10 Monday AM Reads

My almost back-to-work morning WFH reads:

• Packed Cubicles, Empty Corner Office: Remote Work Is Increasingly a Right of the Rich: Now growing numbers of the white-collar class are under increasing pressure to return, while many corner offices sit empty. The ability to work from home was always economically stratified. Now it is often being reserved for the wealthiest among us. (New York Times)

• MicroStrategy’s secret sauce is volatility, not bitcoin: Self-reinforcing market forces are creating demand for Michael Saylor’s ‘lottery ticket’ convertible bonds. (Financial Times) see also The Investing Cult Fueling MicroStrategy’s Ascent: ‘Have Fun Staying Poor’ Rally propelled by group of rabid followers who are mixing songs, pouring whisky and spending hundreds of hours researching the stock. (Wall Street Journal)

• How To Avoid Investment Fruit Loops: Simple beats complex. Beware of excess ingredients in your food and investment portfolio. (A Teachable Moment)

• Yes, Americans are much richer than Japanese people, but… GDP is not a perfect guide to wealth, but it’s pretty darn good. (Noahpinion)

• Wall St. Is Minting Easy Money From Risky Loans. What Could Go Wrong? Everyone from Jamie Dimon to the International Monetary Fund is ringing alarms about the shadowy world of private credit. But the money keeps rolling in. (New York Times)

• Walmart’s big 2024 is partly thanks to an age-old strategy: Walmart went big on a new “private label.” Almost every U.S. household purchased at least one-private label item this year, according to a report. (Quartz)

• Do General Audiences Exist? Based on the sharp decline of the G rating, apparently not. Let’s look at the oddities of the broadest film rating. (Tedium)

• The C.E.O.s Are Tripping. Can Psychedelics Help the C-Suite? A growing cottage industry is dedicated to the theory that mind-altering drugs can improve business leadership. (New York Times)

• Musk’s politics hadn’t seeped into Tesla. Then he axed its eco car of the future. Once one of America’s most outspoken voices on the threat of climate change, Elon Musk now argues these existential risks have been overstated. This shifting stance could influence Trump and help the Tesla CEO’s businesses. (Washington Post)

• Bob Lefsetz, the Man Who Was ‘So Mean’ to Taylor Swift: His newsletter isn’t always nice, but it’s chewed over by everyone who matters in the music industry. (Wall Street Journal)

Unemployment in the European Union declined to the lowest point in 30 years

Source: Our World In Data

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