh. Bonds Tell a Different Story. | W
A Giant Fund Sold Alibaba, Apple, and Intel Stock. Here’s What It Bought. | BR
OPEC+ alliance considers delay to its output hike | C

US
The Red-Hot Housing Market Could Get a Boost It Doesn’t Need | BR
Who Gains Most From Canceling Student Loans? | Yahoo Finance

China
China Is Ready to Restart Cruises, but Big Companies Are Left Out | W

US politics
Trump: Election challenges probably won’t make it to the Supreme Court | C
Biden Plans to Roll Back Trump-Era Education Policies | W
State, Local Governments Slashed Spending After Covid. Next Year Could Be Worse. | W

Geopolitics & trade
EU proposes new post-Trump alliance with U.S. in face of China threat: FT | R
Iran’s Mohsen Fakhrizadeh killed by 62-person hit squad, reports say | P

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla’s Delayed Semi Truck Tests Elon Musk’s Ability to Scale Up | W
Consumer discretionary: Amazon Promises $500 Million in Holiday Bonuses for Front-Line Staff | W
Home builders: 6 Home Builder Stocks Primed for Growth in 2021 | BR
REITs: REITs Have Been Hit Hard by Covid-19. Why the Impact Could Last for Years. | BR
Restaurants: Restaurant Holdouts Defy Covid-19 Shutdown Orders | W
Retail: Black Friday traffic in stores craters 52% during pandemic | C
Retail: The Luxury E-Commerce Wars Heat Up | N

Virus
Coronavirus: Fauci says Christmas and New Year’s restrictions will be necessary | C
The NFL’s Thanksgiving Weekend Has Become a Covid Crisis | W
NYC schools to start phased reopening in December, shifting away from blended learning | C
Pharmacies Add Freezers, Train Staff to Handle Covid-19 Vaccination Drive | W

Corporate finance
Tesla’s S&P 500 Debut Is Set to Put $100 Billion in Trades in Motion | W

Offbeat
As Winter Arrives, Heaters Become a Survival Tool for Businesses | N

Nov 28 (Saturday)

Markets
Stock market today: S&P 500 closes at another record Friday, gains 2% on week | C
The surprising lesson Black Friday and Cyber Monday can teach stock-market investors | MW
Move Over, Millennials! Boomer Power Fuels Stock Rally’s Latest Leg. | BR
Oil prices post weekly gain ahead of OPEC+ meeting | R

Central banks
Janet Yellen: Why Joe Biden’s Treasury Pick Is Right on the Money | BR
Mnuchin asks Republican senators to trust in future Treasury, Fed actions | R

US
Florida’s Approval of $15 Minimum Wage Sets Up Battle in Other States | W
Hawaii Wants to Lure Visitors—but Keep Out Covid-19—to Revive Its Economy | W

Emerging
‘Their Goal Is to Make You Feel Helpless’: In Xi’s China, Little Room for Dissent | W
Overdue action – Bad debts in China | Finance & economics | E
India’s GDP Shrinks as Covid-19 Keeps Stranglehold on Economy | W

Europe
Brexit Is Nipping at London’s Role as a Financial Powerhouse | N
Brexit goes down to the wire: EU and UK say big differences remain | R

US politics
Joe Biden Wants to Change Tax Policy. Here’s What He Might Accomplish. | BR
Factbox: The top contenders to run Biden’s financial agencies | R
Trump will campaign for Georgia Republican Senate candidates | C
Trump loses appeal of Pennsylvania election case | C

Industries & companies
Airlines: Pilot shortage prompts rare flight cancellations at Delta over Thanksgiving break | C
Autos: Ford Can Be Fixed. Why Its Stock Could Double. | BR
Autos: GM Plans to Seek Banking Charter to Grow Auto-Lending Business | W
Autos: U.S. agency opens probe into 115,000 Tesla vehicles over suspension issue | C
Consumer: Amazon Workers Are Striking on Black Friday. Will It Hit the Stock? | BR
Consumer: Amazon Black Friday: Hiring spree used to meet extreme demand | C
Consumer: Pushed by Pandemic, Amazon Goes on a Hiring Spree Without Equal | N
Retail: Bargain-Hunting Holiday Shoppers Didn’t Wait for Black Friday | BR
Retail: Black Friday in a Pandemic Means Fewer Shoppers, Fewer Deals | W
Retail: Black Friday may have seen ‘fundamental change’ due to Covid pandemic | C

