U.S. Jobs Recovery Falters as Virus Surge Snaps Hiring Streak

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-08/u-s-jobs-recovery-faltered-in-december-amid-virus-surge

The U.S. labor market lost jobs in December for the first time in eight months, reflecting a plunge in restaurant employment that highlights how surging coronavirus infections are taking a greater toll on parts of the economy. ... See more

A Tiny Hedge Fund Just Made History by Turning Into an ETF

https://www.bloomberg.co.jp/news/articles/2021-01-08/QMKKUNT0G1KZ01?srnd=cojp-v2

資産運用業界は投資信託が上場投資信託（ＥＴＦ）に転換されるのを待っているが、それに先駆けて米国の小規模ヘッジファンドが史上初のＥＴＦ転換を果たした。 ... See more

California Deaths Hit Record as U.S. Cases Soar, Japan Has New Variant; U.K. Vaccine Plan on Target

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-10/california-deaths-hit-record-as-u-s-cases-soar-virus-update ... See more

Japan has found a variant of the coronavirus similar to strains discovered in Britain and South Africa. The U.K. is on course to meet its target for vaccines, but faces pressure on the health service due to surging cases, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said. ... See more

No End in Sight for Blank-Check Firms After Year of the SPAC

There’s no stopping the SPAC, which emerged from obscurity to seemingly take over finance in 2020.

Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, went from a back-of-the-shelf financial vehicle to one of the biggest segments of initial public offerings, with a record $78 billion raised in the U.S. this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That exceeded the combined total of SPACs in all previous years and made up about 45% of this year’s record $177 billion IPO volume, the data show.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-23/no-end-in-sight-for-blank-check-companies-after-year-of-the-spac ... See more

There’s no stopping the SPAC, which emerged from obscurity to seemingly take over finance in 2020.

As the United States entered its first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns, there were wide expectations in startup land that a reckoning had arrived. But the expected comeuppance of high-burn, high-growth startups fueled by cheap capital provided by venture capitalists raising ever-larger funds, failed to arrive.

Instead, the very opposite came to pass.

Layoffs happened swiftly and aggressively during the early months of the pandemic era. But by the middle of Q2, venture activity had warmed and third quarter dealmaking felt swift and competitive, with some investors describing it as the hottest summer in recent years.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/24/us-seed-stage-investing-flourished-during-pandemic/ ... See more

If you didn’t think much about seed in 2020, you’re not alone. Late, huge rounds consumed most of the media’s oxygen, leaving smaller startups to compete for scraps of attention.

Group Nine Media — which owns Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker and PopSugar — is the latest company to form a SPAC, according to a filing with the SEC.

These blank-check corporations, as they’re also known, have become a popular way to raise money from the public markets. The filing says that Group Nine is creating a SPAC “for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination.”

https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/22/group-nine-spac/ ... See more

Group Nine Media — which owns Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo, Seeker and PopSugar — is the latest company to form a SPAC, according to a filing with the SEC. These blank-check corporations, as they’re also known, have become a popular way to raise money from the public markets. The filing says .... ... See more

The definitive ranking of streaming services as we head into 2021

https://www.fastcompany.com/90589589/the-definitive-ranking-of-streaming-services-as-we-head-into-2021

Now that Netflix has a full slate of competitors, where does it stand compared with Disney Plus, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, and Peacock?

The 100 greatest innovations of 2020

2020’s year’s top innovations include next-gen gaming consoles, a rapid COVID test, comfy jeans tailored by a computer, and a contact tracing initiative that united two tech giants.

The Work-From-Home Boom Is Here to Stay. Get Ready for Pay Cuts

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-12-17/work-from-home-tech-companies-cut-pay-of-workers-moving-out-of-big-cities

White-collar workers are taking advantage of a newfound flexibility to leave expensive coastal cities, even as companies move to “localize” their pay.

Bitcoin Crushes Doubters as 224% Rally Proves It’s Here to Stay

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-24/one-asset-that-changed-investors-minds-in-2020-is-bitcoin

The original cryptocurrency again had commentators eating their words in 2020.

