Calls to Action: Solutions require new thinking.

• It’s time to end slash-and-burn capitalism (hbr)

• The US financial system needs to prepare for climate disruption (fastcompany)

• Connecting the dots: the intersection of economic equality, racial justice and sustainable investing (ccm)

• If we want to get past “woke capitalism,” this is what it’ll take to get companies to an equitable relationship with both workers and society (fastcompany)

Trends: History is seasonal. 

• Wall Street will soon have to take millennial investors seriously (economist)

• Between 14-23 million Americans plan to relocate now that they can work from home (npr)

• New data shows climate risk is rising among executives’ biggest concerns (greenbiz)

• Men are taking environmental concerns more seriously as a result of COVID (sustainablebrands)

Social Justice, Diversity & Ethics: No more tradeoffs. 

• Yale endowment chief puts money managers on notice about diversity for its $31 billion endowment (wsj)

• From “woke washing” to true corporate social justice (hbr)

• Discrimination cost US economy $16 trillion over past 20 years (npr)

• A tale of two Americas: How the pandemic is widening the financial health gap (fortune)

Carbon, Climate & the Environment: The not-so-silent crisis.

• New massive coral reef just discovered in Australia (cnn)

• Solar is now ‘cheapest electricity in history’, confirms IEA (carbonbrief) 

• The Amazon rainforest is near a survival tipping point (fastcompany)

• ‘Sky mining’ facility creates carbon-negative diamonds (eandt)

Solutions: Don’t doubt human ingenuity.

• Humanity is stuck in short-term thinking. Here’s how we escape. (mit)

• Is tech the solution to a planet in peril? (triplepundit)

• Could biological batteries from the ground be our next source of renewable energy? (fastcompany)

• Four-day work week is a necessary part of human progress – here’s a plan to make it happen (theconversation)

• Focusing on rivers could prevent 90% of ocean plastic (cnn)

Markets & Economy: Make the irrational, rational. 

• Epic S&P 500 rally is powered by assets you can’t see or touch (msm)

• Investors may need to become more comfortable with volatility in their portfolios (awealthofcommonsense)

• Economic downturn? These sectors are innovating climate solutions. And they’re thriving. (grist) 

• Climate, not elections, will move markets soon (bloomberg)

• US (65%) lagging rest of the world in adopting ESG investment strategies (94% – Europe, 89% – Canada, 72% – Asia) (forbes) 

Crypto & Digital Currency: A digital revolution. 

• PayPal to allow cryptocurrency buying, selling and shopping on its network (reuters) 

• China’s digital yuan tests leap forward in Shenzhen (techcrunch)

• Commodities Chairman Heath Tarbert talks ethereum, defi and the next bitmex (coindesk)

• Bitcoin investment thesis; Bitcoin’s role as an alternative investment (fidelity)

• Fed’s Powell: More important for U.S. to get digital currency right than be first (investing)

Robots & AI: Oh My!

• Defense official calls Artificial Intelligence the new oil (defense.gov)

• Artificial Intelligence: By 2070, robotic judges will analyze body language to pin guilt (dailyalts)

• The deepfake apocalypse never came. But cheapfakes are everywhere. (mashable)

• Machines to ‘do half of all work tasks by 2025’ (bbc)

• Robots encroach on up to 800 million jobs around the world (bloomberg)

Sustainable Investing: Align your dollars with the rest of your life.

• Sustainable investing is changing the world faster than you think (barrons)

• The case for impact investing in public equities (blackrock)

• No such thing as “passive investing” (marketwatch)

• How to measure a company’s real impact (hbr)

Trends by Generation: History is seasonal. 

• NextGen Chamber of Commerce roundtable calls for a new kind of capitalism  (yahoomoney)

• Teens are buying fewer clothes, less food as their spending hits two-decade low (cnbc)

• Millennials control just 4.2 percent of US wealth, 4 times poorer than Baby Boomers were at age 34 (newsweek) 

Tech & Innovation: Unlimited possibility; the good, the bad, the transformative. 

• Is technology actually making things better? (pairagraph)

• First there were boomtowns, now there are Zoomtowns (fastcompany)

• Digital transformation (DX) – the fourth Industrial Revolution? (techzooka)

• How many jobs do robots really replace? (MIT) 

• Yesterday’s anti-trust laws were not built to rein in today’s technology platforms (stratechery)

Markets & Economy: The dismal science. 

• 5 biggest startup trends for 2021 (thestartup)

• House prices vs national average wage index (calculatedrisk)

• Is your risk formula capturing the full picture? (sustainablebrands)

• America’s Main Street revival goes into reverse, cutting a small-town lifeline (WSJ)

Carbon, Climate, and the Environment: The not so silent crisis. 

