U.S. futures rise as traders mull virus, China vow
U.S. equity futures rose Monday and the dollar was steady against major peers as traders weighed spiking coronavirus cases and a weekend pledge from China's central bank of greater economic support.
$S&P 500 Index(.SPX.US)$ and $NASDAQ 100 Index(.NDX.US)$ contracts gained, while those for Japan earlier pointed to a muted start. Crude oil and gold slipped. Bitcoin was trading at about $51,000 after a steady period over Christmas.
Meme madness, 68 new highs: superlatives abound in 26% S&P rally
Superlatives followed one after another in 2021's wild ride for U.S. stock investors. The most all-time highs in 26 years. Triple-digit rallies in some small caps thanks to retail-trader frenzies.
S&P 500's steady march higher has helped push it to a fresh record 68 times this year, the second-most ever, topped only by 1995. Put another way, the S&P managed a record close on nearly 30% of all trading days in 2021.
Holiday sales jump 8.5% as U.S. consumers return to retailers
U.S. holiday sales jumped 8.5% from last year, a report from $MasterCard(MA.US)$ SpendingPulse showed.
Sales surged 47% for apparel, 32% for jewelry and 16% for electronics compared with 2020, with all three categories up at least 20% from their pre-pandemic levels in 2019 as well. Department stores saw a 21% jump from last year and gained 11% from two years ago.
Online shopping surged 11%, according to the report, which tracks retail sales across all payment types. E-commerce now accounts for roughly 21% of all holiday sales.
Omicron drives Christmas weekend flight cancellations above 1,500
U.S. airlines have canceled hundreds of flights over the Christmas holiday weekend, citing an increase in Covid cases among crews. Airlines offered flight crews extra pay to pick up trips.
Carriers have asked the CDC to lower its recommended quarantine period for fully vaccinated staff.
'Bubblicious' used car prices are rising faster than bitcoin, market researcher Jim Bianco warns
Used auto prices are rising faster than bitcoin and other assets, according to market researcher Jim Bianco.
"In the last four months, they've gone up in price more than 20%. Not only is that more than the S&P, but over the last four months that's more than bitcoin itself," he said. "As of December 15, the latest set of data we've got, they're just accelerating higher and higher right now. There's no peak at least as of now."
In hot job market, salaries start to swell for white-collar workers
U.S. professionals toward the end of this year saw their compensation jump at the fastest rate in nearly 20 years, federal data show. Wages for all private-sector workers grew 4.6% year over year in the third quarter, according to federal data, with the biggest gains going to workers in service occupations and industries such as retail and hospitality.
For management, business and financial occupations, wages rose 3.9% in the quarter, slower than overall wage growth but still the fastest pace on record since 2003 for this bucket of workers.
Bill Gates: People's distrust of governments is the most worrying issue into 2022
In a 2019 poll of American adults, 75% of respondents said their fellow citizens' trust in the federal government was shrinking. And about four in ten respondents thought the mistrust made it harder to handle issues like health care, immigration and gun violence.
In Gates' blog post, he noted that 24-hour news cycles, politically incentivized headlines and social media have each played a role in the "growing divide" — and that governments may need regulate online platforms to effectively dispel misinformation.
Temasek-backed Vertex wins nod for SPAC listing in Singapore
Vertex has become the first blank-check company sponsor in Singapore to receive an eligibility-to-list letter from the local exchange.
Vertex Venture plans to invest S$30 million ($22 million) in the SPAC through the subscription of units and intends to contribute up to S$10 million of "at-risk" capital by purchasing warrants in a private placement, the statement said.
Source: Bloomberg, CNBC, WSJ

$Progenity(PROG.US)$  Xmas turkey

By Danilo
Hey, mooers! Here are things you need to know before the opening bell:
- U.S. stock futures were in negative territory early Friday morning as investors digested a trading day in which tech names struggled and dragged the rest of the market down with them.
- Oracle's deal could be worth around $30 billion and push the enterprise-software giant further into healthcare.
Market Snapshot
U.S. stock futures were in negative territory early Friday morning as investors digested a trading day in which tech names struggled and dragged the rest of the market down with them.
Futures on the $Dow Jones Industrial Average(.DJI.US)$ were down 23 points, $S&P 500 Index(.SPX.US)$ futures fell 0.28% and $NASDAQ 100 Index(.NDX.US)$ futures were down 0.77%.
Top News
Stock futures hover after central bank decisions
U.S. stock futures were little changed at the end of a week that saw major central banks chart divergent courses as they confront inflation.
Biden says $2 trillion bill needs more time
Lawmakers no longer expect to complete work on the Build Back Better education, healthcare and climate bill by year-end.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau probing 'buy now, pay later' companies, including Affirm, Klarna
Consumer bureau seeks information on $55 billion installment-plan sector popular with online merchants. $Affirm Holdings(AFRM.US)$
Global coal power expected to grow 9% in 2021, IEA says
Global coal-fired power generation is expected to hit a record by the end of 2021 as electricity demand from the economic recovery outstrips a shift to cleaner energy sources, the International Energy Agency said.
Oracle in talks to buy Cerner
A deal could be worth around $30 billion and push the enterprise-software giant further into healthcare. $Oracle(ORCL.US)$ $Cerner(CERN.US)$
FedEx revenue rises but labor shortages continue to dent business
Higher rates helped to blunt rising costs the company continues to face from a shortfall of workers in its operations. $FedEx(FDX.US)$
CEO of GM's autonomous-vehicle unit is leaving the company
The exit of Dan Ammann is a high-profile departure from GM Chief Executive Mary Barra's executive team. $General Motors(GM.US)$
Read More
Stocks skid on tech as policy tightening
Melania Trump is releasing an NFT that will cost 1 SOL each
Market mover? Musk's tweets and Tesla's share price
Reddit files for IPO, will it become the next meme stock?
4 top stock trades for Friday: AFRM, ADBE, QCOM, COST
Key Events This Week
Source: CNBC, Dow Jones Newswires, Bloomberg

$Futu Holdings Ltd(FUTU.US)$ Your awesomeness is finally over ten thousand!

#真不容易，望共享能共赢成大赢家 ~

Wednesday, December 15, 2021
By Danilo
$Oracle(ORCL.US)$ $Sysco Corp(SYY.US)$ $United Parcel Service(UPS.US)$ $Hologic(HOLX.US)$ $Grab Holdings(GRAB.US)$ $UWM Holdings(UWMC.US)$