Good morning. The season of Secret Santas and white elephant gift exchanges is upon us. If you need some cheap, last-minute gift ideas here are some of our faves: - Mini jam variety pack
- Fun mittens
- Nice chocolate
- A pack of Korean sheet masks
- Giant pack of Burt's Bees lip balms
- For a gag gift: iTunes gift card
- A subscription to Morning Brew (that's literally free)
—Neal Freyman, Jamie Wilde, Max Knoblauch, Matty Merritt. Yeah, we got the whole squad in on this one. | | | READ THIS TO REMAIN A SUBSCRIBER Want to keep receiving Morning Brew? Clicking on newsletter links is the only way for us to know you are reading (and enjoying) Morning Brew. If you don't click by next month, you will stop receiving this newsletter. Click here to let us know that you're still an active subscriber. Thanks! | | | |  | Nasdaq | 15,085.47 | | | | | S&P | 4,538.43 | | | | | Dow | 34,580.08 | | | | | 10-Year | 1.357% | | | | | Bitcoin | $53,168.88 | | | | | Facebook | $306.84 | | | | *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. | - Markets: Stocks ended a topsy-turvy week with another stinker yesterday, dragged netherward (big word alert) by the tech sector. Meta shares nearly entered a bear market, falling almost 20% from a closing record in September. Still, the S&P was down less than 1% for the week.
- Covid: The first bits of solid Omicron data are starting to trickle out. One study from South Africa showed that the new variant may cause a higher rate of reinfection in people who already got Covid. Critical information on the effectiveness of current vaccines against Omicron could come in a few days, a WHO scientist said.
| | Squid Games The November jobs report delivered more mixed messages than a dessert pizza. First, the disappointing stuff: The economy added just 210,000 jobs, which is way below estimates of 550,000 and much lower than the 546,000 jobs created in October. In fact, it's the smallest job gain since last December. But there's a twist Just like a dessert pizza, the monthly jobs report actually consists of two items smashed together: one survey of employers and the other of households. And while the employers survey (showing a big whiff on job gains) was a flop, the households survey painted a far sweeter picture of the labor market, revealing that 1.1 million more people were employed last month than in October. Plus, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% in November from 4.6%. That's a remarkably good number, given the 20+ million jobs lost last spring. - In February of this year, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted the US wouldn't hit a 4.2% unemployment rate until 2024.
And what about that great worker shortage we can't stop hearing about? It also appears to be getting better. The labor-force participation rate, or the share of people who are working or looking for jobs, hit its highest level since March 2020. For Americans ages 25–54 (those in their prime working years) the share of people employed jumped by a half a percentage point, nearing pre-pandemic levels. The final bit of optimistic news is that the US government has a pretty miserable track record of getting these jobs numbers right the first time around. From June through September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics underestimated job growth by 626,000 jobs, and in October they undercounted by another 15,000. So we can hope for more upward revisions going forward. Bottom line: This mixed employment report shouldn't change the Fed's calculus that taming inflation, rather than kick-starting economic growth, is its top priority.—NF | | Francis Scialabba Nearly 2.2 million Covid vaccine doses were administered in the US from Wednesday to Thursday, the most in any single day since May, the CDC reported. With at least seven states detecting Omicron cases, people aren't waiting to find out how to pronounce it to get their shots. The pace of pricks has sped up in Europe, too, where several countries have severely restricted the lives of their unvaccinated populations this week. - Yesterday, Germany banned unvaxed folks from nonessential indoor spaces like restaurants, bars, and clubs—not like it's easy to get into Berghain anyways.
But you may have to wait to get your next Band-Aid tan With a) millions of Americans becoming eligible for booster shots and b) 5–11 year olds getting the vaccination green light last month, pharmacies are strapped for arm-jabbers. So much so that some CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart stores aren't accepting walk-ins, no matter how spontaneous you're feeling. To meet higher jab demand, stores are hiring thousands of pharmacists and pharmacist technicians, while several states are opening up community vaccination sites to bear some of the patient load. Bottom line: Covid-19 vaccine appointments are available online now, but you may have to wait several weeks for an opening.—JW | | Francis Scialabba; Getty Images/Peter Dazeley Slick new way to get followers just dropped: Debt collection rules that went into effect on Tuesday allow collectors to text, email, follow, and DM you on social media. The changes to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) were introduced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) under the Trump administration. Then-CFPB director Kathy Kraninger, who resigned in January, said the changes were necessary to modernize the four-decades-old FDCPA. There are guidelines collection agencies must follow (though they're not exactly known for sticking to those): - Messages must be private and not visible on public feeds.
