Snapshots That Wow!

We are better off as a race than ever before

Despite all the negative news we keep seeing, on the whole we are better off today as a race than before. Literacy rates globally are above 82%; completely reversing the ratio from two centuries back.

Source: Company Presentation

Staggering Scale up of Big Tech

“The combined revenue of the Big 4 US tech companies hit a record $1.68 trillion over last 12 months:

Amazon $AMZN: $650 billion

Apple $AAPL: $400 bil.

Google $GOOGL: $360 bil.

Microsoft $MSFT: $270 bil.

That's larger than the GDP of all but 15 countries.”

Source: Charlie Bilello

The world has plugged in

“Global EV sales (full battery and plug-in hybrids) topped 17 million in 2024, up by >25% y-on-y, according to new @IEA data.

(PHEV accounted for ~38% of those EV sales in 2024, up from ~31% in 2023, and ~28% in 2022)”

Source: IEA

Tariffs have come home to roost!

“246 US large companies have gone bankrupt year-to-date, the most in 15 years.

This is up from 206 recorded last year and more than DOUBLE during the same period in 2022.

In April alone, the US saw 59 bankruptcy filings as tariffs ramped up.

According to S&P Global, consumer discretionary companies have been hit the hardest due to market volatility, tariffs, and inflation uncertainty.”

Source: Kobeissi Letter

Tel maalish: now powering the world!

“The Philippines, which produces 45% of the world’s coconut oil, is the country to watch. The unfavorable weather means that global production will fall to 3.6 million metric tons in 2024-25, down nearly 10% from the previous season. Supply will remain low in 2025-26 too.

The increase had nothing to do with food or reduced supply, but rather with another corner of the coconut market: biofuels.

In the Philippines, the gov has mandated blending some diesel with a fatty derivative of coconut oil. Initially, the impact was limited, with a mix target of 1% in 2007 and 2% in 2009.

But in 2024 it boosted it to 3%, and announced plans for 4% in 2025 and 5% in 2026!”

Source: Bloomberg

The Dodge of DOGE says partial truths

The noise around American taxpayer dollars heading in aid to rest of the world peaked earlier this year. And yet of all the G7 countries, US spends the least on foreign aid as a percentage of GDP!

Source: OECD