According to this article (https://www.marketplace.org/2021/08/04/what-freight-rail-tells-us-about-the-economy/), Warren Buffett was once being asked which economic indicator he would choose if he were stranded on a desert island, and with access to only one set of economic statistics (e.g. consumer confidence, inflation, unemployment, etc.), and he picked freight rail traffic. The reason is that when rail is doing well, it usually means the eco...

Asia stocks set for mixed start
Asian stocks looked set for a mixed start Friday as Chinese technology shares struggle, contrasting with a rally in their U.S. counterparts that propelled Wall Street equities to a record high.
Futures for Japan and Australia were steady, while Hong Kong's slid. A tumble in the likes of e-commerce firm $Alibaba (BABA.US)$ and video-streaming platform operator $Bilibili (BILI.US)$ hurt an index of U.S.-listed Chinese stocks. But megacap U.S. tech jumped, taking the $NASDAQ 100 Index (.NDX.US)$ and $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$ to new peaks, in a choppy session ahead of Friday's options expiration.
Salad chain Sweetgreen attains $6 billion value in debut
$Sweetgreen (SG.US)$ soared 77% in its trading debut after raising $364 million in an upsized initial public offering, more tripling its valuation from a funding round less than a year ago.
The IPO is the the 14th this year in the U.S. by food and beverage companies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Nine of those are trading below their offering price after listing at valuations that proved optimistic amid labor shortages, rising prices and a rocky earnings season for the sector.
Robinhood, Citadel win dismissal of meme-stock lawsuit
Citadel and $Robinhood (HOOD.US)$ won dismissal of a proposed class-action lawsuit brought by retail investors who accused the firms of colluding during January's meme-stock frenzy.
U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga in Miami said that the plaintiffs failed to show there was any agreement between Citadel Securities and Robinhood to act in concert. In a Wednesday ruling, she dismissed the case without prejudice, giving the investor group until Dec. 20 to possibly file an amended complaint.
Ford, GM step into chip business
$Ford Motor (F.US)$ on Thursday morning outlined a strategic agreement with U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturer $GlobalFoundries (GFS.US)$ to develop chips, a pact that could eventually lead to joint U.S. production.
$General Motors (GM.US)$ later said it was forging ties with some of the biggest names in semiconductors—including $Qualcomm (QCOM.US)$ and $NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.US)$—and has agreements in place to co-develop and manufacture computer chips.
Macy's hires adviser to study separation of e-commerce business
$Macy's (M.US)$ said it hired consulting firm AlixPartners to evaluate whether it makes sense to spin off its e-commerce operations, a move that comes amid pressure from an activist investor to separate the fast-growing digital segment from the department-store chain's physical stores.
Macy's announcement came as it posted another quarter of strong sales growth Thursday, with plans to launch a new online marketplace through its website for third-party sellers. Shares rose 21%.
Buffett-backed indian fintech giant Paytm stumbles in market debut
Shares in the owner of Indian mobile-payments company Paytm fell sharply on their first day of trading, after it sold about $2.5 billion of stock in the country's largest initial public offering.
Stock in One97 Communications Ltd. dropped 27% from its IPO price of 2,150 rupees, the equivalent of $28.95, to close Thursday at 1,564 rupees.
TikTok usage surpassed Instagram this year among kids aged 12 to 17, Forrester survey says
More Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 are using TikTok than Instagram on a weekly basis, according to survey findings published by Forrester on Thursday. $Meta Platforms (FB.US)$ said last month that it was trying to appeal better to younger users with its services, including Instagram.
"We heard from Gen Z youth that they find TikTok to be funnier and more positive versus other social media platforms," said Mike Proulx, an analyst at Forrester.
Crypto 'hypergrowth' can beat inflation, says iCapital's Anastasia Amoroso
With higher inflation and more modest stock gains likely looming ahead in the new year, Anastasia Amoroso, chief investment strategist at iCapital Network, says investors should be looking at 2021's standout asset class: cryptocurrencies.
Amoroso noted that cryptocurrencies have risen this year by "something like 200%," and said that Bitcoin has "classic inflation-hedging characteristics," including its limited supply alongside growing demand.
Source: Bloomberg, WSJ, CNBC

