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The second year of the coronavirus pandemic showed that the world isn't slowing down any time soon, and neither is creativity.

From biographies of famous economic leadersto a retrospective of our nations responseto the pandemic and a deep dive into the scandals of Nixons VP Spiro Agnew, there was no shortage of books that captured the attention of the Yahoo Finance staff in 2021.

Here are the top nine books the Yahoo Finance staff read and loved this year.

(Photo: Penguin Random House)

This historical biography of economist John Maynard Keynes delves into the life and work of one of the most influential economists over the last century. Economies across the world the U.S. most of all have been built on Keynesian economics. The book explains why Keynes views on money and democracy play such an important role in how most of society works today. David Hollerith, Yahoo Finance cryptocurrency reporter

[WATCH: Zachary D. Carter's interview with Yahoo Finance]

It was Milton Friedman, and later Richard Nixon, who said in times of financial turmoil, We're all Keynesians now. After falling out of favor for some time, the ideas of John Maynard Keynes are experiencing something of a resurgence amid the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic, making this canny biography of one of the most influential economists all the more compelling.

In 'The Price of Peace,' HuffPost senior reporter Zachary Carter tells the story of Keynes's social life with the Bloomsbury group and his designs for monetary policy. No deep understanding of economic theory is required here to be swept away by the tides of twentieth-century events. Plus, four-day work week proponents will find fellow feeling in the man who predicted his grandkids would clock in for 15 hours a week (a gross miscalculation, as it turned out). A good portion of the book is devoted to tracing the afterlife of Keynes's work, but Carter doesn't let us forget the optimism and humanistic ideals that underpin Keynes's broader vision for society. Grace ODonnell, Yahoo Finance editor

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(Photo: Penguin Random House)

"This is one of those books that has stayed on my mind since I finished it earlier this year. Weve learned a lot about the Sacklers over the years through reporting, but never in such a comprehensive way like this book. Even if you dont follow big pharma news, the story behind this family will certainly captivate you." Adriana Belmonte, Yahoo Finance reporter and editor

[WATCH: Patrick Radden Keefe's interview with Yahoo Finance]

I'm powering through Empire of Pain. It's hard to put down. This is first-rate reporting, writing, and insight. Wow, what a saga. Andy Serwer, Yahoo Finance editor-in-chief

(Photo: Penguin Random House)

Author Max Chafkin takes a deep dive into the life and history of billionaire entrepreneur and Silicon Valley whisperer Peter Thiel. The writer even travels to Thiel's alma mater Stanford and digs up articles from the library's basement of the right-wing newspaper he launched, 'The Stanford Review.' What's striking to me about the book is the number of people who chose not to go on the record, out of fear of possible retaliation. A great read if you're looking to understand the nuances of PayPal's origin story and Thiel's contributions to Trump's 2016 election run. McKenzie Stratigopoulos, Yahoo Finance line producer

(Photo: Penguin Random House)

As a Boomer, ... Bag Man is near and dear [to me], but man, the parallels to now are pretty incredible. Curious how and why Maddow chose the subject [of Spiro Agnew], but who cares. Worth reading. Andy Serwer, Yahoo Finance editor-in-chief

(Photo: Bloomsbury Publishing)

"The country has spent a lot of time focused on the opioid crisis (and rightfully so) but as a result, drugs like synthetic opioids and meth have creeped their way to the forefront. Quinones conducts interviews with those in recovery and those who have lost loved ones to these drugs and explains how Chinese fentanyl manufacturers have been able to utilize Mexican drug dealers to get these drugs into America. A sobering look at our next drug crisis in the U.S." Adriana Belmonte, Yahoo Finance reporter and editor

(Photo: Penguin Random House)

"Indra Nooyi is one of the most distinguished corporate leaders of the past 25 years. But the road to reach the peak of her corporate career chairman and CEO of PepsiCo wasnt easy by any stretch of the imagination as detailed in My Life in Full. In her new memoir, Nooyi recalls her childhood growing up in Madras, India (now Chennai). While Nooyi was always encouraged by her parents to seek out higher education, learning and to pursue her dreams, the social norm in India was the man of the household earns and the woman attends to family and home.

Nooyi chose a different path, however, in large part because of her own inner drive to succeed. Nooyi is quick to say she is thankful for the support structure of friends of family, which allowed her to continue to charge hard in her work." Brian Sozzi, Yahoo Finance anchor and editor-at-large

[WATCH: Indra Nooyi's interview with Yahoo Finance]

(Photo: Penguin Random House)

Madam is amazing because it seems so long ago and yet it really isn't. Research is fantastic and narrative pulls you through. And on the Upper West Side! Who knew! Andy Serwer, Yahoo Finance editor-in-chief

(Photo: Macmillan)

If you think you know everything about Silicon Valley culture, you could still glean insights into the Valleys weirdness by reading this memoir. Wiener left a job in the poorly paid publishing industry for life at a hot startup. She doesnt name the place, but its GitHub, and she manages to capture the strange language and behavior of young startup workers without making fun of them. This is almost an anthropological study of the startup scene at a certain moment in time. But its also extremely well-written and uses a literary device that works extremely well. Rather than naming companies, she uses no proper nouns and simply describes what the company does: the search engine, the platform to make payments to your friends, and of course, the social network. This device makes you think about technology in new ways and reevaluate your relationship with it. Erin Fuchs, Yahoo Finance deputy managing editor

