Black Friday Record, Alabama’s Miracle Pass, and a Kangaroo Playing Air Guitar
RJ Hamster
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2023
Good Morning! On this day in 1885, astronomer Ladislaus Weinek took the first photograph ever made of a streaking meteor during the Andromedids meteor shower. (See Video)
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Black Friday shoppers spent a record $9.8 billion in U.S. online sales, up 7.5% from last year. Analysts said more than half of that came from mobile shopping, indicating the significance of impulse shopping.
According to Shopify, the top five categories were clothing, personal care, jewelry, shoes and decor. The average “shopping cart” price was roughly $120.
Though most of the shopping was online, the National Retail Federation said stores had nearly 200 million visits, up over last year. Unlike past years, there were no reports of mob scenes as people rushed for merchandise.
Biden Poll Numbers Keep Falling
President Biden’s poll numbers keep dropping, according to an analysis by Politico. In a match-up with Donald Trump, Biden’s position got worse in all but two of the latest surveys from 13 different pollsters.
The survey analysis shows that Trump’s vote share in national polling is higher than at any point in the past year. Polls show that Trump leads Biden among young voters as well.
Democrats are publicly divided about how to respond to the barrage of weak polls. Some say it’s too early to worry, but others have pushed the party to consider options. Biden’s 39% approval rating is lower now than Trump’s was at the same time in his term.
Three-Year World Cruise Strands Customers
A three-year-long sea cruise has been canceled two weeks before the ship was to leave for the first leg of its long journey. Many of the passengers were already in Istanbul, ready to depart, when they found out there was no ship.
The cruise company said investors pulled their money, and it couldn’t afford the $50 million luxury liner required. The cruise charged $30,000 a year per passenger and would cover 130,000 miles, 375 ports, and 135 countries in three years.
The company said it would refund the money in installments and pay for flights home. But some customers said they no longer had homes to return to, expecting to be on the ship for three years.
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➤ Rep. George Santos said he expects to be expelled from Congress during a live-streamed speech Friday. A House ethics report found substantial evidence of financial fraud by Santos. (More)
➤ Rep. Dean Phillips, the Democrat challenging President Biden in the primary race, said he wouldn’t run for re-election to Congress in order to focus on his presidential run. (More)
➤Abigail Idan, the four-year-old Israeli-American child held hostage by Hamas, was released Sunday along with 16 other hostages. Idan’s parents were killed by Hamas terrorists in the Oct. 7 attack. (More)
➤ A Louisiana local election for parish sheriff that saw 43,000 voters go to the polls was decided by exactly one vote. The losing candidate demanded a recount. (More)
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3 Days Left to Invest in the Company That Won Over the Sharks
Venture capitalists know how difficult it is to spot promising early investment opportunities.
Even the all-knowing Sharks from Shark Tank declined the offer to buy 10% of Ring for $700,000 – a decision they would regret when Amazon acquired Ring, turning the $700,000 into $10M!
What made Ring blow up and change doorbells forever? Retail distribution.
You’ve heard us talk about RYSE and their deal to launch in +100 Best Buys. But did you know that they pitched on Canada’s Shark Tank and received two offers?
Exits in the smart home industry have shown to yield massive returns for early investors (look at Ring and Nest’s billion dollar acquisitions) and the Sharks think they’ve spotted a winner in RYSE.
➤ The Michigan Wolverines wontheir third straight victory over rival Ohio State in a 30-24 win that Ohio State’s coach called “devastating.” The latest AP football poll shows the Buckeyes dropping four spots to No. 6. (See AP Poll)
➤ Alabama beat Auburn in the final seconds with a miracle touchdown after being down four points. The Crimson Tide scored on 4th and goal from the 31-yard-line with just 30 seconds left. (See Video)
➤ College football’s conference championship schedule is now set. Highlights include the SEC championship game next Saturday between No. 1 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama. (See Full Schedule)
➤ Max Verstappen capped the most dominant seasonby any driver in F1 history by winning his 19th victory of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen now ranks third on the all-time winners list. (More)
Market Report Previous Week
▼
NASDAQ
Natl. Assoc. of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations
14,250.86
-0.11%
▲
SPX
S&P 500
4,559.34
+0.06%
▲
DJI
Dow Jones Industrial Average
35,390.57
+0.33%
▼
BTC
Bitcoin
$37,311.0
-0.35%
▲
BBAR
Banco BBVA Argentina S.A.
$5.24
+19.91%
➤ Sam Altman returned as CEO of OpenAI after being fired by his board. The board has now been replaced after virtually the entire company threatened to quit if Altman wasn’t brought back. (More)
➤ Elon Musk’s long-awaited Tesla cybertruck will finally make its public debut this week, with first deliveries slated for Nov. 30. The electric truck has been in the works for four years. (See Photos)
➤ Krispy Kreme has released three “Elf”-themed custom doughnuts to celebrate the holiday movie’s 20th anniversary. The “Buddy Makes Breakfast” doughnut is topped with spaghetti buttercream, sprinkles, and maple drizzle. (See Doughnuts)
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➤ The world’s largest iceberg, stuck for three decades in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea, has finally freed itself and is on the loose again. At nearly 1,500 square miles, iceberg A23 is roughly three times the size of New York City. (See Video)
➤ A brilliant new image taken by the James Webb Telescope shows 500,000 stars shining in Sagittarius C, a chaotic region near the center of the Milky Way. (See Photo)
➤ The Geminids meteor shower is underway, continuing until Dec. 24. The shower is often the strongest of the year and is visible across the globe. (How to Watch)
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➤ Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, an annual tradition begun in 2010 to encourage people to help others as the holidays begin. (How It Works)
➤ Football fans have three nights of games this week: the Bears play the Vikings Monday night, Seattle faces the Cowboys on Thursday, and the Pac 12 championship game pits No. 5 Oregon against No. 3 Washington on Friday night. (MNF Breakdown)
➤ Congress returns from holiday recess Tuesday facing a high-priority to-do list that includes intertwined decisions on aid for Israel, aid for Ukraine, and U.S. border control. (More)
➤ A kangaroo apparently playing air guitar is the grand prize winner of The 2023 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Prizes were awarded in six categories for funniest animal pictures. (See Winners)
➤ A massive waterspout reaching up from the sea toward the sky was spotted off Italy’s Amalfi Coast and videotaped by an onlooker. (See Video)
➤ A gambler at the Las Vegas airport won nearly $348,000 off a $2.50 spin on a Wheel of Fortune slot machine. (More)
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