Summary Of the Markets Today:
- The Dow closed down 46 points or 0.14%,
- Nasdaq closed up 0.07%,
- S&P 500 closed up 0.12%,
- Gold $1,985 up $20.20,
- WTI crude oil settled at $73 down $3.79,
- 10-year U.S. Treasury 4.449% down 0.088 points,
- USD Index $104.42 up $0.020,
- Bitcoin $36,903 down $1,660 ( 4.42% )
*Stock data, cryptocurrency, and commodity prices at the market closing.
Click here to read our Economic Forecast for November 2023
Today’s Economic Releases Compiled by Steven Hansen, Publisher:
Industrial production declined 0.7% year-over-year in October 2023 (blue line in the graph below). The manufacturing component fell 1.7% year-over-year (red line in the graph below), the utilities component was up 2.9% year-over-year (green line in the graph below), and the mining component was up 2.2% year-over-year (orange line in the graph below). Much of the decline this month in manufacturing was due to a 10 percent drop in the output of motor vehicles and parts that were affected by strikes at several major manufacturers of motor vehicles. Capacity utilization moved down 0.6 percentage points to 78.9 percent in October, a rate that is 0.8 percentage point below its long-run (1972–2022) average. Manufacturing remains in a recession.
The Philly Fed Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey shows manufacturing activity in the region continued to decline overall in November 2023. The survey’s indicator for general activity rose but remained negative. The indicator for shipments turned negative, while the indicator for new orders was positive but low. I will never be a fan of surveys, and this one directly contradicts the New York Fed’s Empire manufacturing survey released yesterday. I see very few signs of the manufacturing sector climbing out of its current recession.
U.S. import prices declined 2.0% year-over-year in October 2023 – down from -1.5% year-over-year the previous month. Export prices also declined -4.9% year-over-year – down from -4.3% year-over-year the previous month. Disinflation continues in export/import data – and is normally a signal of weak economies.
Boards are making leadership changes to better manage the issues of remote workers, to weather economic headwinds, and incorporate new technology. Meanwhile, CEOs who have taken on unprecedented challenges the last few years are taking the opportunity to leave.
Here is a summary of headlines we are reading today:
- EU Clamps Down on Companies Aiding Russian War Efforts
- Innovative Glass Coating Harnesses Cosmic Cold for Climate Control
- Thanksgiving Travel Surges To Pre-Covid Peaks, Marking A Return To Normalcy
- Oil Sheds Over 3% As Markets Remain Unconvinced On China
- America’s Best-Selling Sedan Will Be Hybrid-Only by 2025
- Deflation could be coming this holiday season, Walmart CEO says
- Judge lifts Trump gag order in $250 million New York business fraud case
- Boeing bonanza leaves rival Airbus in the dust at 2023 Dubai Air Show with three times more aircraft orders
- Over 100 Faculty Rip Harvard President’s Condemnation Of Slogan “From The River To The Sea”
- Elon Musk pours cold water on Starlink IPO in 2024
- Bond Report: 10-year Treasury yield sinks to 4.4% on softer economic data, Walmart CEO talks of ‘deflation’
Click on the “Read More” below to access these, other headlines, and the associated news summaries moving the markets today.
