Zuckerberg says metaverse is not their main business focus (2 min read)
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Investors have repeatedly expressed concerns over Meta’s heavy losses in the metaverse and the lack of focus in the company’s core business. Mark Zuckerberg clarified that less than 20% of their investments goes towards the metaverse while about 80% still goes into their core business like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp messenger. He said until metaverse becomes a larger thing, social media will continue to be the major focus of the business.

Salesforce weak Q4 forecast and sudden departure of co-CEO (1 min read)
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Salesforce posted earnings and revenue for Q3 that beats analyst expectations but expects a weaker Q4. The company said it would take a $900 million hit in sales this quarter because of foreign currency effects and forecast revenue in Q4 just below analyst estimates. Co-CEO, Bret Taylor was also suddenly announced to be stepping down, leaving co-founder Marc Benioff as the sole person in charge. Salesforce stocks were down more than 6% in the extended trading.

Powell signals 0.50% rate hike in December (3 min read)
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Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in a speech on Wednesday that it makes sense to moderate rate hikes as they are approaching the estimated peak interest rates. He added that the time for moderating the rate increase may come as soon as December. However, the Fed is likely to raise the peak rates somewhat higher than estimated in September. Although there is progress in the fight against inflation, it is still a long way from the 2% target to restore price stability.

The number of available jobs in the US fell in October (3 min read)
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The latest JOLTS report showed 10.3 million jobs available in October, down from 10.7 million in September. This equates to 1.7 job openings for each job seeker which is lower than the 2 to 1 ratio just a few months ago. The ADP monthly payroll report also showed the job gains in November are at the lowest since January 2021. While these monthly data can be volatile, it provided some indications that the Fed’s effort to cool demand is starting to have an impact.

Ex-US Funds Soared in November (2 min read)

International market ETFs rallied and outpaced US stock ETFs during the month of November. Rising dollar has made overseas stocks more attractive to investors as they become relatively cheaper. These markets have also fallen more than the US this year which gave them more room for a comeback. Another reason for the recent rally is because international funds have a higher concentration in energy stocks and less on technology.

Do ETFs Pay Dividends? (3 min read)
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There are many ETFs that invest in dividend stocks. While most of them do pay out the dividends derived from the underlying stocks, not all dividend ETFs distribute it in the same way. This article discusses how ETF dividends work and the different types of dividends investors might receive. It also provided a tool for searching dividend ETFs based on certain criteria such as the size of the fund, expense ratio, returns, or a specific category.

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Thanks,
Thomas

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