27Dec2021 Market Close And Major Financial Headlines: Santa Claus Rally In Full Swing

The bulls seemingly annual Santa Claus rally pushed the markets with the S&P hitting new highs in early trading today. The markets seemingly are ignoring:

  • high inflation;
  • and the Omicron COVID variant’s record level new infections.

The good news about Omicron is that it is becoming more apparent that it is a milder form of COVID. However, hospitalizations continue to rise, and over 2,000 flights were cancelled globally due to Omicron hitting flight crews.

Trading volumes were light. The S&P closed up 1.4%, the DOW up 1.0 % and the NASDAQ up 1.4%. Bitcoin surged to almost $51,200. WTI Crude drifted down to $72.91.

As usual, we have included the headlines and news summaries moving the markets today.

The Market in Perspective

Here are the headlines moving the markets.

China Oil Demand Seen Peaking In 2030

Crude oil demand in China is set to peak in 2030, until then driven by robust petrochemicals demand, research from state oil giant CNPC has suggested. This is a revision on 2020 research from the same organization, CNPC Economics & Technology Research Institute, which at the time saw oil demand peaking at 730 million tons annually in 2025. Now, the institute expects demand to peak at 780 million tons, Reuters has reported. Fuel demand, however, will peak years before crude oil demand, ETRI also said. It now sees gasoline, diesel, and kerosene

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-Oil-Demand-Seen-Peaking-In-2030.html

Three Ways To Play The 2022 EV Boom

By their own standards, electric vehicle stocks have had a rather quiet year in 2021 after enjoying a bumper season in 2020. With just four trading sessions left in the year, the sectors favorite benchmark – Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF (DRIV) – has climbed 26.5%, just edging out the broad market benchmark S&P 500s 25.8% gain. Despite the latest setback after West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin scuttled Bidens $1.75 trillion Build Back Better deal, electric vehicle stocks have been making another round

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Three-Ways-To-Play-The-2022-EV-Boom.html

Japan To Sell Crude Oil From State Reserves In February

Japan plans to auction in February 629,000 barrels of crude oil from its national reserves as part of a U.S.-led global effort by oil-consuming nations to lower prices. Japans government will sell the crude to the winning bidder on or after March 20, the industry ministry said on Monday in a statement cited by Reuters. This is the first round of the planned releases and we will conduct more auctions when we are ready and while we closely watch the international energy markets, an industry ministry official told Reuters.

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Japan-To-Sell-Crude-Oil-From-State-Reserves-In-February.html

Big Oil Is Leading The Charge In The Renewable Revolution

The energy revolution, accelerated by the pandemic, is changing the DNA of the oil and gas industry at its core. In a recent interview Glynn Williams, CEO of Silixa a company that provides fiber optic-powered data solutions for the oil and gas sector (as well as several others) reveals something of the emerging recognition that the oil and gas industry can make a strong contribution to the renewables sector: Many people and entire states depend on the prosperity and well-being of independent oil and gas companies (IOCs) and

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Big-Oil-Is-Leading-The-Charge-In-The-Renewable-Revolution.html

Iran Wants Sanctions Lifted on Oil Exports In Nuclear Talks

Iran will prioritize an agreement to be able to legitimately return to exporting its oil during the new round of nuclear talks that began in Vienna today. The most important issue for us is to reach a point where, firstly, Iranian oil can be sold easily and without hindrance, Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying by Iranian media today. The most important issue for Iran is to be able to sell its oil easily and receive the money at its banking accounts without any obstructions and the

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Iran-Wants-Sanctions-Lifted-on-Oil-Exports-In-Nuclear-Talks.html

Saudi Exports Surge On Higher Oil Prices

Saudi exports surged in October on the back of higher oil prices, which hit a 2021 peak during that month. Saudi Arabia exported goods and commodities worth a total $28 billion in October, according to the Kingdoms General Authority for Statistics, as cited by Bloomberg. Crude oil accounted for 77.6 percent of total exports in that month, up from 66.1 percent a year earlier. The value of total exports was almost double that for October 2020. The value of oil exports alone was 123 percent higher in October 2021 from a year ago, the statistics

Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Saudi-Exports-Surge-On-Higher-Oil-Prices.html

Fauci says U.S. should consider vaccine mandate for domestic air travel

The nation’s top infectious disease expert said in an interview on MSNBC that such a requirement should be “seriously” considered.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/fauci-says-us-should-consider-vaccine-mandate-for-domestic-air-travel.html