The Market in Perspective
Here are the headlines moving the markets. | |
France Aims High with Ambitious Low-Carbon Energy PlansFrance attracts the fourth-highest energy investments in Europe per year, after Germany, Norway, and the UK. Rystad Energy expects European capital investments in energy will total $173 billion this year, driven by solar photovoltaic (PV) (25%), onshore wind (23%) and upstream oil and gas (19%) spending. Investments will keep rising next year, by 13% to $196 billion, as activity accelerates in low-carbon industries such as wind, hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). This provides ample opportunities in France’s different energy… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/France-Aims-High-with-Ambitious-Low-Carbon-Energy-Plans.html |
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Gas Infrastructure Needs to be Ready for Clean HydrogenAs green hydrogen becomes an ever more important clean energy source, governments and energy companies must prepare for a steep incline in production in the coming years and ensure they have the correct infrastructure to transport it. Some regions of the world are already establishing major hydrogen corridors, such as the Spain – Netherlands link in Europe. Adapting new natural gas developments to be suitable for hydrogen transportation could save companies money and time in the long term, as well as support the transition away from fossil… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Gas-Infrastructure-Needs-to-be-Ready-for-Clean-Hydrogen.html |
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Nigeria Lays Corruption Case To Rest In Win For EniItalian energy giant Eni has won another victory in allegations of oilfield deal corruption in Nigeria, with the Nigerian Justice Ministry moving on Thursday to withdraw $1.1 billion in civil claims against the company, as reported by Bloomberg. A spokesperson for Eni later confirmed the official withdrawal of claims to Bloomberg. The claims were withdrawn “unconditionally” and will take effect immediately. Withdrawal of the claims follows a 2021 court ruling in Italy, which acquitted Eni of wrongdoing in relation… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Nigeria-Lays-Corruption-Case-To-Rest-In-Win-For-Eni.html |
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EU Clamps Down on Companies Aiding Russian War EffortsThe European Union is looking to sanction more Central Asian companies that it says are aiding Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, according to a document seen by RFE/RL. The draft for the EU’s 12th sanctions package looks to add 31 new entities to its ever-growing embargo list — including two from Kazakhstan and one from Uzbekistan — that it has been compiling since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The proposal also looks to issue a ban on Russian diamonds, which Brussels has not yet enacted but Washington already approved.… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/EU-Clamps-Down-on-Companies-Aiding-Russian-War-Efforts.html |
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UK Household Energy Bills Could Rise By 5% From JanuaryHouseholds in the UK could see their energy bills increase by 5% from January 2024 when the energy markets regulator Ofgem is expected to raise the so-called energy price cap, consultancy Cornwall Insight said in a forecast on Thursday. The UK has a so-called Energy Price Cap in place, which protects households from high bills by capping the price that providers can pass on to them. The cap was raised a few times last year after wholesale energy prices, especially the price of natural gas, surged in the spring and summer… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/UK-Household-Energy-Bills-Could-Rise-By-5-From-January.html |
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Innovative Glass Coating Harnesses Cosmic Cold for Climate ControlUniversity of Maryland researchers’ new technology is a microporous glass coating that can lower the temperature of the materials beneath it by 3.5 degrees Celsius at noon. The new glass is said to be a new ‘cooling glass’ that can turn down the heat indoors without electricity by drawing on the cold depths of space. The research team led by Distinguished University Professor Liangbing Hu in the University of Maryland’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering described the new technology in a paper published in the… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Innovative-Glass-Coating-Harnesses-Cosmic-Cold-for-Climate-Control.html |
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Sweden Eyes Nuclear Power Buildout For Low-Carbon Energy SecuritySweden will build two new nuclear reactors by 2035 in a hedge on low-carbon energy security, with 10 new reactors hoped for by 2045. On Thursday, the Swedish government took definitive sides in Europe’s polarized take on nuclear energy and its role in the clean energy transition, with energy security dealing the final blow to nuclear energy opponents. The country is expecting a surge in demand for power from its industrial and transport sectors, in the form of a double of demand by 2045, and Energy Minister Ebba Busch has called… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Sweden-Eyes-Nuclear-Power-Buildout-For-Low-Carbon-Energy-Security.html |
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Thanksgiving Travel Surges To Pre-Covid Peaks, Marking A Return To NormalcyThe American Automobile Association’s latest report forecasts that over 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home during the Thanksgiving holiday week, spanning five days from Nov. 22 to Nov. 26. This year’s forecast is a 2.3% increase over the same period last year and the third highest forecast since AAA started tracking holiday travel in 2000. The other two years were 2015 and 2019, respectively. Most Thanksgiving travelers will drive next week. As many as 49.1 million Americans are expected to hit the highways,… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Thanksgiving-Travel-Surges-To-Pre-Covid-Peaks-Marking-A-Return-To-Normalcy.html |
