Goodbye 2021

Stocks turned red on Thursday, leaving us with one more day to finish this Santa rally. Weekly job claims hit the lowest point in 52 years (workers have leverage, go get the raise you deserve šŸ¤). Michael Saylor doubles down on the world's biggest Bitcoin YOLO. Biden and Putin talked about Ukraine. Goldman Sachs dominated M&A in 2021. Social media is about to be filled with New Years resolutions that will be over by January 10th.

Good morning,

Stocks turned red on Thursday, leaving us with one more day to finish this Santa rally. Weekly job claims hit the lowest point in 52 years (workers have leverage, go get the raise you deserve šŸ¤). Michael Saylor doubles down on the world's biggest Bitcoin YOLO. Biden and Putin talked about Ukraine. Goldman Sachs dominated M&A in 2021. Social media is about to be filled with New Years resolutions that will be over by January 10th.

I took the time to summarize my thoughts in my first ever Litquidity Year End Letter. If you want to know what we've been up to and where we're going, check out the letter here.

Last Exec Sum of 2021. Let's leave the pandemic in 2021 and spread the BANDEMIC in 2022 šŸ˜¤šŸ’øšŸ’øšŸ’ø

Happy New Year. Have an epic evening. We appreciate y'all for the continued support. We'll be back on Monday.

Let's dive in.

Before The Bell

As of 12/28/2021 market close.

To see the LitCap Yolo Fund's portfolio holdings, download the Iris Social Stock appĀ hereĀ and give Litquidity a follow. If you want to learn more about crypto trading strategies and the world of DeFi, check out ourĀ Foot GunsĀ newsletter.

Markets

  • All three major indexes closed barely in the red during Thursdayā€™s trading session, as they faded into the close from intraday highs

  • Weekly jobless claims came in at 198K (less than the 205K forecast), dropping to the lowest level in 50+ years

  • Cruise stocks took a hit after the CDC recommended tourists stay away regardless of vaccination status

  • A quiet news week and no economic data on Friday leaves investors digesting 2021ā€™s bull run and pondering their 2022 outlooks for the final trading session of the year

Earnings

  • Nothing til next year

  • Full calendar here

Headline Roundup

  • Goldman lands top spot on M&A league tables for fifth year in a row (BBG)

  • Only 26% of world GDP to come from free economies in 2050 (BBG)

  • Biden and Putin speak for second time this month as tensions rise of Russian military buildup at Ukraine border (CNBC)

  • Santander rushes to recoup $130M euros mistakenly paid out to UK accounts (BBG)

  • South Africa lifts curfew due to omicron peak passing (CNBC)

  • Oil-pipeline giant Energy Transfer must pay $410M for killed Williams merger (BBG)

  • Didi reveals $4.7B loss ahead of 2022 Hong Kong debut (BBG)

  • US CDC says people should ā€˜avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination statusā€™ (CNBC)

  • MicroStrategy bought another 1,914 Bitcoins, while selling ~168K shares (SI)

  • Rob any banks this past year? The IRS wants to know about your 'earnings' (MW)

    • Ya boi got a feature in this article šŸ¤šŸ¤

A Message From Litquidity 30 Under 30

Do you know someone who is absolutely thriving in life? Primarily in finance, personal investments, or entrepreneurship? Someone who should've made Forbes 30 Under 30 but doesn't have a publicist on tap to grease Forbes' pocket books? Are they chill af and are they someone you'd be down to rage with in Ibiza?

If so, they sound like the perfect candidate for our upcoming second Litquidity 30 Under 30 list. Last year's list included Friday Beers, the QB for the LA Rams, Venture Capitalists, startup founders, and other finance professionals who are crushing it.Ā Forbes is on the hot seat.

Nominate someone who deserves to be on the list by clicking the button below:

Deal Flow

M&A

  • Biogen shares dropped 7%+ yesterday after Samsung denied the Korean media report that said it was in talks to buy the US drugmaker (BBG)

  • Aircraft asset manager Aviation Capital Group announced the purchase of 20 A220s and 40 A320neos from Airbus (BW)

  • Crypto exchange Binance will acquire the remaining outstanding shares of Swipe, a crypto Visa card issuing platform (Binance)

  • A ā€˜strategic partnerā€™ made an unsolicited, higher, non-binding bid for printing and information services company RR Donnelley that had recently agreed to be bought by Chatham Asset Management (BBG)

  • Link Media Outdoor, a leading billboard provider, announced the purchase of 800+ outdoor billboards in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas from Missouri Neon Outdoor (BW)

VC

  • Translational sciences and clinical pharmacology company Amador Bioscience raised a $60M Series B+ led by MSA Capital (PRN)

  • Lidar tech startup Voyant raised a $15.4M Series A led by UP Partners (TC)

IPO / Direct Listings / Issuances / Block Trades

  • Israel will take the first step in privatizing Israel Postal by holding an IPO of a 40% stake on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange; the rest of the shares will be sold either through a private sale, a public offering, or a combination of the two (BBG)

SPAC

  • European asset manager Tikehau Capital has received an eligibility-to-list letter from Singapore for its SPAC (BBG)

Exec's Picks

  • Ready to improve the way you feel every day? Enhance your quality of life with help from Base, which gives you personalized recommendations on how to improve energy levels, stress, sex drive and more, thanks to easy at-home blood and saliva tests, and an easy-to-use tracking app. Sign up and save 20%

  • LionTree's TMT-focused Year End Letter is a must read if you're in the sector. Check it out here

The Hiring Block

If you're looking to break into finance, lateral, or move out, check out ourĀ job boardĀ on Pallet, where we curate highly relevant roles for you. We've got 30+ jobsĀ spanning IB, S&T, VC, tech, private equity, DeFi, crypto, CorpDevĀ and more. We sift through all the noise on LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, etc. so you don't have to.

If you're looking to hire candidates and want to post a job, all you have to do is hitĀ "+ Hire Talent"Ā on the top right of the job board. If you want the role to be featured on Exec Sum, check out our "Featured" and "Premium" tiers.

Meme Cleanser

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