Dear mooers,
We are coming to the end of a very unusual year full of uncertainty. Whether good or bad, we all witnessed the history.
Before you want to see what you can expect in 2022, let's have a little break and take a guess of the closing price of the S&P 500.
A happy ending or a tragedy? Go big or go home? Place your bet NOW!
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Place your bet on the closing price of the $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$ (i.e.4800.11) on Friday...

$Microsoft (MSFT.US)$ Morgan Stanley issued a research report that it gave Microsoft (MSFT.US) a "outperform" rating with a target price of $364. And listed Microsoft as the first choice of the software industry in 2022.
Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss said that Microsoft CEO Nadella’s remarks on the earnings call “are very consistent with the key priorities that Microsoft is investing heavily.” Considering the growth of platforms such as Azure and data services such as databases in Microsoft It’s no surprise that Nadella has made these areas the company’s overall strategic focus for the foreseeable future.
Article excerpted from the US Stock Research Agency

The hottest investment theme today is not cryptocurrency trading, but the "Metaverse".
I am not a big fan of buying crypto as an investment but I said the investment opportunities will emerge from the ecosystem surrounding cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. And I believe Metaverse is one of them.
I think Metaverse is moving our digital life to a new level by integrating many latest technologies. The metaverse will be right at the new frontier of human digital evolution, because it puts together all the latest innovations such as blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), etc.
What is the Metaverse?
The metaverse is a combination of two words: “meta” and “verse”. Meta means “beyond”, Verse means universe.
The word “Metaverse” was first coined by author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 science fiction novel "Snow Crash". In the book, the Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space.
If it is hard to imagine, take a look at the trailer of the 2018 movie“Ready Player One”, then you will have some ideas.
In today's context, the Metaverse is a digital reality that combines aspects of social media, online gaming, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cryptocurrencies to allow users to interact virtually. It is a “universe” where people interact with each other not in real person, but virtually.
Today, I think to many people, the metaverse may still sound like science fiction, but human advancement always starts with dreams. The 1980s “Back to the Future" series was one of my favourite movies, and most of the things that appeared in the movie have become reality today.
Why the Metaverse will be a secular trend
Recently, I published this article to discuss this topic:
* What is the metaverse?
* Why the Metaverse will be a secular trend
* Why you don't want to miss it?
* What are the investment opportunities surrounding this theme?
Click this link to read the entire article.
The stocks below are mentioned in the article.
$Meta Platforms (FB.US)$ $Microsoft (MSFT.US)$ $Zoom Communications (ZM.US)$ $Disney (DIS.US)$ $Amazon (AMZN.US)$ $Netflix (NFLX.US)$ $Alphabet-C (GOOG.US)$ $Roblox (RBLX.US)$ $TENCENT (00700.HK)$ $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$ $Autodesk (ADSK.US)$ $Unity Software (U.US)$ $Tesla (TSLA.US)$

$Tesla (TSLA.US)$ CEO Elon Musk has disclosed how much he would pay in taxes this year.
What Happened: The entrepreneur said on Twitter Sunday that his tax bill for this year is a whopping $11 billion.
Musk has sold shares of Tesla since early November to foot his tax bill.
Until mid-December, Musk had sold 12.7 million Tesla shares. The CEO is not paid a salary but is instead compensated by the way of stock options. He has also exercised nearly 15 million options.
Musk, who was named “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine for 2021, has seen his popularity rise as that of traditional institutions declines, according to Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal.
“I think the role of the government should be that of a referee but not a player on the field. Government should not impede progress,” said Musk earlier in the month.
The net worth of Musk has burgeoned to $243 billion in 2021, a year-to-date increase of $87.4 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index. He is placed on the top of that list — above the likes of $Amazon (AMZN.US)$ founder Jeff Bezos and $Microsoft (MSFT.US)$ co-founder Bill Gates.
Why It Matters: Recently, Musk lobbed an insult at Warren after she called him a “freeloader.” The senator called for a change to the "rigged tax code” so that the “Person of the Year will actually pay taxes.”
Musk’s disclosure got the attention of Twitter pretty quickly. Dogecoin co-creator Billy Markus commented on the social media platform that Musk has paid “literally more than anyone has ever paid in history.”