As consumers’ expectations for employment and economic prospects rise, the US Consumer Confidence Index increased more than expected in December, indicating that despite concerns about omicron and inflation, there is still a certain degree of resilience in the economic recovery. According to a report from the World Large Corporation Research Council on Wednesday, the consumer confidence index rose to 115.8, and the November data was revised upward to 111.9. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected 111. Data shows that despite the spread of omicron, some areas in the United States have implemented new epidemic prevention measures, but consumers are still optimistic.

Second-hand housing sales in the United States increased for the third consecutive month in November, indicating that the steady increase in employment and the low level of mortgage interest rates have boosted the demand for home purchases. According to data released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on Wednesday, second-hand housing sales in November increased by 1.9% month-on-month, equivalent to an annual rate of 6.46 million units, the largest increase since January. Bloomberg survey estimates that the median value is 65,300 sets. The data shows that housing demand is accelerating, especially in the high-end market, because the cost of loans is still far below the level before the new crown epidemic. Even so, high house prices may discourage some potential buyers, especially consumers with lower incomes and more affected by inflation.

European Central Bank President Lagarde stated in a video speech that the European Central Bank expects inflation in the euro zone to slow next year and fall below the target level of 2% in 2023 and 2024. "Therefore, there is more work to be done. We will work hard and be ready to calm down at any time." Successful vaccination campaigns have allowed the recovery to gain a foothold, and "the prospects for economic growth in the next few years look very strong."

Although the recovery rate has slowed in the three months to September, the recovery of the British economy from the epidemic has exceeded previous expectations. The National Bureau of Statistics of the United Kingdom stated that the current gross domestic product (GDP) is 1.5% lower than at the end of 2019, which is an improvement from the previous estimate of 2.1%. This improvement is due to the upward revision of the entire 2020 data. In the third quarter of this year, GDP grew by 1.1% month-on-month, which was revised down from the initial value of 1.3%. The Bureau of Statistics' revision also showed that the British economy performed better than expected in the first year of the outbreak, with the economy shrinking by 9.4% instead of 9.7%.

Elon Musk, the head of the leading electric vehicle brand Tesla Inc., said in an interview that he has sold enough shares to reach the goal of reducing his holdings by 10%. "The stock I sold should be about 10% of my Tesla holdings," he told the satirical website Babylon Bee. Musk has been selling Tesla shares since November when he asked his Twitter followers whether they should sell some of their holdings. This move is partly to create cash flow to pay taxes estimated to exceed $10 billion, which is related to Musk's upcoming stock options.

Initial public offerings (IPOs) enjoy legendary status as an asset class that outperforms the market. But not in 2021. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, more than half of the 481 US IPOs this year were traded at a price lower than the issue price. These transactions, excluding more special-purpose acquisition companies, set a record of approximately US$167 billion, easily surpassing 2020.

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