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• ☕️ What Else is Brewing Sunday Morning
  This AI went to sommelier school. A...

  This AI went to sommelier school. A new algorithm trained on wine can tell which vineyard a bottle of red Bordeaux came from with 100% accuracy, according to researchers in Switzerland. The group created this AI connoisseur by feeding data on the chemical components of 80 wines bottled in France between 1990 and 2007 to a machine-learning model. (The algorithm also correctly guessed the year of origin half of the time.) Other than proving that AI can impress a dinner party, the findings demonstrate how local geography, climate, microbes, and wine-making practices combine to give each wine a unique flavor.

  
  

  Your mischievous cat might actually be a killer. Researchers are calling domesticated felines one of the “most problematic invasive species in the world” after the first global study quantifying their diets found that outdoor and feral kitties eat more than 2,000 types of critters—including some endangered ones. In Australia, cats kill an estimated 300 million animals every year. Of the birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles they eat, 17% are of conservation concern, prompting some towns in Germany and New Zealand to keep their house cats inside…or consider getting rid of all the feral ones.

  
  

  We’re one step closer to ending morning sickness. A hormone produced by fetuses causes many pregnant people to suffer from severe nausea and vomiting. But scientists think they may have found the solution to this common ailment. At the Maternity Hospital in Cambridge, England, patients with lower preexisting levels of the hormone GDF15 had more severe pregnancy sickness, while those with higher levels didn’t experience much nausea or vomiting once pregnant, according to researchers. This discovery indicates that reducing a person’s sensitivity to GDF15 by exposing them to it before pregnancy could effectively prevent them from getting ill while carrying.—ML

  
  
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• Drillers Cut Activity Amid Stabilizing Oil Prices
  The total number of active drilling rigs in the United States fell...

  The total number of active drilling rigs in the United States fell by 2 this week after climbing by 10 over the course of the last four weeks, according to new data that Baker Hughes published Friday.

  
  

  The total rig count fell to 624 this week. Since this time last year, Baker Hughes has estimated a loss of 160 active drilling rigs. This week’s count is 451 fewer rigs than the rig count at the beginning of 2019, before the pandemic.

  
  

  The number of oil rigs fell by 2 to 501. Oil rigs are now down by 119 compared to this time last year. The number of gas rigs stayed the same this week at 119, a loss of 35 active gas rigs from this time last year. Miscellaneous rigs fell by 1.

  
  

  Primary Vision’s Frac Spread Count, an estimate of the number of crews completing unfinished, rose by 2 in the week to December 8 to 278. The frac spread count is 20 more than where it started the year.

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• ☕️ What Else Is Brewing Saturday Morning
  Friends star Matthew...
  
  
  • Friends star Matthew Perry died of “acute effects of ketamine” and subsequent drowning, an autopsy report said.
  
  
  • GM will lay off 1,300 workers in Michigan early next year because it’s ending production of the vehicles they make.
  
  
  • Amazon, Target, and Walmart are suspending sales of water beads marketed to children because the superabsorbent colorful balls pose a safety risk when swallowed.
  
  
  • Greek yogurt-maker Chobani has purchased coffee company La Colombe for $900 million in a rare deal involving two brands we really like.
  
  

  
  

  Israel accidentally killed three hostages. The Israeli army said yesterday that it had mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza after misidentifying them as a threat during ground operations. The military said it was still investigating the “sad and painful event” but that it believed the three had escaped from or been abandoned by their captors.

  
  

  Shipping giants are avoiding the Red Sea. Following attacks on commercial ships by Houthi militants off the coast of Yemen, two of the world’s biggest shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, said they have paused sending their ships through the Red Sea and will reroute around Africa.

  
  

  Rudy Giuliani ordered to pay $148 million for defaming election workers. A jury found the former NYC mayor should pay the sum to a pair of Georgia election workers he falsely accused of tampering with ballots to rig the 2020 election, including $75 million in punitive damages.

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• Closing Market Update
  (Friday market close) U.S. stocks...

  (Friday market close) U.S. stocks ended mixed Friday, but the S&P 500® index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite® (COMP) still extended seven-week winning streaks behind encouraging signs on inflation and the economy and beliefs the Federal Reserve will pivot to interest rate cuts in 2024. The Dow Jones Industrial Average® (DJI) posted a record closing high for the third straight day.

  
  

  Here's where the major benchmarks ended:

  
  The S&P 500 index was down 0.36 points at 4,719.19, up 2.5% for the week; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 56.81 points (0.2%) at 37,305.16, up 2.9% for the week; the Nasdaq Composite was up 52.36 points (0.4%) at 14,813.92, up 2.8% for the week.
  
  The 10-year Treasury note yield(TNX) was down about 2 basis points at 3.913%.
  
  The Cboe® Volatility Index (VIX) was down 0.20 at 12.28.
  
  
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• Closing Oil & Gas Prices for Friday
  Benchmark U.S. crude oil for January delivery...

  Benchmark U.S. crude oil for January delivery fell 15 cents to $71.43 per barrel Friday.

  
  

  Brent crude for February delivery fell 6 cents to $76.55 per barrel.

  
  

  Wholesale gasoline for January delivery rose 2 cents to $2.14 a gallon.

  
  

  January heating oil rose 3 cents to $2.62 a gallon.

  
  

  January natural gas rose 10 cents to $2.49 per 1,000 cubic feet.

  
  
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