My back-to-work morning train WFH reads:
• Why Daylight Saving Time Is Worse for Your Body Than Standard Time: The Washington Post’s interactive explainer on the biological case against springing forward. The circadian disruption isn’t just annoying — it’s measurably bad for your health. Timely, given we just lost an hour. (Washington Post)
• ‘Is This Insider Information?’ The Prediction Market Bets Driving a Campus Frenzy Kalshi and Polymarket pour money into deals with social-media influencers and students, who try to parlay rumors into cash; ‘We know this shouldn’t be allowed.’ (Wall Street Journal) see also 2 young billionaires are behind the prediction market boom. They hate each other: For Mansour, distinguishing Kalshi from that other site is a form of combat. If there’s a chance to land a blow, he will. Yes, there’s an “unregulated, offshore prediction market,” which is not like Kalshi. Too many people, Mansour says, confuse Kalshi for that “non-American, unregulated platform.” NPR on the rivalry between the founders of Kalshi and Polymarket — two very different visions for the future of betting on reality, and a feud that’s personal. (NPR)
• The Break Is Over. Companies Are Jacking Up Prices Again.: The pricing pause that gave consumers a breather is ending. Companies across industries are pushing through new increases, testing whether demand can absorb the hit. (Wall Street Journal)
• What the Iran War Really Means for the Stock Market: The campaign in the Middle East could have far-reaching financial effects. Investing moves to consider. (Barron’s) see also Six Days of War, 10 Rationales: The administration has laid out a buffet of reasons for Operation Epic Fury—take your pick. The Atlantic catalogs the shifting justifications for the Iran strikes. When the reason keeps changing, the real reason is usually the one nobody’s saying. (The Atlantic)
• A War in Charts: Of the five oil supply shocks in 50 years, three triggered or amplified a U.S. recession. The FT maps out what’s at stake this time. (Financial Times)
• U.S. Automakers Risk Being Reduced to Niche Producers of Gas Vehicles: Ford and GM are falling further behind on EVs and self-driving, and China is eating their lunch. (New York Times)
• Can’t Stop Overthinking? Here’s What Experts Say Actually Helps: Spoiler: telling yourself to stop thinking about it is not on the list. (Washington Post) see also Being Stronger Means You’re Likely to Live Longer: Skip the treadmill debate—new research says grip strength and muscle mass are better predictors of longevity than cardio. (Washington Post)
• Pentagon Eyes Ukrainian Interceptor Drones to Counter Iran: The US military is looking at Ukraine’s battle-tested drone technology for the Iran theater. War as R&D proving ground. (Financial Times)
• Elon Musk Moves Against the Russians in Ukraine: In a twist nobody saw coming, Musk’s Starlink operation takes an unexpectedly adversarial stance toward Moscow. (The Atlantic)
• Inside the cutthroat competition for the best baguette in Paris: “Bread is god” in Paris. Enter the baguette Grand Prix. The annual contest to crown Paris’s best baguette is a blood sport disguised as a bakery competition. The stakes are real — the winner supplies the Élysée Palace for a year. (Washington Post)
Be sure to check out our Masters in Business this past weekend with Ed Perks, president of Franklin Advisers and chief investment officer of Franklin Income Investors. He serves as lead portfolio manager of Franklin Income Fund, as well as Franklin Managed Income Fund. He is a member of the Franklin Templeton executive committee, a small group of the company’s top leaders responsible for shaping the firm’s overall strategy.
A “jobless boom” with no recession first, something the U.S. has simply never seen
Source: @boes_
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