1) Qatar announced they are dropping out of OPEC to focus on natural gas production, which is what their oil fields mostly produce. Being a small producer of oil, Qatar considered itself too small to be a part of OPEC, despite being a member for 57 years.
2) For the best bets in the stock market during this next 90 days of trade war truce, experts are saying to watch where China spends money in the US that best strengthens it’s position with America. Look for such things as agriculture products like pork and grains, and big ticket machinery such as construction equipment and aircraft.
3) Walmart is buying robots, autonomous floor scrubbing machines, and will have 360 units in stores by end of January. Walmart is already using robots which scan for ‘out of stock’ items on shelves. Both robots operate by themselves on the store floor while customers are present.
4) 3 DEC 18 Stock market closings: Oil prices rise as Saudi Arabia and Russia agree to limit oil production.
Dow 25,826.43 up 287.97
Nasdaq 7,441.51 up 110.98
S&P 500 2,790.37 up 30.20
10 Year Yield: down at 2.99%
Oil: up at $53.22