Virus I
America will be the first country to roll out a covid-19 vaccine | United States | E
Vaccine Confidence and Hesitancy: A Q&A With Bruce Gellin | BR
AstraZeneca Faces Difficult Questions About Its Vaccine After Admitting Mistake | N
Oxford, WHO scientists: More data needed on AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine trials
U.K. Pushes For AstraZeneca Vaccine Approval Amid Questions Over Trial Data | BR
Covid-19 Vaccine Studies May Suffer as Volunteers Consider Dropping Out | W

Virus II
U.S. patients hospitalized with COVID-19 surpass 90,000 ahead of expected case surge | R
Evictions have led to hundreds of thousands of extra Covid cases | C

Nov 25 (Wednesday)

YRI Study. We have reprinted our study titled S&P 500, Earnings, Valuation, and the Pandemic as a paperback and eBook. Both are available at Amazon here. This study focuses on the S&P 500 stock price index, examining how it is determined by the earnings of the 500 companies that are included in the index and the valuation of those earnings by the stock market. You can find the other books in our “Predicting the Markets series” on my Amazon author’s page here.

Markets
Dow futures rise more than 100 points after record day on Wall Street | C
Dow surges more than 400 points, closes above 30K for the first time ever | C
Behind Dow 30000: A Self-Perpetuating Upward Spiral | W
Cramer on Dow milestone: Beating Covid-19 will be ‘like the end of Prohibition’ | C

US
Unemployment Scam Using Inmates’ Names Costs California Hundreds of Millions | N

China
China planning new policies to take on ageing population: state media | P

US politics I
Biden to begin receiving classified presidential daily briefings | C
How Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary Strengthens Biden’s Hand | W
Yellen Would Assume Vast Policy Portfolio as Treasury Secretary | N
Yellen Will Confront a Cooling Economic Recovery, Uncertain Stimulus Prospects | W
Mnuchin Plans to Put $455 Billion Beyond Yellen’s Easy Reach | B
Federal Reserve Can Restart Emergency Lending If Needed, New York Fed’s Williams Says | W
Yellen would need Congress to approve use of clawed-back Fed loan funds, Treasury says | R

US politics II
Why Stacey Abrams Is Confident Georgia Will Stay Blue | N
Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Takes Shape | W
Biden’s foreign policy team lays out a national security vision that differs sharply from Trump’s | C

Industries & companies
Energy: Europe’s Biggest Utility Company to Ramp Up Spending on Wind, Solar Power | W
Financials: Catch-all travel insurance booms as U.S. flyers take Thanksgiving risks | R
Pharma: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to criminal charges | R
Retail: Retailers already fear U.S. holiday ‘shipageddon’; now here come vaccines | R
Retail: Gap (GPS) Stock Falls on Sales Weakness at Banana Republic, Gap Brand | B

Virus
AstraZeneca Gears Up to Vaccinate the World Against Covid-19 | W
Texas hospitals prepare to administer Covid vaccine shots in less than three weeks | C
CDC Finalizing Recommendation to Shorten Covid-19 Quarantines | W
France’s Macron Charts Exit From Covid-19 Lockdown | W

Corporate finance
Nikola shares fall after CEO fails to reassure investors GM won’t pull out of $2 billion deal | C
Penguin Random House Parent Near Deal to Buy Simon & Schuster From ViacomCBS | W

Offbeat
Think Remote Learning Is Hard? Try Using a Phone in an Indian Village | W

Nov 24 (Tuesday)

YRI Study. We have reprinted our study titled S&P 500, Earnings, Valuation, and the Pandemic as a paperback and eBook. Both are available at Amazon here. This study focuses on the S&P 500 stock price index, examining how it is determined by the earnings of the 500 companies that are included in the index and the valuation of those earnings by the stock market. You can find the other books in our “Predicting the Markets series” on my Amazon author’s page here.