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: GoDaddy, Boeing, Moderna and more

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

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-midday-godaddy-boeing-moderna-and-more.html

Biden says Covid surge needs to be solved at state level, vows full federal support

Biden pledged to support governors struggling with Covid-19, but said the administration needs states to step up to solve the crisis.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/biden-says-covid-surge-needs-to-be-solved-at-state-level-vows-full-federal-support.html

Holiday sales jumped 8.5%, Mastercard says, as shoppers shrug off higher prices

The company, which tracks all forms of payment, said a surge of Covid-19 cases did not damp demand to spend and celebrate.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/holiday-sales-jumped-8point5percent-as-shoppers-shrugged-off-higher-prices.html

Holiday shopping fuels the return of credit card debt

After paying off a record $83 billion in credit card debt in 2020, Americans are on track to end this year back in the red.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/holiday-shopping-fuels-the-return-of-credit-card-debt.html

Disney’s Bob Iger on how to tell successful stories in the tech-dominated era

Bob Iger’s big deals at Disney included Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Fox, and they were as much about building scale as great storytelling.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/disneys-bob-iger-on-how-to-create-a-success-story-in-the-tech-era.html

What Disney’s Bob Iger thinks about the future of the movie theater experience

Bob Iger, outgoing Disney chairman and former CEO, isn’t giving up on movie theaters as an experience of the future.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/what-disneys-bob-iger-thinks-about-the-future-of-movie-theaters.html

The robot work force isn’t coming. It’s already here

Retailers and restaurants are looking to robots and other technology to keep up with demand amid a labor crunch and booming online sales.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/the-robot-work-force-isnt-coming-its-already-here-.html

UK PM Boris Johnson to assess latest omicron data before deciding on new Covid curbs

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already started new curbs to help stop the spread of the omicron variant.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/covid-uk-pm-boris-johnson-to-assess-latest-omicron-data.html

With just $36.6 million in ticket sales, ‘West Side Story’ is officially a box-office bomb

“West Side Story” is a box-office bomb, having only generated around $36 million in ticket sales on a $100 million production budget.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/26/west-side-story-is-officially-a-box-office-bomb.html

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ becomes first pandemic-era film to break $1 billion at global box office

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” reached $1.05 billion at the global box office over the Christmas weekend.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/26/spider-man-no-way-home-tops-1-billion-at-global-box-office.html

China to remove limits on foreign investment in passenger car manufacturing

Chinese authorities will allow full foreign ownership of passenger car manufacturing in the country beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/27/china-to-remove-foreign-investment-limit-passenger-car-manufacturing.html

‘Bubblicious’ used car prices are rising faster than bitcoin, market researcher Jim Bianco warns

Jim Bianco of Bianco Research finds used cars were a better investment than bitcoin in 2021’s second half.

Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/26/bubblicious-used-car-prices-rising-faster-than-bitcoin-jim-bianco-warns-.html

LNG Tankers Clog Up Atlantic Shipping Lanes To Resupply Fuel-Starved Europe

LNG Tankers Clog Up Atlantic Shipping Lanes To Resupply Fuel-Starved EuropeUpdate (1551ET): European natural gas futures plunged for the fourth consecutive session on expectations that a flotilla of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers from the US will resupply the fuel-starved continent.

Bloomberg data shows 20 tankers are headed to Europe, up from 15 on Saturday. Fourteen other tankers are headed towards Europe but have yet to commit and are waiting for final destination orders.

A map of the US-EU shipping lane shows a line of LNG tankers headed for Europe.

Benchmark Dutch front-month gas plunged as much as 19% to 90 euros per megawatt-hour but recovered some losses at the end of the day and closed around 98 euros.

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/european-gas-and-power-extend-slump-lng-flotilla-us-set-arrive

GOP Eyes Red Wave In 2022

GOP Eyes Red Wave In 2022Republicans are becoming increasingly optimistic over a so-called ‘red wave’ in 2022 that could flip both chambers of Congress.

The shift in sentiment comes as the Biden administration squarely owns soaring inflation that’s hammering the average American household, counterintuitive Covid-19 restrictions in the face of Omicron – a decidedly mild strain (after Biden vowed to ‘shut down’ Covid), a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan which included the murder of seven children in a US drone strike, and a crime wave that’s crept into the neighborhoods of middle-class suburban voters.

And the administration is transparently bluffing its way through the whole thing.

