1. Number of International Markets Hitting Lows Reached Highest Level of Year
U.S. Is Still No. 1. HMR Insights. Hi Mount Research. himountresearch.substack.com Nov. 17: The number of markets hitting new lows reached its highest level of the year. The late-September spike (when half the world was making new highs) seems like a distant memory at this point. As it stands now, less than a fifth of markets are above their 50-day average and less than half are still above their 200-day average. Global weakness last week helped confirm one of the most durable trends over the past decade as the U.S. hit a new high versus the rest of the world (again). Willie Delwiche. Barrons
Vanguard International ETF on 200-Day
2. China -22% from Stimulus Rally High
Bespoke Investment Group
Chinese Stocks in Free Fall-In the US, equities have staged a solid rally this month with most of the move occurring after the election. Elsewhere in the world, equities haven’t exactly shared in the gains. Chinese stocks, using the iShares MSCI China ETF (MCHI) as a proxy, surged throughout September and into early October as stimulus measures were announced. After a massive 42.7% gain from the end of August through the closing high on October 7th, MCHI reversed lower and was down 14.5% by Election Day. Headed into the election, MCHI actually stabilized somewhat, but post election it has taken another leg lower as it is now down 9% since then and 22.2% since the October high. As shown below, the ETF is also now in no-man’s-land trading smack in the middle of its 200 and 50-DMAs with gaps to fill from the September post-stimulus run up.
https://www.bespokepremium.com/interactive/posts/think-big-blog/chinese-stocks-in-free-fall
3. U.S. Dollar Sentiment at Highs…Strong Dollar Hurting International
4. Bessent Nomination vs. U.S. Dollar
5. Corporate Capital Spending Has Room to Run
JP Morgan Private Bank
https://privatebank.jpmorgan.com/nam/en/home
6. IPO Index +4.1% Last Week
Renaissance IPO ETF (NYSE symbol: IPO)
tracks the Renaissance IPO Index
The Renaissance IPO Index returned 4.1%
last week vs. 1.7% for the S&P 500
Renaissance Research https://www.renaissancecapital.com/
7. Breakdown U.S. Government Spending
8. Slight Uptick in Existing Homes for Sale
9. NYC Passes Bill for 80K New Housing Units
10. How Tea Affects Health -Consumer Reports
Teas made from the tea plant come in four basic varieties: black, oolong, green, and white. They differ in flavor and color depending on how the leaves of the plant are picked, rolled, crushed, and exposed to air before drying.
For example, black teas are exposed to the air for an extended period before being steamed and dried, which promotes oxidation and gives the tea its dark color and deep flavor. Oolong teas are exposed for a shorter time, creating a slightly milder color and flavor. The leaves in green tea retain their color because they’re steamed and dried soon after picking, preventing most oxidation, so green tea has a grassier, more herbal flavor. White teas are even lighter in color and flavor because they’re made from young tea buds that are steamed and dried immediately after picking.
In addition to the obvious differences in color and flavor, there are some differences in health effects. Most notably, the darker the tea, the higher the caffeine level tends to be. An 8-ounce cup of black tea, for example, usually has about 40 to 60 milligrams of caffeine, about half of what’s in a typical cup of brewed coffee and about twice as much as what’s in green tea.
While caffeine can promote alertness, too much can make you jittery and possibly pose other health risks. That’s why the Food and Drug Administration recommends consuming no more than 400 mg of it per day. If you are watching your caffeine intake, then, you may want to drink more green tea, for example, than black. Note, though, that how much caffeine ends up in a cup of tea can vary from product to product, and also depends on how long you let it steep. So monitor how you feel after drinking your tea and adjust accordingly.
There are also some subtle differences among tea types in the amounts of antioxidants—a broad class of substances that offer a multitude of health benefits—they contain. But overall, they are all excellent sources of those beneficial compounds, says Michelle Francl, PhD, professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College in Pa., who’s also the author of the book “Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea” (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024). “Even though we tend to think of green tea as kind of healthier than black tea, the [antioxidant] profiles are practically all the same,” she says.
Here’s a quick rundown of tea’s likely health benefits and the compounds thought to contribute to them.
Heart Disease
Polyphenol antioxidants in tea seem to relax blood vessels, which could prevent them from constricting. And catechins, a type of polyphenol, may reduce levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and keep levels of HDL (good) cholesterol high. That could help prevent plaque from building up in your arteries. In combination, these effects may explain why research generally suggests that tea reduces the risk of heart attack and possibly other forms of heart disease.
Diabetes
Catchins as well as theaflavins, which are another type of antioxidants found in tea, appear to affect how the body regulates insulin and blood sugar. And a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that people who drank four or more cups of tea per day had a 20 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who drank less.
Weight Loss
Tea, especially green tea, has a reputation as a weight loss aid. And the combination of caffeine and catechins may boost your metabolism, some research suggests, which could translate into weight loss. However, that effect appears modest at best. Note that there’s little evidence that green tea supplements marketed for weight loss help in that effort, and some research has raised safety concerns about them, so it’s probably wise to skip them.
Bone Health
Tea’s effect on your skeleton is complicated because some research has found that caffeine may be bad for the bones. But a number of studies over the years suggest that drinking tea doesn’t reduce bone density, and may actually strengthen bones. For example, a 2022 study of 3,530 postmenopausal women found that those who drank one to three cups of green tea daily had lower rates of osteopenia (weakened bones) and osteoporosis (decreased bone mass) compared with people who consumed less than one cup daily.
Cancer
The catechins in tea, perhaps especially green tea, may suppress the growth or spread of certain kinds of cancer cells, according to a 2022 study in Frontiers in Nutrition. The study linked tea consumption to a possible reduced risk of gynecological, digestive, liver, lung, and gallbladder cancers.
Cognitive Decline
Regularly drinking tea may combat some of the normal declines in cognitive function that come with age, according to several studies, including a 2022 analysis in the journal Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience that looked at 36 previously published articles. One possible explanation for that apparent benefit is that the antioxidants in the beverage shield the brain from damage.
What About Herbal Teas?
Peppermint, chamomile, eucalyptus, echinacea, ginger, slippery elm—those are just a few of the hundreds of herbal teas you can buy, alone or in combination. They often have purported health benefits, from helping to soothe a sore throat, improving sleep, and relieving menstrual pain to easing stress, boosting immunity, and aiding digestion. But in part because there are so many of them, with so many different potential health claims, it can be hard to document their benefits with hard, scientific research.
That said, herbal teas often contain some of the same antioxidants and other healthful compounds found in true teas. Many of them also have long histories of use as traditional medicines from around the world, with few known risks when consumed in typical formulations. And, of course, they can be no-calorie ways to keep yourself hydrated—and many people find relief, or just comfort, from a soothing cup of hot herbal tea.