FLASH Trump wins NH primary, Haley path going forward unclear but vows to stay in race
FLASH Mideast crisis widens as US strikes 3 sites in Iraq
FLASH Turkey approves Sweden’s accession to NATO
1 Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set Doomsday Clock
2 Tech stocks reach dotcom level valuations
3 Plunging fertility rates foreshadow a radically different future
4 Immigration politics in one chart
5 Meanwhile in China…
1/24/1935 First canned beer goes on sale
Oscar nominations
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1 Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set Doomsday Clock at 90 sec to midnight
Last year, we expressed our heightened concern by moving the Clock to 90 seconds to midnight—the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been—in large part because of Russian threats to use nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine. Today, we once again set the Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight because humanity continues to face an unprecedented level of danger. Our decision should not be taken as a sign that the international security situation has eased. Instead, leaders and citizens around the world should take this statement as a stark warning and respond urgently, as if today were the most dangerous moment in modern history.
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/current-time/
2 Tech stocks reach dotcom level valuations
Commodities are sending a warning to the red-hot Nasdaq. A ratio of the stock gauge and the Bloomberg Commodity Spot Index puts tech at its loftiest versus raw materials since the dotcom boom and bust. Nasdaq’s ascent is an expression of AI enthusiasm. But only some of that hype will translate into real shifts in profitability. While they may seem unusual to compare, hi-tech and commodities indexes are both expressions of the real world—and we can’t do without literal stuff.
Bloomberg
3 Plunging fertility rates foreshadow a radically different future
Japan turns to innovations in robotics, AI to tackle labour crisis
A shortfall of workers in the world’s fastest-ageing economy is profoundly affecting the way the government, companies and people operate now and think about the future.
RWI estimates that the country will have a labour shortage of 11mn people by 2040, with the number of people above age 65 — who already account for nearly 30 per cent of the population — expected to hit its peak in 2042. In the past decade, Japan has relied on female and elderly workers in the face of strict restrictions on hiring overseas workers. But Naruhisa Nakagawa, founder of hedge fund Caygan Capital, said from this year this would no longer be enough and the country’s labour force would start to dwindle.
One way Japan is tackling the demographic challenge is by introducing avatars, robots and artificial intelligence to the workforce in key sectors
FT
Fertility rates crater across Latin America
Latin America’s fertility rate fell below the 2.1 births per woman required to maintain a stable population in 2016; the region is home to some of the fastest-falling fertility rates in the world. Together with rising life expectancy and high levels of emigration, mostly of working-age people, this is creating a problem for Latin America: the region is getting old very quickly.
Economist
https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/01/18/plunging-fertility-rates-are-creating-problems-for-latin-america
4 Immigration politics in one chart
Economist
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2024/01/05/ten-charts-compare-joe-bidens-record-with-donald-trumps
5 Meanwhile in China…
China’s Economy Has Picked Up Traits Reminiscent Of The Great Depression
Desperate Chinese Property Developers Resort to Bizarre Marketing Tactics
China considers $278m stock market rescue fund
BYD Crowned China’s No. 1 Selling Car Brand for 2023 Over VW
Raytheon Late to Deliver Missiles to Defend US Carriers From China
Hong Kong vocational courses surge as liberal arts requirements eased
Chinese scientists create new ceramic that could be used in hypersonic aircraft
Are the EU and China hurtling towards a trade war?
1/24/1935 At depths of Great Depression, first canned beer goes on sale
Thanks for reading!
Film
Oscar nominations
Best Picture
“Anatomy of a Fall”
“Killers of the Flower Moon”
“Maestro”
“Oppenheimer”
“Past Lives”
“The Zone of Interest”
“American Fiction”
“Barbie”
“The Holdovers”
“Poor Things”
Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”
Colman Domingo, “Rustin”
Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer”
Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”
Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”
Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening, “Nyad”
Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”
Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”
Emma Stone, “Poor Things”
Actor in a Supporting Role
Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”
Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”
Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”
Sterling K. Brown, “American Fiction”
Actress in a Supporting Role
Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”
Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”
Jodie Foster, “Nyad”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
America Ferrera, “Barbie”
WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/oscar-nominees-2024-full-list-af4a46c3