YRI
Morning Briefing PDF
Daily Markets

Markets
Markets cheer Yellen pick for Treasury, seeing her focus on fixing the economy and not politics | C
Dow futures rise 200 points as Trump administration begins transition process | C
Dow Rises on Covid-19 Vaccine Results | W
Bitcoin Trades Again Near Record, Driven by New Group of Buyers | W

Central banks
Fed’s Evans sees no rate hikes until late 2023, maybe 2024 | R

US politics
Trump administration officially begins transition to Biden after weeks of delay | C
Biden to choose ex-Fed chair Yellen as first woman Treasury secretary, allies say | R
‘She can start repairing the damage in economic diplomacy’ — analysts react to Yellen as Biden’s Treasury secretary | MW
Biden Picks John Kerry to Help Regain Global Leadership on Climate Change | W
Michigan certifies Biden win, rejecting Trump fraud claims | C
Trump campaign urges appeals court to block Biden from winning Pennsylvania | R
The case against indicting Trump | WP

China
China Says It Has Met Its Deadline of Eliminating Poverty | W

Geopolitics & trade
Befriended by Trump, Populists in Europe’s East Brace for Change | W

Industries & companies
Communications services: Google Plans Fiber-Optic Network to Connect Via Saudi Arabia and Israel for First Time | W
Energy: These solar panels don’t need the sun to produce energy | Fast Company
Retail: Holiday 2020: So long, doorbusters! Retailers roll out weeks of deals | C
Retail: Amid Coronavirus Surge, Holiday Shoppers Flock to Malls | W

Virus I
AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Up to 90% Effective in Late-Stage Trials | W
Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has some advantages over its peers | C
Covid vaccine: CDC should warn people the side effects from shots won’t be ‘walk in the park’ | C

Virus II
European Authorities Prepare to Ease Covid-19 Lockdowns for Christmas | W
More States Offer Covid-19 Contact-Tracing Apps, but Adoption Is Uneven | W
Damaged Sense of Smell in Covid Patients Holds Clues to How Recovery Might Work | W

Corporate finance
BlackRock to Buy Equity-Index Provider Aperio for $1 Billion | W
Merck to Buy OncoImmune Amid Race for Covid-19 Treatments | W

Nov 23 (Monday)

YRI Study. We have reprinted our study titled S&P 500, Earnings, Valuation, and the Pandemic as a paperback and eBook. Both are available at Amazon here. This study focuses on the S&P 500 stock price index, examining how it is determined by the earnings of the 500 companies that are included in the index and the valuation of those earnings by the stock market. You can find the other books in our “Predicting the Markets series” on my Amazon author’s page here.

YRI
Morning Briefing PDF
Daily Markets

Markets
What Stocks to Buy Right Now: 20 International Stocks, According to Barron’s International Investing Roundtable | BR
Emerging Market Value Stocks Are Worth a Look | BR
Why a rare Fed-Treasury rift isn’t causing markets to freak out—so far | MW
Oil Market Is Caught Between Covid Surges and Vaccine Hopes | BR

US
A Covid-19 Vaccine Could Unleash Pent-Up Demand, Bringing Along Inflation | W
Four Reasons the Stay-at-Home Economy Is Here to Stay | W

US politics
Trump Lawyer Sidney Powell Promises ‘Biblical’ Lawsuit in Coming Days | Epoch
Trump Continues to Challenge Election Results as Legal Options Dwindle | W
Trump Covid vaccine chief has had ‘no contact’ with Biden transition team | C
Biden to unveil first Cabinet picks on Tuesday, envisions scaled-down inauguration | R
Top Biden adviser seen as making tech regulation more likely | R

