Stock Market Today: 20 Dec 2021

Investors looking for a brief respite from two weeks of volatile trading on Wall Street may get one on Monday, when Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed this year.

Share markets were choppy on Monday as a slew of Chinese economic data confirmed the deadening effect of coronavirus restrictions on consumer spending, prompting Beijing to again ease monetary policy. A holiday in the United States made for thin trading, but that did not stop Treasury futures from sliding further and Brent crude hitting a three-year top of $86.71 a barrel. China’s central bank also surprised by cutting some key lending rates by a sizable 10 basis points.

Shares were mixed in Asia on Monday after China reported that its economy expanded at an 8.1% annual pace in 2021, though growth slowed to half that level in the last quarter.

The stock market rally is on the back foot, while the Nasdaq has lagged the S&P 500 for nearly a year. But Apple is holding up.

Asian share markets were choppy on Monday as a slew of Chinese economic data confirmed the deadening effect of coronavirus restrictions on consumer spending, prompting Beijing to again ease monetary policy. A holiday in the United States made for thin trading, but that did not stop Treasury futures from sliding further and Brent crude hitting a three-year top of $86.71 a barrel.

Will this 11% pricing change trigger a huge wave of canceled subscriptions, or should investors expect the top line to grow without any meaningful loss of subscribers? Here’s what the data from Netflix’s previous price increases tells me. The new price increases are remarkably consistent.

Share markets were choppy on Monday as a slew of Chinese economic data confirmed the deadening effect of coronavirus restrictions on consumer spending, prompting Beijing to again ease monetary policy. A holiday in the United States made for thin trading, but that did not stop Treasury futures from sliding further and Brent crude hitting a three-year top of $86.71 a barrel.

A rabbi who was among four people held hostage at a Texas synagogue said Sunday that their captor grew “increasingly belligerent and threatening” toward the end of the 10-hour standoff, which ended with an FBI SWAT team rushing into the building and the captor’s death.

Ukraine said Sunday that Russia was behind a cyberattack that defaced its government websites and alleged that Russia is engaged in an increasing “hybrid war” against its neighbor.

2021 has been a stellar year for many asset classes, including oil, bitcoin and industrial metals, and many analysts believe that the aforementioned assets are poised for further gains in 2022

Billionaire hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman says the Federal Reserve needs to deliver old-fashioned shock and awe to financial markets with a big rate hike.

Once upon time, HBO sold cable subscribers on the value of a premium paid channel with the slogan, “It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Today, in an entertainment world dominated by at-home viewing, Netflix is hoping its own prestige will justify the highest monthly price tag in the US among streaming companies. On Jan. 14, Netflix announced its first price increases since 2020, which go into effect immediately for new subscribers and will be rolled out gradually (with at least 30 days’ notice) for existing customers.

Hundreds of Chinese companies are listed on U.S. markets. China is the world’s most-populous nation and the second-largest economy with a booming urban middle class and amazing entrepreneurial activity. Often dozens of Chinese stocks are among the top performers at any given time, across an array of sectors.

In this segment from Motley Fool Live, recorded on Jan. 4, Fool contributors Toby Bordelon and Lou Whiteman discuss several of the industrial businesses that Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) operates and the benefit of built-in diversification for investors. Forest River, they make commercial trucks, shuttle buses, trailers, pontoon boats, also RVs and what most people know them for, so a big vehicle manufacturer there.

Stop sinking your money in mediocre businesses. Buy the best instead.

While raising the minimum wage in some states is welcome news, one member of the president’s cabinet is unsure of why it hasn’t taken off throughout the nation.

From increasing partnerships to improving margins, this FinTech giant might have double-digit revenue growth on its horizon.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced in November that — at long last — it’s getting ready to roll out its Project Kuiper initiative to provide broadband internet service via satellite. Thanks to the popularity of Starlink, satellite-provided broadband internet has become an idea most closely associated with SpaceX, not Amazon. In the six years since SpaceX announced plans to put a constellation of 12,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, and in the year and a half since it began opening up Starlink for beta service, Starlink has put about 1,800 operational satellites in orbit and expanded its footprint to 25 countries — and 145,000 customers — receiving satellite internet service.