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France’s New ESG Rule Could Result in $7.6 Billion of Oil and Gas DivestmentsFrance’s new regulation, which will not allow funds invested in fossil fuel companies with new development plans to use a national ESG label, could result in forced divestments of $7.6 billion (7 billion euros) of oil and gas assets currently held by funds, according to a Morningstar Inc analysis carried by Bloomberg. Last week, France’s Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced new rules regarding the French ESG label for funds. Under those new regulations, fund managers will not be given the so-called Socially Responsible… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Frances-New-ESG-Rule-Could-Result-in-76-Billion-of-Oil-and-Gas-Divestments.html |
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Oil Sheds Over 3% As Markets Remain Unconvinced On ChinaA day after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its inventory report showing a 3.59-million-barrel jump in U.S. crude oil stockpiles, oil prices are trading down well over 3%. At 10:39 a.m. on Thursday, Brent crude was trading down 3.18% at $78.60, pulling further from the $80 threshold. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading down 3.43%, at $74.03, for a loss of $2.63 on the day. The EIA’s crude stockpile build was the highest since August. Data reports showing lower oil processing runs from Chinese… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Oil-Sheds-Over-3-As-Markets-Remain-Unconvinced-On-China.html |
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Saudi Arabia’s Oil Exports Rose From a 28-Month Low in SeptemberSaudi Arabia’s crude oil exports increased by 170,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 5.75 million bpd in September, data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) showed on Thursday. Exports from the world’s top crude oil exporter inched up from the 28-month low in August when the Kingdom shipped on average 5.58 million bpd as it continued to cut its production to “stabilize” the oil market. At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s direct crude oil burn fell by 120,000 bpd to 606,000 bpd in September, according… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Saudi-Arabias-Oil-Exports-Rose-From-a-28-Month-Low-in-September.html |
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America’s Best-Selling Sedan Will Be Hybrid-Only by 2025In a major milestone in the government-coerced push away from gas-powered vehicles, the best-selling sedan in America will only be available with gas-electric hybrid powertrains starting with the 2025 model year, Toyota revealed in Malibu on Tuesday night. The 2025 Toyota Camry will feature a 2.5-liter gas engine paired with an electric drive that will deliver more power than the 2024 hybrids. Toyota is already the leading seller of hybrid vehicles, which, depending on the driving scenario, use only electric power,… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Americas-Best-Selling-Sedan-Will-Be-Hybrid-Only-by-2025.html |
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Clean Energy Jobs Rise but Talent Shortage Is a Growing ConcernThe number of clean energy jobs has jumped globally in recent years, thanks to the booming renewables sector in China, but a looming shortage of skilled workforce could be a barrier to ramping up activity, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new report. The agency’s World Energy Employment report found that more people work in the energy sector today than in 2019, almost exclusively due to growth in clean energy. The number of workers in the clean energy industries surpassed the total workforce in fossil fuels in 2021 and has… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Clean-Energy-Jobs-Rise-but-Talent-Shortage-Is-a-Growing-Concern.html |
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Carbon Capture Doesn’t Mean Oil Firms Can Continue Business As UsualCarbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) could play a vital role in the decarbonization of some industries but carbon removals cannot be used by oil and gas firms while they continue to pump fossil fuels as usual, a new report by the Energy Transitions Commission showed on Thursday. “CCUS and removals are vital but do not mean business as usual,” said the commission which includes industry executives, bankers, and academics. The report “dispels the notion that CCUS and carbon removals justify business as usual for… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Carbon-Capture-Doesnt-Mean-Oil-Firms-Can-Continue-Business-As-Usual.html |
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U.S. Court Vacates Emissions Permit for Port Arthur LNG ProjectA U.S. court of appeals has vacated the emissions permit for Sempra’s Port Arthur LNG in Jefferson County, Texas, potentially delaying the timeline for one of America’s future LNG export plants. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that when granting the emissions limits permit to the project, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) did not apply the same emissions standards as in other similar projects such as the Rio Grande LNG project which NextDecade is constructing in Brownsville, Texas. “The… Read more at: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Court-Vacates-Emissions-Permit-for-Port-Arthur-LNG-Project.html |
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Deflation could be coming this holiday season, Walmart CEO saysPrices have fallen, especially on general merchandise and on some key grocery items, said Walmart chief Doug McMillon. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/deflation-holiday-walmart-ceo.html |
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Fed’s Mester wants ‘much more evidence’ that inflation has been defeatedThe Cleveland Fed president said she’s reserving judgment on where policymakers go from here. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/feds-mester-wants-much-more-evidence-that-inflation-has-been-defeated.html |
