20Dec2021 Market Close: Stocks Sell-Off On Omicron Fears, Dow Slides 433 Points, Brent Oil Ends 3% Lower Amid Omicron-Inspired Restrictions

Whats In Store For The Mining Industry In 2022?

The pandemic certainly created a challenging environment for business in 2021. Lockdowns hampered operations. Metal scarcity and rising metal prices caused immense cost pressures, loss of profits and, in some cases, bankruptcies. One, although by no means the only issue, was disruption to global supply chains. Research into the causes and potential solutions will be the stuff of analysts and pundits for years to come. A thoughtful report by Citi Bank entitled GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS, The Complicated Road Back to Normal

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Metals/Commodities/Whats-In-Store-For-The-Mining-Industry-In-2022.html

Robots Are Taking Over Oil Rigs

After years in the making, a new fully automated drilling rig recently made its debut in Permian Basin. While this has long been a pipedream, restrictions faced by many oil and gas companies during the pandemic forced several to stop operations and call rig workers home. This spurred a plethora of tech companies to establish partnerships with oil giants to help automate systems and digitalize operations so that projects could run with or without human workers, through innovations like robot rigs. In October, Houston company Nabors Industries

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Robots-Are-Taking-Over-Oil-Rigs.html

Russia Reluctant To Boost Gas Flows As Cold Snap Hits Europe

Natural gas exports from Russia via the Yamal-Europe pipeline will remain limited at the start of this week as true winter begins and Russia keeps more gas for domestic consumption, with maximum temperatures in Moscow dipping below zero. Bloomberg reports that after booking limited transit space on the Yamal-Europe pipeline over the weekend, Russia has remained reluctant to boost volumes today, which will likely aggravate the already grave gas supply situation in Europe, which is also facing colder temperatures this week. According to data from

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Russia-Reluctant-To-Boost-Gas-Flows-As-Cold-Snap-Hits-Europe.html

Oil Prices Crash On Renewed Omicron Panic

Crude oil prices took a dive on Monday morning with WTI crashing 6% on the day as fresh Omicron fears spooked the market. At 11:32 a.m. EDT, WTI crude was trading at $66.44, down $4.42 (-6.24%) on the day, with Brent crude trading at $69.69, down $3.83 (5.21%) per barrel as traders fear the demand destruction that could result from fresh lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The United Kingdom said it would not rule out coronavirus restrictions before Christmas after the government

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Oil-Prices-Crash-On-Renewed-Omicron-Panic.html

U.S. Gasoline And Crude Oil Prices Slide Before The Holidays

U.S. gasoline prices have fallen for the sixth week in a row, falling 2.9 cents from a week ago, according to a Gas Buddy report published Monday. A gallon of gasoline fell to $3.30 per gallon on Monday, Gas Buddys survey of more than 11 million gas stations showed. Gasoline prices are still up 50% from a year ago, but are down 22 .1 cents per gallon from a month ago. For yet another week, average gasoline prices continue to fall as omicron cases surge, leading oil demand, and thus oil prices, to stall. The decline in gas prices will

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/US-Gasoline-And-Crude-Oil-Prices-Slide-Before-The-Holidays.html

India Launches Biggest Its Biggest Ever Oil Tender

India launched a tender for 75 oil and gas blocksthe biggest oil and gas tender in the history of its industry. The tender is for so-called discovered small fields, or DSFs, across 32 contract areas both onshore and offshore, the Indian Directorate General of Hydrocarbons said. Bids will begin being accepted on February 1 next year, Upstream reported. The terms of the tender include a single license for conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reserves, and attractive tax rules, as well as the absence of a signing bonus requirement. News

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/India-Launches-Biggest-Its-Biggest-Ever-Oil-Tender.html

Himalayan glaciers are melting at an extraordinary rate, research finds

Rapid ice melt from the Himalayan glaciers threatens agriculture and water supply for millions of people in South Asia.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/himalayan-glaciers-melting-at-extraordinary-rate-research-finds-.html

Shopping in stores on the final Saturday before Christmas down 26% from pre-pandemic levels

Traffic to retail stores fell 26.3% on Saturday compared with the Saturday before Christmas in 2019, according to preliminary data from Sensormatic Solutions.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/shopping-on-final-saturday-before-christmas-down-26percent-from-pre-covid.html