Geopolitics & trade
The China strategy America needs | E
Putin Says He Needs More Clarity on Winner of U.S. Presidential Vote | W
Trump Exits Open Skies Treaty, Moves to Discard Observation Planes | W

Industries & companies
Aerospace: Boeing 737 MAX jets undergo round-the-clock effort to clear inventory | R
Financials: Bank Stocks Already Had a Wild 2020. Then November Got Even Crazier. | W
Manufacturing: More People Are Driving. That Could Give Tire Maker Michelin’s Stock a Lift. | BR
Media: Hollywood’s ‘We’re Not in Kansas Anymore’ Moment | N
Retail: Retailers Cut Back on Choices; ‘We Don’t Need Three Types of Red’ | W
REITs: Buy Simon Property Stock Because the Shopping Mall Isn’t Dead | BR

Virus I
First Americans could get COVID-19 vaccine by mid-December, top health official says | R
Pfizer applies for emergency use of Covid-19 vaccine amid testing bottleneck | C
Regeneron: Covid treatment used by Trump authorized by FDA | C

Virus II
Daily COVID-19 deaths in U.S. hit highest level since May | MW
Covid Deaths in Europe Are Overwhelmingly Among Those Over 60 | W
Many College Students Head Home for Thanksgiving Lacking Covid-19 Tests | W

Technology
Kandi’s Tiny Electric Vehicle Faces Big Challenges in the U.S. | BR

Corporate finance
Coronavirus Spurred Companies to Hoard Cash. Now They Are Starting to Dole It Out. | W
Guitar Center Files for Bankruptcy | N

Offbeat
Coronavirus Pandemic Stands to Force Changes in U.S. Spy Services | W

Nov 21 (Saturday)

YRI
Morning Briefing PDF
Daily Markets

Markets
Dow closes more than 200 points lower to end down week amid concern over rising Covid cases | C
S&P 500 Suffers Weekly Loss as Stocks Slip | W
Stocks may continue to struggle Thanksgiving week amid Covid-19 outbreaks | C

Central banks
Fed’s George Says Pandemic Lessening Importance of Gasoline Prices | W

US
Lumber Prices Rise Again, Defying the Normal Seasonal Slowdown | W
Fannie, Freddie Overseer Looks to End Federal Control Before Trump Leaves | W

US politics
Biden Team Faults Mnuchin for Letting Fed Aid Programs Lapse | W
PPP Borrowers Are Asked to Justify Need for Loans Over $2 Million | W
Biden Team Lacks Full U.S. Cybersecurity Support in Transition Fracas | W

Geopolitics & trade
Biden Unlikely to Quickly Unwind China Tariffs, Democrat Says | B
Airbnb Executive Resigned Last Year Over Chinese Request for More Data Sharing | W
Biden to rejoin Paris Climate Accord. Here’s what happens next | C

Industries & companies
Autos: Tesla gets exemption from new California Covid-19 health orders | C
Retail: Home Depot and Lowe’s earnings boosted by pandemic-induced ‘nesting’ | C

Virus I
Pfizer applies for emergency use of Covid-19 vaccine amid testing bottleneck | C
Pfizer, BioNTech Ask FDA to Authorize Their Covid-19 Vaccine | W
Covid vaccine: 5 US agencies tell employees they can get shots in 8 weeks | C

Virus II
Covid-19 Testing Demand Surges Again, From Thanksgiving Travelers and Rising Infections | W
A $10 Covid-19 Test? Walmart Heirs Back Startup Developing At-Home Tests | W
Europe Hopes Mass Testing Could Ease Lockdowns Before Christmas | W
Donald Trump Jr. tests positive for Covid-19, but is asymptomatic | C

Corporate finance
Roblox Files IPO Amid Surge in Videogame Spending | W

Offbeat
Zillennials Are Going to Change Investing Forever, BofA Says | B

Nov 20 (Friday)

