Inflation over the past few years has really hit leisure and entertainment companies like RCL, CCL and MGM hard. There is no doubt that when the basic costs of living (such as housing and food) are at the height of the inflationary boom, it's hard to afford to take a vacation, whether it's a cruise or a simple trip to Las Vegas. While it would be easy to postpone such a vacation, I believe that the end (or at least the beginning of the end) of inflation may mark the beginning of a return to leisure. Variables
European stock markets got off to a rough start on Friday, with the futures index posting its biggest one-day drop in months, due to escalating tensions in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister of Agriculture Benjamin Netanyahu said that "whoever harms us or plans to harm us" will respond. Israel is preparing for possible repetitive attacks that could be triggered by a hypothetical Israeli air strike on the Iranian embassy on Monday.
Australia's wine industry has been encouraged by news that China is set to lift anti-dumping tariffs and reopen the market to imports, but a tougher economic climate in 2024 is unlikely to deliver the growth in sparkling wine that winemakers are looking for. China has driven the growth of the global wine industry for two decades, as hundreds of millions of its middle class have begun to enjoy wines from Australia, Chile, Italy and France. But Chinese wine industry executives say the market and domestic consumption are still struggling to recover from a downturn that began before the COVID-19 pandemic and has lasted a long time because of the long-term limitations it imposed.
Joao Gomes, a professor at the Wharton School of Business, said that if the U.S. doesn't adjust its fiscal policy, markets could react similarly to the U.K.'s 2022 financial crisis.
(Bloomberg) -- Asian stocks followed U.S. shares lower Friday as interest rate uncertainty and geopolitical tensions weighed on sentiment: Market RoundupApple explores home robotics as potential 'next big thing' after car malfunctionsBiden tells Netanya that U.S. support depends on protection of civiliansKim Jong-un faces annihilation in most Korean war scenariosEquities in A