euronews (August 12)
OPEC and the IEA, “two of the most influential voices in energy markets” released “opposing readings” for 2026, but more harmonious forecasts for 2027. “The IEA now expects the world to burn less oil in 2026 than it did in 2025,” predicting global oil demand will “fall by 1.6 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2026.” In contrast, “OPEC still expects demand to grow” by 580,000 b/d. Both are, however, bullish on 2027 demand. “OPEC now expects demand to grow by 2.2 mb/d in 2027… while the IEA goes further still at 2.4 mb/d.” Interestingly, “the gloomier forecaster for this year delivers a more bullish read for the next.”
Tags: 2026, 2027, Bullish, Demand, Energy markets, Fall, Forecasts, Grow, Harmonious, IEA, Influential, Oil, OPEC
The Economist (May 12)
SoftBank’s founder Masayoshi Son is now a contender for “the most influential person in technology.” His $100 billion Vision Fund is “gobbling up stakes in the world’s most exciting young companies…. disrupting both the industries in which it invests and other suppliers of capital…. Even if the fund ends up flopping, it will have several lasting effects on technology investing.”
Tags: Capital, Disrupting, Influential, Investing, Lasting effects, Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, Technology, Vision Fund
Fortune (January 28)
Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Ikea, died at 91. With an estimated net worth of $58.7 billion, he was the world’s eighth-richest person. Renowned for living miserly, he created a revolution in furnishings. In 2005, he was named “the most influential taste-maker in the world” by the U.K. style magazine Icon, which wrote, “‘if it wasn’t for Ikea, most people would have no access to affordable contemporary design. The company has done more to bring about an acceptance of domestic modernity than the rest of the design world combined.’”
Tags: Affordable, Contemporary, Design, Icon, Ikea, Influential, Kamprad, Miserly, Net worth, Rich, Taste-maker, U.K.
