Good morning. Later today, you’ll get our 2024 outlook.

If you missed them, check out the first two issues of our special three-part series:

• The worst investments of 2023

• The best investments of 2023

• The best investments for 2024 (Coming today)

• As we predicted yesterday, it was a rough start to 2024. The S&P 500 fell 0.6%, while the Nasdaq tumbled 1.6%. Only the Dow edged 0.1% higher. Apple had its worst day in nearly five months.

• America’s national debt surpassed $34 trillion for the first time. That’s around $100 per person in the US.

• Oil prices were up more than 2% yesterday due to escalating tensions in the Red Sea morning before giving back some gains.

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A surprisingly optimistic outlook from you lot, which is encouraging.

🎉 Better - let’s rock in the New Year

“I think this year will be volatile, but there is a lot of potential for things to begin to improve. If not, then we are all doomed”

📉 Worse - everything is falling apart

“Does anyone in government buy groceries? Inflation is not at 3%, and take a look at food banks. They have never had so many people using them”

Ideas, trends, and analysis

• The bull case for McDonald’s in 2024.

• Chinese shares are down big over the last three years. Time to buy, or is it a value trap?

• Tech’s hangover might just be getting started.

• The five most notable hospital M&A deals in 2023.

📊 Income

• Bonds are clawing back last year’s declines.

• Barron’s 12 best income investments for 2024.

📊 Crypto

• BTC ETF providers are already racing to the bottom with fees.

• Jim Cramer is now bullish on BTC. God help us.

• The BTC ETF is undeniably bullish for the cryptocurrency, but beware

🌍 Global Perspectives

🇧🇷 Brazil’s economy is doing well during President Lula’s first year back in office.

🇨🇳 Almost 90% of foreign money that flowed into China's stock market in 2023 has been pulled.

🇩🇪 The German economy may see a little growth this year, but so far everything is pointing to a lackluster year.

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund accounted for about a quarter of the almost $124 billion spent by sovereign wealth funds worldwide last year.

🇹🇷 Turkish inflation hit 65% and is expected to rise further.

🇱🇹 The number of foreign workers in Lithuania was up more than 33% last year. There’s an arrival allowance of 3,444 euros (around $3,764) awarded to foreigners who work in occupations the country needs.

💎 Wealth Watch

• How to get rich in the 21st century.

• Gas prices are under $3 per gallon in the US.

• More than 500 drugs are expected to see price increases early this month.

• How to make the most of a Roth conversion.

🗳️ Outside the Box

• Security officers found 17 bullets concealed inside a diaper Wednesday at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

• An Alabama woman with two uteri and two cervixes has given birth to two babies after carrying one of them in each uterus.

📈 Trends you need to know

Search results are from our friends at Glimpse, my favorite way to spot trends.

“Over the past two years, roughly 25% of those who subscribed to AppleTV+, Amazon’s PrimeVideo, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ have canceled at least three of those options – an increase from 15% before hikes pushed the combined tab of the ad-free monthly costs for those eight streamers to $112.42 a month.”

That’s all for today. Did we miss anything? Smash the reply button to let us know.

Cheers,

Wyatt