CES Growing Virtual, Ford In China, Apple AR Headset Push, Bitcoin Rebound, US Holiday Sales: 5 Headlines You May Have Missed From The Weekend

Heading into the last trading week of 2021, here is a quick roundup of the top five stories from the technology, corporate and cryptocurrency sectors that investors would not want to miss out on from the weekend.

1. Big Tech Opts For CES 2022 Virtual Participation: Microsoft Corp. MSFT has joined the growing list of tech companies such as Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL, Meta Platforms Inc. FB and Twitter Inc. TWTR that are avoiding in-person participation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas amid the growing number of Omicron COVID-19 cases. Instead, these companies have opted for virtual participation at the show, which begins on Jan. 5.

2. Ford Delivers First China-Built Mustang Mach-E SUVs: Ford Motor Co. F has delivered the first set of locally-built Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles to customers in China. The move highlights the legacy automaker’s efforts to better compete with electric rivals such as Nio Inc. NIO and Tesla Inc. TSLA in the world’s largest automobile market.

3. Apple Hires Meta Executive In AR Push: Apple Inc. AAPL has hired Meta Platforms Inc.’s FB communications and public relations head Andrea Schubert, as the iPhone maker prepares for the launch of its long-rumored augmented reality (AR) headset, it was reported on Sunday, citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

4. U.S. Holiday Sales Rise Despite Omicron: U.S. holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years despite ongoing supply chain issues and the growing threat of the omicron covid variant, it was reported, citing Mastercard Inc. MA Spending Pulse. Holiday sales rose 8.5% from a year earlier, outpacing a 7.4% increase expected by economists.

5. Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies Rebound After Christmas: Bitcoin BTC/USD and other major cryptocurrencies have rebounded after trading flat early Sunday evening. CryptoQuant analyst “venturefounder” noted that BTC miners remain bullish on the cryptocurrency as the miner inventory balance hit a six-month high.

Bitcoin is up 2% during the past 24 hours, trading at $50,814.83 at press time.

What Else: Among other stories from the weekend, investors would want to check out news regarding the cancellation of over 1,500 flights by airlines in the U.S. during the Christmas weekend, the death of anti-apartheid icon and Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu, and which cryptocurrency was the most popular in 2021.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” has surpassed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales, becoming the first film to pass the seven-digit mark in box office returns since the pandemic began.