• Solar is now ‘cheapest electricity in history’, confirms IEA (carbonbrief) 

• Wind and solar supply more than 50 pct of Australia’s main grid for first time (reneweconomy) 

• The Amazon rainforest is near a survival tipping point (fastcompany)

• New data shows climate risk is rising among executives’ biggest concerns (greenbiz)

Solutions: Don’t doubt human ingenuity.

• Now is the time for big infrastructure projects, says the IMF (theguardian)

• 6 lessons on how to scale sustainably (fastcompany)

• How scientists are making sure fires don’t wipe out forests forever (fastcompany)

• How to save a planet (BBGM podcast: the future we want) (gimletmedia)

• Now streaming on Netflix: “the key to combating climate change” (kissthegroundmovie)

Markets & Economy: The dismal science. 

• Here’s what IPO euphoria actually looks like (we aren’t there yet) (reformedbroker)

• Consolidation continues: big companies are starting to swallow the world (NYT) 

• IPO fever: a record breaking year for initial public offerings, with Kathleen Smith (Renaissance Capital) and Jay Heller (Nasdaq) (thecompoundshow)

• How the digital surge will reshape finance (economist)

• Stashing cash in a low-interest world: many wonder where to find the best place for their savings (WSJ)

Social Justice, Diversity, & Ethics: No more tradeoffs.

• Meet the female leaders from 100 brands and businesses, all fighting for a better future (entrepreneur)

• 1 in 4 women considering a career step-back due to increased home responsibilities from COVID (quartz)

• How to invest in businesses that will exit faster for double the returns? Invest in women (women2)

• How tech company culture drives women away (venturebeat)

Crypto & Digital Currency: A digital revolution. 

• SEC chair: perhaps all stocks could become blockchain tokens (ledgerinsights)

• Novel insights into the state of the cryptoasset industry (UoCambridge)

• European Central Bank must prepare to issue a digital euro (reuters)

• China’s digital yuan tests leap forward in Shenzhen (techcrunch)

• Fiat winter is coming? (efficientfrontier)

• Square puts $50 million in bitcoin on crypto ‘empowerment’ bet (bloomberg)

• As 60:40 strategy falters, could bitcoin be an alternative? (dailyalts)

• Forgive and be free (aeon)

Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility: It’s time to step up. 

• New survey shows 87% of Americans believe people can be effective when they act together to change companies’ behavior (fortune)

• 50 of the 100 companies most systemically responsible for global industrial emissions have set targets for net-zero (triple pundit)

• New SEC rule blocks advocacy proposals from most small & medium shareholders (ceres)

• New report from Test of Corporate Purpose shows companies signing pledges aren’t walking their talk (valuewalk)

• Video: is this the great reset of capitalism? (yahoofinance)

Carbon, Climate, and the Environment: The not so silent crisis. 

• Companies with lowest carbon intensity outperform their peers (just)

• Most partisan polling group ever assembled says climate change not a partisan issue (wattsupwiththat)

• How much will the planet warm if carbon dioxide levels double? (nyt)

• Maybe it’s not all the fault of the individual after all (grist)

Small Business: The life blood of our economy. 

• Applications for new businesses rising at the fastest rate since 2007 (wsj)

• Almost 40% of furloughed employees have returned to work, but 29% have come back to fewer hours or lower wage (usatoday)

• New York bankruptcies reportedly surge 40% during pandemic (CNBC)

Social Justice, Diversity, & Ethics: No more tradeoffs.

• More than 250 companies take action to advance women’s leadership and equality (unglobalcompact)

• Five common misconceptions about workplace diversity (forbes)

• Key factors driving diverse and inclusive workplace (refinitiv) 

Odd Lots: A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit of oh that’s interesting… 

• Are your takeout containers recyclable? (3blmedia)

• Honing the ability to withstand fear and uncertainty (forbes)

• Food wrappers just passed cigarette butts as most common beach trash (fast company)

• Forgive and be free (aeon)

Tech & Innovation: Unlimited possibility; the good, the bad, the transformative. 

• How close is AI to decoding our emotions? (technologyreview)

• Seven tech trends to watch (morningbrew) 

• Tech dollars; where they come from (visualcapitalist) 

Solutions: Don’t doubt human ingenuity.

• Give everybody the internet (vox) 

• Scientists have figured out how to capture energy from a gentle breeze (gizmodo)

Markets & Economy: The dismal science. 

• Understanding stakeholder value: where do profits come from? (intrinsicinvesting)

• Why reaching for yield often ends badly (financialbodyguard) 

• Attention is back on the “Vampire Squid” (felderreport) 

• You’re stuck at home, drinking a ton of tea—and prices are rising (wsj) 

• Analysis: Going carbon neutral by 2060 ‘will make China richer’ (carbonbrief)

Trends by Generation: History is seasonal. 

• 38% of Americans (and more than 50% of Millennials & Gen Z) are currently boycotting at least one company that doesn’t align with their values (comparecards)

• Cash is history. Welcome to the digital-payment future (barrons)

• Get ready for more Spotify podcasts to become TV shows and movies (engadget) 

• Beyond the pandemic, libraries look toward a new era (nyt) 

• Meet Gen N: how COVID has created a more conscious consumer (fastcompany)

Crypto & Digital Currency: A digital revolution. 