[WATCH: Anna Wiener's interview with Yahoo Finance]

(Photo: W.W. Norton)

"If you needed a reminder about how woefully unprepared our country was for a pandemic, look no further than Lewis latest book. The Premonition features fascinating interviews with public health experts and former government officials and provides insight into the politics that plays into major health situations. Its infuriating, but also incredibly enlightening." Adriana Belmonte, Yahoo Finance reporter and editor

[WATCH: Yahoo Finance's interview with Michael Lewis]

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The best business books we read in 2021: Yahoo Finance - Yahoo Finance

WASHINGTON Folks, I know were all tired and frustrated about the pandemic, President Biden said on Tuesday ahead of his meeting with his pandemic response team. It was not the message with which hed hoped to open the new year, but with the nation recording more than a million coronavirus cases on Monday, there was little to do but acknowledge reality, which is that the virus Biden had promised to vanquish remains very much unvanquished.

These coming weeks are going to be challenging, the president said, himself sounding weary from months of battling crosscurrents of political resistance and medical misinformation, not to mention a virus that has proved intractable at every turn.

President Biden meets with members of the White House COVID-19 Response Team on Tuesday. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

As he has in the past, Biden trained his frustrations on the millions of Americans who remain unvaccinated, despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that the vaccines are safe and effective. He bluntly charged the unvaccinated with taking up hospital beds and crowding emergency rooms and intensive care units, thus not only endangering themselves but also prolonging a pandemic that many had hoped would be over by now.

Although the highly transmissible Omicron variant does have some ability to break through vaccinations, it is unvaccinated people who are by far the most vulnerable to severe or critical cases of COVID-19. If youre unvaccinated, you have some reason to be alarmed. Many of you will experience severe illness, the president said.

Some will die needlessly die, he added moments later.

Biden did acknowledge that a booster shot is necessary to bolster the immunity accorded by vaccines. For Americans, that means a third shot of an mRNA vaccine like those offered by Pfizer or Moderna, or a second shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. We have booster shots for the whole nation. You can still get COVID, but its highly unlikely very unlikely that youll become seriously ill, the president said.

The Biden administration has been trying to shift focus away from infection rates to hospitalizations, since many vaccinated people may test positive for the coronavirus but experience either mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. The Omicron variant has generally led to less severe symptoms, particularly for those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and received a subsequent booster shot.

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It is much more relevant to focus on the hospitalizations as opposed to the total number of cases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the presidents top medical adviser, said on Sunday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci at a briefing with the White House COVID-19 Response Team. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden also announced on Tuesday that his administration would buy 10 million more doses of a new Pfizer treatment, administered in pill form, that is highly effective against preventing the most severe effects of COVID-19, death in particular. And he looked forward to imminent approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of booster shots for adolescents, though not yet for children under 12. Children under 5 remain ineligible for vaccination.

Touching on another issue that has resurfaced in recent weeks, Biden reiterated that schools can and should be open this winter. More than 2,000 schools across the country are closed this week because of high numbers of positive cases among teachers and students.

He also vowed that the scarcity of diagnostic testing would soon be alleviated, though that is unlikely to happen in time to blunt the Omicron surge.

Theres a lot of reason to be hopeful in 2020, Biden said at the conclusion of his remarks, which took place on the fourth day of 2022.

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Biden tries to rally COVID-weary nation: 'We're all tired and frustrated' - Yahoo News

A year filled with highs and lows for cryptocurrency is ending with surprising winners neither of which are Bitcoin (BTC-USD), Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) and Shiba Inu (SHIB-INU), the three digital coins that grabbed most of the headlines in 2021.

Ether (ETH-USD) was one of the year's biggest winners, more than quadrupling Bitcoin as an investment. Despite heavy investor buzz and new exchange-traded funds, the leading cryptocurrency spiked to a fresh record near $69,000 only to retreat in dramatic fashion this month, and is currently languishing below $50,000.

As of Friday, Bitcoin has added over 60% year to date, and ETH is up 410%, according to Yahoo Finance/Coinbase data.

"Ultimately, I do think there's a little bit of a sentiment letdown right now in cryptocurrency," DailyFX analyst Chris Vecchio told Yahoo Finance on Friday. "I'd be very surprised if Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have a good year unless someone like Elon Musk is pumping them on Twitter."

Meanwhile, several smaller cryptocurrencies are fueling a new generation of blockchain protocols, challenging Ether.

Cardano's native cryptocurrency, ADA (ADA-USD) jumped a whopping 657%, and the price of Solana (SOL1-USD) leapt over 9,258.2%, according to Yahoo Finance/Coinbase data. Meanwhile, Polygon (MATIC-USD) and Terra (LUNA-USD) both eclipsed SOL with staggering price gains topping 13,000% each.

