Watson's Daily

Friday 12/02/21

In MACRO, TRADING & BITCOIN NEWS, the Chinese economy may get a further boost because of travel restrictions, London's golden age fades and Bitcoin gets yet another boost. In TECH-RELATED NEWS, Biden's administration aims to address chip shortages, Bumble's IPO…

Thursday 11/02/21

In MACRO, MARKET TREND & VACCINE NEWS, the Fed stays low, Amsterdam does more trade than London, cannabis gets the Reddit treatment, von der Leyen admits vaccine shortcomings, the WHO suuports AstraZeneca/Oxford and Pfizer gets a boost. In CORONATRENDS NEWS,…

Wednesday 10/02/21

In BITCOIN & OIL NEWS, we look at Bitcoin's immediate future and Total reports a big loss. In RETAIL NEWS, web grocery sales rise and Ocado prospers. Oxford Street holes get bigger and JD Sports has the Brexit blues. In…

Tuesday 09/02/21

In MACRO, COMMODITIES & BITCOIN, we see Draghi's positive influence, oil hitting $60 a barrel and Bitcoin getting a Tesla boost. In M&A NEWS, Veolia goes hostile on Suez, EA buys Glu Mobile, Boohoo buys the remnants of Arcadia, Frasers…

Monday 08/02/21

In BREXIT-RELATED NEWS, we look at potential import nightmares and those doing well out of it. In M&A NEWS, the UK has its fastest start in M&A since 2008 and Renesas looks to buy Dialog. In TRADING-RELATED NEWS, we look…

Friday 05/02/21

In MACRO, VACCINE & OIL NEWS, the Bank of England puts faith in a vaccine-fuelled recovery, Johnson & Johnson seeks authorisation and Shell has a tough time. In M&A/INVESTMENT-RELATED NEWS, the Nvidia/Arm acquisition attracts scrutiny, JD Sports and Greene King…

Thursday 04/02/21

In MACRO & VACCINE-RELATED NEWS, Mario Draghi returns, Denmark launches coronavirus passports, the Swiss rejects AstraZeneca and GSK gets with CureVac. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, we look at a hybrid work future, De Beers sees a diamond serge, Sony benefits from…

Wednesday 03/02/21

In MACRO & VACCINE NEWS, the Eurozone double-dips, Brexit creates Northern Ireland nastiness and the government embraces state aid while Sputnik succeeds, the Balkans seek out alternative solutions, Oxford/AstraZeneca has good and bad news and Pfizer benefits. In CONSUMER-RELATED NEWS,…

Tuesday 02/02/21

In BITCOIN, TRADING & CONSUMER NEWS, Elon boosts Bitcoin, Robinhood raises cash, Redditors try a silver lining, Hargreaves Lansdown sees more action, UK households save and mortgage approvals gather pace. In RETAIL NEWS, Asos snaps up Topshop and JD Sports…

Monday 01/02/21

In VACCINES & BREXIT NEWS, the EU gets criticism for its vaccine kerfuffle, the debate continues over "no jab, no job" and we look at Brexit one month on as well as current shipping problems. In REDDIT TRADING-RELATED NEWS, Melvin…

Friday 29/01/21

In MACRO & MARKETS NEWS, the US economy shrank by 3.5% in 2020, Covid pushes UK towards double-dip and GameStop continues to rile the amateurs. In VACCINE & CORONATRENDS NEWS, the EU gets nastier and Novavax shows its efficacy while…

Thursday 28/01/21

In MACROECONOMIC & MARKETS NEWS, Vietnam shows how it's done, Asian markets follow US lead and GameStop trading shows pros getting their &rses kicked. In VACCINE & CORONATRENDS NEWS, the EU gets nasty, "no jab, no job" needs clarification while…

Wednesday 27/01/21

In VACCINE-RELATED NEWS, Germany tries to block vaccine exports, drugmakers work on variants, J&J gets a booster, all eyes are on vaccine passports and there's still time to join the Saga-louts. In TECH NEWS, Microsoft continues to benefit from WFM,…