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Amazon will allow auto dealers to sell cars on its site, starting with HyundaiThe company has slowly entered the car-buying business over the years by launching a digital showroom for shoppers to research and compare vehicles. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/amazon-to-let-dealers-sell-cars-on-its-site-starting-with-hyundai.html |
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Judge lifts Trump gag order in $250 million New York business fraud caseA New York judge temporarily suspended a gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting on court staff in his $250 million civil business fraud trial. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/judge-lifts-trump-gag-order-in-250-million-new-york-business-fraud-case.html |
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Goldman thinks oil is headed higher again and recommends an options trade to profit from the reboundThe investment bank recommends buying a $71 United States Oil ETF call for April 2024 to take advantage of what it expects to be a jump in prices. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/goldman-thinks-oil-is-headed-higher-again-and-touts-an-options-trade.html |
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Jury convicts David DePape, attacker of Nancy Pelosi husbandDavid DePape faces a potential sentence of life in prison for the brutal hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/attacker-of-nancy-pelosi-husband-found-guilty.html |
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Elon Musk boosts antisemitic tweet, claims ADL and other groups push ‘anti-white’ messagingMusk agreed with a tweet that said Jewish people have been pushing “dialectical hatred” against whites, and later criticized the Anti-Defamation League. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/elon-musk-calls-antisemitic-tweet-the-actual-truth.html |
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Boeing bonanza leaves rival Airbus in the dust at 2023 Dubai Air Show with three times more aircraft ordersBoeing chalked up more than three times as many aircraft orders as its French rival Airbus by day four of the Middle East’s largest aviation show. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/dubai-airshow-2023-boeing-order-bonanza-leaves-airbus-in-the-dust.html |
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BlackRock files spot Ethereum ETF application with the SEC: CNBC Crypto WorldCNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and provides viewers with a look at what’s ahead with high-profile interviews, explainers, and unique stories from the ever-changing crypto industry. On today’s show, Jonathan Levin, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Chainalysis, discusses his testimony before the House Financial Services Committee on crypto’s role in illicit finance. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/11/16/blackrock-files-spot-ethereum-etf-application-with-sec-crypto-world.html |
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Israel-Hamas war live updates: Raid at al-Shifa hospital continues; Gaza communications out of service as fuel runs outIsrael Defense Forces confirmed Thursday that its military operations at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza are ongoing. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/israel-hamas-war-updates-news-on-gaza-conflict.html |
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100-year-old explains how he still has $1 million saved: ‘I always lived within my means. I’m not a gambler.’People age 100 and up are expected to grow eight-fold in number by 2050. Bill Stovall shows what it’s like to live that long without running out of savings. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/100-year-old-retiree-explains-how-he-still-has-1-million-saved.html |
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YouTube debuts AI tool that mimics vocals of artists like John Legend, Demi LovatoYouTube is further betting on AI with its experimental tool that will allow users to create AI-generated music using the voices of popular music artists. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/youtube-debuts-ai-tool-dream-track-that-mimics-vocals-of-artists.html |
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Investing in Space: Deutsche Bank draws investors, companies for NYC for summitYesterday Deutsche Bank held a Space Summit conference here in New York City. Read more at: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/16/investing-in-space-deutsche-summit-draws-investors-companies.html |
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Over 100 Faculty Rip Harvard President’s Condemnation Of Slogan “From The River To The Sea”Authored by Dave Huber via TheCollegeFix.com, On Monday, over 100 Harvard University faculty members signed on to a letter expressing their “profound dismay” over President Claudine Gay’s condemnation of the “pro-Palestine” slogan “from the river to the sea.” On November 9, Gay wrote in an email that the phrase “bear[s] specific historical meanings that to a great many people imply the eradication of Jews from Israel.” The Crimson reports the faculty letter says “from the river to the sea” has a “long and complicated history,” and that Gay’s singling out of one meaning is � … Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/over-100-faculty-rip-harvard-presidents-condemnation-slogan-river-sea |
