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• Closing Market Update
  (Monday market close) Bullish investors...

  (Monday market close) Bullish investors picked up where they left off last week, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average® (DJI) to a fourth consecutive record high close as the market extended a holiday-season rally behind ongoing optimism that 2024 will bring lower interest rates and a potential "soft landing" for the economy.

  
  

  The S&P 500® index (SPX), coming off a seven-week winning streak (its longest string since 2017), ended near a two-year high, as did the Nasdaq Composite® (COMP). Markets remained generally buoyant following last week's relatively tame inflation readings and a more aggressive outlook for rate cuts from the Fed.  Here's where the major benchmarks ended:

  
  

  The S&P 500 index was up 21.37 points (0.5%) at 4,740.56; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.86 points at 37,306.02; the Nasdaq Composite was up 90.89 points (0.6%) at 14,904.81.

  
  

  The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was up about 2 basis points at 3.946%.

  
  

  The Cboe® Volatility Index (VIX) was up 0.25 at 12.53.

  
  
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• Closing Oil & Gas Prices for Monday
  Benchmark U.S....

  Benchmark U.S. crude oil for January delivery rose $1.04 to $72.47 per barrel Monday. Brent crude for February delivery rose $1.40 to $77.95 per barrel.

  
  

  Wholesale gasoline for January delivery rose 2 cents to $2.16 a gallon. January heating oil rose 5 cents to $2.67 a gallon. January natural gas rose 1 cent to $2.50 per 1,000 cubic feet.

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• Lithium's Potential Draws Oil, Gas Firms' Attention
  Traditional oil and gas companies are venturing...

  Traditional oil and gas companies are venturing into lithium extraction in the US to capitalize on the growing demand for the metal and diversify their revenue streams, although legal uncertainties around lithium ownership in Texas could hinder the industry's expansion. ExxonMobil is using low-emission direct lithium extraction in the Smackover region of Arkansas to extract lithium from saltwater and convert it into battery-grade material, while Eureka Resources is experimenting with vacuum crystallization tech to extract pure lithium carbonate from oil and gas brine.

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• ☕️ What Else Is Brewing Monday Morning
  Trump uses Nazi-era rhetoric to attack migrants....

  Trump uses Nazi-era rhetoric to attack migrants. On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, former President Trump said migrants were “poisoning the blood of our country,” echoing words Adolf Hitler used in Mein Kampf, scholars said. Trump’s escalating rhetoric on immigration came as lawmakers scrambled to work out a deal on border security, which Republicans are demanding as part of a broader package that would send tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine.

  
  

  High-ranking cardinal found guilty of financial crimes. The Vatican’s “trial of the century” ended with Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu being found guilty of embezzlement and fraud in the church’s criminal court and sentenced to five and a half years in prison. Eight others in connection with Becciu, who had been considered a candidate to be the next pope, were also found guilty of financial crimes or abuse of office. Prosecutors discovered money transfers as part of a London real estate deal approved by Becciu in 2013 and 2014; the court found that the transactions were embezzlement and ordered the guilty parties to pay the Vatican more than $200 million in restitution.

  
  

  Hong Kong media tycoon on trial: Imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai will go on trial today in a globally significant case that’s considered a test of Hong Kong’s judicial independence following a security crackdown by China in 2020. Lai, who founded the pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily, has been charged with colluding with foreign forces and sedition and could face life in prison. One of Lai’s sons has called it a “show trial.”

  
  

  Blue Origin attempts a return to space. Jeff Bezos’s space company, Blue Origin, will aim to launch its New Shepard rocket in a cargo mission as soon as today. The rocket has been grounded for 14 months after suffering a mid-launch failure in September 2022.

  
  

  Coming to streaming: Gwyneth vs Terry: The Ski Crash Trial drops today on Max. Paltrow (the titular Gwyneth) was found not at fault in March for a 2016 skiing accident involving optometrist Terry Sanderson. Also, the Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro, is coming to Netflix on Wednesday. Bradley Cooper stars as the composer in the film, which is also written and directed by Cooper.

  
  
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• Israel Eyes Hostage Talks
  The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency reportedly met...
  The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency reportedly met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani over the weekend, looking to renew a cease-fire deal that would see hostages held by Hamas in Gaza released. The talks came a day after the Israeli military killed three hostages after misidentifying them as Hamas militants. 
  
  A previous cease-fire in late November—also mediated by Qatar—lasted seven days and saw 50 Israeli hostages and roughly 150 Palestinian prisoners released. Qatar has become a broker for talks due to its unique position as both a close US ally and a financial backer of Hamas. Around 115 remaining hostages are believed to be held by Hamas.
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