What we’re reading (1/24)
“Bullish Stock Bets Explode as Major Indexes Repeatedly Set Records” (Wall Street Journal). “Investors are piling into bets that will profit if stocks continue their record run. Options activity is continuing at a breakneck pace in January, building on 2020’s record volumes. It is the latest sign of optimism cresting through markets as individual and institutional investors pick up bullish options to profit from stock gains and abandon bearish wagers.”
“Why International Stocks Could Outperform U.S. Markets This Year” (CNBC). “Emerging markets ‘now have some of the best growth opportunities’ on the market as they trade at relative discounts, [Jeremy] Schwartz [global head of research at WisdomTree Asset Management] said. With the dollar weakening and a new, perhaps more trade friendly Biden administration taking power, their catalysts are only adding up, he said.”
“Home Sales Hit 14-Year High In 2020, Pushing Prices To Record Levels” (CNN Business). “Last year brought skyrocketing unemployment and a global pandemic that battered the economy, but people were still buying homes. Existing home sales in 2020 rose to the highest level in 14 years as prices climbed to a record high. Home prices rose 9% in 2020 from the year before…according to a report from the National Association of Realtors.”
“Union Participation Rose Last Year, Even As Pandemic Wreaked Havoc On The Jobs Market” (Washington Post). “Despite historic job losses during the pandemic, the percentage of U.S. workers who are members of a union rose to 10.8 percent in 2020, the most significant increase in years, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday.”
“What It’s Like To Be A Hotdogger, Oscar Mayer’s Cast Of College Grads Driving The Wienermobile Across The U.S.” (Business Insider). Potential job opportunity. They’re accepting applications through Jan. 31.
