Markets
Nikkei 225
26,656.61
▼ -11.74 / -0.04%
SSE Composite
3,396.56
▲ +33.45 / +0.99%
Bovespa
117,806.85
▲ +1,170.67 / +1.00%
Straits Times
2,842.04
▲ +8.64 / +0.30%
BMV IPC
43,372.20
▼ -225.10 / -0.52%
Dow Jones
30,199.87
▲ +70.04 / +0.23%
DAX 30
13,587.23
▲ +169.12 / +1.26%
BSE SENSEX
46,973.54
▲ +529.36 / +1.14%
FTSE 100
6,502.11
▲ +6.36 / +0.10%
JSE Top 40
54,125.23
▲ +166.50 / +0.31%
Market News
- Nikkei 225: Japan’s Nikkei 225 index appears to be leading Asia, possibly closing up for the year.
- FTSE 100: The FTSE did not head into the holiday season on a high note, a possible result of scrambling to strike a Brexit deal before the new year.
- Dow Jones: In the US, the Dow Jones just barely closed up right before the Christmas holidays.
Last Week’s Highlights
A Brexit Deal is Finally Struck
Right before the year’s end, the United Kingdom finally managed to cut a deal with the European Union. Since 2016, the United Kingdom’s government has been working to manage its separation from the EU, based on a national referendum. Since then, three different prime ministers have attempted to strike a deal. Finally, current PM Boris Johnson’s parliament managed to squeak out a trade deal in the wee moment before December 31.
Mass Vaccination Officially Underway
Right in time for the holiday season and end of the year, Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine has already been given millions of healthcare workers in the United States. Although the numbers sound promising, they are seriously behind original estimates. Additionally, this distribution highlights serious inequalities across the world, with the majority of doses being promised to economic heavyweight countries like the UK and US, while others in ‘developing countries’ cannot expect to receive even the first emergency doses for months.
Coming Up This Week
The New Year Has New Work Rules
It doesn’t seem as though many of the distance-working measures from this past year will be going away soon. Pandemic-induced working from home and new acceptance of the complications of daily life appear likely to continue on way past the end of the pandemic. In fact, “hybrid”-style working, meaning partially in the office and partially at home, could be the way of the future. However, many essential workers around the world cannot simply be managed from behind a computer screen. They will be among the most vulnerable moving forward, requiring more protections.
Covid Could Hit Africa Harder in 2021
During the whole of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Europe and the US have appeared to be hit the worst. Africa has not been in the news as much, however some are expecting 2021 to show a much more devastating effect regarding the pandemic’s spread for the continent. African countries with large populations, like South Africa and Nigeria, have been seeing spikes in infections. Additionally, new strains could threaten local populations in an unforeseeable way.
More Things to Sip On…
A local terrorist bomb explosion rocks the US state of Tennessee on Christmas morning.
China is looking like it will economically outrace the US by 2028.
Will the EU’s current plans to invest in China stay in play?
Academy
5 Investment Tips To Become A Smart Investor
“Why don’t you invest? Or why do your friends not invest? Many millennials report mistrust of the market, lack of know-how, insufficient funds, and student debt as barriers that prevent them from investing.”
6 Steps to set your Personal Financial Goals
“No matter what stage of life you currently find yourself in, we’re pretty sure that you’ve given some thought about both your short- and long-term personal financial goals.”
20 Side Hustle Ideas to Boost Your Income
“A side gig, moonlighting, or, as the kids call it these days, a side hustle is an excellent way to diversify your income, make a hobby profitable, and even build your confidence.”
“During recession greed dies, frugality survives.”
– Amit Kalantri –
Disclaimer
Visit our Disclosures section for additional information. All market information provided was collected in the afternoon of December 25, 2020. The purpose of NewsFlight is to summarize and make accessible information on a variety of topics within the world of investing and personal finance, and thus cannot be considered formal research or reports. All sources utilized to compile the NewsFlight newsletter are considered trustworthy by the FlexInvest team. FlexInvest is not affiliated with and does not receive remuneration from the news sources used to compile NewsFlight. As well, any images or logos incorporated into the NewsFlight newsletter are not necessarily property of FlexInvest and may solely be included to provide context for the news covered. NewsFlight should not be taken as advice to sell or buy securities or to make any investment. When investing in securities or other financial products, there is always the potential to lose money or asset value. FlexInvest recommends that its users consider their investment objectives and risks before investing. Additionally, any projections or analysis made by authors of NewsFlight cannot be considered as a promise of future trends or returns. Opinions expressed in News Flight are not representative of FlexInvest Inc.
