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2022-01-14 19:25:44 UK economy finally bigger than before pandemic in November

Britain’s economy grew by a much stronger-than-expected 0.9% in November, finally taking it above its size just before the country went into its first COVID-19 lockdown, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday.

Britain’s economy grew strongly in November to finally surpass its size just before the country went into its first COVID-19 lockdown, official data showed on Friday.

The world’s fifth-biggest economy expanded by a much faster than expected 0.9% in November – before the latest wave of COVID-19 infections and restrictions for many firms – leaving it 0.7% bigger than it was in February 2020.

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2022-01-14 15:12:43 China’s trade surplus hit a record in 2021 as exports rose

China’s trade surplus hit a record high in 2021, boosted by strong exports that have topped market expectations since their pandemic recovery.

For the full year, China’s exports rose 29.9% to a new high of $3.36 trillion, beating 2020’s record of $2.6 trillion, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on Friday.

Imports increased 30.1% in 2021, buoyed in part by soaring commodity prices. That translated to an annual trade surplus of $676.43 billion, surpassing the previous high of $593.9 billion in 2015, according to data provider Wind.

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2022-01-14 15:09:43 Death, Taxes, and Time Decay

Few things are certain in life. But as the old saying goes, there is nothing quite so certain as “death and taxes”. As an Options Trader, we would enthusiastically add option time decay to that list.

Options offer traders and investors more leverage and risk mitigation than just purchasing shares outright. For example, if we were to purchase 100 shares of a stock at $100 per share, our total capital outlay would be $10,000. Options give us the right to buy or sell at a certain price for a pre-determined length of time.

There’s a well-known quote from Warren Buffett – “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” Buffett is also famous for being a seller — not a buyer — of option premium. Like Mr. Buffett, we too like to make money while we sleep.

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2022-01-14 15:01:55 Supreme Court stops Biden OSHA vaccine mandate for U.S. businesses

The Supreme Court has stopped the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job.

At the same time, the court is allowing the administration to proceed with a vaccine mandate for most health care workers in the U.S.

The court’s orders Thursday during a spike in coronavirus cases was a mixed bag for the administration’s efforts to boost the vaccination rate among Americans.

The court’s conservative majority concluded the administration overstepped its authority by seeking to impose the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s vaccine-or-test rule on U.S. businesses with at least 100 employees. More than 80 million people would have been affected.

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2022-01-13 21:54:42 US Inflation Rate Jumps Highest in 40 Years to 7%, Democrats Concerned Inflation Will Haunt the Party

One of the hottest topics in the United States in 2022 is the rising inflation, as the U.S. Labor Department’s data published on Wednesday indicated that the consumer price index (CPI) rose to 7% in December. This represents the largest annual jump since 1982. Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard is set to tell congressional leaders today that the central bank is focused on battling inflation. Moreover, members of the Democratic party are concerned that the rising inflation may cost the Biden administration politically.

Federal Reserve Governor to Address Inflation Concerns, State Governor like Ron DeSantis Takes Action:

"To help alleviate the burden of inflation on Florida families, I am proposing a $1 billion gas tax holiday to help reduce prices at the pump. If Washington, D.C., won’t change course, then we have a responsibility to step up on behalf of Floridians."

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2022-01-13 17:37:14 'Being a Currency and a Security Are Not Contradictory,' Crypto Can Be Both: Monetary Historian

Franklin Noll, a U.S.-based monetary historian, has asserted that the history of the U.S. dollar over the years shows that being a currency and a security is not contradictory and that crypto can be both.

The assertions by Noll, the president of Noll Historical Consulting, come as the debate over the status of cryptocurrencies continues to be a contentious and unresolved one. For instance, Bitcoin.com News recently reported on current U.S. SEC chair Gary Gensler’s comments on the subject.

Yet in a short piece published to his blog recently, Noll starts by using the example of the continental dollar coins to support his assertions. According to the historian, these now “infamous” coins were an attempt “to fund the American Revolutionary War by printing money” that ultimately failed.

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2022-01-12 18:51:19 Time to buy: Retail investors swoop in when stocks falter

U.S. retail investors have been dip-buyers so far in 2022, snapping up equities that funds have shed from their portfolios in light of a more hawkish Federal Reserve, but with a focus on quality stocks as opposed to speculative names.

U.S. retail investors have been dip-buyers so far in 2022, snapping up equities that funds have shed from their portfolios in light of a more hawkish Federal Reserve, but with a focus on quality stocks as opposed to speculative names.

Growth and technology stocks, which typically generate lower returns in higher-interest rate environments, have had a rocky start to the year as big investors respond to expectations the Fed will raise interest rates as many as four times in 2022, driving short-dated Treasury yields to nearly two-year highs.

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2022-01-12 18:45:30 Dollar off lows as U.S. inflation test looms

The dollar slid to its weakest since November against major peers on Wednesday, after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said it may take several months to make a decision on running down the central bank’s $9 trillion balance sheet.

The dollar steadied above almost two-month lows against its major peers on Wednesday, ahead of data expected to show a fresh surge in U.S inflation that could seal the case for an early rise in interest rates.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday gave no clear indication that the Fed was in a rush to speed up plans for tightening monetary policy, putting some downward pressure on the greenback which has benefited from U.S. rate-hike expectations in recent weeks.

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2022-01-10 19:42:56 Some Wall Street banks see four U.S. interest rate hikes this year

The U.S. Federal Reserve will hike interest rates four times this year and begin the runoff process for its balance sheet as soon as July, Goldman Sachs economists said.

Goldman Sachs expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates four times this year and begin the process of reducing its balance sheet size as soon as July, joining other big banks in forecasting an aggressive tightening of U.S. monetary policy.

The Wall Street bank earlier predicted the Fed would raise rates in March, June and September, but now expects another hike in December.

Goldman Sachs’ predicted rate is only modestly above market expectations for 2022, “but the gap grows significantly in subsequent years,” chief economist published on Sunday.

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2022-01-10 19:00:03 Here’s the market move - Cathie Wood says is ‘ridiculous’ as her flagship fund sputters

Cathie Wood, the star fund manager and chief executive of ARK Invest, in a new video told investors she is sharing their pain, as the flagship ARK Innovation Fund ARKK, -1.36% has slumped 45% since February. She said ARK funds make up more than half of her individual retirement account, and a “significant” part of her net worth. “I do want you to know that, of course, we’ve been through a very difficult time since the significant rotation from growth into value started nearly a year ago in mid-February, and I want you to know that we’re in there with you,” she said.

It should be said, executives at the companies she has invested in don’t necessarily feel the same. Company insiders at the innovation fund’s holdings sold $13.5 billion worth of stock in the six months to December while buying just $11 million, the Financial Times reported, citing data from brokerage StoneX.

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