Cramer’s Investing Club: We’re starting a new trust position in a health stock

We believe a sum of the parts is greater than the whole analysis is a good case for buying shares of Bausch Health.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/cramers-investing-club-were-starting-a-new-trust-position-in-a-health-stock.html

New York City expects omicron infections to rapidly surge but peak in a matter of weeks, mayor says

“We’re going to see a really fast upsurge in cases, we’re going to see a lot of New Yorkers affected by omicron,” De Blasio said

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/covid-nyc-expects-omicron-to-rapidly-surge-but-peak-in-weeks-mayor-says.html

Backdoor Roth 401(k) and IRA rules for the wealthy survive — for now

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Sunday he won’t support the Build Back Better Act in its current form. That delays tax proposals slated to take effect in 2022.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/backdoor-roth-401k-and-ira-rules-for-the-wealthy-survive-for-now.html

Trump says he got Covid vaccine booster shot, tells fans not to boo him for it

A relatively large percentage of Trump’s fellow Republicans have refused to get even initial doses of the coronavirus vaccines.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/trump-says-he-got-covid-booster-shot-tells-fans-not-to-boo-him.html

What to do if you have tickets to a live event that’s canceled due to Covid-19

Your ticket to a canceled concert could be a 2021 souvenir — because getting your money back may not be so easy.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/covid-19-what-to-do-if-you-have-tickets-to-an-event-that-is-canceled.html

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Oracle, Carnival, Devon Energy and more

These are the stocks posting the largest moves in midday trading.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-oracle-carnival-devon-energy-more.html

Coal-fired power generation on track to hit all-time high this year, IEA says

Coal-fired power generation is due to hit an all-time high this year, according to a report from the International Energy Agency.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/coal-fired-power-generation-set-to-hit-all-time-high-in-2021-iea.html

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ had the second-highest opening weekend of all time, beating out ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” outpaced Sunday box office estimates to become the second-highest domestic opening of all time.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/spider-man-no-way-home-had-second-highest-domestic-box-office-open.html

Starbucks says it will negotiate with workers forming a union in Buffalo, New York

The push to unionize other Starbucks stores is spreading across the country. Baristas at two Boston cafes filed for union elections late last week.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/starbucks-says-it-will-negotiate-with-buffalo-new-york-workers-.html

‘I have Covid,’ Jim Cramer says. He says he’s been triple vaccinated and has a mild case

CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Monday he has tested positive for Covid, and he’s isolating at home.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/20/i-have-covid-jim-cramer-says-he-says-hes-been-triple-vaccinated-and-has-a-mild-case.html

USC Under Fire Over Student’s Anti-Zionist Threats On Social Media

USC Under Fire Over Student’s Anti-Zionist Threats On Social MediaAuthored by Jonathan Turley,

The University of Southern California is under fire this week after a student tweeted that she wants “to kill every motherf–king zionist” as well as other postings denounced as anti-Semitic. The student, Yasmeen Mashayekh, is listed as a diversity and inclusion (DEI) senator for the University of Southern California Viterbi Graduate Student Association.  The school has refused to take action against Mashayekh, but other students have objected that the school would not have been so circumspect if Mashayekh said that she wanted to kill others like BLM supporters.

Mashayekh also tweeted in June “Death to Israel and its b–ch …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/usc-under-fire-over-students-anti-zionist-threats-social-media

France’s First Lady Fights Back Against Rumors She Was Born A Male

France’s First Lady Fights Back Against Rumors She Was Born A MaleAs if French President Emmanuel Macron didn’t have enough on his plate, a rumor that was once dismissed as a conspiracy theory dreamed up by the far-right media is picking up new steam.

The rumor: that his wife, Brigitte Macron, is actually transgender, and was actually born as a male.

Speculation over the French First Lady’s birth gender has taken over the Francophone section of Twitter this week. The cacophony of criticism has gotten so loud that Mrs. Macron – who is perhaps best known to the non-French-speaking public for her quarter-century age gap with her husband (whom she once taught as a high-school English student) – is reportedly going to file a complaint,  according to several French media sources citing people from her inner circle.

According to the rumor, Mrs. Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux. This directly contradicts her official biography, which states she was given the name Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux and was born female.