Tuesday 26/01/21

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, Biden says "Buy American" but Xi Jinping warns against protectionism, Italy's PM Conte heads for the door and Bitcoin gets a dig from the Bank of England governor. In RETAIL NEWS, Boohoo buys Debenhams, Jenners closes and…

Monday 25/01/21

In VACCINE-RELATED NEWS, poorer nations' vaccine problems could spread, AstraZeneca gets into hot water over EU shortages, Panasonic partakes in the vaccine storage race and Saga sees an uptick in holiday bookings. In INVESTMENT NEWS, hedge funds rake it in…

Friday 22/01/21

In VACCINE NEWS, the US joins global efforts, Hungary approves Sputnik V, we look at the next vaccine candidates and vaccine storage. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, Uconsumers spent less, borrowed more and bought houses but are finding problems with orders from…

Thursday 21/01/21

In VACCINE & CORONATREND NEWS, Pfizer/BioNTech claims to cover the variants - but has EU supply issues - while poor countries suffer and we see trends in streaming, cleaning, travel and a rise in distressed companies. In CONSUMER & RETAIL…

Wednesday 20/01/21

In CAR & BATTERY NEWS, Stellantis fires a warning shot and Microsoft invests in Cruise while QuantumScape and StoreDot make amazing batteries. In BANKS NEWS, Bank of America and Goldman profit while HSBC closes branches. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, Hammerson collects…

Tuesday 19/01/21

In VACCINE-RELATED NEWS, China/Russia vaccines fly off the shelves, UK rollout is a comparative success and "no job, no jab" appears to be legal. In ELECTRIC VEHICLE NEWS, Tesla rolls out its China-made Model Y, EV charging picks up but…

Monday 18/01/21

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, Biden prepares for The Great Unwinding, China's economy motors, the Eurozone's splutters and UK taxes are discussed. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, US banks benefit from trading, Deliveroo racks up more fundraising, Warehouses are hot among investors, WeWork cuts…

Friday 15/01/21

In MACRO & BITCOIN NEWS, Biden aims to push through a big stimulus, US unemployment rises, Germany scrapes through, UK worker rights are being reviewed and Bitcoin ignores the haters. In CORONAVIRUS NEWS, Russia has vaccine distribution issues, a vaccination…

Thursday 14/01/21

In TRUMP & BITCOIN NEWS, Trump is impeached again, New York cuts him off and Lagarde goes on the offensive over Bitcoin. In M&A NEWS, American Tower buys Telxius, JD Sports and Barneys' owner consider Topshop, the LSE/Refinitiv deal gets…

Wednesday 13/01/21

In CORONAVIRUS/CORONATRENDS NEWS, EU vaccine distribution is criticised, the Chinese vaccine works less well than thought, America will require covid tests for travellers, Landsec gets low rent, Netflix unveils new movies and DHL keeps delivering. In RETAIL/CONSUMER NEWS, B&Q's owner…

Tuesday 12/01/21

In TRUMP-RELATED & CRYPTO NEWS, impeachment rears its head again, social media gets in a tizz and Bitcoin hits a bump. In M&A AND IPO NEWS, Staples has another crack at Office Depot, Sanofi buys Kymab and Dr Martens aims…

Monday 11/01/21

In TRUMP-RELATED NEWS, US senators are reluctant to impeach, US banks prepare to delist Hong Kong products and Apple and Amazon shun Parler. In RETAIL NEWS, some companies are telling customers to keep unwanted goods while the UK retail sector…

Friday 08/01/21

In TRUMP & BITCOIN NEWS, Trump faces a backlash by politicians and Facebook while Bitcoin goes to the moon. In RETAIL NEWS, Eurozone retail sales fall, Sainsbury's and B&M report glad tidings, Joules benefits from online and John Lewis abandons…

Thursday 07/01/21

In MACRO, MARKETS & BREXIT NEWS, Trump sparks a debacle, Chinese apps face uncertainty, NYSE U-turns on the U-turn, markets rock and Brexit causes consternation. In M&A NEWS, the Nvidia/Arm deal faces scrutiny and Walgreens sells Alliance. In CORONAVIRUS NEWS,…