As the cryptocurrency ether fuels Ethereum, each of these less known cryptocurrencies offers something similar for their own protocols, most of all to pay transaction fees.

Similar to how Tesla (TSLA) has a market capitalization that dwarfs more established auto companies producing more vehicles, the outperformance of these newer tokens comes with "the expectation for growth," Gil Luria, technology strategist with D.A. Davidson Companies, told Yahoo Finance.

Despite crypto's current drawdown, and the belief that the digital currency trade has gotten overcrowded, Luria and others remain bullish, with increasing demand and competition for smart contracts compatible layer-1 protocols (like Ethereum) driving 2022 growth.

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Solana logo displayed on a phone screen and representation of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on August 21, 2021. (Photo Illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Spurred by demand for two of this years hottest crypto frontiers, decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), transaction fees on Ethereum have spiked to high sometimes outrageous levels.

Soaring costs are a barrier to retail investors, as well as developers aiming to build enterprise-grade applications, like a streaming platform or video game.

That's why Luria and others analysts believe smaller protocols will "gain [market] share at Ethereums expense" by soaking up its unmet demand for investors and developers.

Akin to the fierce competition between the worlds major tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Google (MSFT, AMZN, GOOG) over the last decade, the D.A. Davidson team is billing this crypto competition as the new cloud wars.

It's the latest version of the scaling wars," a topic crypto developers and investors have debated for years. Bitcoin acts primarily as a decentralized ledger for money rather than a smart contract platform like Ethereum.

Mauricio Di Bartolomeo co-founder and chief strategy officer of crypto lender, Ledn, called the latter "clogged" given high fees and surging demand. "It's like where Bitcoin was in 2017 where transaction fees were outrageous," he told Yahoo Finance in an interview.

Currently, Bitcoin processes about 7 transactions per second (TPS) at a cost of $3.34 per transaction. Ethereum can do 15, but at an average cost of $20 to $40 per transaction. For context, Visa is capable of 24,000 TPS with fees ranging from 1.4 to 2.4%.

"Anything over a dollar is too much," Baxter Hines, chief investment officer of Honeycomb Digital Investments, told Yahoo Finance and a tough sell for anyone using an enterprise-scale blockchain application.

The competition to effectively scale is taking several different forms, designed to improve network speed, decentralization and security. This 3-part "trilemma" a term coined by Ethereum creator, Vitalik Buterin entails that all three can't be achieved at once.

To improve scale, Ethereum began implementation of its ETH 2.0 upgrade in August. The fee-improving part of the upgrade - a transaction innovation called "sharding" - isn't estimated to finish until 2023.

Kevin Woicki, Co-founder of Gitcoin, a developer fundraising application and DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) explained Ethereum's strategy is to become a blockchain of blockchains," where most scaling is streamlined by second-layer applications and providers like Polygon.

Woicki said investors concerned about Ethereum losing market share should weigh whether the protocol's current transaction fee problem can overshadow its hefty network effects.

Smart contract platforms are all about being able to build financial applications like legos. Every new lego added on Ethereum makes it better to build on the network. If I walk into an Ethereum hackathon, I am able to build something in a weekend that 10 years ago would have taken a bank $30 million and a staff of thousands of developers to build, Woicki told Yahoo Finance.

For 2022, a lot of the high-value applications will be built on Ethereum. The more forward-looking, ambitious and lower value stuff will get built on other chains because Ethereum has become so expensive.Gil Luria, D.A. Davidson

Solana is another emerging contender, as its design allows for faster and cheaper transactions. Still in beta, its protocol processes currently 2,682 transactions per second (TPS), with average costs adding up to fractions of a penny. However, Solana's white paper states "up to 710k TPS is possible."

A report from The Block Research reveals Solana's other biggest advantage is fund raising. Amid the DeFi and NFT boom this year, Ethereum-based projects took 26% of the total funds raised; Solana took second place, with 73 deals (9%) of total deal flow.

And better fundraising is imperative to building a richer network faster because it can attract more developers.

Our primary customer isnt the end user. Its the devs, the engineers, the app developerstheyre trying to build the next generation of applications, Anatoly Yakenvenko Co-founder and CTO for Solana Labs, the company that built Solana, told Yahoo Finance.

Yet there are concerns surrounding validators, i.e. protocols that verify blockchain transactions. The top 19 control a 33% stake of the network according to Solana beach, meaning together they could halt the network, or censor transactions.

And because its still in its infancy, Solana's comparatively low number of validators makes it easier to jam the network with Denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks. In September, one such attack shutdown Solana for 17-hours, and sent the token reeling. The protocol is exploring a "validator delegation strategy" to mitigate the problem.

"We're still in the earliest inning," D.A. Davidson's Luria said. "For 2022, a lot of the high-value applications will be built on Ethereum. The more forward-looking, ambitious and lower value stuff will get built on other chains because Ethereum has become so expensive."

In Messari's 2022 trend report, CEO Ryan Selkis dubbed the new crypto units "ethereum killers" that "all have the money to compete aggressively... Either way, these assets are tethered to ETH."

David Hollerith covers cryptocurrency for Yahoo Finance. Follow him @dshollers.

