MIT scientists have developed a new super material that is both stronger than steel and as light as plastic. Study Finds reports: Scientists at MIT have developed a material that is as light as plastic — but stronger than steel. They believe the material could revolutionize the car, mobile phone and building industries. The easily manufactured substance – up to six times more difficult to break than bulletproof glass – is the result of an engineering feat previously thought to be impossible. It is a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which … [Read more...]
NEARSHORING WAVE: American Companies Flee “High Risk” China
American companies are recognizing the ever increasing risks of doing business in China, and adjusting their future plans. Chuck Dobrosielski explains the near shoring trend and what it means in Sourcing Journal, writing: After countless years of rumblings and promises, the long-heralded rise in nearshoring appears to finally be here. In a McKinsey & Co. survey of 38 chief procurement officers at clothing companies, 71 percent said they plan to increase their nearshoring share, including 13 percent who expect to do so by more than 10 percentage points. Twenty-four percent plan to … [Read more...]
An End to the Car Shortage?
For the last two years, Americans driving by car dealerships-traditionally bloated with inventory-have seen bare parking lots and empty showrooms. The shortage of silicon chips, an element crucial to modern-day vehicle production, has created a shortage of vehicles across the world. Now, there are signs the vehicle shortage may be abating. Stephen Wilmot reports for The Wall Street Journal: Getting your hands on a new car should become easier this year. The big question for both consumers and investors is at what price. The most surprising projection made by General Motors GM -0.74% when … [Read more...]
Global Famine Could Follow Potential Russia-Ukraine War
Both Russia and Ukraine are among the top seven wheat-producing countries in the world. Despite being vast, much of Russia's wheat-producing farmland is near Ukraine. A war between the two nations could disrupt the planting, growth, and harvesting of a major portion of the world's wheat production. The potential for such a war could is already having effects on the market for grains. Will Horner and Kirk Maltais report in The Wall Street Journal: The threat of war between Russia and Ukraine is rattling international grain markets, driving wheat prices higher on both sides of the Atlantic and … [Read more...]
Caterpillar Has Trouble Meeting High Demand
Caterpillar would like to sell more machines to the customers filling its order book, but can't because of supply-chain challenges and a shortage of semiconductors. Austen Hufford reports in The Wall Street Journal: Strong construction activity in the U.S. drove demand for Caterpillar Inc., CAT -0.95% though the equipment maker said it faced higher costs and a bulging order backlog. Caterpillar said Friday that it continues to have trouble obtaining enough electronics, semiconductors and other parts to make hydraulic shovels and asphalt pavers. The company’s backlog for the quarter ended … [Read more...]
OIL’S SLICK: Producers Regain Their Footing After COVID Turbulence
Oil producers are regaining their footing after COVID-19 supply and demand disruptions produced wild swings in prices for their products. The Wall Street Journal's Christopher M. Matthews reports: Chevron Corp. CVX -4.64% had its most profitable year since 2014, reporting Friday that it earned $15.6 billion in net income in 2021, as commodity prices surged on the back of a global economic recovery. The U.S. oil giant’s annual earnings were a dramatic turnaround from 2020, when Chevron lost $5.5 billion after the global pandemic routed demand for oil and gas. It reported a fourth-quarter … [Read more...]
Will Walmart Pioneer the Future of Farming?
Walmart has made an investment in vertical farming company, Plenty. Can the mega-retailer, with its money and reach, make vertical farming the future of agriculture? CNBC's Melissa Repko reports: Walmart said Tuesday that it is investing in vertical farming company Plenty and plans to carry the start-up’s leafy greens in all California stores later this year. The big-box retail giant did not disclose the size of the equity stake or the terms of the commercial deal, but said a Walmart executive will join Plenty’s board. Walmart’s investment is part of a $400 million round of funding for … [Read more...]
ONLY FIVE DAYS LEFT: America Dangerously Low on Semiconductor Chips
America's stocks of semiconductor chips are down to only five days worth, a perilously low number that usually stands nearer to forty days supplies. Josh Zumbrun and Alex Leary report in The Wall Street Journal: U.S. manufacturers and other companies that use semiconductors are down to less than five days of inventory for key chips, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, citing the results of a new survey. In 2019, companies typically maintained 40 days of inventory for key chips, according to the Commerce Department report. Now for the same chips—defined as 160 products that companies … [Read more...]
Uncertainty Driving Investors Into Gold
Investors are fleeing from global uncertainties like war and pandemic into a historical safe haven, gold. Hardika Singh reports for The Wall Street Journal: Rising geopolitical tensions in Europe and a slide in major U.S. stock indexes has sent investors rushing into the haven metal. On Friday, they poured a record net $1.6 billion into SPDR Gold Shares, GLD +0.50% the world’s largest physically backed gold exchange-traded fund, according to Dow Jones Market Data. When individuals buy shares of an ETF backed by physical gold, they are buying a stake in a trust. The ETF tracks the metal’s … [Read more...]
BUY THE DIP? No One Wants to Save the Stock Market
Despite tumbling stock prices, options traders don't appear eager to step in to buy the dip. Reuters reports: Even as stocks tumbled, however, there were few signs in the options market that traders were expecting the sell-off to abate soon. "I am not seeing much along the line of 'quick end to the sell-off'," said Chris Murphy, co-head of derivatives strategy at Susquehanna International Group. "It still looks pretty fearful," Murphy said. On Monday, overall trading in put options, typically used to place defensive or bearish bets on stock and index prices, outnumbered trading in … [Read more...]
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