Wednesday 06/01/21

In MACRO, MARKETS, OIL & CRYPTO NEWS, we see Trump's bitter farewell, Germany's stricter lockdown, China markets reaching new highs, oil agreement and Bitcoin potential. In PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES NEWS, Ryanair sees fewer passengers, UK railways take a severe…

Tuesday 05/01/21

In MACRO, MARKETS & CRYPTO NEWS, BoJo presents Lockdown 3.0, trading goes to Europe, Asia goes meh, NYSE backtracks on Chinese company expulsion and the bitcoin drama continues. In M&A NEWS, we look at what's going on in cars, drugs,…

Friday 18/12/20

In MARKETS, MACRO & CRYPTO/CURRENCY NEWS, markets rise on vaccine hopes, Brexit talks continue - as does stockpiling chaos - while sterling and Bitcoin continue to strengthen. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, Sunak extends furlough, consumers are powered by a vaccine-inspired confidence…

Thursday 17/12/20

In MACROECONOMIC & CURRENCY NEWS, UK exports lag, BMW and Hornby fret but the UK economy is turning on hopes of a Brexit deal and Bitcoin hits news highs as it edges even further into the mainstream. In IPO &…

Wednesday 16/12/20

In MACROECONOMIC & REGULATION NEWS, China's industrial production goes higher, sterling appreciates on Brexit deal hopes and the EU ups the ante on tech regulation. In RETAIL NEWS, JD Sports expands in the US via acquisition, Inditex stages a recovery…

Tuesday 15/12/20

In MACROECONOMIC & COMMODITIES NEWS, Germany teeters on the brink of a double-dip recession, the pound strengthens on Brexit hopes and steel orders jump up. In REAL ESTATE-RELATED NEWS, sellers cut prices, NatWest reintroduces 90% mortgages and Polypipe gets a…

Monday 14/12/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, the EU and UK continue Brexit negotiations while ports have IT problems and Germany goes for hard lockdown. In CORONAVIRUS NEWS, vaccines face scepticism in the US and Russia. In INDUSTRY TRENDS, Roblox pulls back from the…

Friday 11/12/20

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, there's agreement on the EU budget, BoJo warns of no-deal, UK signs a trade agreement with Singapore and oil breaches $50 a barrel. In TECH NEWS, France fines Big Tech, Airbnb's IPO goes bananas and…

Thursday 10/12/20

In TECH & GIG NEWS, Facebook faces the FTC, Airbnb raises the bar, DoorDash has a stellar debut, Just Eat pays, Uber sells off flying taxis and the UK Treasury targets gig overlords. In GLOBAL TRADE & LOGISTICS NEWS, we…

Wednesday 09/12/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we look at Japan's chunky stimulus, Brexit bottlenecks and the UK's digi-dog. In RETAIL NEWS, UK grocery sales are strong, Primark calls for co-ordinated effort and Debenhams sells Guildford. In M&A AND IPO NEWS, G4S agrees to…

Tuesday 08/12/20

In MACRO, CURRENCY & VACCINE NEWS, China exports continue to climb, Merkel is on a vital European mission, sterling weakens and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine hits supply issues. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, the UK housing boom continues, Dentsu makes cuts but ad…

Monday 07/12/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, Trump causes chaos, Brexit clogs up supplies but UK jobs get a Covid jab. In FAST-FOOD/HIGH STREET NEWS, Burger King and Wendy's slug it out in India, Nando's has a crisis and Mike Ashley gives Debenhams another.…

Friday 04/12/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, economists fiddle with their forecasts, sterling strengthens, Opec & friends boost production but Chevron cuts capex. In VACCINE NEWS, business confidence rises on hopes but Wall Street cools on Pfizer's latest and the UK defends…

Thursday 03/12/20

In CORONATRENDS NEWS, vaccinations kick off and UPS puts limits on big retailers. In M&A NEWS, the fight for G4S continues and Countrywide rejects a bid. In RETAIL/HIGH STREET NEWS, Tesco hands back the handouts, Bonmarché goes into administration again…