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Ether outshines Bitcoin in whipsaw year, rises to the top in crypto's 'cloud wars' - Yahoo Finance

The Minnesota Vikings' season, for all intents and purposes, came to an end with Sunday night's loss in Green Bay.

One might naturally assume that the Vikings' Week 18 game against another dead team walking, the Chicago Bears, might be used to evaluate some young players with the 2022 season in mind.

Namely third-round QB Kellen Mond, right?

Wrong. At least as far as head coach Mike Zimmer is concerned.

Asked after the Week 17 game whether Mond might get an extended look in the season finale, Zimmer didn't mince words.

Not particularly, the coach said.

Mond entered the Green Bay game on the Vikings' penultimate possession after replacement starter Sean Mannion was hurt briefly, completing 2 of 3 passes for 5 yards. It was Mond's first regular-season action after the Vikings used the 66th overall pick on him in April.

But on the final drive, Mannion was back out there. They were the only two active quarterbacks, with starter Kirk Cousins in the COVID protocol.

Asked why the Vikings might not want to see more of Mond against the Bears, Zimmer offered a pretty damning response.

I see him every day (in practice), he said.

Ouch.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer walks off the field after losing to the Green Bay Packers. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

This appears to suggest two things:

1. Zimmer either wasn't a fan of the Vikings drafting Mond or he's clearly soured on the rookie since he joined the team.

2. Most coaches wouldn't say something that strong on a rookie unless they were extremely firm in their employment status ... or they know they're getting fired.

The latter feels like the overwhelming favorite at this point. Zimmer's record over his eight years is quite strong at 71-56-1 (.559 win percentage), as well as a 2-3 mark in three postseason appearances. He also signed a three-year extension in June of 2020, through the 2024 season.

That might lead one to believe his status might be secure. However, the team now has missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons, and they never got back on track after a 1-3 start to this campaign. It was at that time that Zimmer indicated he thought this team had a chance to be pretty good. Eight of their nine losses have been by one score; Sunday night was the first blowout loss of the season.

Their inability to win the close ones could cost Zimmer his job a week from Monday. And based on his unvarnished comments on Mond, it's safe to assume that result would not surprise the coach one bit.

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Vikings Mike Zimmer on if he wants to see QB Kellen Mond in Week 18: Not particularly - Yahoo Sports

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is conducting a review of a secretive division that uses some of the countrys most sensitive databases to investigate the travel and financial records and personal connections of journalists, members of Congress and other Americans not suspected of any crime.

A review is underway to ensure that the activities in question during the prior Administration remain an isolated incident and that proper safeguards are in place to prevent an incident like this from taking place in the future, Luis Miranda, a spokesperson for CBP, told Yahoo News.

CBPs internal probe was prompted by Yahoo News reporting earlier this month on Operation Whistle Pig, a leak investigation targeting reporter Ali Watkins and her then boyfriend, James Wolfe, a Senate staffer. The investigation was launched by Jeffrey Rambo, a border patrol agent assigned to CBPs Counter Network Division who was looking at whether Wolfe provided classified information to Watkins and other reporters.

James Wolfe, former director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

As many as 20 national security reporters were also investigated during this time, according to an FBI counterintelligence memo included in the Department of Homeland Security inspector general report obtained by Yahoo News.

The DHS inspector general investigation was launched in response to an article in the Washington Post identifying Rambo as a border patrol agent who used a fake name to meet with Watkins, then a reporter for Politico. During the meeting, he questioned her about her sources and about her relationship with Wolfe, and also discussed leak investigations.

At the end of their two-year probe, investigators referred Rambo, his supervisor Dan White and a colleague Charles Ratliff for potential criminal charges including conspiracy and misuse of government computers. White was also referred for multiple potential counts of making false statements. Federal prosecutors declined prosecution, citing, among other reasons, the lack of policies and procedures governing their work.

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Rambo told Yahoo News he was authorized every step of the way, and records included in the DHS investigative report show that his supervisor Dan White ordered him to expand his probe into journalists. White is still working at the Counter Network Division, and Rambo is currently employed as a border patrol agent in San Diego.

The Counter Network Division regularly investigated potential contacts, including journalists, as part of a process it referred to as vetting. As part of this process, the subject would be run through multiple databases, including a terrorism watch list.

Jeff Rambo at his coffee shop in San Diego. (Sandy Huffaker for Yahoo News)

The division regularly conducts database checks on reporters to determine personal connections, Rambos supervisor Dan White told investigators, according to the DHS investigation report obtained by Yahoo News.

Charles Ratliff, another CBP employee brought in to assist Operation Whistle Pig, used the vast resources and databases available to the division to build what investigators later described as a phone tree of contacts mapping out connections between people to identify a hidden network. Such work, which was used to track terrorists, was also directed at Americans, including congressional members and staffers and journalists..

When Congressional Staffers schedule flights, the numbers they use get captured and analyzed by CBP, Rambos supervisor, White, told investigators.

White stated that Ratliff does this all the time inappropriate contacts between people.

Ratliff regularly compiled reports on members of Congress with alleged ties to someone in the Terrorist Screening Database, according to the investigative report obtained by Yahoo News.

