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[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, December 27, 2022. With markets thin, China and Hong Kong stocks fell, and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was down 0.7% at 1223 GMT. U.S. stock index futures pointed to a more upbeat tone on Wall Street, with Nasdaq 100 e-minis up 0.6% and S&P 500 e-minis up 0.4% . Risk appetite was subdued for much of 2022 as global central banks raised interest rates in an attempt to bring down inflation. The Fed raised interest rates by 50 bps earlier in December after delivering four consecutive 75 bps hikes in the year, but it has said it may need to keep higher interest rates for longer.

[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, December 27, 2022. The United States, India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan said they would require COVID-19 tests for travellers from China. At 0951 GMT, the MSCI world equity index (.MIWD00000PUS), which tracks shares in 47 countries, was down 0.1% on the day. Risk appetite was subdued for much of 2022 as global central banks raised interest rates in an attempt to bring down inflation. The Fed raised interest rates by 50 bps earlier in December after delivering four consecutive 75 bps hikes in the year, but it has said it may need to keep higher interest rates for longer.

"More fundamental, and more subtle and more important is the social contract and social trust in China. COVID CZAROver the past three years, Vice Premier Sun, 72, has been the face of China's COVID fight, a mother-like figure who has executed Xi's zero-COVID policy with a firm hand. In April this year, Sun rushed to Shanghai as the city went under lockdown, according to state media reports. During the Shanghai lockdown, while also on an inspection tour, Sun was bombarded by pleas from residents shouting from their windows: "No more rice! How the current infections are tackled remain a key near-term challenge to COVID czars.

☆ Here’s what could tip the global economy into recession in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Not everyone agrees the global economy is heading for a recession. Excluding the global financial crisis and the worst stage of the pandemic, that would be the weakest year for the world economy since 2001. Whether a global recession materializes may come down to three factors: what central banks do next, the consequences of China’s nascent reopening and energy prices. What a global recession meansWhether the world falls into recession or not, the next 12 months are likely to be difficult. Even if a global recession is averted, many countries could still endure downturns accompanied by painful rises in unemployment, though economists don’t agree on how severe and long they might last.

☆ The Investing Club's top 5 things to watch in the market Thursday: Stocks, oil, Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Club's 5 things to watch Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022 1. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

TORONTO, Dec 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Like dogs seeking forever homes, stray pet businesses will find new owners in 2023. After a surge in Covid-19 lockdown adoptions, some seven out of 10 U.S. households owned one, according to a recent survey by The American Pet Products Association. Nestlé (NESN.S) boss Mark Schneider, for one, said he is open to opportunities in pet food, while Colgate-Palmolive (CL.N) recently bought additional manufacturing facilities to beef up its Hill’s Pet Nutrition division. Privately held Mars, which acquired Canada-based Champion Petfoods and Nom Nom, also could be on the hunt. Separately, Mars also agreed to acquire pet food brand Nom Nom for an undisclosed price, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 14.

☆ Elon Musk claimed Twitter employees had a Slack channel called 'Fauci Fan Club' in reference to the White House's chief medical advisor
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk claimed Twitter once had a Slack channel that was a fan club for Dr. Anthony Fauci. Musk's claim came after he slammed Fauci for his role as the White House's chief medical advisor. "Despite these glaring issues, Twitter nonetheless had an internal Slack channel unironically called "Fauci Fan Club"," Musk tweeted. Since Musk took over Twitter in late October, employees have been careful about what to post on the company's Slack. Platformer reported in November that some Twitter employees started removing Slack messages out of fear of Musk not liking the content.

☆ I recruit Gen Z job seekers. Many of them rely too much on email and ask for the wrong salary — here's how I coach them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Veteran recruiter Lisa Frank says many Gen Z workers lack professional maturity and context. She also says Gen Zers should find mentors and not let a slightly lower salary deter them. Over the last couple of years, I've started seeing Gen Z workers enter the job market. The one thing I urge all Gen Z job seekers to do is to find a mentor. I prefer to think about a job offer or negotiation as, "What's the best way to get more empowerment?"

