Greetings,
The United States: To remain competitive, US manufacturers continue to focus on skilled labor and automation. Robot shipments hit record highs.
China: China’s repo rates spiked going into the year-end. Facing stricter regulations, the nation’s banks have learned about “window dressing.”
The Eurozone: The euro rose above $1.2 last week amid talk of the ECB’s QE ending in September (see story).
Credit: Investment-grade bond spreads continue to tighten amid steady fund inflows into the sector.
Emerging Markets: Iran’s stock market took a hit in response to the widening (and morphing) anti-government protests.
Bitcoin: This chart shows electricity usage per transaction for Visa (credit card), Ethereum, and Bitcoin.
Rates: US financial conditions continue to ease, raising the possibility of four rate hikes this year.
Equity Markets: Schwab’s retail investors’ cash holdings are at record low levels.
Energy Markets: Refinery inputs hit a record high for this time of the year.
Food for Thought: Which countries teach children how to solve problems as a team?
Happy New Year!
Edited by Joseph N Cohen
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Thanks to Josh Marte (@joshdigga), Matt Garrett (@MattGarrett3), Joseph Cohen (@josephncohen), Ycharts.com, S&P Global, and Moody’s Investors Service for helping with the research for the Daily Shot.
We would also like to thank the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for the incredible job they have done providing data and graphics to the public. Here is the credit and legal notice related to all FRED charts: FRED® Graphs ©Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. All rights reserved. All FRED® Graphs appear courtesy of Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/
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