• Federally chartered banks may engage in certain stablecoin activities (occ) 

• Ethereum gas explained: digital, carbon free “oil” (defiprime) 

• Legislation proposes that each American have an account at the Fed in which digital dollars could be deposited (clevelandfed) 

• A Bitcoin ETF finally launches…in Bermuda (decrypt)

Corporate Social & Environmental Responsibility: Time for an overhaul.

• Investors that manage US$47tn demand world’s biggest polluters back plan for net-zero emissions (The Guardian)

• CEO of PayPal says capitalism needs an upgrade (Fortune)

• Redefining the word “success” in business (Fast Company)

• Webinar: 3 things all conscious capitalists should be focused on today (sept 22) (conscious capitalism)
   

Markets & Economy: The dismal science. 

• It’s not “stimulus” if it’s open-ended (The Reformed Broker)

• West Coast Freight Networks ‘Bursting at the Seams’ With Surging Imports (WSJ)

• Why Everything Is Sold Out: The pandemic broke online shopping. (The Atlantic)
   

Small Business: The life blood of our economy. 

• The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save (ProPublica) 

• Local Economic Impact Report: Business Closures Continue to Increase Nationally (Yelp)

• $2.5 trillion per year “reverse distributed” from working class to elite (Fast Company)
   

Cryptocurrency: A digital revolution. 

• Kraken just won approval to create America’s first crypto bank (FXStreet)

• More than $1B in Bitcoin has been tokenized on Ethereum for DeFi (Cointelegraph) 

 
Carbon, Climate, and the Environment: The not so silent crisis.

• Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration (Propublica) 

• The Arctic Is Shifting to a New Climate State, Scientists Find (Yale) 

• How Climate Migration Will Reshape America: Millions will be displaced. Where will they go? (NYT) 

Odd Lots: A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit of oh that’s interesting… 

• The philosophy of bullsh*t (big think)

• Why efficiency is dangerous and slowing down makes life better (pysche)

• The dark side of smart: manipulative communication is all around us (nautilus)

August 31, 2020

Markets & Economy: The dismal science. 

• Eight high frequency indicators for the economy (CalculatedRisk)

• Putting the economic recovery into contex (Big Pitcture) 

• Stock Market performance by president (SeekingAlpha)

• The financialization of all the things (Medium) 

• China’s days as world’s factory are over, iPhone maker says (MSN)

• Going public circa 2020; Door #3: the SPAC (AboveTheCrowd) 

Trends by Generation: Greatest transfer of wealth, happening before our eyes. 

• Coming population & demographic changes (BBC)

• The workforce is about to change dramatically (Atlantic)

• The city, an exodus (JamesAltucher)

• The pandemic poised to have biggest long-term impact on Millennials’ wealth than other generations. (Wall Street Journal)

Small Business: The life blood of our economy. 

• Why are local governments paying Amazon to destroy Main Street? (Fortune)

• Small businesses are dying by the thousands — and no one Is tracking the carnage (Bloomberg)

• Retail stores reborn as micro-e-commerce warehouses (WSJ)

• More businesses were lost in the last 3 months than all of the Great Recession, disproportionally affecting blacks, latinx, and immigrant owned (Axios)

Cryptocurrency: A digital revolution.

• Bitcoin and Ethereum are a new paradigm for how humans organize and coordinate (Bankless)

• US Postal Service, blockchain patent (USPS) 

• Total value locked in decentralized finance tripled in a month (CodeFi)

• Stablecoin (backed by reserve currency) Index: $16 Billion  (StableCoinIndex)

Carbon, Climate & the Environment: The not so silent crisis.

• The plan to turn half the world into a reserve for nature (BBC)

• The simple economics of saving the Amazon rainforest (Freakonomics)

• AI to track world’s emissions in almost real-time (Fast Company)

• Climate Change poses ‘systemic threat’ to the economy, big investors warn (NYT)

• How and why systemic racism harms the environment (TRF)

Solutions: Don’t doubt human ingenuity.

• Though forests burn, trees retake farmland globally as agroforestry advances (MongaBay) 

• Repairing the world in 10 years with $10 trillion global stimulus (World Economic Forum study & proposal) (TriplePundit)

• Confronting the Climate Crisis.“It’s about the inherent conflict between capitalism and environmentalism–and how we must de-couple corporate self-interest from the public good.” (Richroll)

Odd Lots: A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit of ohhh that’s interesting… 

• ‘Beeing’ in the city (ScienceDaily)

• Innovation by Design awards for social good (FastCompany)

• It’s time to redefine what sustainable fishing means: Hundreds of thousands of marine mammals are killed each year by fishing gear. Is this “sustainable?” (Oceans)