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Sunday, January 24, 2021
Friday, January 22, 2021
Notes Today:
- Market Watch: China overtook the U.S. as the world’s top destination for new foreign direct investment last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic amplifies an eastward shift in the center of gravity of the global economy.
- New investments by overseas businesses into the U.S., which for decades held the No. 1 spot, fell 49% in 2020, according to U.N. figures released Sunday, as the country struggled to curb the spread of the new coronavirus and economic output slumped.
- China, long ranked No. 2, saw direct investments by foreign companies climb 4%, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said. Beijing used strict lockdowns to largely contain COVID-19 after the disease first emerged in a central Chinese city, and China’s gross domestic product grew even as most other major economies contracted last year.
- The notable drop-off in Chinese iron ore demand may be behind AUD’s recent bit of weakness.
The IHS Markit Manufacturing PMI for the US jumped to 59.1 in January of 2021 from 58.3 in December and well above market forecasts of 56.5.
Sales of previously owned houses in the US rose 0.7% MoM to 6.76 million units in December of 2020, beating market forecasts of 6.55 million. The median existing-home price was $309,800, up 12.9% YoY
- Bloomberg: “I have received calls from every building with Trump on it in the city trying to get it removed,” Bailey said. “Over time in New York, Donald Trump has not been very popular and New York is about money, so having Trump’s name on the building reduces its value.”
- Bloomberg: Trump’s campaign paid more than $2.7million over two years to individuals and firms that organized the Jan. 6 rally that led to rioters storming the U.S. Capitol, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
- AT&T gains on report of talks to sell
minority DirecTV stake to TPG. T is reporting Wednesday morning. (I enjoyed HBO Max the Flight Attendant)
- A hacker hacked sensitive information from
Intel’s website, prompting the company to report the numbers earlier than
planned. Hopefully Pat Gelsinger can get INTC’s act together – I’m
expecting the answer to be yes.
- MoM Retail sales in Australia fell 4.2%
- Japan Manufacturing PMI fell to 49.7 In December.
- New Zealand inflation running at 1.4% currently.
- (MW) Biden’s plan to make community college free and four-year public college tuition-free for students from households earning $125,000 or less would increase Americans’ disposable income by $61 billion, according to an analysis published this week by the Campaign for Free College Tuition and Rise, an advocacy organization focused on college affordability and other youth and student issues.
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Notes Today:
- You can observe a lot by just watching. Yogi Berra
- Or: Wildebeest investors and the dangers of the herd (FT)
- Looks like another $1400 may be coming to some 150 million Americans - encouraging additional speculation - for some.
- Misinformation dropped dramatically the week after Twitter banned Trump. Surprise ,surprise.
- Bloomberg: Norway expressed increasing concern about the safety of the Pfizer Inc. vaccine on elderly people with serious underlying health conditions after raising an estimate of the number who died after receiving inoculations to 29.
- Bloomberg: The Treasury market’s bears had better take notice: There’s a wall of global cash poised to swoop in and buy, likely limiting the upside in yields.
- A new ETF ARK Space Exploration ETF (ARXX) is getting ready to launch and creating buzz. ARK's will primarily track companies engaged in space exploration and innovation.
The Port of Long Beach reported its busiest year in 2020. IT moved a record 8.1 million TEUs in 2020 despite facing headwinds from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing trade war with China.
FT: The cost of shipping goods from China to Europe has more than tripled in the past eight weeks as a shortage of empty containers stemming from Covid-19 disrupts global trade
The China Containerized Freight Index continues higher
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Notes Today:
- Twitter has suspended 70,000+ accounts linked to QAnon.
- Google suspends Trump's YouTube account and disables comments.
- The U.S. trade deficit jumped to $68.1 billion in November, the highest monthly deficit in 14 years...
- Soybeans are above $14 per bushel for the first time since June 2014 on shrinking global supplies and strong demand. If Brazil and Argentine stay dry – there is no telling how high. (See below)
- McConnell, the Senate majority leader, has told associates that he believes President Trump committed impeachable offenses.
- SouthKorea Unemployment Rate at 4.6%, above expectations (3.9%).
Monday, January 11, 2021
Saturday, January 09, 2021
Friday, January 08, 2021
Wednesday, January 06, 2021
- Facebook declares DC situation an "emergency,"
MULLS stronger action. “The plague on humanity” is mulling.
- Twitter is locking trumps account for 12 hours. Wow, a
full 12 hours.
- Trumps senators are beginning to climb down. Soon it’ll
be trump who? No, that was premature, the BS continues.
- Congratulations to Senators Warnock &
Ossoff. Well done Georgia for showing the world the
civilized side of America.
Tuesday, January 05, 2021
Notes Today:
- The NYT has the probability of Warnock and Ossoff winning in Georgia at over 95%. 👍
- Fed's Evans says 3% inflation wouldn't be bad. Yes it would!
- China vowed to expand domestic crop production and strengthened its plan to ensuring grain and food security after imports surged to unprecedented levels.
- Eleon Musk reportedly says that “China is more responsible to its citizens" than the US.
Monday, January 04, 2021
Notes Today:
- US Construction spending rose 0.9% in November, reflecting a surge in demand from buyers taking advantage of ultra-low interest rates or leave cities for more space during a pandemic. Spending on new homes rose 16.2% YoY.
- The US cost of buying a home climbed to the highest level in six years.
- US Manufacturing PMI climbed to 57.1 in December from 56.7 in November.
- Expected higher inflation ahead along with sovereign/corporate debt that’s out of hand is helping precious metals.
- (Reuters) - Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans on Monday had a message for markets: vaccines may bring the coronavirus pandemic under control this year, but the U.S. central bank is nowhere close to ending its super-easy monetarypolicy.