| Good morning. College students, when you wake up in four hours, you're going to want to hear this: The Spring 2021 semester of our Brew U student ambassador program is launching today. If you a) love the Brew b) want a behind-the-scenes look into a fast-growing startup and 3) are looking for resume-boosting experience in marketing, you should apply today. The application window closes next Wednesday. | | | |  | NASDAQ | 12,805.20 | + 0.84% | | | | S&P | 3,729.85 | + 0.79% | | | | DOW | 30,441.39 | + 0.72% | | | | GOLD | 1,954.70 | + 0.42% | | | | 10-YR | 0.957% | + 3.90 bps | | | | OIL | 50.04 | + 5.08% | | | *As of market close | - Bitcoin: JPMorgan said that bitcoin could trade as high as $146,000 (not a typo) if it continues to compete with gold as a safe-haven asset for investors. Remember, not too long ago JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon called bitcoin a "fraud."
- Energy: U.S. benchmark oil prices shot up over $50 after Saudi Arabia said it will reduce its output by an additional 1 million barrels a day next month. The announcement, which was not expected, means less supply will hit the market at a time when demand for fuel remains low due to the pandemic.
- D.C.: Today, Congress will meet to certify President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory. As many as three dozen Republicans plan to challenge the results, though they likely won't succeed.
| |  Francis Scialabba | We were lookin' for an election to break down. And we found not one but two: the crucial Senate runoff races capturing the attention of all Americans. As of this morning, just one of those races had been decided—Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated GOP incumbent Kelly Loeffler, becoming the state's first Black senator. The other race, pitting Democrat Jon Ossoff against GOP Sen. David Perdue, remains too close to call. What's at stake? Oh just a little thing called CONGRESS How the numbers work: Both Warnock and Ossoff needed to win in order to split the Senate 50–50 between Dems and Republicans. In that scenario, the Dems would control the Senate, because the tie-breaking vote is cast by the vice president, who will be Democrat Kamala Harris. - On the flip side, a victory by Perdue would allow the GOP to keep its slim majority in the Senate.
- The Dems control the other chamber of Congress, the House of Representatives.
The outcome will have major consequences for the economy A Senate controlled by Democrats would make it far easier for Joe Biden to enact his economic agenda, which includes federal investments in renewable energy, more Covid aid, and higher taxes for wealthy individuals and corporations. Joe Biden pledged that $2,000 stimulus checks would "go out the door" if Warnock and Ossoff were to win. - Still, with such a slim majority, Biden would probably find it difficult to pass the most progressive aspects of his agenda, because you need 60 votes in the Senate to clear a filibuster and pass major legislation.
- However, confirming Cabinet nominees and judges requires just a simple majority.
Stocks were poised to perform well regardless of the outcome. They've historically gained more when either party holds a slim majority of the Senate—not more than 60 of the 100 seats. Bottom line via Chris Krueger, policy analyst at Cowen: "It is impossible to overstate how critical these races are for fiscal, tax, and regulatory policy over the next two years," he wrote Monday. | |  Francis Scialabba | When several of our NYC-based coworkers bought cars this summer, we knew something was up in the auto market. Q4 numbers released yesterday confirmed our hunch: - Automakers including GM, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, and Nissan beat analyst estimates last quarter, and GM said industry sales in the U.S. are back to pre-pandemic levels.
- Still, 2020 will be the worst sales year for automakers in almost a decade.
Other 2020 trends that got gas Omnichannel. Cars have lagged behind seltzer in embracing e-commerce, but the pandemic pushed dealers to add online sales, virtual test drives, and contactless pickup/delivery. Electric vehicles. In Norway, one of the most EV-friendly countries, annual EV sales overtook hybrid, gasoline, and diesel engines for the first time. Sorry, Elon, the 'Wegians favored the 'Wagens—VW electric sales topped Tesla's. Luxury. Premium brands reported unexpected success as high rollers shelled out for Bentleys and Lamborghinis, which both broke sales records. But... "The auto industry is a perfect illustration of the K-shaped recovery," AutoTrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs told CNN. Automakers are selling fewer models for under $30k, which puts new cars out of reach for many households. | |  Francis Scialabba | Yesterday, the World Bank predicted the global economy would grow 4% in 2021. That sounds a lot better than last year's pandemic-induced contraction of 4.3%... ...but it all depends on how well governments contain the coronavirus and administer vaccines. If caseloads stay high and vaccine rollouts lag, growth could hit just 1.6%. How fares that vaccination campaign? Slower-than-expected in many countries. In the U.S., where almost 5 million people have been vaccinated as of yesterday, progress varies widely by state: While South Dakota has administered almost half its delivered doses, Kansas and Georgia have used <14%. - Some states are still figuring out distribution, waiting on federal funding, or dealing with delays from the holidays, snowstorms, and strained healthcare staff.
