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1. There’s no guaranteed way to make money in the markets. But following the government’s ’money trail’ comes pretty close… When politicians in Washington plow billions of dollars into an industry, pay attention. It’s usually a telltale sign to be bullish. Stocks from that sector will likely soar. Just look at the defense industry… After World War II, the U.S. set out to build the world’s greatest military. The government spent billions of dollars working toward …

We often talk about technology’s influence on the economy. After the Strategic Investment Conference, though, I’ve decided that isn’t strong enough. It’s more correct to say technology is the economy. But when I use the word technology here, I’m not talking about the big, nifty eight tech companies that dominate today’s stock market. I’m talking more about the entire scope of technological advances over the past 300+ years. None of our economy today is possible …

A weekly five-point roundup of critical events in the energy transition and the implications of climate change for business and finance. Poor Country Offering Carbon Offsets Would Like to Be Less Poor, Now What happened: Zimbabwe is the 12th largest creator of carbon offsets, a still-new industry that projects to grow as large as $1 trillion per year in the next 15 years. It’s also a relatively poor country whose government just shocked the market …

A weekly five-point roundup of critical events in the energy transition and the implications of climate change for business and finance. 1. Tesla Tries to Reinvent the Electric Car Again What happened: Tesla has plans to build its biggest plant ever, breaking ground as early as next month. More importantly, that new plant might feature a radical redesign of how automobiles are put together, an “unboxed” process one expert described as “revolutionary.” Why it’s important: …

A weekly five-point roundup of critical events in the energy transition and their implications of climate change for business and finance. India: Hot, Without AC, But Has a Plan What happened: “India is pioneering a strategy to shield its 1.4 billion people from increasingly scorching heat — a potential blueprint for low-income countries facing the same climate-induced challenges. If it works.” Why it’s important: India has some of the longest, most brutal heat waves in …

1. ChatGPT has captured our imaginations — and nightmares — like nothing we’ve ever seen. The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot gained 100 million users in just two months. That makes it the fastest-growing app, product, or business in history. It’s also sparked an investment frenzy. The value of “generative” AI firms has jumped sixfold in two years. And the amount of money pouring into AI startups has surged tenfold since 2020. ChatGPT is already doing …

A weekly five-point roundup of critical events in the energy transition and the implications of climate change for business and finance. 1. Latin America’s First Homegrown EV Is Here and It’s Tiny What happened: Bolivia is seeking to become a player in the electric vehicle (EV) market, as the country has an abundance of lithium reserves, a key ingredient in EV batteries. The country’s first homegrown EV company is Quantum Motors, whose cars are “the …

In his 1711 treatise An Essay on Criticism, English poet Alexander Pope wrote, “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” In the same essay, Pope also wrote, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” “A little learning is a dangerous thing,” and “Our judgments, like our watches, none go just alike, yet each believes his own.” Criticism is the expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes. Sixty-one years …

Big Idea is an occasional series in which we connect investors and businesspeople with new and emerging perspectives from academia and elsewhere. Gross Domestic Product (aka GDP) — one of the most commonly used indicators of economic performance — is drawing increasing heat for its inability to capture the true welfare of a society. In a recent episode of the BBC Radio 4’s podcast The Spark, host Helen Lewis spoke with science journalist Ehsan Masood, who has …