- Stocks hit a record high on speculation that the economic recovery will be able to withstand the coronavirus outbreak. bonds fell.
- Prior to the holidays, trading volume was low. Nikola, an electric-vehicle startup, has soared on the back of expectations for deliveries. On Tencent's plan to distribute over $16 billion of the Chinese e-commerce firm's stock as a one-time dividend, US-listed shares of JD.com plummeted. bitcoin rose above $50,000.
- In December, US consumer sentiment improved as households became more optimistic about the economy. In November, new home sales hit a seven-month high, while durable goods orders surpassed expectations. Consumer spending was unchanged when adjusted for inflation, as the largest price increases in nearly four decades reduced purchasing power. Last week's jobless claims were little changed.
- Merk's covid-19 pill has been approved by US regulators, providing another at-home treatment option for high-risk patients. At the new year's eve ball drop in Times Square, New York City is limiting crowds and introducing more health and safety safeguards for revelers. According to the UK Health Security Agency, those infected with omicron are 50% to 70% less likely than those infected with delta to be admitted to hospitals.