Former Continental CEO Slams Fauci For ‘Too Much Misinformation’ And ‘Chicken Little’ Response To Omicron

Former Continental CEO Slams Fauci For ‘Too Much Misinformation’ And ‘Chicken Little’ Response To OmicronFormer Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune says he’s stopped listening to the nation’s top Covid-19 czar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, because of “too much misinformation.”

“I want to be a good CNBC contributor, but I don’t listen to Dr. Fauci anymore. It’s just too much misinformation,” he told “Power Lunch.”

“If you flew the airplane how Dr. Anthony Fauci manages this crisis we’d all be dead,” he added, calling the government response to Omicron “chicken little.”

It started with “the sky is falling… we overreacted. I thought we were getting back to the centerline and getting normal, but a 10-day Covid quarantine really takes the reserve pilot out of the picture. He’s got it. He’s locked up. He can’t come in. The reserve pilot, and the reserve dispatcher, the reserve mechanics…” he added.

Watch:

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/former-continental-ceo-slams-fauci-too-much-misinformation-and-chicken-little-response

Amid Descent Into Irrelevancy, Kamala Harris Threatens Russia: “Sanctions Like You’ve Never Seen”

Amid Descent Into Irrelevancy, Kamala Harris Threatens Russia: “Sanctions Like You’ve Never Seen”Last month amid heightened fear of a “Russian invasion of Ukraine” – Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about the crisis by a journalist, and was subsequently widely mocked when she essentially ran away from the question. She couldn’t so much as offer an opinion or perspective as it was “classified” or something…

But in an interview that aired Sunday, perhaps fearful over her continued descent into irrelevancy on the national stage despite theoretically holding the second most powerful office in the land, Harris finally weighted in with her thoughts in detail on CBS’ “Face the Nation”.

This section of the interview began as one might expect of her flat, non-inspiring answers:

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mhmm. There are 100,000 Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS: Yep.

But then she s …

Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/amid-descent-irrelevancy-kamala-harris-threatens-russia-sanctions-youve-never-seen

Shoppers shun Christmas sales as footfall drops amid Covid fears

New data reveals a 32% decline in footfall compared with 2019, with central London badly affected.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59802144?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Energy prices: Government must show more urgency, says Ovo boss

Ovo predicts an “enormous crisis” in 2022 as the business secretary meets with the energy industry.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59797224?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Spider-Man: No Way Home becomes first pandemic-era film to top $1bn

It beat Chinese Korean War epic The Battle of Lake Changjin to be the highest grossing film of 2021.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59798609?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Nifty seen rising 22% in 2022; 5 stocks that could outperform

13 brokerage houses expect the Nifty50 to close 2022 at around 21,000, implying gains of around 23 per cent, according to a survey by ETMarkets.com.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/nifty-seen-rising-22-in-2022-5-stocks-that-could-outperform/articleshow/88521275.cms

Indians hungry for tech, Tesla and meme stocks in US

According to a survey we ran among Vested users, 35 per cent of Indians invest in the US markets to diversify geographically, 25 per cent are saving up for future events like education and travel and 45 per cent are looking to invest in specific US-listed companies.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/indians-hungry-for-tech-tesla-and-meme-stocks-in-us/articleshow/88528053.cms

Four domestic factors that may seal the fate of equity investors in 2022

The overall outlook for 2022 remains positive, albeit with relatively lower return expectations. The economy has started to expand, and corporate profitability is getting back on its feet. In addition, industries have almost reached their pre-Covid levels, and earnings are slowly catching up to the valuations.

Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/four-domestic-factors-that-may-seal-the-fate-of-equity-investors-in-2022/articleshow/88527992.cms

The Margin: How Van Gogh became one of the entertainment world’s biggest stars in 2021

Immersive shows bring the grand master’s paintings to life, with room for social distancing

Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-781D-C4095D0AEE28%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

Futures Movers: U.S. oil rebounds to end back above $75, after omicron sparked early Monday slump

Crude-oil futures reverse course to close sharply higher Monday, despite concerns about the spread of the omicron variant.

Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-781C-1DE018312F20%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

Market Snapshot: Dow up 250 points, S&P 500 aims for closing record as tech, energy drive stock market higher

U.S. stock benchmarks rise Monday afternoon, with the Dow topping 36,000 and technology and energy shares helping to establish an intraday record for the S&P 500.

Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C05575-04D4-B545-781B-D20CCB890790%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1

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