☆ A long-term illness crisis is threatening the UK economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Leon Neal/Getty ImagesLONDON — Along with sky-high inflation and energy costs, a Brexit-related trade tailspin and a recession in progress, the U.K. economy is being hammered by record numbers of workers reporting long-term sickness. Unlike other major economies, recent U.K. data shows no sign that these lost workers are returning to the labor market, even as inflation and energy costs exert huge pressure on household finances. The U.K. avoided mass job losses during the Covid-19 pandemic as the government's furlough program subsidized businesses to retain workers. "The U.K. was particularly vulnerable because of austerity — NHS waiting lists were rising sharply, and performance/satisfaction was falling sharply, well before the pandemic," Portes said. However, the report noted that this isn't a recent phenomenon, and the waiting list has been growing rapidly since 2012.watch now

☆ North Korea's Kim unveils new military goals at key party meeting -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the sixth enlarged meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on December 27, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 28 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unveiled new goals for the country's military for 2023 at an ongoing meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported on Wednesday, hinting at another year of intensive weapons tests and tension. The third-generation leader set the direction for the "anti-enemy struggle" and goals for reinforcing defence power, it added. KCNA did not provide details on those goals, but Kim's remarks could indicate the isolated country will continue to accelerate its military buildup. North Korean leaders previously made speeches on New Year Day, but in recent years, Kim has called days-long party gatherings at the end of the year to announce major policy decisions.

☆ Tesla stock drops as Elon Musk's EV maker extends slowdown of Shanghai plant through January
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tesla will run a reduced production schedule at its Shanghai plant from January 3 to January 19 and will halt output from January 20 to January 31, Reuters reported. Tesla had already moved up its planned eight-day production stoppage a day early. The company's largest worldwide plant by output is facing a wave of COVID-19 infections among staff. Earlier, Reuters reported that Tesla moved up its planned eight-day production stoppage a day early amid a surge in COVID-19 cases among workers and suppliers. Still, Tesla has built up sufficient inventories of vehicles, the Wall Street Journal reported, and a production halt won't impact the company's ability to meet orders.

☆ China to step up financial support to COVID-hit catering, tourism sectors
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Dec 27 (Reuters) - China will step up financial support to small and private businesses in the catering and tourism sectors that were hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, the country's banking and insurance regulator said in a statement on Tuesday. Contact-intensive services sector suffered the most amid China's anti-virus curbs which shut many restaurants down and restricted tourists' travels. "The recovery and expansion of consumption will be a priority," China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) said in the statement. China will also step up financial support for private investment and private enterprises, the regulator added. Amid protracted weakness in the property sector, the CBIRC pledged to satisfy reasonable financing needs and to improve leading developers' balance sheets.

Authorities have identified a 19-year-old man fatally shot Friday inside a department store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as Johntae Raymon Hudson. Hudson also told KARE 11 that when she learned her brother was shot, she held out hope he would survive. Several members of the New York Giants, who faced off against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, were in the Mall of America when the shooting occurred. The mall told the station then that it was testing options “that may allow us to further enhance” security systems. Earlier this year, a man fired three shots in front of a store in the mall, KARE 11 reported.

☆ China to Open Borders as Covid-19 Cases Rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Jonathan Cheng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING—Chinese health authorities plan to lift Covid-19 quarantine requirements on international arrivals early next month, taking one of the country’s biggest steps to ease restrictions since the pandemic began even as case numbers remain high. China has maintained among the world’s most restrictive coronavirus lockdown measures, slowing its economy significantly and sparking anger. Following waves of protests this fall, authorities abruptly abandoned the country’s stringent zero-Covid-19 strategy early this month.

☆ The Reckoning Ahead for China’s Zero-Covid Policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Yanzhong Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A worker manages the door to a fever clinic in Beijing as Covid cases soar following the relaxation of restrictions, Dec. 14. The Chinese government is still reluctant to admit it, but the 10-point plan that Beijing released on Dec. 7 signaled a turnabout: China’s notorious zero-Covid policy has come to an end. Local governments responded in no time by rolling back mass PCR testing, shutting down quarantine centers and easing restrictions on domestic travel. Just the month before, those same local governments were busy enforcing some of the world’s most stringent and prolonged lockdown measures in pursuit of “societal zero Covid,” meaning that cases were to be found in quarantined or controlled areas only.

☆ North Korea's Kim kicks off key party meeting ahead of New Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the sixth enlarged meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released on December 26, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Dec 27 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has kicked off a key meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported on Tuesday, a venue he has often used to announce major policy decisions marking the New Year. The Sixth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was convened on Monday, the official KCNA news agency said. Kim also faces mounting economic challenges amid international sanctions over its weapons programmes, the fallout from an anti-coronavirus lockdown and natural disasters. North Korean state media previously released its leader's speech on New Year Day, but in recent years, Kim has called party gatherings at the end of the year to make major policy announcements.

☆ Shooting at Mall of America Leaves Teenager Dead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A police officer seals off the Mall of America’s Nordstrom location after a fatal shooting. BLOOMINGTON, Minn.—A teenager was killed during a shooting at the Mall of America on Friday that sent frightened customers at the nation’s largest shopping center racing into a lockdown just before the holiday weekend, police said. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said the victim was a 19-year-old man. A bystander’s jacket was also grazed by a bullet during the shooting at the mall’s Nordstrom location.

