Techflier

bitcoin cryptocurrency - stock illustration Getty Bitcoin finishes the year off in a slump but investors could take advantage of the down price. The wash sale rule that applies to most securities doesn't apply to cryptocurrencies. Crypto traders can sell at a loss to offset capital gains taxes and buy back in at the same price. Bitcoin is closing the year off with a 32% slump from its November all-time high of about $68,000. On Friday, the crypto was trading at around $46,000.  Many investors had been bracing for a year-end parabolic bull run that would see bitcoin reach peaks as high as $100,000. But that expectation has now been pushed off to 2022. But investors can take advantage of a tax loophole while they wait for the cryptocurrency's comeback. Popular consensus from technical analysts like Scott Melker , host of the "Wolf Of All Streets" podcast, and Carl Runefelt, a crypto investor and influencer, suggests bitcoin's price is likely to consolida...

JPMorgan Offices, New York Erik McGregor /Getty Images As Omicron cases surge in the US, JPMorgan and Citigroup have allowed employees to work from home. Both banks are postponing their return to office, according to memos sent to employees.  JP Morgan said that it still expects employees to be back in office by February 1st.  JPMorgan and Citigroup announced Thursday that employees could kick off the new year working from home. The announcements came as a response to surging COVID-19 cases.  Citi's memo, obtained by CNN , requested US employees work from home during the first few weeks of 2022. The bank had previously taken a hybrid approach in its return to the office and asked staff to show up twice a week.  "We will continue to monitor the data and provide an update in January on when we expect to be back in the office," according to Bloomberg, which also obtained Citigroup's memo. In JPMorgan's memo to staff, the bank said employees who are able t...

US Postal Service workers delivered most mail on time this holiday season. Mario Tama/Getty Images USPS reported largely on-time holiday deliveries after last year's overwhelming flood of packages. The Postal Service said it brought on 185,000 staffers and 112 new package-sorting machines. But an Omicron wave appears to be spreading among postal workers: 8,000 are in quarantine this week. The United States Postal Service managed to deliver mail on time this holiday season by enlisting 185,000 new workers. But now, the Omicron variant is spreading among its employees. The USPS announced Thursday that it saw strong performance from October 1 through Christmas Eve, delivering nearly 90% of parcels on time, a 1.24% improvement over the previous quarter. USPS estimates it will deliver more than 12 billion pieces of mail by New Year's Day.  The Postal Service attributed this year's relatively smooth holiday season to changes it made to the size of its workforce and op...

Two homes burn during a wildfire in the Centennial Heights neighborhood on December 30, 2021 in Louisville, Colorado. Marc Piscotty/Getty Images Wildfires ripped through through Colorado on Thursday and Friday, scorching 6,000 acres of land and destroying up to 1,000 homes.  No deaths have been reported as of Friday afternoon, according to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. Here's a look at the devastating fires that caused thousands of residents to flee from their homes.    Devastating wildfires ripped through Colorado on Thursday and Friday, scorching 6,000 acres of land and destroying up to 1,000 homes.  The fires, which began on Thursday morning from what officials believe may have been a downed power line, spread rapidly into the suburbs of Denver and Boulder as the day progressed. Regional droughts and high-speed wind that reached more than 100 miles per hour exacerbated the blazes. Officials on Friday said that there are no reported deaths at this time, al...

Technology has come a long way in 2021. There’s widespread mRNA vaccines ! An asteroid-deflecting space mission! A very powerful laptop with a very controversial notch! But it’s unfortunately easier to think about the cringiest moments of the year than it is to remember times when we marveled at indoor farming robots .  So hop aboard the choo-choo- cheugy train. We promise, this isn’t just a list of things Elon Musk tweeted in 2021. Facebook is so Meta Facebook changes its corporate branding to Meta The biggest and most eye-wateringly silly rebrand of the year is uncontested: Facebook, one of the most recognizable names in the world, changed its name to Meta in order to distract from unflaggingly awful decisions and the irreparable harm it has caused countless people focus on the “metaverse,” something no one asked for and certainly no one wanted Facebook of all companies to take the lead on. Block this out Square is changing its name to Block Meta’s n...

Marianne Ayala/Insider Insider and other media have identified numerous US lawmakers not complying with the federal STOCK Act. Their excuses range from oversights, to clerical errors, to inattentive accountants. Ethics watchdogs — and even some in Congress — want to ban lawmakers from trading individual stocks. See more stories on Insider's business page . Insider and several other news organizations have this year identified 52 members of Congress who've failed to properly report their financial trades as mandated by the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, also known as the STOCK Act. Congress passed the law in 2012 to combat insider trading and conflicts of interest among their own members and force lawmakers to be more transparent about their personal financial dealings. A key provision of the law mandates that lawmakers publicly — and quickly — disclose any stock trade made by themselves, a spouse, or a dependent child. But many members of Cong...