260173 New Covid Cases, 545 Deaths In US

With 260173 new cases reporting on Sunday, the total number of coronavirus infections in the United States has increased to 65,700,210, according to the latest data
from Johns Hopkins University.

545 more people died of the killer virus the same day, taking the national total to 850,605.

New York is the worst affected state, reporting 51,264 cases and 66 deaths.

The unusually low figures in Covid metrics are attributed to reporting delays in the weekend holidays.

There is a 98 percent increase in cases in the past fortnight, while Covid deaths rose by 57 percent in the same period.

Hospitalizations increased by 61 percent in two weeks, to 155,943, the New York Times reported.

43,090,644 people in the country have recovered from the disease so far, according to Worldometer.

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US Warns Iran Of ‘severe Consequences’ If It Attacks Americans

The United States has warned Iran of severe consequences if it attacks any American nationals, including the 51 people against whom Tehran imposed sanctions at the weekend.

The warning by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan came in the wake of Iran targeting US officials over the killing of General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in 2020.

Those sanctioned by Iran’s foreign ministry include General Mark Milley and former White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Sullivan said Iran’s proxy militias continue to attack American troops in the Middle East, and Iranian officials threaten to carry out terror operations inside the United States and elsewhere around the world.

“Make no mistake: the United States of America will protect and defend its citizens. This includes those serving the United States now and those who formerly served. As Americans, we have our disagreements on politics. We have our disagreements on Iran policy. But we are united in our resolve against threats and provocations. We are united in the defense of our people,” the statement added.

Washington vowed to work with its allies and partners to deter and respond to any attacks carried out by Iran.

“Should Iran attack any of our nationals, including any of the 51 people named yesterday, it will face severe consequences”, Sullivan said.

U.S. Business Inventories Jump 1.3% In November, More Than Expected

A report released by the Commerce Department on Friday showed business inventories in the U.S. surged by more than expected in the month of November.

The Commerce Department said business inventories shot up by 1.3 percent in November, matching the upwardly revised jump in October.

Economists had expected inventories to increase by 1.0 percent compared to the 1.2 percent growth originally reported for the previous month.

The report showed retail inventories spiked by 2.0 percent, while wholesale inventories surged by 1.4 percent and manufacturing inventories increased by 0.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department said business sales climbed by 0.7 percent in November after soaring by 2.2 percent in October.

Wholesale sales jumped by 1.3 percent, while manufacturing sales increased by 0.7 percent and retail sales inched up by 0.1 percent.

With inventories increasing by more than sales, the total business inventories/sales ratio ticked up to 1.25 in November from 1.24 in October.

Sensex rises 120 points in early trade; Nifty near 18,300

Maruti was the top gainer in the Sensex pack followed by SBI, M&M, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC, Infosys and HDFC Bank.

Equity benchmark Sensex climbed over 120 points in opening trade on Monday, tracking gains in index-heavyweights ICICI Bank, HDFC twins and Infosys amid mixed cues from the Asian markets.

Starting on a positive note, the BSE gauge was trading 122.58 points or 0.20% higher at 61,345.61 in early trade. Likewise, the Nifty advanced 37.65 points or 0.21% to 18,293.40.

Maruti was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising 1.62%, followed by SBI, M&M, ICICI Bank, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC, Infosys and HDFC Bank.

On the other hand, HCL Tech, UltraTech Cement, Tech Mahindra, Titan and Wipro were among the laggards.

In the previous session, the 30-share BSE index ended 12.27 points or 0.02% lower at 61,223.03. Similarly, the NSE Nifty slipped 2.05 points or 0.01% to 18,255.75.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai and Tokyo were trading with gains in mid-session deals, while Hong Kong and Seoul were in the red.

Stock exchanges in the U.S. ended on a mixed note on Friday.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude rose 0.08% to $86.13 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital market, as they sold shares worth ₹1,598.20 crore on Friday, according to stock exchange data.

HSBC online banking down – customers unable to access cash

HSBC offers advice on saving money for 'The Long Game'

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Hundreds of unhappy HSBC customers have taken to social media to air their anger that the bank’s app has just gone down. The outage has affected a number of Britons up and down the country.

It’s left customers without means of accessing their accounts online which means they won’t be able to transfer money or pay bills.

This is the latest in a long line of banks to experience technical problems with its online apps over recent weeks.

HSBC said its technical division is looking into the issue but could not confirm when the app will be up again.