Oilprice.com (November 18)
“The real reason that Big Oil won’t raise production is a matter of simple economics. Keeping the supply tight is just too good for the bottom line…. In fact, according to figures from Deloitte LLP, oil explorers in the United States are making more money now than at any other point in the more-than decade-long history of the nation’s shale revolution.”
Tags: Big oil, Bottom line, Decade, Deloitte, Economics, Money, Production, Shale revolution, Supply, Tight, U.S.
Bloomberg (April 16)
“China’s economy soared in the first quarter as consumer spending strengthened, joining production and investment in recovering from the Covid slump a year ago.” Year on year, GDP “climbed a record 18.3%,” but that is “skewed by comparisons from a year ago when the economy was in lockdown. A better reading of the economy’s momentum comes from quarter-on-quarter growth, which slowed to 0.6% from 2.6% in the previous three months.”
Tags: China, Consumer spending, Covid, Economy, GDP, Investment, Lockdown, Momentum, Production, Record, Recovering, Skewed, Slump, Strengthened
Los Angeles Times (September 4)
The TV season usually begins during the third week in September. “For nearly seven decades, broadcast TV networks have used the season to launch new shows in the hope they become enduring hits—and to bring back fresh episodes of returning programs after the long summer hiatus.” The pandemic, however, closed down scripted production, “making it impossible for broadcast networks to premiere most of their new shows on schedule.” It may no longer matter in a world where streaming reigns. Ultimately, the pandemic may “accelerate change at broadcast networks” where the concept of a season seems increasingly anachronistic.
Tags: Broadcast, Change, Closed, Episodes, Networks, Pandemic, Premiere, Production, Scripted, Season, September, Shows, Streaming, TV
Time (March 10)
“While Chinese cities experiment with slowly reviving activity, other countries are canceling public gatherings, encouraging remote work and…following China’s lead with a lockdown on affected regions.” But it will still be a while before China is fully back to normal..if that’s even possible. Chinese factories, for example, “are gradually reopening but aren’t expected to reach normal production until at least April.”
Tags: China, Factories, Lockdown, Normal, Production, Public gatherings, Remote work, Reviving
Financial Times (February 26)
“Panic spreads faster than a pandemic. That might not make it irrational.” The novel corona virus (Covid-19) has already “infected 10 times as many people as did Sars and killed more than three times as many people. China is a far bigger part of global production and consumption than was the case in 2003.” And if it is not contained, “the hit to global GDP will be even worse.”
Tags: China, Consumption, COVID-19, Irrational, Pandemic, Panic, Production, SARS
Bloomberg (February 4)
“Fears that the coronavirus will ravage global supply chains rooted in China are spreading fast.” For some industries this could be a blessing. “A hiatus from production in the world’s largest car market may force” automakers “to take some needed rebalancing.” Overcapacity and production are running rife. “China’s factories have the capacity to make over 60 million vehicles a year. Only a third of that number are sold. Yet carmakers seem unable to, well, stop making cars.”
Tags: Automakers, Cars, China, Coronavirus, Fears, Overcapacity, Production, Ravage, Supply chains
Wall Street Journal (June 18)
“The boom in U.S. oil production…has become a strategic advantage against authoritarian governments that want to use oil as a weapon. Europe’s weak economy doesn’t have to cope with an oil shock, and the U.S. can squeeze Iran’s exports without damaging the global economy.”
Tags: Authoritarian, Boom, Economy, Exports, Iran, Oil, Production, Shock, Strategic advantage, U.S., Weapon. Europe
Financial Times (November 8)
Stung by the strong yen, over 100 TOPIX-listed manufacturers have issued profit warnings. Conventional cost cutting is no longer doing the trick. “After decades of building plants overseas and trying to make production leaner and more efficient to address the currency vulnerability, analysts say Japanese companies are facing a sobering reality: the urgency to sell underperforming businesses and join hands with rivals to survive brutal market conditions.”
Tags: Analysts, Cost cutting, Efficient, Japan, Leaner, Manufacturers, Overseas, Plants, Production, Profit warnings, Topix, Underperforming, Vulnerability, Yen
Wall Street Journal (September 3)
“All across American agriculture, production is up and prices are down.” With bumper crops expected, “corn prices have tanked, dropping to about $2.85 a bushel today from $6.50 three crop-seasons ago.” The Department of Agriculture is stepping in to help farmers with some subsidies and other programs, but what farmers really need is for Congress to “approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” which would boost demand overseas substantially.
Tags: Agriculture, Congress, Corn, Crops, Demand, DoA, Farmers, Overseas, Prices, Production, Subsidies, TPP
Bloomberg (July 8)
“Since its commercial introduction in 2007, the Airbus A380 has brought a long-lost sense of glamour back to travel…. Financially speaking, it’s a disaster of similarly grand proportions.” Airbus has “acknowledged it will never recoup the €25 billion ($32 billion)” of initial development costs. If production falls below 30 planes a year, there’s also a chance production could go back into the red, after only one year of profitability. “Axing the A380 outright” still remains “hard to do. Besides the embarrassment of admitting defeat on the program,” write downs that would ripple through the company and much of Europe.
Tags: A380, Airbus, Development costs, Disaster, Embarrassment, Europe, Glamour, Planes, Production, Profitability, Recoup, Write-downs
