In the race for mass production dominance of the EV market, manufacturers are avoiding expensive and rare materials like nickel and cobalt, even though their performance, when combined with lithium in batteries, is still the best. Instead, EV makers are using cheaper, "almost-as-good" lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. Reuters reports: As the auto industry scrambles to produce more affordable electric vehicles, whose most expensive components are the batteries, lithium iron phosphate is gaining traction as the EV battery material of choice. The popularity of the chemical compound known as … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2023
“Oh, That Wasn’t So Bad”
Your Survival Guy continues to favor a steady, balanced approach in times like these. You’re seeing yields on bonds you can sink your teeth into, and I like dividend-paying stocks. I want you to be paid to be invested in this market. Prices on the S&P 500 come and go. Look at last year, for example. And this market is shallow or an alligator market. When investors focus on prices, they live and die by the big ups and downs. It’s the investors who aren’t paying much attention when they realize after ten or fifteen years, “Oh, that wasn’t so bad.” But some retirement investors don’t … [Read more...]
You Can’t Time the Market: When Hubris Fails
Originally posted on May 18, 2020. Coronavirus Infects Stock Market: Part XLVIII You can’t time the market. Don’t even try, because you just might end up being wrong. Consider commercial real estate, for example. Anyone want to buy a high rise in Manhattan? Let’s hop in our time machine and look back to 2018 when the stock market was having a rough year. The DJIA ended the year down close to six percent. Big bad pensions wanted nothing to do with stocks. They wanted the “safety,” the “reliability of,” wait for it—commercial real estate. Let’s roll the footage (WSJ article Nov. … [Read more...]
Is the Panama Canal Going Dry?
The Panama Canal is one of the world's most vital shipping choke points. Spanning the isthmus of Panama, the canal connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic and avoids having to travel thousands of extra miles out of the way around Cape Horn. Now, unusually dry weather in Panama is depleting the canal of its water, and forcing ships to lighten their loads or seek different routes. Costas Paris reports in The Wall Street Journal: The Panama Canal is going through its driest spell in more than a century, and an extended lack of rainfall could saddle global supply chains with delays and … [Read more...]
American Companies Paying More Attention to India
As tensions with China rise, American businesses are spending more time considering India as a new location for manufacturing. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and afterwards told Reuters that a significant investment in India is "something we intend to do." Hyunjoo Jin and Shivangi Acharya report for Reuters: India has strong potential for a sustainable energy future including solar power, stationary battery packs and electric vehicles, Musk said, adding that he hopes to bring SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service to India as well. "He … [Read more...]
Oversupply Clouds the Future of Chinese Solar Panel Manufacturers
Chinese solar panel producers are watching as their stock prices plummet even while demand for their products is high. Margins are slipping as oversupply is driving down prices on panels. Bloomberg reports: In many ways the solar power industry has never been better, as the race to slow the pace of global warming drives demand for panels to a record high. Try telling that to investors in the world’s biggest solar equipment makers. Shares have slumped as falling prices compress margins and factory expansions raise fears of overcapacity, while investors are drawn to new sectors like … [Read more...]
“There’s Been No Western Investment in Graphite”
As electric vehicle production surges around the world, manufacturers are dealing with the reality that many of the vital materials necessary to build EV components aren't available anywhere but China. The most recent realization of the Chinese supply-chain bottleneck is the supply of graphite. Mark Thompson, a founder of Talga Group, said, "Automakers are in a real bind because there's been no investment in Western graphite." Reuters reports: Automakers, including Tesla and Mercedes, are rushing to lock in graphite supply from outside dominant producer China, as demand for electric vehicle … [Read more...]
Summer Rental?
Prices remain high for summer rentals on Cape Cod, but demand is down. Beth Teitell reports in The Boston Globe: Has the Earth been thrown off its rotation? Apparently. In a stunning turnaround from recent years, the story with vacation rentals on the Cape this summer is not one of scarcity. It’s no longer, if you haven’t booked a year in advance don’t expect a place with window screens. Rather, it’s a tale of vacancy. “It’s crickets,” said Sarah Buckwalter, a professional organizer and co-owner of an inherited four-bedroom, two-bath that’s on a tidal pond in North Falmouth, within walking … [Read more...]
Central Bankers Working on Global CBDC
Under the auspices of the IMF, central bankers from around the world are working on ways to implement central bank digital currencies. Danny Park reports in Forkast: Georgieva said without such a CBDC platform and regulations a vacuum will be created and likely filled by cryptocurrencies, Reuters reported. The IMF previously discussed the idea of a global platform in its quarterly publication in September last year. The IMF director also said CBDCs should be backed by real assets, adding that cryptocurrencies not backed by assets are “speculative investments.” CBDCs can increase … [Read more...]
CRUMBLE: Signs of Economic Panic in China?
Are Chinese economists panicking about the country's economy? Yin Yalin, deputy director of the economic affairs committee of China’s national political advisory body, is calling for propping up effective demand "immediately" after the Chinese economy has been "obviously losing momentum." Kinling Lo discusses Yin's comments in the South China Morning Post, writing: China needs a new playbook with resolute actions and clear signals to stem the downward spiral and reverse pessimism within the private sector, top economists said. Beijing needs to “immediately” stop China’s economy from going … [Read more...]
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