Yas Island Joy of Eid Fireworks.  Courtesy Yas Island
Yas Island Joy of Eid Fireworks. Courtesy Yas Island

5 things to do: Plan to celebrate Eid Al Adha on Yas Island or attend the Dubai Poetry Slam



Plan to celebrate Eid Al Adha and the final days of the Joy of Eid campaign on Yas Island with a fireworks display featuring Yas Island art and plenty of smiles. UAE Red Crescent and Yas Island joined forces between Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha to collect donations to help build schools and playgrounds in Pakistan and Mauritania.

Post a photo of yourself smiling and use the hashtag #YasJoyofEid and Yas Island will make a contribution to the cause, or make a donation yourself at the Joy of Eid donation boxes available at Yas Island attractions. Fireworks on first day of Eid Al Adha, 9pm, adjacent to MAD on Yas Island, Yas Leisure Drive, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.facebook.com/yasisland

Visit Yas Mall and enjoy live magic shows in celebration of Eid Al Adha, including The Levitating Man and The Caricaturist, plus a musical flash mob, traditional Ayallah dance, Arabic coffee and dates, a falconry display and more. Shows from 5pm, Town Square, Yas Mall, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmall.ae

Make plans to attend the Dubai Poetry Slam in its new home at thejamjar and experience an open-mic night featuring spoken-word poetry by local artists. This collective aims to be a holistic platform for the art form and hosts monthly open-mic nights and workshops. Saturday, 7pm to 9pm, free, thejamjar, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, www.facebook.com/DubaiPoetrySlam

Head to The Galleria to enjoy Eid Al Adha activities for the whole family, including a falconry stand, a henna station, holiday-themed arts and crafts for kids, a dedicated hospitality area with traditional Arabic coffee and dates, and a calligrapher who will create individual pieces for shoppers. From 5pm to 10pm, free, The Galleria, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi. www.thegalleria.ae

Catch a screening of a piano recital by Kun-Woo Paik, who will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin. Tonight, 7pm, free with registration, Arirang Hall, Korean Cultural Center, Building 5, twofour54 campus, Khalifa Park, Abu Dhabi, 02 491 7227, register at www.uae.korean-culture.org

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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?

If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.

Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.

Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.

Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).

Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal. 

Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.

By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.

As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.

Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.

He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.” 

This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”

Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.

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