Wednesday 02/12/20

In TECH NEWS, Salesforce buys Slack, Google/Facebook/Amazon change ad spending and Zoom's ongoing battle with Teams. In RETAIL/HIGH-STREET NEWS, we look at Debenhams failure, what's on the cards for Arcadia, Caffè Nero buying time and Sephora setting up at Kohl's.…

Tuesday 01/12/20

In MARKETS, CURRENCY & OIL NEWS, the FTSE has a record November, Bitcoin reaches new heights and Exxon cuts spending. In CONSUMER & RETAIL NEWS, the stamp duty frenzy continues and Arcadia goes into administration. In M&A NEWS, S&P Global…

Monday 30/11/20

In MACROECONOMIC & MARKETS NEWS, the EU tries to pitch to the US, China motors on, investors pile in and Tesla's inclusion causes much head-scratching. In M&A AND IPO NEWS, UK M&A shoots up and S&P Global approaches IHS Markit…

Friday 27/11/20

In MACROECONOMIC & BITCOIN NEWS, Merkel suggests closing ski resorts, economic sentiment improves and Bitcoin suffers. In RETAIL/HIGH-STREET NEWS, hopes are high for Black Friday, Klarna benefits, Mulberry does better in Asia and UK pubs warn of more hurt. In…

Thursday 26/11/20

In TECH NEWS, France imposes the digital tax, Facebook makes an error, TikTok gets an extension, Salesforce eyes Slack and IBM announces job cuts. In M&A NEWS, Bertelsmann buys Simon & Schuster, Future buys GoCompare and AA agrees to takeover.…

Wednesday 25/11/20

In MARKETS, CRYPTO & VACCINE NEWS, US stocks rise, Bitcoin breaks $19k and Sputnik is looking good. In RETAIL NEWS, we look at the problems faced by global retailers as well as the fortunes of Best Buy, Debenhams, AO World…

Tuesday 24/11/20

In PHARMACEUTICAL NEWS, we take a closer look at the impact of AstraZeneca/Oxford University's vaccine, Merck buying OncoImmune and Amazon's recent foray into pharmacy. In RESCUE NEWS, Cineworld gets a lifeline, the AA gets a private equity offer and JD…

Monday 23/11/20

In CORONATRENDS NEWS, propane demand explodes in the US but in the UK, office projects stall, moves towards railway nationalisation continue, covid prompts reshoring, motor insurers await a nice bump, there's an elephant in the room regarding house prices and…

Friday 20/11/20

In CONSUMER/GOODS/RETAIL NEWS, UK consumer confidence weakens, the PS5 launch crashes sites, Frasers increases its stake in Mulberry, Peacocks and Jaeger go under and Naked Wines toasts more subscriptions. In CORONAVIRUS DRUG NEWS, the WHO dismisses Remdesivir but an arthritis…

Thursday 19/11/20

In CONSUMER/RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, Inflation rises, wages freeze, Halford peddles well and British Land offloads retail while in the US, Target hits the spot and TK Maxx's parent makes an online push. In ELECTRIC VEHICLE NEWS, Arrival aims for NY and…

Wednesday 18/11/20

In BITCOIN & FINANCIALS NEWS, Bitcoin reaches new highs, Santander buys Wirecard's European business and Co-Op Bank gets an approach. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, we look at US and UK sales trends and Walmart's slowing rise. In INDIVIDUAL COMPANY NEWS, Amazon…

Tuesday 17/11/20

In VACCINE-RELATED NEWS, Moderna's news boosts markets. CORONATRENDS NEWS, Home Depot splashes out, the birth rate falls, Cinemark signs a historic deal and UK Lockdown 2.0 has less impact. In ELECTRIC VEHICLE-RELATED NEWS, Tesla is to join the S&P while…

Monday 16/11/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, a historic Asian trade deal is signed, Japan's economy rebounds and BoJo self-isolates. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, Simon Property and Taubman agree on a lower price, the Supreme Court readies itself for an insurance battle and Johnson &…