To reach more people, health experts including Dr. Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, have suggested cutting vaccine doses in half or extending the window between shots. But yesterday, the FDA said there isn't enough data yet to change how vaccines are administered. | | SPONSORED BY ATHLETIC GREENS |  | As in it's number one. Numero uno. It's where all of the world's best ingredients you might want on a daily basis come to thrive. It. Is. Athletic. Greens. Athletic Greens is number one because it covers way, way more than one area of health—like gut health, immunity, and nutritional insurance. Just one tasty scoop of Athletic Greens contains 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food-sourced ingredients, including a multivitamin, multimineral, probiotic, greens superfood blend, and more. So just like the Brew is your one-stop shop for business knowledge every morning, Athletic Greens is your one-stop shop to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet, increases energy and focus, aids with digestion, and supports a healthy immune system—one simple scoop, one daily habit, many boxes ticked. And now Athletic Greens is giving away a free year supply of vitamin d + 5 free travel packs with your first order. Start 2021 by doing something one-derful for your health. Try Athletic Greens today. | |  Stephen Brashear/Getty Images | Amazon said yesterday it had bought 11 used Boeing 767s from Delta and Canadian air carrier WestJet. We know what you're thinking but no, Bezos didn't decide to start jetting around in a formation fleet. The new zoomers are intended to juice Amazon's fast-growing logistics arm. - Remember, Amazon itself is zooming along on the twin jet packs of pandemic retail: 1) more online ordering and 2) spending habits shifting in favor of goods over services and experiences.
Plus, there are planes lying around. Many airlines have undergone major haircuts in response to the pandemic's ravaging of the travel business, meaning lots of lightly used passenger jets in need of a loving home. Zoom out: The 11 planes will be the first owned outright by Amazon—in the past, it's leased them. Which shows Amazon is leaning into cloud-based delivery; it has air operations in several U.S. cities, and in November it unveiled its first-ever air hub in Germany's Leipzig/Halle airport. Amazon's on track to operate more than 85 cargo planes by the end of 2022. | |  Giphy | ...We watch. This week, Netflix dropped the details on the TV series it released Christmas Day—you already know the one. The numbers: - Bridgerton is on track to project posh accents into 63 million households in its first four weeks, making its debut the fifth largest of any Netflix original show.
- It's the No. 1 show in 76 countries, including the U.S.
Reality check: In 2019, Netflix tweaked its metrics to count anyone who watches two minutes of a show as a "viewer." Still, it's a remarkable accomplishment for Bridgerton producer and Hollywood power player Shonda Rhimes, who, along with other marquee names such as Ryan Murphy, was lured to Netflix in recent years with reported nine-figure deals. - Since then, Murphy has churned out series-after-underperforming-series to critical yawns. Rhimes went for the long game, focusing only on Bridgerton.
Zoom out: The era of social distancing continues to treat Netflix like a handsome and viceless suitor. The streamer said Dec. 25–31 was its best week ever, and December overall was its best month ever (measured by total view hours and average view hours per subscriber). | | - Hong Kong police arrested more than 50 pro-democracy activists in a major crackdown under China's new national security law.
- Steve Mollenkopf, the CEO of chipmaker Qualcomm, is stepping down. President Cristiano Amon will take over.
- Gary Cohn, former economic adviser to President Trump and former Goldman Sachs president, will join IBM as vice chairman.
- Manhattan office vacancies hit a record high of 15.1% last year, per commercial real estate firm Savills.
- Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma isn't missing; he's just "lying low," per CNBC.
- Elsewhere in China, Lai Xiaomin, the former chairman of Chinese lender Huarong Asset Management, was sentenced to death for bribery, corruption, and bigamy.
| | | RIP: The 60/40 portfolio. Masterworks is the only platform that lets you invest in art, which returned 13.6% per year over the last 25 years vs. 8.9% for the S&P 500. Join other sophisticated investors who are moving part of their portfolio to alternative assets like art. The Brew Crew can skip the 10,000 person waitlist today.* Sleep in a warm blanket of comforting sound. Bose Sleepbuds™ II are tiny, comfy earbuds designed to fit snugly in your ear for a night of peaceful zzz's. They work with Bose's Sleep app to play curated, soothing soundzzz—all night long. Get the Sleepbuds™ II here.* 2020 recaps: They keep coming, and they're too good not to share. Here are the 30 best creative brand moves of last year and the notable book covers of 2020. New Year's Resolutions IT help: There is a growing list of "habit-tracking apps" that can help you follow through on the goals you've set for 2021. I spy a new logo: Rate the CIA's rebrand. And then read more about the agency's brand strategy in Marketing Brew. *This is sponsored advertising content. See important Masterworks information. | | | If you go to IMDb and search for "top-rated TV shows" (don't do it just yet), you'll find that the first two entries come from the same documentary series. What's the show? For extra credit: Which non-documentary show from 2001 is third? | | | When you share the Brew with your network, you earn free swag like our classic Morning Brew t-shirt. Are you one of those people who is always going places? Then you probably need a shirt. Might as well be this bad boy with the Morning Brew logo plastered across the chest. 
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