News and my thoughts from last week (12May25)
10000 hours do not guarantee success but it is part of the journey to mastery. Buffett underlined the importance of identifying what skills you already have and what you love doing, and then find people who can teach you to improve. Ideally that means spending time with instructors or mentors, though it may be just as valuable to read what experts in your field have written on the subject. - CNBC
“Energy costs are a significant factor in the overall production cost of a smelter. High energy costs plague the US aluminium industry, forcing cutbacks and closures.” - Wood Mackenzie (CNBC)
Xeneta’s Chief Analyst warns that a return to Red Sea routes could flood the market with capacity, potentially causing a dramatic collapse in freight rates, further exacerbated by a slowdown in U.S. imports. - GCaptain
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Listings just hit 123,000 in April 2025. 53% higher than normal. And prices are now dropping across the state. - X user Nick Gerli
For the first 3 months of 2025, nonfarm payrolls have been revised DOWN by a total of 124,000. March alone was revised by 43,000, Overall, 12 out of the last 15 months have been revised down
New York Services sector outlook is at CRISIS levels: Business climate expectations in the NY services sector fell to -50 points in April, the lowest since the GREAT FINANCIAL CRISIS. Economic conditions dropped to -60.7 points, the lowest in 4 years - X Global Markets Investor
Check out the April data: China’s exports to the US: Down 17% but China’s TOTAL exports: Up 8% - X user S. L. Kanthan
Doctors warn accounting firms against private-equity firms, citing eroded patient care under their ownership. Profits over purpose & people? - WSJ
Cargo thieves are attacking the U.S. supply chain at alarming rates - CNBC
"Our 12-month recession risk estimate remains 45%. Beyond US-China, we still expect further tariff increases and a meaningful risk that some of the paused “reciprocal” tariffs will take effect after all." - Goldman Sachs from The Street
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US companies announced $233.8 billion in buybacks in April, the second-highest amount since data began in 1984. This is a sharp reversal from the $39.1 billion announced in March, the least since October 2020. Year-to-date, repurchase announcements have reached a record $665.1 billion. Buyback announcements have now surpassed the previous high of $598.5 billion set in 2022. US executives appear to be signalling confidence in their stocks after the recent market sell-off.
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Home insurance rates are going up across the U.S., and in some places, people are losing coverage altogether. One of the biggest reasons? Natural disasters are worsened by increasing temperatures. - The CoolDown
McDonald's sales in the US dropped by the most in 5 YEARS: US same-store sales fell 3.6% year-over-year in Q1 2025, the most since the 2020 CRISIS. This comes as consumers sharply pulled back on spending. Consumer spending accounts for ~70% of GDP - X user Global Markets Investor
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Berkshire Hathaway's cash position when Warren Buffet announced his retirement. - X user Financelot
'We wouldn’t bet on a currency going to hell': Warren Buffett’s big warning on the U.S. dollar - BusinessToday
“Dip in container ship arrivals started,” the report states. “For example, only 14 arrived past three days, and only 10 are scheduled to arrive next three days, whereas 17 in three days would be ‘normal.’” - Daily Breeze
Apple’s executives believe the vast scale of overseas factories as well as the flexibility, diligence and industrial skills of foreign workers, have so outpaced their American counterparts that ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ is no longer a viable option for most Apple products.” - Inc
Protectionism can be an admission that the country has fallen behind, but some protectionism can be needed.
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