Quote of the Day
“It really is about supply and demand — not enough houses, and huge numbers of people wanting homes.”
(Jenny Schuetz)
Chart of the Day

National 30-year mortgage rates are up some 0.75% in the past year. (chart via Freddie Mac)
Markets
- The new year ushered in a new market regime. (bpsandpieces.com)
- If you were anxious these past couple weeks, you have a reprieve. Use it. (thereformedbroker.com)
- The Nasdaq Composite is below its 200 day moving average for the first time in some 400 days. (sentimentrader.com)
Crypto
- Andreessen Horowitz is not slowing down in the crypto space. (ft.com)
- The UK is set to crack down on crypto advertising. (techcrunch.com)
- The Bank of Russia has advocated for a complete crypto ban. (theblockcrypto.com)
- Scott Duke Kominers, "As the NFT market expands, many NFTs will serve less as fine art or investment assets, and more as collectibles that anchor communities of like-minded enthusiasts." (bloomberg.com)
Finance
- Will every asset eventually get tokenized? (institutionalinvestor.com)
- SPAC owners are increasing rejecting merger deals. (bloomberg.com)
Microsoft
- Why the Microsoft ($MSFT) deal for Activision Blizzard ($ATVI) is such a big deal. (theringer.com)
- Microsoft ($MSFT) was the only logical buyer for Activision ($ATVI). (daringfireball.net)
- The Activision deal makes the XBox the superior platform. (nytimes.com)
- Why does Microsoft ($MSFT) get a pass compared to Big Tech in Washington DC? (washingtonpost.com)
Venture
- More signs of froth in the VC space. (nytimes.com)
- How many funding rounds does it take to get to IPO? (blossomstreetventures.medium.com)
- There is a big difference between outright fraud and 'fake it until you make it.' (ritholtz.com)
Commodities
- The rising price of oil has jump started the U.S. shale industry. (ft.com)
- Higher lumber prices have not translated into higher timberland prices in the U.S. (wsj.com)
Economy
- Omicron is likely to blame for the tick up in weekly initial unemployment claims. (bonddad.blogspot.com)
- Nobody is really betting on a recession in 2022. (thereformedbroker.com)
- Omicron boosted the number of workers out sick in December. (washingtonpost.com)
- 18 charts that explain the current U.S. economy. (fullstackeconomics.com)
Earlier on Abnormal Returns
- Longform links: minds and values. (abnormalreturns.com)
- What you missed in our Wednesday linkfest. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Personal finance links: counting your money. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Learning from your money mistakes. (abnormalreturns.com)
- Are you a financial adviser looking for some out-of-the-box thinking? Then check out our weekly e-mail newsletter. (newsletter.abnormalreturns.com)