Asian stocks set to drop amid inflation concerns
Asian stocks looked set to fall Thursday as the prospect of faster monetary-policy tightening to tackle inflation looms over the global economic recovery. Treasury yields and the dollar retreated.
Australian equities slipped and futures for Japan and Hong Kong were in the red. U.S. shares pulled back amid home building data signaling high materials prices and labor shortages, while retailer Target sank on concerns that rising costs will dent margins. $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$ contracts were steady, while $NASDAQ 100 Index (.NDX.US)$ futures edged up.
Retail traders slide back below 20% of market's total volume
The worst quarter for the S&P 500 since the start of the pandemic appears to have driven away some do-it-yourself investors.
The retail trading surge that began with pandemic lockdowns has now abated, as total equity volume from individual investors fell to 19% in the third quarter, down from 24% at the start of this year, according to Securities and Exchange Commission and market data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.
Oil slips to nearly six-week low as traders weigh SPR release
Futures in New York closed down 3% on Wednesday with both benchmarks dropping below their 50-day moving averages. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed the merits of releasing oil from their reserves in a virtual summit Monday but didn't make a decision, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
In a letter on Wednesday, President Biden urged the Federal Trade Commission to probe possible illegal conduct in U.S. gasoline markets.
Metaverse stocks buzzing in Korea with multiple ETF launches
Korea’s ETFs focused on the metaverse, many of them newly listed, have seen double-digit gains this month to trump the Kospi benchmark's 0.3% decline.
Prices for Mirae Asset Tiger Fn Metaverse ETF -- the largest in the country by market value, Samsung Kodex K-Metaverse Active ETF, NH-Amundi HANARO K-Metaverse MZ ETF and KB KBSTAR iSelect Metaverse ETF have jumped by at least 24% since they all launched on Oct. 13.
Amazon to stop accepting U.K.-issued Visa credit cards
$Amazon (AMZN.US)$ said it would stop accepting $Visa (V.US)$ U.K. credit cards because of their high fees, a move that marks a major escalation in the retail giant's yearslong battle with the card network.
"These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements," the Amazon spokesman said, "but instead they continue to stay high or even rise."
Nvidia posts record revenue as videogaming sales soar
Graphics-chip company $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$ posted another quarter of record sales amid supercharged demand for videogaming and data centers. Stocks rose around 4.8% in aftermarket trading following the results.
Nvidia said Wednesday that sales for the third quarter rose 50% to $7.1 billion, generating net income of $2.46 billion, surpassing Wall Street expectations. Revenue was buoyed by record videogaming sales of $3.2 billion, up 42% from the year-ago period, and record data-center sales, up 55% from the same time a year earlier.
Rivian shares close down 15%, bucking post-IPO rally
$Rivian Automotive (RIVN.US)$ went public last Wednesday in one of the biggest IPOs of the year. But shares ended a weeklong rally Wednesday, as investors pulled back from a monster run as speculation in the name eased after it surpassed $General Motors (GM.US)$ and $Ford Motor (F.US)$ in market value.
Target, TJX post strong sales, say they have plenty in stock for Black Friday
$Target (TGT.US)$ said comparable sales, those from stores or digital channels operating at least 12 months, rose 12.7% for the quarter ended Oct. 30. The company's operating profit margins declined as the discounter absorbed higher expenses. $TJX Companies (TJX.US)$ said comparable sales for open stores increased 14% from fiscal 2020, while net sales rose 24% from the previous year, to $12.5 billion.
Shares of Target declined 4.7% Wednesday, while TJX shares advanced 5.8%.
Source: Bloomberg, WSJ, CNBC

Dear mooers,  $Alibaba (BABA.US)$ Q2 2022 earnings is coming up!
As one of China’s most successful high-tech champions, Alibaba remains a risky long-term investment. What will be the trends in the deep layer?
What to expect in earnings? How will this affect the stock price?
Time to join the game!
Win Reward:
Place your bet on BABA's percentage change in closing price (i.e.+3%) of Nov 18 ET / Nov 19 SGT before Nov 18 4:00 AM ET / Nov 18 5:00 PM SGT. The mooer with the closest bet will win 300 points!
Notice:
Reward points will be given out within 5-10 working days after the results are announced.
Reward points can be used to exchange gifts at Reward Club.
You may also be interested in:
BABA Q2 2022 Earnings Conference Call

Dear mooers, new week is coming up with  $AMC Entertainment (AMC.US)$  Q3 earnings! Normally, volatility comes with the released earnings result, creating tons of opportunities to trade.
How will the earnings affect the stock price? Time to join the game.
Win Reward:
Place your bet on AMC's percentage change in closing price (i.e.+3%) of Nov 09 ET / Nov 10 SGT before Nov 09 4:00 AM ET / Nov 09 5:00 PM SGT. The mooer with the closest bet will win 300 points!
After following a zigzag path during the year, how can be exciting the AMC stock after the earnings? Leave your thoughts as well as the percentage change in the comments!
You may also be interested in:
AMC Q3 2021 Earnings Conference Call

$Tesla (TSLA.US)$ 1250?