CBP marshaled those same resources to identify journalists' confidential sources, which was then passed to the FBI.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press reporter Martha Mendoza was one of the journalists vetted by the Counter Network Division targeted only because shed reported on forced labor, one of the issues related to CBPs work. Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington was also swept up in its dragnet.

There is no specific guidance on how to vet someone, Rambo later told investigators. In terms of policy and procedure, to be 100 percent frank there, theres no policy and procedure on vetting.

Martha Mendoza, a journalist with the Associated Press. (Khairil Yusof/Flickr)

The Counter Network Division also investigated NGOs, members of Congress and their respective staffs. Enough Project, a nonprofit named by CBP as one of those organizations investigated by Rambos team, told Yahoo News it was troubled by the revelations.

If the Enough Project was in fact targeted for extreme vetting by a United States government agency for our work to improve mineral supply chains originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and investigate corruption that robs the Congolese people of their countrys natural resource wealth, it would be deeply troubling, the organization said in a statement to Yahoo News. Such invasive and arbitrary targeting of human rights defenders would be a violation of privacy, a hindrance to this important work, and a waste of public resources.

A CBP official who asked not to be named told Yahoo News that the National Targeting Center has put in place new procedures and training designed to ensure that the First and Fourth amendments are not being violated. The official declined, however, to specify what those measures were.

Congressional oversight committees have also begun looking into the divisions activities.

Rep. Benny Thompson, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and Carolyn Maloney, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent a letter to the DHS inspector general requesting the report.

We write you regarding disturbing reports that the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Counter Network Division used government databases to vet journalists, government officials, congressional members and their staff, NGO workers, and others by obtaining travel records as well as financial and personal information, they wrote in a Dec. 14 letter to the DHS inspector general.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigated at least one Counter Network Division employee, Mr. Jeffrey Rambo, who used government databases to gather information on an American journalist Ali Watkins, Thompson and Maloney wrote the DHS, citing reporting by Yahoo News.

Ali Watkins during an interview regrading her reporting on Russian espionage on PBS on June 1, 2017. (PBS/YouTube)

Chairs Thompson and Maloney requested a copy of the Office of the Inspector General report for its investigation into Rambo and any other reports related to conduct by the Counter Network Division by Dec. 21, 2021. The DHS inspector general has to date not provided the committees with the requested information, according to congressional sources.

Sen. Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which has oversight over CBP, has also requested a copy of the inspector general report, but a spokesman for Wyden said he has still not received a copy.

The inspector general did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News about the congressional requests.

The DHS has declined to answer any questions posed by Yahoo News about Operation Whistle Pig and the activities of the Counter Network Division. However, in a statement, the department said that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is deeply committed to ensuring the protection of First Amendment rights and has promulgated policies that reflect this priority.

We do not condone the investigation of reporters in response to the exercise of First Amendment rights, the statement continued. CBP and every component agency and office in the Department will ensure their practices are consistent with our values and our highest standards.

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CBP launches review of secretive division that targeted journalists, lawmakers and other Americans - Yahoo News

Before the national championship game between Alabama and Georgia is played, there is one more bowl game. Its the Texas Bowl between LSU and Kansas State on Tuesday night in Houston.

LSU (6-6) opened as a slight favorite but that point spread has swung pretty significantly toward Kansas State (7-5). The Wildcats are now 7-point favorites at BetMGM with the total sitting at 47.5 as of Tuesday morning.

Why the line movement? Well, LSU will be without a significant chunk of its roster and is expected to split quarterback reps between two walk-ons and a wide receiver. According to The Athletic, the Tigers will have roughly 39 scholarship players available because of transfers, opt-out, COVID and academic issues.

The opt-outs include linebacker Damone Clark, defensive tackle Neil Farrell and running back Tyrion Davis-Price, all of whom have declared for the NFL draft. LSU is also very thin at cornerback.

And then theres the quarterback situation. Max Johnson, the teams starter throughout the regular season, transferred to Texas A&M. Myles Brennan, who was expected to compete with Johnson for the starting job before getting injured, announced he will be back next year under new coach Brian Kelly but reportedly wont play in the bowl. Freshman Garrett Nussmeier played in four games this season and does not want to burn his redshirt.

That leaves the two walk-ons Tavion Faulk and Matt ODowd and Jontre Kirklin, a receiver who played high school quarterback. Its obviously a tenuous situation for the Tigers.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is not expected to play in the Texas Bowl in order to preserve his redshirt, leaving two walk-ons and a receiver to play QB for the Tigers. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Kansas State, meanwhile, is expected to have longtime starting quarterback Skylar Thompson back on the field after a late-season injury. The Wildcats, who finished 7-5 overall, were 6-3 with Thompson in the lineup this season.

From a betting perspective, the spread moved toward Kansas State pretty slowly. K-State was still available at -4.5 a few days ago, but the number has moved to 7 with the reality of LSUs roster situation more publicly available.

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Kansas State is not a team I typically bet as a favorite, though it is 9-5-1 ATS as a favorite during Chris Kliemans three seasons as head coach. Even better, the under is 11-4 when Kansas State is the favorite during that same span.

