The House and Senate passed the 5,593-page combined year-end spending bill and stimulus package yesterday that amounts to $2.3 trillion in total. Of course, you can rest assured almost none of our elected officials even read much of the bill. President Donald Trump is expected to sign it into law today. The legislation provides for federal funding for the rest of the fiscal year, supplemental unemployment benefits and $600 stimulus checks for most Americans and their children. Democrat leaders in Congress vowed to make another deficit-spending relief package the top priority in the next term, a policy that would be make easier if they win the two Senate seats up for grabs in the Georgia runoff election.

Apple's Project Titan is not only alive, but plans to produce an electric passenger vehicle with "breakthrough battery technology" and self-driving capabilities by 2024, according to a fresh report from Reuters. The news sent AAPL shares nearly 3% higher in premarket trade after closing up yesterday on the news. Project Titan has been moving in fits and starts since 2014. It first began to design its own vehicle from scratch, but reverted back to a software push at one point and reassessed its goals. It remains unclear who would assemble a possible iCar, but sources have said they expect Apple to rely on a manufacturing partner.

Regulators appear to be getting serious about crypto as the space turns into one of the investing themes of 2020. A day after the Treasury proposed new rules on crypto movement, the SEC is expected to bring a lawsuit against Ripple Inc. by alleging it violated investor protection laws by selling unregistered securities when it sold XRP to investors. Brief rhetorical question for those crypto “investors” out there: why would you ever buy something with a currency you expect to be worth more in the future?

With Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management a Registered Investment Advisor I am Josh Fenili.