- Debt collectors must identify themselves as such when sending a message.
- The messages must include a way to opt out of that form of communication.
- Collectors must wait 14 days after contact before reporting the debt to a credit rating agency.
- The messages have to start "Hey bestie!"
Consumer advocates say the changes make it easier for borrowers to miss important details about their debt among messages from high school friends who are now in MLMs, and open the floodgates to new forms of harassment for the nearly 78 million consumers with debt in collections.—MK | | TOGETHER WITH THE MOTLEY FOOL | | It can feel like a scary time to invest (dare we even utter the word inflation?). But The Motley Fool is here to remind you that time in the market is more significant than timing in the market. They've also come to inform you of a particularly rare occasion that could be potentially momentous for investors' wallets if they get in now and HOLD. The expert analysts at The Motley Fool have found another stock triggering their All In buy signal. And since they independently research and pick stocks, their landing on the same choice puts this stock in the company of other blue mooners who got a combined blessing, like Netflix and Tesla. Hulu, Shopify, Salesforce, and more are all currently using this under-the-radar company's tech to power their explosive growth. For this exclusive pick, join Motley Fool Stock Advisor, and get a 30-day, membership-fee-back guarantee here. | | Francis Scialabba Stat: Buy now, pay later (BNPL) usage is exploding this holiday shopping season. PayPal saw a 400% increase in volumes on its BNPL platform this Black Friday over last year. And Afterpay, a BNPL leader, said it's seen a 34% increase in in-store and online orders this holiday season. Quote: "Did it to help out a friend. No plans yet!" Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told NBC News why he bought Mustang, Texas, a mostly vacant town that has been on the market for about four years. The "friend" was Mustang's principal owner, Marty Price, a big Mavericks fan with floor seats who had fallen ill. Cuban spent less than the $4 million asking price for Mustang. Read: How an Excel TikToker manifested her way to making six figures a day. (The Verge) | | - The parents of a suspect in the Michigan school shooting have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, a highly unusual move.
- Elon Musk's stock sales of Tesla have now surpassed $10 billion worth.
- DocuSign stock plummeted 42.2% after giving lower-than-expected sales guidance for Q4.
- Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal reshuffled his leadership team less than a week into the job.
- Weird weather: Hawaii received a blizzard warning from the National Weather Service, the only winter storm warning in the US currently.
- How small business owners are dealing with supply chain headaches.
| | We're talking to titans of the aviation industry. On 12/8, we'll be discussing innovation in aviation with the CEO of GE Aviation, John Slattery, and United Airlines CEO, Scott Kirby. It's all taking place on Twitter Spaces, and you can RSVP using your mobile device here.* Holiday shopping has come full circle. Turns out, the best gift is being able to pay at your own pace with Affirm. Shop for everyone on your list at thousands of merchants like West Elm and Dyson, then relax with easy, manageable payments. Learn more here.* Life hack: Here's a trick to eliminate that annoying ring of wax around the rim of your candle jar. Weekend conversation starters: *This is sponsored advertising content | | | Today we give you a crossword puzzle unlike any other. Play it here and let us know what you think of the new feature. | | You've been procrastinating on buying that air fryer. You've been procrastinating on buying that new toaster oven. So, why not take your chance and get them both for free? Refer a friend to the Brew before midnight (ET) tonight, and both of you will be entered into a contest to each win a Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven. Plus, every confirmed referral is one entry to win. So the more you refer, the more entries you get. Share to win*Disclaimer: Only readers with US addresses are eligible to participate. Here are the terms and conditions. | | HOW WAS TODAY'S NEWSLETTER? | | | Written by Neal Freyman, Jamie Wilde, Matty Merritt, and Max Knoblauch Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. WANT MORE BREW? Industry news, with a sense of humor → - Emerging Tech Brew: AI, crypto, space, autonomous vehicles, and more
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