Stocks, U.S.futures hold gains amid low volumes
Global stocks and U.S. index futures rose as signs of a solid recovery in the world's largest economy offset jitters over inflation and a faster tapering of Federal Reserve stimulus.
Trading volumes narrowed around the world as U.S. traders stayed off for the Thanksgiving holiday. The turnover in Asia's equity benchmark was 17% lower than its 30-day average. It shrank 26% in Europe and 30% in Latin America.
Stock funds took in more cash in 2021 than two decades combined
Investors have poured almost $900 billion into equity exchange-traded and long-only funds in 2021 -- exceeding the combined total from the past 19 years -- according to analysts at Bank of America Corp. and EPFR Global.
The combination of cheap money and an economy roaring out of the pandemic set the stage of an unstoppable rally, with frenzied retail trading and a lack of other good investment options adding fuel to the fire.
Oil steadies after OPEC says reserves release will bloat surplus
Oil was steady, with U.S. traders on holiday, after OPEC said a planned coordinated release of reserves may swell a crude surplus expected early next year.
Futures in New York traded slightly above $78 a barrel for a third straight day, and volumes were thin with Thanksgiving in the U.S. The surplus warning was made by the producer group's advisory body ahead of a meeting with allies next week. Some of the cartel's delegates warned this week that releasing strategic reserves may lead to the group holding back crude supply in January.
E-commerce needs real store locations now more than ever
After losing ground to e-commerce, bricks-and-mortar stores are back in style.
Retailers this year are expected to open more stores than they close for the first time since 2017, according to an analysis of more than 900 chains by IHL Group, a research and advisory company. Most of the growth is coming from mass merchants, food, drugs and convenience chains.
Department stores and specialty retailers, which experienced the biggest shakeout over the past five years, are still closing more stores than they are opening. But the pace of closures has slowed from record levels.
What inflation? Small investors keep piling into flashy growth stocks
Conventional Wall Street wisdom says inflation, which has been rising all year, is bad for growth and technology stocks. So far, many small investors don't care.
Individual investors continue to stampede into shares of growth companies, the types of buzzy stocks that have enjoyed explosive price gains this year. $Advanced Micro Devices(AMD.US)$, $NVIDIA(NVDA.US)$ and $Apple(AAPL.US)$ are the three stocks most purchased this month by individual investors, according to VandaTrack, a Vanda Research flow tracker that measures net purchases.
The EU is planning a 9-month expiration date on its Covid vaccine passports
"It is evident that the pandemic is not yet over," European Commissioner Didier Reynders said Thursday. Various European nations are facing a higher number of Covid-19 infections, notably in the countries where the vaccination rate remains low.
Sitting out the season: A record number of Americans say they won't be buying holiday gifts this year
Predictions for holiday retail sales are rosy, with the National Retail Federation calling for record gains of 8.5% to 10.5% from year-ago levels. But a record-high amount of people, or 11.5% of Americans, aren't buying any gifts this holiday season, according to a survey by Deloitte.
Wealthy consumers are planning to spend more, which will mask the fact that many others are sitting out the season. Higher-income households in the U.S. plan to spend five-times that of lower-income households this holiday season, said Deloitte.
BOE chief is worried by El Salvador's move to adopt bitcoin
"It concerns me that a country would choose it as its national currency," Bailey said in response to a question at an appearance at the Cambridge University student union on Thursday. "What would worry me most of all is, do the citizens of El Salvador understand the nature and volatility of the currency they have."
He added that the IMF, which monitors risks to global financial markets, is not happy with El Salvador.
Source: Bloomberg, WSJ, CNBC

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By Danilo
Hey, moomooers! Here are things you need to know before the opening bell:
-Stock futures were little changed in early morning trading on Friday after two straight days of gains pushed major averages into positive territory for the week.
-U.S. share benchmarks rose sharply as investors are digesting the Federal Reserve's decision to tee up a reversal of its stimulus measures.
Market Snapshot
Stock futures were little changed in early morning trading on Friday after two straight days of gains pushed major averages into positive territory for the week.
Futures on the $Dow Jones Industrial Average(.DJI.US)$ were down 72 points. $S&P 500 Index(.SPX.US)$ futures and $NASDAQ 100 Index(.NDX.US)$ futures both traded in mildly negative territory.
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Source: CNBC, Dow Jones Newswires, Bloomberg