With LSUs roster in such shape and the fact that Kansas State plays such a plodding style of offense (just 48 plays of 20-plus yards this season, No. 104 in the country), I lean toward the under. But its probably going to be a game Im more inclined to live bet or just stay away from altogether.

Things have been dicey in college basketball lately with so many postponements, but Tuesday nights schedule looks very promising.

The top matchup of the night comes out of the SEC where No. 21 LSU is hosting No. 16 Kentucky. LSU is a 3.5-point favorite with the total at 141.5.

Kentucky is 11-2 on the year and has won four straight games in blowout fashion after losing at Notre Dame on Dec. 11. The four-game winning streak includes an 83-56 blowout over Missouri in UKs SEC opener. LSU, meanwhile, is 12-1 on the year and is coming off that lone defeat a 70-55 road loss to Auburn in the conference opener.

Elsewhere, No. 1 Baylor hosts Oklahoma and is a 12.5-point favorite. No. 2 Duke hosts Georgia Tech as an 18.5-point favorite. No. 6 Kansas travels to Oklahoma State and is favored by 6.5.

In the Big Ten, struggling Michigan is a 4.5-point road favorite over Rutgers while Illinois is favored by 7.5 on the road against Minnesota. There are also two intriguing Big East matchups. Butler is a 3.5-point home dog against No. 24 Seton Hall, and Marquette is favored by 1.5 at home against No. 16 Providence.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari directs players against Notre Dame on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, in South Bend, Indiana. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin)

There was just one game in the NHL on Monday night, but the action is more plentiful on Tuesday with eight matchups on tap.

In the NBA, there are five games on the schedule. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the best ATS team in the league at 25-10-2, host the Memphis Grizzlies and are 3.5-point favorites. Elsewhere, the Raptors are 5.5-point home favorites over the Spurs, the Knicks are favored by just 1.5 at home against the Pacers, the Suns are 7.5-point road favorites over the Pelicans, and the Lakers are favored by 6.5 at home against the Kings.

With the NBA, you need to make sure youre aware of who is available to play before you bet. Players are dropping out of lineups left and right in recent weeks because of COVID-19.

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The Daily Sweat: There's one last bowl game, and it features LSU with a makeshift roster - Yahoo Sports

This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe

Wednesday, January 5, 2021

Omicron is 2022 wild card, but lots of 'dry powder' is fueling demand

Nowadays, dispatches from the impossibly hot pandemic-era labor market have become a bit anticlimactic.

Yet theyre still worth highlighting, given that employers are still trying to cope with excess demand and open jobs, and the Omicron variant crashing down on the economy driving new infections to over 1 million a day in the U.S.

On Tuesday, the Labor Departments closely watched Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) found that there were over 10 million vacancies in the latest month, with a record 4.5 million people bidding adieu to their gigs. Stocks reacted in mixed fashion, but remained perched comfortably within view of record highs.

Yahoo Finances Emily McCormick reported that turnover was particularly high in the beleaguered food service industry, where Omicron is becoming a drag on indoor dining. Meanwhile, the sheer numbers of workers testing positive and having to isolate themselves are wreaking havoc on travel, retail and public services in urban areas. On Tuesday, Macys (M) was forced to cut store hours as new infections created new staffing headaches.

The massive shortage of workers continues because the economy is booming, according to FWDBonds chief economist Chris Rupkey.

The economic recovery is over and companies have shifted their demand for workers at a pace that is normally only seen during economic booms, he said in a note to clients. The economy is booming today but for how long is the question with the spread of the latest COVID variant that is closing many schools and slowing commerce and buyer traffic at many shops and malls.

As we enter year three of the pandemic, COVID-19 still casts a pall over everything. But at a minimum, the JOLTS data reveal that soaring infections arent (yet) derailing one of the economys biggest macro trends: that is, a restless workforce desperately seeking greener pastures (i.e. better pay, benefits, work/life balance, etc).

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"The very purpose of the workplace has changed, JLL Work Dynamics Americas CEO Sanjay Rishi told Yahoo Finance Live on Tuesday. The purpose of the workplace has to be a social hub... Talent is so portable.

It underscores how underlying demand is still unwinding after 2020s dramatic closures, and putting upward pressure on inflation and the need for labor. The latter is being exacerbated by restrictive vaccine mandates one reason why the Morning Brief has highlighted their obvious failures as skyrocketing positivity rates lead to fewer workers on the job at all levels of the economy.

At a minimum, rapidly multiplying Omicron inflections havent yet led to the markets worst case scenario: government-imposed lockdowns that would strand workers and businesses back at square one.

And with consumers and investors unable to count on support from expansionary fiscal and monetary policy this time around, most are opting to soldier on as best as they can.

We are resolved to finally move beyond and pursue a new post-COVID normal, practice appropriate ongoing caution, and expect additional hardships, market veteran James Paulsen of the Leuthold Group, wrote in a research note this week.

But we are also determined to return to our routines and again embrace aspirations, interactions, and the business of fulfilling lives. Although COVID will still be with us this year, Americans are poised for the pandemic to become endemic, he added.