YRI
Morning Briefing PDF
Daily Markets

Markets
Dow futures fall 200 points as fresh virus restrictions raise concerns about recovery | C
Stocks wobble after Mnuchin pulls plug on U.S. stimulus | R
China Borrows at Negative Rates for the First Time | W

Central banks
Mnuchin pulls plug on some pandemic lending programs that Fed considers essential | R
Fed’s Bostic: would be prudent to keep U.S. emergency lending programs open | R

US
12 million Americans set to lose unemployment benefits by year’s end | C
U.S. Unemployment Claims Rise Amid Coronavirus Surge | W
U.S. Home Sales Rose to 14-Year High in October | W

US politics
Joe Biden made Treasury secretary pick; Yellen, Brainard are top contenders | C
Lawmakers Set to Give Infrastructure a Fresh Look in 2021 | W
Trump drops Michigan lawsuit challenging Biden win, Giuliani says | C
Georgia hand count of votes affirms Biden’s narrow victory over Trump | C

Industries & companies
Airlines: Airline bookings drop ahead of Thanksgiving as coronavirus infections spike | C
Autos: Consumer reports pans Tesla Models S and Y | C

Virus I
Hospitals Reduce Covid-19 Deaths, Lengths of Stay, Data Suggest | W
Coronavirus: WHO tells doctors don’t use Gilead’s remdesivir, splitting with FDA | C
HHS chief says Pfizer is expected to file FDA application for coronavirus vaccine Friday | C
Nearly 1 Million Chinese People Have Received Drug Maker’s Covid-19 Vaccines | W
Let’s appreciate how extraordinary the vaccines are

Virus II
California orders nightly COVID-19 curfew on gatherings, non-essential activities | R
‘Dial back’ or ’emergency brake?’ New lockdowns and the U.S. economy | R
White House says U.S. is prepared for surge as CDC warns of accelerating Covid deaths | C
Coronavirus: CDC urges Americans against traveling for Thanksgiving as outbreak worsens | C

Nov 19 (Thursday)

YRI
Morning Briefing PDF
Daily Markets

Market
Market’s Vaccine Euphoria Was Bad News for Momentum Funds | W
U.S. stock futures little changed after Wednesday’s sell-off | C

Central banks
Fed’s Williams Says Lack of Fiscal Aid Could Challenge Economy | W
NY Fed’s Williams says rapid increase in virus infections could hurt economy | R

US
U.S. housing starts blow past expectations; COVID-19 poses risk | R
Fannie, Freddie Should Hold $280 Billion in Capital, FHFA Says | W

US politics
Trump’s Gambit to Overturn States’ Election Results Is Running Out of Time | B
Georgia, Wisconsin recounts likely will not change Trump election defeat, officials say | R
Trump calls Georgia recount a ‘joke’ as certification date looms | MW
Nancy Pelosi Backed by House Democrats to Serve Fourth Term as Speaker | W

Geopolitics & trade
U.S. senators seek to stop Trump’s $23 billion in arms sales to UAE | R

Industries & companies
Airlines: More than 400 Southwest mechanics get furlough notices as talks falter | C
Autos: Why this Tesla partner is betting big on the European electric-vehicle market | MW
Restaurants: Starbucks raises barista wages as restaurants brace for minimum wage hike | C
Retail: Target Grabs Sales From Rivals Amid Pandemic | W
Tech: Nvidia (NVDA) earnings Q3 2021 | C

Virus
Coronavirus vaccine shots could go to U.S. health workers in about a month | C
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine deliveries could start ‘before Christmas’ | R
Pfizer Says Covid-19 Vaccine Is 95% Effective in Final Data, Will Seek Authorization | W
Chinese Covid Vaccine Gives Scientists Pause Over Antibody Levels in Early Trials | W
Covid NYC: Schools to close for in-person learning to curb outbreak, Mayor says | C

Technology
Elon Musk’s SpaceX sends astronauts to ISS, marking a new era for NASA | Vox

Corporate finance
Duolingo Valued at $2.4 Billion in Fundraising Round | W