My Posts (4-10 August, 2024)

There were two kinds of quakes in Japan, one was an earthquake, the other was the stock market. Be prepared and stay calm, is what I got out of them. Thailand's experiment of helicopter money using central bank digital currency would be interesting to follow up. Paraguay's president has a very clear goal to prosperity.

On the Science and Technology front, the conversation on the origin of life from Uncommon Knowledge by Hoover Institute of Stanford University was very interesting while Hellman's Real Mayo is used to advance nuclear fusion technology....

Investment Related

The Crash

Stocks Are Crashing—That’s a Great Reason to Sit Tight (WSJ): “As a guideline, sudden market selloffs are less dangerous than those that unfold progressively over time. This is because investors who rationally price in bad economic data often do so slowly, as it trickles in. Flash crashes, conversely, are often a sign that some tidbit of bad news made speculative bets go awry, triggering a cascade of trades, many of them automated.”

Japan stocks dive 4,451 points, more than Black Monday in 1987 (Nikkei Asia): A veteran investor texted me: “it’s an interesting market. Good opportunity to buy quality stocks.”

Japan stocks rebound 3,217 points for their largest single-day rise (Nikkei Asia): Who made money other than the brokers and media?

Japan residents’ net investment in foreign stocks (The Daily Shot): Japanese investors took advantage of the “strong” yen last week.?

Miscellaneous

Interest Rates in the Ancient World (Amazon): Will Japan follow the ancient path?

Private Equity: In Essence, Plunder? (Enterprising Investor): “Ballou highlighted several adverse outcomes associated with PE ownership, including a higher likelihood of bankruptcy for portfolio companies, job losses, and negative impacts on industries such as retail and healthcare. He cited three main reasons: PE firms’ short-term investment horizons, their heavy reliance on debt and extraction of fees, and insulation from legal consequences.”

The risks of pooled investments (FT): This Financial Times article highlights the risks associated with pooled investments but fails to address the potential benefits, making it somewhat one-sided.

Trust and Estate Assets in the US (The Daily Shot): Nevada is the top state for "asset-protection trusts" followed by South Dakota.

Thailand may tell us a great deal about the future of money (FT): An experiment in Thailand. The government will give $280 to eligible individuals.

COMEX Copper Sep-24 (The Daily Shot): ?The global economy doesn’t look like it is expanding.

Japan's Nippon Paint posts record profit on strong China demand (Nikkei Asia): “Nippon Paint Holdings’s consolidated net profit grew 8.9% to a record 66.3 billion yen ($450 million) in the January-June half, lifted by strong retail sales in China .”

Paraguay cutting debt issuance to curb deficit (Latin Finance): Moody's upgraded Paraguay to investment grade. The government has fiscal consolidation as their priority. In this interview, Paraguay's president, Mr. Santiago Pe?a shares his vision.

Agriculture

As temperatures rise, South Korean farmers experiment with tropical bananas (Reuters): “South Korea cultivated area of subtropical crops has jumped from about 295 hectares (710 acres) in 2021 to 3,306 hectares in 2023, with 67 banana farms in the south.”

Farmers innovate to save Iraq's rice production (Al-Monitor): “Experts say new methods using sprinklers and drip irrigation use 70 percent less water than the traditional flooding practice of Iraqi rice growers… In addition to drought, the authorities blame upstream dams built by Iraq's powerful ?neighbors Iran and Turkey for dramatically lowering water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which have irrigated Iraq for millennia.

Science and Technology

Japan's Nankai Trough earthquake advisory: 5 things to know (Nikkei Asia): For official info in multi languages, go to Japan Meteorological Agency Website: https://lnkd.in/gPEqkk2h

"over the course of the past fifty years of research... earthquakes cannot be predicted. Robert J. ("Bob") Geller, Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo.

Below photo is from Professor Geller's interview.

How Asia's 5,000-year-old rice terraces are inspiring modern flood control (BBC): "The Thammasat University roof designed by Kotchakorn Voraakhom is part of a wider trend in Asia that is seeing architects seek inspiration from the region's rice terraces and other agricultural heritages to help urban communities reduce water-logging and flooding. Examples range from adapted wetland parks in Chinese cities to homes in Vietnam with rice paddy-inspired rooftops."

Your future air conditioner might act like a battery (MIT Technology Review): "One of Nostromo Energy’s systems, which it calls an IceBrick, is basically a massive ice cube tray. It cools down a solution made of water and glycol that’s used to freeze individual ?capsules filled with water… ?Then the ice is used to drop the temperature of the water-glycol mixture, which in turn cools down the water that circulates in the building’s chilling system."

Beyond Evolution: Unraveling the Origins of Life with Stephen Meyer and James Tour (Uncommon Knowledge): Truly interesting conversation on the origins of life.

These AI firms publish the world’s most highly cited work (nature): “US tech giants Alphabet Inc. and Microsoft produce more highly cited research papers on artificial intelligence (AI) than any other company — but Chinese firms Baidu, Inc. and Tencent are ahead on patents.”

Lehigh Researchers Use Mayonnaise to Explore Nuclear Fusion Stability (Space Daily): "We're still working on the same problem, which is the structural integrity of fusion capsules used in inertial confinement fusion, and Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise is still helping us in the search for solutions.”

Leading Causes of Death in the US, 2019-2023 (JAMA Network):

Sports

Carlos Edriel Yulo wins historic gold for Philippines with floor exercise title (Reuters): Congratulations!???????

Algerian teen Nemour makes history with uneven bars Olympic gold (Al-Monitor): Congratulations!????

Whale breach seen during Paris Olympics surfing semifinal competition in Tahiti (AP): An unexpected audience.

Japan beat USA to win seventh consecutive WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup title (WBSC): "World No. 1 Japan defeated No. 4 USA 11-6 in the Women's Baseball World Cup Finals 2024 presented by CARNEXT World Championship Final and confirmed World Champions. It's their seventh title in a row."