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The number of Americans with jobs has fallen by 140,000 adding to the need for stimulus and the risk of inflation from the Biden trifecta. This is the worst level since April 2020.

Finance

*A crash in the Mexican peso of 1.8% appears to have been the only result of the Capitolgate invasion incited by President Trumpet. The only major corporate loser was Fox which dropped its support from the incumbent in the White House.

*CBOE handled 2.5 bn option contracts in 2020, why I like this stock. I am terrified of playing options because it is so easy to screw up, but I like to gain from the edge the options trading gets with Brexit and political chaos. It is up 0.75% today at $96.79 but in premarket trading was up to $99.165.

*The normal hidey-hole in a political coup is gold, but the yellow metal is down 2.85% today. Instead, bitcoin is up in heaven. Neither is a sensibly priced asset now. I bought more Kirkland Lake, a gold miner, too soon as it fell 4.52% today. It earns US dollars in which gold is denominated but spends pricier C$s to find it. One buck is now worth $1.27 loonies even though the loony is in Washington, not Ottawa. The buck has been falling the whole week

*Mercado Libre (MELI) is buying back $440 mn of convertible senior notes boosting our common 6.79%

*Wall Street continues to embarrass worried Americans by rising recklessly, with Tesla hitting a new high Thursday of $408.69. This boosted our pick among the rivals, NIO, which is up 8.65% today, also gaining from the perception that it is in good odor with Beijing. These 2 are fighting for today's best.

*Asea Brown Boveri, which we own via Swedish Investor A/B rose 1.35% to a new high of $30.12.

*Our recent buy, Lazard Global Total Return Income Fund (LGI), gained 0.87 to a new high of $18.67 Thursday but it has not been trading a full yr. It fell today by 1.76%. Time to buy more

*Macquarie First Trust Global Infrastructure/Utilities Dividend and Income Fund (MFD), a Biden play, rose 2.25%, it is the best showing since the end of March 2020, but we are still down. It also paid $9.22 in dividends last month. I wish it had a shorter name.

Yesterday I wrote that Scotia Bank is different from being on the west coast of Canada. It is on the east.

*Hang Seng Bank gained 6.5% today recovering from a crash earlier in the week. It puts out the Hong Kong index and belongs to the HSBC of Britain. It is at $18.25 on no news showing.

Tech and Tel

*Finnish Nokia (NOK) gained because it sold a private wireless 5G network to the port of Seattle Wash, with Carrix Tide works, a local carrier. This follows a trial in Oakland CA. It fell 1% today.

*Veoneer was cut to underperform by Royal Bank of Canada over lower orders. VNE was sold.

*MultiChoice (MCHOY), the Africa vendor of telco and ads, ros 3.23%, a year's high.

*Jo'burg Naspers and Prosus rose 5.74% and 3.36% after falls over Tencent risk. NPSNY, PROSY.

Energy

*Pembina Pipeline (PBA) will pay a 21 loony cent dividend on Feb 12 and its common share rose 2.67% on the news. US owners will get 16.53 cents but may get more or less as the forex moves, and may have to pay Canadian withholding tax.

*Ormat (ORA) which I exited Thursday hit a new high of 117.36, up 9.64%. Today it is down to $113.53. Israeli owned it goes wild on Fridays when Israeli is closed. It is a unique play in geothermal energy.

*Canadian Solar (CSIQ), hit a new high of 59.19 up 4.18%.

*Earthstone Energy (ESTE), which took over Independence Resources Mgm. LLC, fell to $5.77, down 4%.

*Worst performer today was UUUU, Energy Fuels, down 5%. It will produce rare earths associated with uranium from its own mines and that of other uranium producers, backed by US govt financing.

Industrials and utes

*Brazilian Vale despite its fine pending hit a new high of $18.68,

*Reverse vending and sorting machine maker Tomra of Norway (TMRAY), gained 2.66%.

*Irish CRH hit a new high of $47.80 up 2.17%. Cement makes carbon but CRH aims to cut clinker use by adding garbage to the mix.

*Chilean Sociedad Quimica y Minera (SQM), hits is a new high of $60.47, up 3.12%. We sold too soon.

*Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien (NTR) hit a new high of $52.61 (US) but then fell. Today it is $51.40.

*Veolia (VEOEY) of France, gained 4.52% today.

Drug dealers

*Caribbean-registered Beigene (BGNE) which gets funds from China for treatments of its nationals, gained 6.33% to $277.14 but is still below its high for 2020 in Oct. It later fell to $273.5.

*Israeli Novacure which developed electrical fields as a cancer therapy, sold from its sub in Jersey in the Channel Islands to people who use it in trials, was a find because I researched products for pancreatic cancer which affects a cousin who decided she is too old to try it. NVCR, which I found on the Globes Israel website, is now presenting in US drug conferences and is up 3.77% today to $169.76. We are now ahead with NVCR, but alas I am not cheering. It is now mostly owned by institutions run by the Technion discoverer of the system and a friend who helped, accounting for 82% of owners. It is at a scary p0/e ratio of 2,321x earnings but if it works against a host of nasty tumors it is going to justify that price.

*Abcellera Biologics (ABCL), is in play today, ranging between $42.48 and $38.70 on heavy volume after it hit a new low Weds.

*Israeli Compugen (CGEN), traded more freely on Friday than the rest of the week, is up 2.26% today.

*However Teva (TEVA) fell 3.56% back down under $11 again. It reports on Q4 2020 on Feb. 10.