Uber Sells Flying Taxi Division to Joby in Broader Retrenchment

Uber Technologies Inc. is selling off its flying taxi division to Joby Aviation and investing in the startup, marking the second time this week Uber abandoned a side project as it aims to turn a quarterly profit next year.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-08/uber-sells-flying-taxi-division-to-joby-in-broader-retrenchment ... See more

Uber Technologies Inc. is selling off its flying taxi division to Joby Aviation and investing in the startup, marking the second time this week Uber abandoned a side project as it aims to turn a quarterly profit next year. ... See more

SoftBank sold its stake in Slack by September and missed out on Salesforce's premium acquisition price.

https://www.businessinsider.com/softbank-sold-its-stake-in-slack-before-the-salesforce-acquisition-2020-12 ... See more

SoftBank sold its stake in Slack by September and missed out on Salesforce's premium acquisition price.

COVID-19: Implications for business - McKinsey & Company

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/risk/our-insights/covid-19-implications-for-business#

Our latest perspectives on the coronavirus outbreak, the twin threats to lives and livelihoods, and how organizations can prepare for the next normal.

MARKETSMapped: The Top 30 Most Valuable Real Estate Cities in the U.S.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/most-valuable-real-estate-cities-us/

U.S. real estate value is concentrated in just a handful of urban centers. Here's a look at the top 30 most valuable cities in the country.

US venture capital funds have raised a combined $69.1 billion in 2020, edging past a 2018 record and defying the odds amid a pandemic-rattled economy. The high-water mark was set after Andreessen Horowitz announced a pair of mega-funds with $4.5 billion in commitments Friday.

https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/us-vc-fundraising-hits-record-69b-in-2020-after-a16z-closes-two-mega-funds?sourceType=NEWSLETTER ... See more

US venture capital funds have raised a combined $69.1 billion in 2020, edging past a 2018 record and defying the odds amid a pandemic-rattled economy.

Bitcoin is quickly approaching the record highs that spurred a mania among investors almost three years ago that ended in a violent crash.

The controversial digital asset, which was originally promoted as an alternative to national currencies such as the dollar, surged as much as $1,160, or 7% to $17,864 on Tuesday. It has more than doubled this year, spurring memories of the 1,375% rally in 2017 that preceded a 70% decline the following year. Even so, advocates and even skeptics are saying it may continue to push higher.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-17/bitcoin-tops-17-000-for-first-time-since-december-2017 ... See more

Bitcoin is quickly approaching the record highs that spurred a mania among investors almost three years ago that ended in a violent crash.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine proves 90% effective in first results from Phase 3 clinical trial - The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech has shown to be effective blocking infection in 90 percent of participants in its Phase 3 clinical trial, the companies announced on Monday. That’s based on data analyzed by an external, independent committee assigned to check the results of the trial, and reflects only early results from the trial, and not the final verified result — but it’s still extremely promising news for progress toward a viable and more broadly available vaccine.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-proves-90-effective-in-first-results-from-phase-3-clinical-trial/ ... See more

The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech has shown to be effective blocking infection in 90 percent of participants in its Phase 3 clinical trial, the companies announced on Monday. That’s based on data analyzed by an external, independent committee assigned to … ... See more

Hyundai reportedly in talks to buy SoftBank-owned Boston Dynamics - Boston Dynamics could be set to change hands once again, according to a new report from Bloomberg that cited “people familiar with the matter.”

https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/hyundai-reportedly-in-talks-to-buy-softbank-owned-boston-dynamics/ ... See more

Boston Dynamics could be set to change hands once again, according to a new report from Bloomberg that cited “people familiar with the matter.” The deal would make Korean automaker Hyundai the third company in seven years to own the robotics firm, following sales to Google and SoftBank Group. Bo... ... See more

Weed stocks are hitting new highs after Biden win : Cannabis was a big winner from the results of the United States’ election, and industry stocks are soaring on both the voting results and recent earnings. Companies such as Canopy Growth Corporation, Tilray and Aurora Cannabis are seeing their valuations pop in pre-market trading as good news for the industry adds up.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/weed-stocks-are-hitting-new-highs-after-biden-win/ ... See more

Cannabis was a big winner from the results of the United States’ election, and industry stocks are soaring on both the voting results and recent earnings. Companies such as Canopy Growth Corporation, Tilray and Aurora Cannabis are seeing their valuations pop in pre-market trading as good news… ... See more

Sony prepares to enter the drone game with Airpeak – Sony has announced that it is entering the drone market with a new brand called Airpeak, though the specifics of the drone itself are left something of a mystery. It plans to launch the project next spring.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/sony-prepares-to-enter-the-drone-game-with-airpeak/ ... See more

Sony has announced that it is entering the drone market with a new brand called Airpeak, though the specifics of the drone itself are left something of a mystery. It plans to launch the project next spring. The bare-bones announcement says only that Sony has been inspired by the “recent proli… ... See more