☆ 19-year-old killed in shooting at Nordstrom in Mall of America, police say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Claire Cardona | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A 19-year-old man was killed Friday night in a shooting at a store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, police said. "They’re in pain, and rightfully so, and for something that should not have happened," Hodges said. The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m., and the mall was placed on lockdown. A bystander's coat was grazed by a bullet but no other injuries were reported, Hodges said. The mall told the station then that it was testing options "that may allow us to further enhance" security systems.

☆ 19-year-old killed in shooting at Nordstrom in Minneapolis' Mall of America
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Claire Cardona | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A 19-year-old man was killed Friday night in a shooting at a store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minneapolis, police said. "They’re in pain, and rightfully so, and for something that should not have happened," Hodges said. The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m., and the mall was placed on lockdown. A bystander's coat was grazed by a bullet but no other injuries were reported, Hodges said. The mall told the station then that it was testing options "that may allow us to further enhance" security systems.

☆ ‘The reshoring craze is real’ — These companies should benefit, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A lot has been said about reshoring, as companies look to bring manufacturing back to their home countries, particularly the U.S. Reshoring is essentially companies returning operations to their original country from overseas. "The reshoring craze is real, especially as you continue to hear more and more about this general theme of deglobalization," he said. "They sell into the construction of the factory, they sell into the equipment of the factory, the automation of the factory." The company's equipment is needed for big semiconductor manufacturing plants as companies test chips as they are produced, Snyder said.

☆ China is reopening after zero-Covid. But there's a long road ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In major cities Shanghai and Shenzhen, Friday morning rush hour traffic was extremely light, according to Baidu data. Subway ridership in major cities as of Thursday remained well below the normal range, according to Wind Information. "It will be the first time in nearly three years that mass migration will resume in China as families congregate." As for foreign direct investment into China, Hart said he expected it would take about a year after travel fully reopens for such investment to start recovering. Hainan hotel bookings last week rose by 20% from the prior week, Trip.com said.

☆ 2 looming problems are threatening to hammer FedEx — and that's not even counting the recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

FedEx CEO Raj Subramanian said the company is facing less demand due to an "e-commerce reset." "I think the main macro issue in the United States is really the e-commerce reset," FedEx CEO Raj Subramanian said on the call. Market share worriesThe question e-commerce-related businesses have been asking all year is how much of the pandemic growth will stick. Companies from Shopify to Paypal have taken the conservative view: that e-commerce growth will revert to where it was headed in 2019. He told Insider that UPS is growing faster with small and medium businesses, and is more profitable than FedEx.

The country spent big on quarantine and testing facilities over the past three years rather than bolstering hospitals and clinics and training medical staff, these people said. "There is no transition time for the medical system to prepare for this," said Zuofeng Zhang, professor of epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. The failure to boost vaccination rates among the vulnerable could imperil China's health system, more than a dozen experts said. The death of a 23-year-old medical student in Chengdu on Dec. 14 fueled public ire at the strain on China's health system. Chen Jiming, a researcher at China's Foshan University, said there was every chance that China's medical system could cope now that the country has ended quarantine for asymptomatic and mild cases.

☆ Hospital warns of ‘tragic battle’ as Covid spreads in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A Shanghai hospital has told its staff to prepare for a “tragic battle” with Covid-19 as it expects half of the city’s 25 million people will get infected by the end of next week, while the virus sweeps through China largely unchecked. China reported no new Covid deaths for a second consecutive day for Wednesday, even as funeral parlour workers say demand for their services has increased sharply over the past week. Authorities — who have narrowed the criteria for Covid deaths, prompting criticism from many disease experts — confirmed 389,306 cases with symptoms. A Covid patient is wheeled on a stretcher at hospital in China's southwestern city of Chongqing on Thursday. Footage from a Beijing hospital on CCTV state television showed rows of elderly patients in the intensive care unit breathing through oxygen masks.

LONDON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - China's imports of primary aluminium jumped to a one-year high of 110,700 tonnes in November in a significant reversal of the recent trend. China's imports and exports of primary unwrought aluminiumTRADE FLOWS FLIP AGAINChina's primary aluminium export surge has passed. Global aluminium production monthly change annualisedSLOWING MOMENTUMChina's renewed import appetite for primary aluminium looks at odds with the combination of lockdown-weakened demand and strong domestic production growth. Expressed in terms of annualised production, China's collective run-rate has dropped by almost 1.2 million tonnes since August. Sichuan briefly rationed power to industrial users, including aluminium smelters, in August because of a protracted drought in the hydro-rich province.

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