The headlinefrom Fortune's Jeff John Roberts says it all: "The crypto world is losing its mind over when bitcoin ETFs will arrive."
Why it matters: Pretty much every major price increase in bitcoin in recent months has been chalked up to anticipation that the long-awaited day will soon arrive when investors will be able to buy funds directly tied to the spot price of the OG cryptocurrency.
Workers, employers, and investors are facing an uncommonly certain outlook for 2024 — until November. After that, it's uncharted territory.
Why it matters: Donald Trump is the great known unknown of 2024. If — and only if — he is elected president, the domestic and global repercussions will be seismic, will dwarf any other event of this year, and will only grow into 2025 as he actually takes office.
Inflation is hated mostly because it erodes the power of your paycheck. But the good news — and the reason why optimism might return to the U.S. in 2024, as I wrote this week — is that real pay hikes have now returned.
Why it matters: As Brendan Duke of the Center for American Progress writes, 57% of workers are making more money now — after adjusting for inflation — than they were a year ago. 41% of us have seen a real wage increase of more than 5%.
L'Oréal and Estée Lauder are the two largest beauty companies in the world, boasting a market share of 16.1% and 13.6%, respectively. (LVMH is a distant third with 8%.)
Why it matters: The two stocks moved in perfect lockstep with each other from pre-pandemic to the beginning of 2023 — but since then, they have sharply diverged.
