Barron’s (February 24)
Trump wants the dollar to be mighty but weak. It makes no sense.” The President “is ensnared in a logical knot. Either the dollar must remain ‘mighty’ and dominant, or it must shed this albatross and fall to a level more favorable to U.S. exports. To demand that the dollar do both is as illogical as to demand that tariffs raise import revenue while at the same time stopping imports.”
Tags: Demand, Dollar, Dominant, Ensnared, Fall, Favorable, Illogical, Import revenue, Logical knot, Mighty, Tariffs, Trump, U.S. exports, Weak
Fortune (February 11)
President Donald Trump’s “penny proposal” misses the “real villains:” nickels. Trump has “directed the Treasury to kill pennies, which have lost the U.S. Mint money for decades, as every penny costs 3.7 cents to produce. Nickels are even more wasteful, though, costing 13 cents each to produce, and eliminating pennies could push up demand for five-cent pieces.”
Tags: Demand, Eliminating, MINT, Money, Nickels, Pennies, Produce, Treasury, Trump, U.S., Villains, Wasteful
OilPrice.com (September 17)
“U.S. power-generating companies are announcing plans for the highest volume of new natural gas-fired capacity in years as the AI boom is driving demand for electricity…. The increase in gas-fired generation jeopardizes the current U.S. emissions and ‘clean grid’ goals.”
Tags: AI boom, Capacity, Clean grid, Demand, Electricity, Emissions, Generation, Highest, Jeopardizes, New. Natural gas-fired, Power-generating, U.S.
New York Times (August 30)
“The world is well stocked with oil…. Demand continues to grow, but production seems likely to keep pace.” This is one reason “the market seems surprisingly calm” given “the degree of political turmoil not only in Libya but in the Middle East.” The other reason is China. After accounting for “roughly half of consumption increases in the last two decades,” China is no longer driving consumption. The nation’s shift to EVs could even “lead to drops in demand there for diesel this year and for gasoline in 2025.”
Tags: 2025, Calm, China, Consumption, Demand, Diesel, EVs, Gasoline, Libya, Middle East, Oil, Political turmoil, Production, Well stocked, World
Wall Street Journal (July 29)
The “post-covid factory boom Is running out of steam,” leaving U.S. manufacturers to rethink “their plans as they brace for an extended slump in demand.” Compounding factors include “higher interest rates, rising operating costs, a strengthening U.S. dollar and lower selling prices for commodities” as more executives forecast “challenging business conditions for the remainder of the year.”
Tags: Commodities, Demand, Dollar, Executives, Extended slump, Factory boom, Interest rates, Manufacturers, Operating costs, Plans, Post-Covid, Rethink, U.S.
Financial Times (May 27)
“What industry could replace” real estate “as the main driver of growth in China?” The automobile industry may look promising, but it’s a mere fraction of the size and creates other problems. China’s massive manufacturing sector already “exceeds domestic demand and expanding exports would encounter more trade friction with other countries.” Education and healthcare, on the other hand, have received insufficient spending. These areas would present the market with business opportunities and bring “substantial potential for growth” to the Chinese economy.
Tags: Automobile, China, Demand, Domestic, Education, Exports, Growth, Healthcare, Industry, Manufacturing, Real estate, Sector, Trade friction
Wccftech (April 4)
“Sometimes, going against the herd pays off massively. Case in point: Toyota is thriving right now with its hybrids-first strategy, while its competitors, including Tesla, the erstwhile king of the auto space, continue to contend with a challenging demand environment and shrinking margins.”
Tags: Auto, Challenging, Competitors, Contend, Demand, Environment, Hybrids-first strategy, Shrinking margins, Tesla, Thriving, Toyota
Financial Times (March 2)
“Surging property prices in recent years has been a common theme for many major cities around the world.” In Tokyo, the difference is “that a longer-lasting trend is driving prices this time. The number of wealthy households in Japan has reached a record 1.5mn as the total amount of financial assets has also risen every year since 2013.” In addition, “demand from wealthy Chinese buyers” is boosting demand.
Tags: 2013, Boosting, Chinese buyers, Cities, Demand, Financial assets, Japan, Property prices, Surging, Tokyo, Trend, Wealthy households
Reuters (February 5)
“Prolonged factory deflation is threatening the survival of smaller Chinese exporters who are locked in relentless price wars for shrinking business as higher interest rates abroad and rising trade protectionism squeeze demand.” Fifteen months of falling producer prices have crushed “profit margins to the point where industrial output and jobs are now at risk,” further “compounding China’s economic woes, which include a property crisis and debt crunch.”
Tags: China, Demand, Economic woes, Exporters, Factory deflation, Interest rates, Jobs, Output, Price wars, Producer prices, Profit margins, Prolonged, Property crisis, Relentless, Risk, Survival, Threatening, Trade protectionism
Institutional Investor (November 27)
“Retail beef prices hit a record in July, as base demand across all grades, from prime to select, remained ‘incredibly good’…. Cattle supplies are tight and are likely to stay that way for the next few years as drought and high input prices will limit herd expansion.”
Tags: Beef prices, Cattle supplies, Demand, Drought, Grades, Herd expansion, High, Input prices, July, Prime, Record, Retail, Select, Tight
