Macro Briefing: 23 December 2020

* Trump raises doubts about Covid relief bill by asking for changes
* US hospitals struggling with rise of Covid-19 patients
* New Covid-19 strain in UK may have spread to Europe and US
* WHO chief scientist: herd immunity unlikely until late-2021
* EU-China investment deal hits snag after tweet by Biden aide
* Israel gov’t collapses, triggering new election–fourth in two years
* Record gain for US GDP in Q3 revised up slightly
* US existing home sales fell for first time in 5 months in November
* Cryptocurrency XRP tumbles 25% after SEC lawsuit against XRP-linked Ripple
* Manufacturing growth in mid-Atlantic states strengthened in December
* US Consumer Confidence Index drops to four-month low in December