In an effort to minimize the number of gasoline-powered vehicles sold in America, regulators are planning strict rules that would force manufacturers to produce many more electric vehicles. Claire Bushey and Aime Williams report in the Financial Times: US environmental regulators on Wednesday proposed tough new emissions limits that would force carmakers to make 67 per cent of their American models electric by 2032. EPA administrator Michael Regan called it “the most ambitious pollution standards ever for cars and trucks”. It would significantly increase EVs share of the new vehicle … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2023
Friends, Come with Me on a Road Less Traveled
You’ve come a long way. Pretty nice view, isn’t it? Look at your savings. Who would have imagined you’d be where you are today? Nice. And because of who you are, I want you to become intimately familiar with the yield curve. Fixed income is alive and well. Pretty nice, I’d say. And before we try and rain on this parade with inflation talk (I’ll get to that in a minute), let the yield curve sink in. Better yet, show it to your lazy cash sitting at the bank doing nothing for you. Your Survival Guy’s life has been one of compounding. Compounding experiences. Compounding money. Both are … [Read more...]
America Experiencing a Factory Building Boom
After COVID-19 supply chain struggles raised red flags about dependence on imports from China and elsewhere, many companies are building new production facilities in America to retake control of their logistical plans. John Keilman reports in The Wall Street Journal: Production at U.S. factories rose last year, but few things were produced at a more furious pace than factories themselves. Construction spending related to manufacturing reached $108 billion in 2022, Census Bureau data show, the highest annual total on record—more than was spent to build schools, healthcare centers or office … [Read more...]
You Can Never Really See What’s Ahead
Happy Monday. Hope you had a nice Easter weekend. Your Survival Guy enjoyed the last hurrah of skiing with our college-aged children at our home mountain Attitash. Now owned by Vail, they’re replacing the old triple to the top with a detachable quad during the off-season. And sure enough, Monday morning, it’s all over. The kids go back, and it’s an empty nest again. Just the two of us. It’s never a good feeling being left. And every time, it’s like doing it all over again. Saying goodbye and seeing you all soon. In my conversations with you, we talk about family. We talk about how much … [Read more...]
BOOMERANG: Warehouse Employee Demand Whips Back
After surging demand for warehouse employees, companies are now laying off those they hired. The Wall Street Journal's Paul Page reports: Warehousing employment fell to the lowest level in more than a year as companies slashed payrolls amid a downturn in the goods-moving economy. U.S. employers cut 11,800 warehouse and storage jobs from February to March, according to the seasonally adjusted Labor Department preliminary jobs report released Friday. Warehousing companies have reduced employment by nearly 50,000 jobs since June, when overstocked retailers started paring inventories because … [Read more...]
Happy Easter!
Your Survival Guy’s Quick Top 10 Checklist
Your Survival Guy’s quick Top 10 checklist to help keep you on track this spring. Get your lazy cash off the couch. If it’s earning peanuts at your bank, move it to Fidelity’s Treasury Money Market (FZFXX), paying close to 4.5%. Think about moving away from mutual funds and ETFs. I want you to be an owner and in control of your stocks and bonds. I want you at the private spa, not the public pool. But it needs to make sense for your situation. We can talk. If you’re working, work for as long as you can. If you’re being pressured by your spouse to retire, then figure out a way to have … [Read more...]
Interest Rate Hikes Take a Toll on Hamptons Real Estate
Interest rate increases have slowed the demand for homes in the Hamptons, causing sale prices to fall 7.6% in the first quarter. Bloomberg's Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou reports: Buyers in the Hamptons are taking a pause. The median home sale price in the luxury Long Island enclave fell 7.6% in the first quarter, the first decline since 2019, while the total number of homes sold slumped 44% from the prior year to 424, according to data from Town & Country Real Estate. Fewer homes sold at all price points, but the high end of the market was hit particularly hard. The number of … [Read more...]
When “Mr. Smart Guy” Talks ChatGPT
With tax bills due and family gathering for Easter, it’s money talk that’s on the table. Unexpected tax bills from mutual funds that lost money are never fun. Headline statements about the banking disaster are going to come up. But is anyone paying attention to how this could lead to digital currencies? It’s easy to shrug off the subject of money. But sometimes some honest advice is what’s needed. When “Mr. Smart Guy” starts talking about ChatGPT, you don’t have to go along for the ride. Be nice, of course. But it might be worthwhile noting stocks have already been down 20% four times this … [Read more...]
FedEx Mimics UPS with New Efficiency Measures
FedEx executives are streamlining the company's operations to more closely resemble those of chief competitor, UPS. Esther Fung reports for The Wall Street Journal: FedEx Corp. is combining its Express and Ground delivery units into a single business, abandoning an operating structure championed by founder Fred Smith and criticized by investors and analysts. The changes are designed to simplify interactions with customers and accelerate cost-cutting efforts, FedEx Chief Executive Raj Subramaniam said. It helps the parcel-delivery giant adjust to a business model driven by e-commerce … [Read more...]