Consumers now have the wherewithal to continue to satisfy pent-up needs. Excess personal savings (above the normal pre-pandemic savings rate) have ballooned to about $2.2 trillion since March 2020 almost 10% of nominal GDP, the economist added. Never in the postwar era has there been this much dry powder sitting on the sidelines waiting to be unleashed.

The reason? One of the defining characteristics of this boom is pent-up demand [thats] more pronounced than at any point since at least 1970, Paulsen pointed out, which he argued actually predates COVID and can be traced back to the 2008 crisis.

Consumers now have the wherewithal to continue to satisfy pent-up needs. Excess personal savings (above the normal pre-pandemic savings rate) have ballooned to about $2.2 trillion since March 2020 almost 10% of nominal GDP, the economist added. Never in the postwar era has there been this much dry powder sitting on the sidelines waiting to be unleashed.

By Javier E. David, editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him at @Teflongeek

Economy

7:00 a.m. ET: MBA Mortgage Applications, week ended Dec. 31 (-0.6% during prior week)

8:15 a.m. ET: ADP Employment Change, December (410,000 expected, 534,000 during prior month)

9:45 a.m. ET: Markit US Composite PMI, December final (56.9 prior month)

9:45 a.m. ET: Markit US Services PMI, December final (57.5 expected, 57.5 prior month)

2:00 p.m. ET: FOMC Meeting Minutes, December 15

Earnings

Politics

John D. Porcari, the Port Envoy to the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, will join the White House daily press press briefing at 12:15 p.m. ET.

Two things to watch as Washington prepares for the Jan. 6 anniversary Thursday. The Senate has a hearing at 10:00 a.m. ET on Oversight of the U.S. Capitol Police." And Attorney General Merrick Garland plans a speech in the afternoon on the status of his departments efforts to prosecute those responsible for the riot.

Toyota dethrones GM as U.S. sales leader after nearly a century on top [Reuters]

Euro zone economic recovery faltered in Dec as Omicron spread: PMI [Reuters]

Elizabeth Holmes likely to face 'double-digit sentence' for fleecing investors, experts predict [Yahoo Finance]

CES 2022: The biggest trends to expect from the consumer tech conference [Yahoo Finance]

Bond king Jeffrey Gundlach: The yield curve may be sending a recessionary signal

This is the No. 1 risk to the stock market right now, according to Jim Bianco

KFC to debut Beyond Fried Chicken menu item as plant based boom expands

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

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Read the rest here:

What JOLTS says about the jobs market and everything else: Morning Brief - Yahoo Finance

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The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is almost assuredly going to be Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year very well may be Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver JaMarr Chase (unless New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones wins it).

What do Parsons and Chase have in common, besides having brilliant first seasons?

Neither played college football in what should have been their junior seasons. Citing COVID-19, both Parsons and Chase sat out the 2020 college seasons at Penn State and LSU, respectively.

Instead they turned to individual training and took extra time to prepare for the NFL draft process and eventually their professional careers. NFL rules require players to be three years out of high school before becoming draft-eligible. They established themselves as bona fide prospects in their first two college seasons.

Chase went fifth overall to Cincinnati, where he has caught 79 passes for 1,429 yards and 13 touchdowns in helping the Bengals win the AFC North. Parsons went 12th overall and his 13 sacks and 84 tackles have helped the Cowboys win the NFC East.

These are two of the biggest stars in the NFL. Already. Parsons has even merited discussion as Defensive Player of the Year. While it is possible another season of traditional college football would have prepared them even more, there is no telling that. And, clearly, they arent any worse for wear.

In fact, missing a season of pounding and practice, it could be argued, helped them be fresher for this season. Or perhaps they actually benefited by stepping away from team-centric coaching and game preparation to focus on individual development.

Yes, thats a cold, bottom-line concept that ignores the joys of actually playing the game or competing as part of the team but this is a business.

All of which brings up an intriguing question that was discussed on this edition of the College Football Enquirer: Could star college players, secure in their draft status as sophomores, begin sitting out their junior seasons?

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No college fan wants to see that. No coaches or anyone else either. And since both Chase and Parsons stepped away from their teams during the COVID-impacted 2020 season, this doesnt seem like much more than a blip.

Still, some young player or perhaps his family, agents and others is going to notice that the NFLs two best rookies didnt need college football like everyone assumed great players needed college football.

It wasnt long ago, after all, that the idea of a player opting out of his teams bowl game was considered shocking and taboo and something NFL teams would hold against them. Now its commonplace for top talent to protect themselves from injury and get a jump on training for the combine and pro days.

Could, to use as an example, Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who just lit up the Rose Bowl with 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns, look at Chase and decide he doesnt need his third year in Columbus to become a star? Would he thus just start training for the 2023 draft?

Could, to use as an example, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson, whose 17.5 sacks and 97 tackles has helped push the Crimson Tide to the national title game, look at Parsons and decide to follow that path, not the more traditional one?

There is no indication either one will. In fact, both are expected back for their junior seasons even though both have done more than enough to be selected in the top 10 whenever they turn pro.

