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Today's big stories

The US added way more jobs than expected in February, which could set the economy up for a boom
Here are five lessons you can use from the world of poker to improve your investing approach – Read Now
The rapid increase in food prices could have negative effects on the global economy – and your wallet

Just The Tip

What’s Going On Here?

The US can’t stop teasing investors with the prospect of an economic boom: data out on Friday showed the US economy added 379,000 jobs in February – almost double the 200,000 economists were predicting (tweet this).

What Does This Mean?

The unemployment rate dropped from 6.3% in January to 6.2% last month, and unlike previous months, the “participation rate” – the proportion of people who are either working or seeking employment – didn’t drop. In other words, there were more people who joined the workforce than there were people who gave up looking for work altogether.

One number economists are paying extra-close attention to is “average hourly earnings”, which was only marginally higher in February than it was in January. That suggests there’s still room for plenty of jobs to be added before businesses have to start hiking wages to tempt in new applicants. Makes sense: the US is still some 9.5 million jobs short of where it was before the pandemic landed.

Why Should I Care?

For markets: The US is on stronger footing.
Employment reports give an almost real-time insight into how the economy is doing, and last week’s update bodes well. Now that hiring seems to be back on track, there’ll be more people working – and therefore able to spend – when a vaccinated America fully reopens for business. That should be good for economically sensitive cyclical stocks in particular, some of which rose on Friday.

The bigger picture: Just the idea of higher rates is enough to knock stocks.
An influx of newly employed workers with a bit more cash to burn seems to have investors worried that inflation is set to climb. And while the US Federal Reserve has said interest rates won’t change for a while yet, the prospect they will was enough to push investors to sell off their stocks on Friday.

You might also like: How to keep your debts in check no matter how the economy looks.

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2. Analyst Take

What Poker Can Teach You About Investing

What’s Going On Here?

Investing and poker have a lot in common: both are heavily dependent on luck for short-term success, but both require skill to win out in the long run.

The best players in both disciplines are experts at calculated risk-taking, as well as keenly aware of the importance of technical knowledge and emotional control.

In fact, an academic study recently found that fund managers who do well in poker tournaments significantly outperform their peers’ investment returns.

That might explain why some of the most successful investors of all time are either poker players themselves (like David Einhorn) or regularly hire former professionals.

And it got us thinking about the old saying: if you can’t spot the sucker in any given situation, it’s probably you.

We don’t want you be that sucker, so here are five lessons poker can teach you to up your investment game.

Read or listen to the Insight here

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Going Hangry

What’s Going On Here?

Data out late last week showed that a key measure of food prices rose for the ninth month in a row in February – to its highest in six years.

What Does This Mean?

The last time the United Nations’ gauge of global food prices rose for this long was back in 2008, and it was followed by a major food crisis. This time around, though, the most affected countries will probably be emerging and frontier markets: those that are more reliant on ingredients like rice, whose price rose 76% last year. That’s definitely not good news for Nigeria, whose average household already spends half its income on food. The irony is that this jump in food prices is partly down to another emerging market: China’s been buying up huge amounts of crops from around the world as local weather threatens its harvests.

Why Should I Care?

For you personally: It’s trickle-down economics at work.
Developed markets like the US and Europe should be relatively insulated from rising food prices, but they’re not immune: food producers will likely try to pass their higher costs onto food retailers, which will, in turn, probably pass them onto you. That’s not ideal: economists are hoping you’ll put any money you’ve saved during the pandemic toward economy-boosting nice-to-haves, but you won’t have as much to spend if you’re paying more for the essentials. It’s not the thought of your pursestrings that’s keeping the experts up at night, mind you: if you don’t spend, the global economy could well fall short of growth forecasts.

For markets: Inflation, inflation everywhere.
Food prices aren’t the only reason investors are getting worried about rising inflation: the oil price just hit its highest level since April 2019. Too-high inflation would encourage central banks to effectively increase interest rates, which is why some investors have been selling off bonds and the priciest stocks in preparation.

You might also like: Everything that sets China apart from the other emerging markets.

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💬 Quote of the day

“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.”

– Mario Andretti (an Italian-born American former racing driver)

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📚 What we're reading

The future of QAnon (Vox)
The drones are coming (Parallel Flight)*
An ill-timed tattoo (Buzzfeed)
Beer and black culture: the history of brewing (Eater)

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🌍 Finimize Events

🚂 “I miss my commute,” said no one

You’ll be able to get back on buses, subways, and trains soon enough, sure, but that doesn’t mean you’ll want to. Enter bike and scooter-sharing, an industry that’s poised to do well from the whole “not being in cramped spaces” thing. That sounds like an investment opportunity if ever there was one…

🛴 Investing In Scooter And Bike-Sharing: 1pm UK Time, March 8th
♻️ The Key To Understanding ESG: 1pm UK Time, March 9th
👣 Invest Your Money, Save The Planet: 6pm UK Time, March 9th
📲 What’s Next For Tech: 6pm UK Time, March 10th
🏦 The Next Decade in Banking: 6pm UK Time, March 11th
💰 The Evolution Of Crypto: 6pm Dubai Time, March 12th
🕶 Investing in Virtual Reality & 5G: 6pm New York Time, March 16th
👌 The Three Most Important Metrics In Investing: 6pm UK Time, March 18th
💉 Investing In Healthcare: 6pm UK Time, March 22nd
🤑 A Guide To Crypto In 2021: 6pm UK Time, March 25th
🎙 Finimize Monthly Town Hall: 1.30pm UK Time, March 26th

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Finimize - 📈 The US boom is back

Today's big stories

Just The Tip

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

What Poker Can Teach You About Investing

Invest your money, make a difference

Going Hangry

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

Make summer 2021 your best yet

🚂 “I miss my commute,” said no one

Older messages

🐱 Why NFTs are all the rage

🚀 Instacart to the moooon

⚠️ Don't panic just yet

🏃‍♂️ The 3 question exit strategy

🚨 Ray Dalio's bubble warning

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