WEEKEND WRAP: Bitcoin Up 269.84% in 2020, Followed by NASDAQ (+37.95%), Silver (+32.87)

With Christmas just 12 days away, let's just forget everything bad that the year 2020 has wrought and focus on the good things happening in the United States of America. It's probably a good barometer for much of the rest of the world, as the Us is still the leading economy with one of the highest standards of living.

We're waiting...

More than 99% of the population that started 2020 alive and breathing, still are. The annual number of deaths in the US is right around 2.8 million with a death rate of roughly 850 deaths per 100,000 population. That's less than one percent, meaning that if you were alive on January 1, 2020, chances are very good you still are. With life expectancy in the US in 2020 at 78.93 years, a 0.08% increase from 2019, chances are you'll survive 2021 as well. People under the age of 60 have extraordinarily good odds and they increase the younger you are.

Huzzah!

Unemployment, as measured by the Labor Department, is currently 6.7%, which is probably not very accurate, but, for those enamored of cheery government numbers, it means that more than 93% of the people in the labor force are working and taking home a paycheck.

Yippie!

The price of oil held pretty steady at about $40/barrel of WTI crude, keeping gas prices in much of the United States under $2.00 per gallon, which is great news for anybody who has to drive anywhere, for any reason.

Hoorah!

Inflation has been low for years and was up just slightly in 2020. There are still bargains galore in all manner of consumer products if one knows where to look.

As far as investments are concerned, just about everything is up for 2020.

Here are numbers for the major indices, gold, silver, and bitcoin, and how much a $10,000 investment in each, made on December 31, 2019, would be worth today.

Item: 12/31/19 / 12/13/19 / % +/- / Per $10k

Dow: 28,538.44 / 30,046.37 / +5.28% / $10,528
NASDAQ: 8,972.60 / 12,377.87 / +37.95% / $13,795
S&P 500: 3,230.78 / 3,663.46 / +13.39% / $11,339
NYSE: 13,913.03 / 14,355.29 / +1.03% / $10,103
Gold (oz): 1,574.30 / 1,843.60 / +17.11 / $11,711
Silver (oz): 18.13 / 24.09 / +32.87 / $13,287
Bitcoin (US$): 7,165.62 / 19,335.94 / +269.84 / $36,984

Not a bad showing for some of the major assets, but the trend is clearly towards alternatives, with Bitcoin, silver, and gold holding the #1, #3, and #4 spots out of seven. NASDAQ's 37.95% gain is also a nod toward the future, as that index is loaded with speculative tech issues.

For the week, stocks were uniformly lower, with each of the major indices registering a loss. For the NYSE Composite, the decline broke a streak of five straight weeks on the plus side. The other major averages were up four of the prior five weeks before this week's minor washout.

Treasury yields were lower at the long end, with the 10-year note shedding seven basis points, from 0.97 to 0.90%, and the 30-year bond slipping 10 basis points from 1.73 to 1.63%.

Crude oil remained at an elevated level, with WTI crude advancing slightly, from $46.26 a barrel to $46.56 at Friday's close.

Precious metals were volatile but ended mostly flat, with gold ending the week of December 4 at $1840.00, and this Friday at $1843.60. In between, it hit a high of $1874.90. Silver closed at $24.25 on 12/4, advanced as high as $24.79, closing at $24.09.

Here are the most recent prices for commonly sold gold and silver items on eBay (numismatics excluded, shipping - often free - included):

Item: Low / High / Average / Median
1 oz silver coin: 28.00 / 39.00 / 33.07 / 32.53
1 oz silver bar: 29.95 / 37.50 / 33.94 / 33.65
1 oz gold coin: 1,928.95 / 2,011.14 / 1,972.40 / 1,982.94
1 oz gold bar: 1,935.18 / 1,959.94 / 1,947.09 / 1,946.52

Happy Holidays!

At the Close, Friday, December 11, 2020:
Dow: 30,046.37, +47.11 (+0.16%)
NASDAQ: 12,377.87, -27.94 (-0.23%)
S&P 500: 3,663.46, -4.64 (-0.13%)
NYSE: 14,355.29, -39.05 (-0.27%)

For the Week:
Dow: -171.89 (-0.57%)
NASDAQ: -86.36 (-0.69%)
S&P 500: -4.64 (-0.13%)
NYSE: -62.04 (-0.43%)