As “proof” that Mrs. Macron was born a man, social media users cite the …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/frances-first-lady-fights-back-against-rumors-she-was-born-male

South African Officials Advise End To Contact-Tracing, Quarantining Because Most Don’t Experience Any Symptoms

South African Officials Advise End To Contact-Tracing, Quarantining Because Most Don’t Experience Any SymptomsAuthored by Steve Watson via Summit News,

In news that you will likely not see anywhere today, government advisors in South Africa have suggested stopping tracing and quarantining those who have come into contact with Omicron because it isn’t helping to stop the spread of the variant, which for the most part causes no symptoms in those who contract it.

News 24 reports that the Ministerial Advisory Committee wrote to Health Minister Joe Phaahla “recommending that the quarantining of contacts be stopped as it is no longer viable in the current social and economic climate.”

The report also no …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/south-african-officials-advise-end-contact-tracing-quarantining-because-most-dont

Peso Hits Record Lows As Leftist Boric Wins Chile Presidency In “Worst Scenario Markets Could Have Envisioned”

Peso Hits Record Lows As Leftist Boric Wins Chile Presidency In “Worst Scenario Markets Could Have Envisioned”Leftist Gabriel Boric, a former student protest leader, won the final round of Chile’s presidential election by a wide margin as the copper-rich Latin American country took a decisive shift to the left after several years of civil unrest. Boric secured 56% of the vote in Sunday’s runoff, well ahead of José Antonio Kast, his ultra-conservative rival, on 44%.  The victory, Bloomberg notes, is likely to spook markets that fear interventionist policies. Boric, 35, will take office in March as one of the youngest presidents in the world and with an ambitious agenda.

“I am going to be the president of all Chileans, whether you voted for me or not,” said Boric. The 35-year-old president-elect, who will take office on March 11, said he would strive for unity after a bitter contest between extremes of the political spectrum.

Gabriel Boric during an elec …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/leftist-boric-wins-chile-presidency-worst-scenario-markets-could-have-envisioned

Fake Covid passes advertised for sale online

The BBC has found Facebook posts claiming to sell Covid vaccine passes for people who haven’t been jabbed.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59725531?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Elon Musk says he’ll be paying $11bn in tax this year

The Tesla founder and world’s richest person has been involved in a public spat over his tax bill.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59732935?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Davos business leaders’ event postponed over Omicron

The World Economic Forum has been rescheduled for “early summer” due to the spread of Covid.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59725423?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Many high-flying Sensex stocks are under selling pressure. What to do?

Shares of Titan Company have fallen 18 per cent from the recent peak while Bajaj Finance is down 19 per cent. HCL Technologies, State Bank Of India (SBI) and Reliance Industries (RIL) have also fallen 18-19 per cent over their 52-week highs.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/many-high-flying-sensex-stocks-are-under-selling-pressure-what-to-do/articleshow/88389680.cms

Nifty now technically in corrective phase: Will this selloff intensify?

At a low of 55,840.14, the BSE Sensex was ruling 10.29 per cent lower than its record high of 62,245.43 hit on October 19. Nifty50 was 10.5 per cent off it’s all-time high of 16,635.90.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/nifty-now-technically-in-corrective-phase-will-this-selloff-intensify/articleshow/88384024.cms

Should you buy Shriram Properties after a flop debut?

The scrip was listed at Rs 90 on the National Stock Exchange, a discount of 24 per cent over its issue price of Rs 118.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/should-you-buy-shriram-properties-after-a-flop-debut/articleshow/88386222.cms

Futures Movers: Oil ends 3% lower amid omicron-inspired restrictions

Crude-oil prices fall sharply Monday, declining toward their lowest levels of the month as the spread of omicron hurt demand prospects.

Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-7805-2326C88E6830%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

Outside the Box: Should one millionaire senator really be able to send millions of children back into poverty?

There’s a real human cost to Manchin’s threat to kill the Build Back Better bill.

Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-7807-15818DA28607%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

: Oracle follows Microsoft into healthcare push with Cerner — is Salesforce next?

Oracle Corp. on Monday confirmed plans to acquire Cerner Corp. for nearly $30 billion, pushing into the healthcare space a few months after another software giant, Microsoft Corp., made a similar acquisition, leaving analysts to wonder what other software companies will look to buy their way into hospitals.

Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-7806-E0F8E283102E%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1