Articles
December 17, 2021
The Fed's Pivot: When Cheap Money Started to End
There is a shift that was announced this week, and the shift is the pivot: the central bank that is ending the era of the cheap money, that is withdrawing the support, that is preparing for the rate hikes, that is admitting the inflation is not transitory, that is changing the game for everyone. The Federal Reserve is the December 2021 story: the meeting where the taper was doubled, the projections that showed the three hikes, the inflation that is at the four-decade high, the era of the easy money that is coming to the close. The pivot is the subject of this article: what was decided, why it matters, and what it means for the businesses and the markets.
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November 26, 2021
Omicron: The Variant That Brought Back Uncertainty
There is a variant that was named today, and the variant is the unknown: the new strain that was identified in the south of Africa, that was designated as the variant of concern, that triggered the travel bans around the world, that sent the markets into the tailspin, that brought back the word that the world wanted to forget. Omicron is the November 2021 story: the announcement from the health agency, the flights that were suspended, the worst day for the stocks in a year, the questions that no one can answer yet, the uncertainty that is the only certainty. The variant is the subject of this article: what is known, what is not, and how the businesses should respond.
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November 2, 2021
COP26: The Climate Summit That Had to Deliver
There is a summit that is underway this week, and the summit is the moment: the climate conference in Glasgow, the gathering of the nations, the pledges that are being made, the goal that is on the line, the world that is watching. COP26 is the November 2021 story: the leaders who arrived, the commitments that were announced, the deforestation pledge and the methane deal, the one point five degree goal that is hanging in the balance, the conference that is the last best chance. The summit is the subject of this article: what is happening, what has been pledged, and what it means for the climate and the economy.
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October 28, 2021
Tesla Hits a Trillion: The Market Cap That Changed the Conversation
There is a milestone that was crossed this week, and the milestone is the trillion: the electric car maker that became the fifth company in the history to be worth the trillion dollars, that joined the club of the tech giants, that reached the mark on the back of the rental order, that changed the way the market thinks about the cars. Tesla is the October 2021 story: the hundred thousand cars that the rental giant ordered, the stock that surged, the market cap that crossed the trillion, the electric revolution that is being priced in, the debate that is raging. The milestone is the subject of this article: how it happened, what it means, and what comes next.
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October 4, 2021
The Day Facebook Went Dark: What a Six-Hour Outage Taught the World
There is a silence that fell over the internet today, and the silence was the outage: the social network and its apps that went dark, the WhatsApp and the Instagram that stopped, the billions of users who could not connect, the six hours that felt like an eternity, the reminder of how much the world depends on one company. The Facebook outage is the October 2021 story: the services that went down around the world, the internal tools that failed too, the businesses that were cut off from their customers, the questions that were asked about the concentration of the internet. The outage is the subject of this article: what happened, why it matters, and what it teaches about the infrastructure.
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September 22, 2021
Evergrande: The $300 Billion Question in China's Property Market
There is a developer that is shaking the markets this week, and the developer is the question: the Chinese property giant that is drowning in the debt, that is facing the payments it cannot make, that is the largest in its industry, that is threatening the global markets, that is the test of the Chinese model. Evergrande is the September 2021 story: the missed payments and the grace periods, the shares that plunged, the selloff that swept the world, the government that is watching, the contagion that is feared. The crisis is the subject of this article: how it happened, why it matters, and what it means for the global economy.
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September 16, 2021
Inspiration4: The First All-Civilian Mission to Orbit
There is a crew that is orbiting the Earth tonight, and the crew is the first: the four civilians who launched into orbit, who are circling the planet in the capsule, who have no professional astronauts among them, who are the pioneers of the new era, who are living the dream that was always private. Inspiration4 is the September 2021 story: the launch that happened yesterday, the first all-civilian mission to orbit, the flight that was funded by the entrepreneur, that is raising the money for the children's hospital, that is opening the space to the civilians. The mission is the subject of this article: who is on board, what they are doing, and what it means.
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August 31, 2021
Hurricane Ida: When Energy and Logistics Meet the Storm
There is a storm that is still moving this week, and the storm is the test: the hurricane that hit the Louisiana coast, that struck the heart of the American energy industry, that shut the refineries and the platforms, that knocked out the power for the millions, that is the latest reminder of the fragile systems. Hurricane Ida is the August 2021 story: the Category Four that made landfall on the anniversary of the Katrina, the energy coast that took the direct hit, the ninety-five percent of the Gulf production that was shut in, the recovery that will take the weeks. The storm is the subject of this article: what it hit, what it broke, and what it teaches about the energy and the logistics.
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August 19, 2021
Common Prosperity: China's Crackdown on Big Tech
There is a speech that shook the markets this week, and the speech was the doctrine: the leader who called for the common prosperity, who made the redistribution the goal, who set the tone for the era, who sent the message to the giants, who changed the rules of the game. Common prosperity is the August 2021 story: the meeting where the direction was set, the crackdown that was already underway, the platform companies that are in the crosshairs, the investors who are fleeing, the model that is being rewritten. The crackdown is the subject of this article: what is happening, why it is happening, and what it means for the world's biggest internet market.
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July 23, 2021
The Games Without a Crowd: Operations Lessons from Tokyo 2020
There is a ceremony that is happening tonight, and the ceremony is the paradox: the opening of the Olympic Games that were postponed, that are being held without the spectators, that are the most complex operation in the world, that are taking place in the middle of the pandemic, that are the show that must go on. The Tokyo Games are the July 2021 story: the eleven thousand athletes who are gathered, the venues that are empty, the protocols that are strict, the cost that is enormous, the operation that is unprecedented. The Games are the subject of this article: what it takes to run them, what went wrong, and what the world can learn.
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