But at some point, will someone do that? If history is an indication, probably.

There was a time when basketball players skipping their senior season of college was considered a shock. Eventually though the NBA was plucking future Hall of Famers (Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James) out of the prep ranks. The NBA now requires a player to be one year removed from high school.

Football is a different sport and the NFLs three-year rule has been good for both the game and the players, who generally need time to physically develop for the violence, demands and challenges ahead.

Still, sometimes guys are ready early. Or in this case, have shown enough that risking further injury, poor play, coaching malfeasance or anything else isn't in their best interest.

Parsons and Chase were two of those players. Heres guessing they wont be the last.

Also on this episode of the College Football Enquirer:

Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard ignite an opt-out debate.

Nick Saban discusses an expanded playoff.

Kentucky and Arkansas cap big-time seasons in the SEC.

Left for dead in August, the Big 12 has a big season and a promising future.

Ohio State flexes in the Rose Bowl.

What to make of Marcus Freemans Notre Dame debut.

A private parts Peoples Court.

Go here to see the original:

Junior-year opt-outs: Will Ja'Marr Chase and Micah Parsons be trendsetters? - Yahoo Sports

Cryptocurrency investors should keep track of various costs associated with Bitcoin mining, Tyler Page, CEO of Bitcoin mining company Cipher Mining (CIFR), said in a Wednesday interview with Yahoo Finance Live.

2022 for the entire industry of Bitcoin mining, I think is going to really be about execution, said Page.

Cipher Mining, which says it's dedicated to providing and securing the vital infrastructure necessary for the Bitcoin network to flourish into the future, made crypto news headlines this past October after purchasing several dozens of thousands of next-generation bitcoin mining hardware from Bitfury, a Bitcoin Blockchain infrastructure provider. The group is also backed by larger investors like Fidelity Management and Research and Counterpoint Group.

Opportunities are boundless this year, but costs also will present a significant challenge to mining operations looking to capitalize, Page said.

The big differentiator, and I think what the investing world needs to start to appreciate to differentiate among these miners, is what kind of cost discipline do they have on the main inputs?, he said. [The main inputs including] cost of power, which is the biggest OpEx cost input, and the cost that you pay for compute power or for mining rigs themselves, which is the biggest CapEX expenditure.

Mining operations attempt to generate Bitcoin at a rate lower than market prices. Its crucial, Page said, to account for costs generally overlooked by investors to calculate a more accurate picture.

The story of a miner is that you're effectively manufacturing Bitcoin for a much lower price than the market price like any commodities E&P type business, he noted. So in addition to the variable costs, both the operating cost for operating your facilities and paying for power or paying for hosting you also need to think about depreciation and amortization of the capital expenditure you've had.

Bitcoin miners had an eventful year, to say the least, in 2021. China enacted a series of crackdowns on mining operations throughout the year, criminalizing it throughout the country by the years end. Even with the government restrictions, experts estimate that as much as 20% of the worlds mining is done in China (down from peaks of 65%) through underground mining.

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A general view shows the Berlin geothermal plant of La Geo Electrical Company, where the Salvadoran government installed a Bitcoin mining facility for the use of bitcoin as legal tender, in Alegria, El Salvador November 13, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Mining in the U.S. has increased significantly over the past few years. In October, the U.S. overtook China as the country with the highest amount of crypto miners in the world. Research suggests that approximately one-third of bitcoins hashrate is in the U.S., representing a 400% increase from last year.

Ihsaan Fanusie is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @IFanusie.

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Bitcoin mining has risks that are difficult to price, Cipher Mining CEO says - Yahoo Finance

The game was over. The Cleveland Browns were out of timeouts. The Pittsburgh Steelers had won.

With only 51 seconds remaining, the Steelers up 19-14 and facing third down, all running back Najee Harris had to do was gain two yards to end the game. He ended up gaining much more than that, breaking outside for a 37-yard touchdown to provide a garbage-time exclamation point for Ben Roethlisberger's likely final game at Heinz Field.

It was actually in the Steelers' interest for Harris to fall down as soon as he gained the first down, as they only had to kneel out the clock from there. Scoring gave the ball back back to the Browns with a chance to score, convert an onside kick and score again, though that obviously wasn't happening with how Baker Mayfield was playing.

Harris' touchdown was completely meaningless ... for the Steelers. For some people watching at home, however, it was reason to lose their minds, for good reasons and bad.

When you're a widely owned player like Harris playing in Monday Night Football, you're going to swing some matchups. When you're a widely owned player scoring a garbage-time touchdown in Monday Night Football in the week of most fantasy football championship games, you're going to swing some championships.

In many leagues, Harris' touchdown provided a sudden 9.7 points for anyone who started him, more than enough to change a game. It was the final run of a massive games for the Steelers rookie, with 188 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries plus three receptions for 18 yards.

For some, that touchdown was a thrilling victory:

And for others, well, it doesn't get much worse than that:

It doesn't get much more fantasy football than this.

Photo: BreakingT

$32 at BreakingT

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Najee Harris' meaningless TD was a fantasy football championship winner, and loser, for some - Yahoo Sports