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Does The President Really Know How He’s Polling?Authored by Philip Wegmann via RealClear Wire, Either President Biden does not know about the polls that show he is trailing Donald Trump in mock matchups in key battleground states, or he’s the relentless optimist who beat the odds to win the White House and has chosen not to believe most of them. Which is it is not immediately clear. Asked why he’s lagging behind the Republican frontrunner, Biden shot back last week that it was “because you don’t read the polls.” Maybe he meant election returns. Just two days earlier, Democrats had won off-year victories in states like Ohio and Kentucky, and Biden was bullish as he walked to Marine One. “Ten polls. Eight of them, I’m beating him in those places. Eight o … Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/does-president-really-know-how-hes-polling |
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Walmart And Costco Considering Ditching Self-Checkout Lines Amidst “Backlash”Companies like Walmart and Costco are finally starting to rethink the idea of self-checkout lines, as “backlash” against it has grown, according to a new Yahoo Finance report. British supermarket chain Booth’s is leading the way, removing them in all 28 of its stores. Managing director Nigel Murray said: “Our customers have told us this over time — that the self-scan machines that we’ve got in our stores … can be slow, they can be unreliable (and) they’re obviously impersonal.” “Some customers don’t know one different apple versus another, for example. There’s all sorts of fussing about with that and then the minute you put any alcohol in your basket somebody’s got to come and check that you’re of the right age,” he added. The report says that at Booths, customers often incorrectly identified the fruits and vegetables they were purchasing at self-checkout stations. Additionally, buying alcohol via self-checkout encountered difficulties as it required staff intervention for age verification. Initially introduced in the 1980s to reduce labor costs, self-service machines transferred the work from employees to customers. They gained popularity in supermarkets in the early 2000s, especially during the pandemic, as they allowed shoppers to avoid close contact with others, according to the Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/walmart-and-costco-considering-ditching-self-checkout-lines-amidst-backlash |
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Rickards: The “Trilemma” That Runs The WorldAuthored by James Rickards via DailyReckoning.com, Today we’re considering the real environment that determines economic conditions. It has nothing to do with short-term data, Fed policy, conventional economic models or other factors most economic commentary focuses on. Instead, it has to do with the “trilemma,” identified in the 1960s by economist Robert Mundell. Mundell identified three critical policy variables that nations face:
He said that nations could control any two of these variables, but not all three at once. If you want to control the policy rate and the exchange rate you can, but you have to close your capital account. Otherwise, if your policy rate is high and your capital account is open, capital will flow in and make your ex … Read more at: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/rickards-trilemma-runs-world |
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Benefit claimants not seeking work to face mandatory work placementsIt is part of a plan to get people back to work, with more investment in career support also promised. Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67439675?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA |
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Jeremy Hunt to pledge millions to woo electric car firmsThe chancellor is set to announce hundreds of millions more in subsidies and grants for battery makers. Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67443156?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA |
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Train drivers announce new strikes in DecemberAslef announces a “rolling programme” of walkouts which rail firms say are “wholly unnecessary”. Read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67436365?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA |
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Tech View: Nifty needs breakthrough above 19850. Here’s what traders should do on FridayPositive chart pattern like higher tops and bottoms is intact on the daily chart. Having reacted down from the key resistance on Thursday, there is a possibility of some more consolidation or minor weakness for the market in the coming sessions. Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/tech-view-nifty-needs-breakthrough-above-19850-heres-what-traders-should-do-on-friday/articleshow/105263063.cms |
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Rs 62,000-crore bet! D-Street’s retail bulls bet big bucks on these top 10 stocks in Q2In 10 stocks alone, retail investors bet more than Rs 62,100 crore in the quarter ended September, data shared by Prime Database showed. Retail investors invested nearly 75% of this money alone in HDFC Bank. Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/rs-62000-crore-bet-d-streets-retail-bulls-bet-big-bucks-on-these-top-10-stocks-in-q2/articleshow/105251908.cms |
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Elon Musk pours cold water on Starlink IPO in 2024Elon Musk has apparently nixed the possibility that SpaceX will spin off its Starlink satellite internet company next year. Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C06575-04D4-B545-729C-81C1038A2BF7%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1 |
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AT&T board member buys up almost $1 million in stockAn AT&T board member scooped up nearly $1 million in stock earlier this week in his first open-market purchase in over two years. Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C06575-04D4-B545-729C-0EAC0968108D%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1 |
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Bond Report: 10-year Treasury yield sinks to 4.4% on softer economic data, Walmart CEO talks of ‘deflation’Benchmark bond yields trade near two-month lows Read more at: http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B20C06575-04D4-B545-729B-8A0D78EE36E9%7D&siteid=rss&rss=1 |