U.S.-China Scorecard, Taper Talk, Canada Thriftiness: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Tuesday, Americas. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help you start the day:

• U.S. small-business optimism slumped in December to a seven-month low as Covid-19 infections spread at a record rate and governments tightened restrictions on activity
• The Trump administration’s final days are proving as confounding as ever for companies and investors stuck in the middle of an increasingly contentious U.S.-China relationship
  • Here’s our scorecard of how the two nations did during Trump’s time in office
• Federal Reserve officials said that more fiscal support and the mass distribution of vaccines could lead to a strong U.S. economic recovery in the second half, setting the stage for a discussion of potential tapering of bond buying before year’s end
• Canadian households are preoccupied with shoring up their finances this year, according to a new survey, a thriftiness that could be a drag on the recovery
• The euro-area economy is poised to shrink again at the start of this year as the resurgent pandemic plunges the region into a double-dip recession

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