Business

Join Colossus released a great episode on Axon. It’s not a cheap stock by any means but I may need to revisit my thesis on it and keep an eye out

Japan Wanted Higher Inflation. It’s Here, and It Hurts. It’s interesting to read about what is happening in Japan. The government kept interest rates low for a while to stimulate the economy. Then, they started to raise rates, thinking that the virtuoso cycle already arrived. However, the Yen also plummeted against the dollar, making imports more expensive. In a country that favors import like Japan, it causes inflation to rise so much that it hurts consumer spending and spoils the plan of the Japanese government. Who said macroeconomics is easy?

Amazon Paid Almost $1 Billion for Twitch in 2014. It’s Still Losing Money. It should be clear to all equity analysts that M&A risks are real. Although the rationale behind any acquisition may make sense on paper, acquirers still need to do a lot of work to get the most bang for their buck. Twitch is a failure. No other way to describe it. 10 years after the acquisition and with the backing of Amazon, the unit is still unprofitable.

Amazon Pushes Fast Delivery Into Rural Areas in Challenge to Post Office. In case you are looking for what future growth comes from for Amazon.

Nike: An Epic Saga of Value Destruction. Nike focused on Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) too early while severing ties in the wholesale business. That and the arrogance of thinknig that the brand will continue to be the differentiator without care and love.

Other Stuff I Find Interesting

How to find high agency people

The Financial Consequences of Legalized Sports Gambling. A new study revealed that access to online gambling worsened consumer financial health. It is worrying because online gambling has been on a rise and doesn’t show any sign of abating. Lenders, even though they took measures to contain risks, have incentives to let consumers borrow because of the potential to earn interest income. When consumers are under inflation pressure and some tend to find hope in gambling, what does this trend mean for consumer financial health and the economy?

Rural Towns Are Aging, Cash-Strapped and in Desperate Need of Workers. Rural towns can’t find enough bodies to keep them running properly. I am confident that the US can fill some roles with skilled workers by offering financial supports and legal immigrant status to those that are willing to work.

Scientists Uncover the Ancient Origins of Baobab Trees in Genetic Study. It’s amazing that baobabs have been around, and it’s not a typo, for 21 million years.

How Thousands of Middlemen Are Gaming the H-1B Program. Thousands of immigrants go to the US, dreaming that they can change their lives for the better. Obviously, they need a legal pathway to stay, work, contribute to our society and build their lives. I can tell you from personal experience that worrying every day about a potential deportation is a horrible feeling. The anxiety I had whenever I had to apply for a visa stamp or renew my H1B is something I don’t wish on anyone. Hence, it boils my blood that there are people and companies out there that take advantage of the system and screw others just because they can. If USCIS can’t legally bar the perpetrators from the whole process, put a big fine on them. Make them pay literally for their transgressions.

Inside the Secret Negotiations to Free Evan Gershkovich. I never thought it was an easy operation to free these prisoners. But it was never as easy as taking fellow human-beings’ lives that lightly.

Stats

Half of American adults under 50 without children are unlikely to have one

Two out of three electric bikes sold in Kenya are financed by M-Kopa’s BNPL solution

Americans spent almost $120 billion on sports betting in 2023