Here are the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day:
1. Dow, S&P 500 set to rise, one day after closing at records
A Wall Street subway station near the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
- Apple’s premarket gain would put it over the $3 trillion market cap again. The tech giant became the first U.S. company to do so during Monday trading. But it just missed closing above that level.
- At 10 a.m. ET, the Labor Department is set to release its latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS is expected to show 11.1 million job openings as of the end of November.
2. U.S. reports over 1 million new daily Covid cases as omicron surges
Merline Jimenez (L) administers a COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab to a person at a testing site located in the international terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) amid a surge in omicron variant cases on December 21, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
The U.S. reported a record number of new Covid cases Monday, with more than 1 million new infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The record single-day total may be due in part to delayed reporting from over the holiday weekend. President Joe Biden on Tuesday is scheduled to meet with the White House Covid response team as the highly infectious omicron variant sweeps the nation. The cumulative number of cases confirmed in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic reached 56,191,733 early Tuesday, with 827,749 total Covid deaths in the U.S.
3. FDA expands Pfizer booster eligibility to kids 12 to 15
A health worker prepares to administer a dose of Pfizer covid-19 vaccine to a girl at the Sanford Civic Center. With the emergence of the Omicron covid-19 variant in numerous countries, including the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) encouraged all vaccinated adults to receive their Covid-19 booster shot.
Paul Hennessy | LightRocket | Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday expanded eligibility for Pfizer and BioNTech booster shots to children 12 to 15 years old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still has to sign off. The CDC’s expert advisory panel will meet Wednesday. Also on Monday, the FDA shortened the time between the second Pfizer dose and the booster to five months, down from six months. The agency authorized a third vaccine dose as part of the primary series of shots for kids 5 to 11 with compromised immune systems.
4. Biden disapproval hits new high, new CNBC/Change poll says
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a video conference with farmers, ranchers and meat processors to discuss meat and poultry supply chain issues, from an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, January 3, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Biden’s overall disapproval rating reached a new high in December as more voters signaled their unhappiness with his handling of the economy and the Covid pandemic. Results from a CNBC/Change Research poll show 60% of respondents said they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy as he nears the conclusion of his first year in office. A majority of survey respondents, 55%, also signaled disapproval of his leadership during the pandemic, an area in which he previously excelled.
5. Jury finds Theranos founder guilty on multiple charges
Elizabeth Holmes leaves the courthouse accompanied by her partner, Billy Evans, and her parents after the jury requested a note on day 7 of jury deliberation in her fraud trial in San Jose, California, January 3, 2022.
Nick Otto | AFP | Getty Images
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, a one-time billionaire and darling of Silicon Valley who promised a revolutionary blood-testing technology, has been found guilty of four of 11 charges in her criminal fraud trial. The jury of eight men and four women were handed the case in mid-December after three months of proceedings and testimony from 32 witnesses. Deliberations lasted more than 50 hours over seven days. Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison. Theranos dissolved in 2018 following civil and criminal probes. Holmes was indicted that year, following a series of damning articles in The Wall Street Journal.
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https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/04/5-things-to-know-before-the-stock-market-opens-tuesday-jan-4.html
