February 21, 2020

Pregnancy Week 17 Highlights

Fun Facts About February 21 Babies

Your baby’s birthstone will be an amethyst

This warm purple quartz gem invokes peace, stability and bravery.

Your baby will be a Pisces

Your little one will be compassionate, affectionate, calm and wise with a bit of an artistic side.

Alan Rickman was born on February 21, 1946

Alan Rickman was an actor known for playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise. He was also known to American audiences for his role on Broadway as Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses and as a terrorist in the movie Die Hard.

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What Other February 2021 Moms Are Talking About

NATIONAL STICKY BUN DAY

National Sticky Bun Day on February 21st recognizes a delicious pastry that comes rolled up and dripping with a sweet, sugary topping. 

Known as “schnecken” meaning snail, the sticky bun is rolled into a sweet spiral resembling its German name. Still considered to be a Pennsylvania specialty, many believed the sticky bun’s origin in the United States began in the 19th century. German settlers brought their baking traditions with them when they began settling in and around Philadelphia.

Most often served for breakfast or as a dessert, sticky buns consist of rolled pieces of leavened dough. Most contain brown sugar and sometimes cinnamon. Before the dough is placed in the pan, the pan is lined with sticky sweet ingredients such as maple syrup, honey, nuts, sugar, and butter. When the buns are finished baking, the baker flips the pan upside-down so the sticky bottom becomes the topping.

Famous cousins to the sticky bun are the cinnamon roll, caramel roll and monkey bread. 

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalStickyBunDay

If you are craving this delicious sticky delight, try making some of your own with one of these sticky bun recipes. Serve them with tea, coffee or hot cocoa. 

Marcia’s Famous Sticky Buns
Super Easy Sticky Buns
Butterscotch Sticky Buns
Easy Caramel Sticky Buns
Ice Cream Sticky Buns

Use #NationalStickyBunDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL STICKY BUN DAY HISTORY

While enjoying a sticky bun, we’ll continue researching the origin of this sweet day.

NATIONAL GRAIN-FREE DAY

National Grain-Free Day on February 21st inspires families and friends to gather and enjoy each others’ company over grain-free meals. What a remarkable way to devote an entire day to loved ones who cope with dietary limitations. Not only does the day create a way to recognize the difficulties of a restricted diet, but it celebrates the family and brings everyone back into the kitchen for a meal designed just for them.

Often someone who cannot have wheat, corn or rice due to an allergy or another autoimmune disease finds themselves eating celery sticks at the latest family gathering or office party. But what we truly miss are the traditional family meals and feeling included. The celebration sets out to create an entire day full of meals entirely grain-free.

Friends and family join in the festive atmosphere and enjoy the delicious aromas of the recipes the menu has to offer. Create a memorable spread and don’t leave out the dessert!

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalGrainFreeDay

The observance celebrates family and friends enjoying good food together like they always have. While you’re gathering friends and family, try one of these terrific ideas to celebrate the day!

• Exchange delicious grain-free recipes to grow your repertoire.
• Cook together – experiment together. Find new ways to enjoy your favorite foods grain-free.
• Try something new. Maybe there’s a new family favorite yet to be discovered.
• Share every successful dish.

Use #NationalGrainFreeDay to share on social media.

NATIONAL GRAIN FREE DAY HISTORY

In 2019, Siete Family Foods founded National Grain-Free Day to support those whose dietary restrictions require them to eat grain-free. By raising awareness, they hope to bring them back around the table again, enjoying family meals. 

The Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed the day to be observed on February 21st, annually.

The stock market hits new highs mid-week but sells off at the end. The S&P 500 (-1.3%) and Nasdaq Composite (-1.6%) set new intraday and closing records this week as investors remained unconcerned by the coronavirus, but stocks sold off to end the week amid a pervasively defensive tone. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.4%, and the Russell 2000 lost 0.5%.

The week started with Apple (AAPL), the world’s largest technology company by market cap, providing a revenue warning for the March quarter due to the coronavirus. Shares recouped initial losses a day later, as investors viewed the situation as temporary and China-specific, but it was hard to ignore the widening spread of the virus and the defensive positioning in the market.

U.S. Treasuries, gold ($1649.90, +67.20, +4.3%), and the CBOE Volatility Index (17.08, +3.40, +24.9%) advanced noticeably during the week, and barely moved even when the market hit new highs and momentum stocks like Tesla (TSLA) and VirginGalactic (SPCE) extended their parabolic runs. Part of the defensiveness could be attributed to the elevated valuations in the market clashing with growth risks due to the coronavirus.

Cyclical sectors, and mega-cap stocks, underperformed, with the S&P 500 information technology (-2.5%), financials (-1.3%), and industrials (-1.2%) sectors leading the retreat. The defensive-oriented real estate sector was the lone group to avoid a weekly loss.

If one were to remain constructive on the market, one could point to this week’s upbeat economic data. Building permits climbed to a near 13-year high in January, weekly jobless claims remained at low levels, and the Philadelphia Fed Index surged to 36.7 in February, from 17.0 in January. The data wasn’t enough to prevent this week’s profit taking, though.

The 2-yr yield declined seven basis points to 1.35%, and the 10-yr yield declined 11 basis points to 1.47%. The U.S. Dollar Index closed 0.2% higher to 99.32 after setting a three-year high (99.61) during the week. WTI crude rose 2.8%, or $1.44, to $53.37/bbl.

Source: Briefing Investor