Tuesday, 18 July 2023

[Post 254] Why Citibank Branches Are Closing Around The World


Summary

After the company’s collapse during the 2008 recession, Citi’s stock has continuously struggled. Shares of the company saw more than a 30% drop over the last 5 years. In 2021, CEO Jane Fraser announced a bold shift in the company strategy, exiting 14 consumer markets outside of the U.S. and instead doubling down on wealth management. It’s a tactical move that several other major banks like Bank of America and Wells Fargo have adopted in recent years. So will Citi’s bet pay off and can the company return to its former glory?

Saturday, 15 July 2023

[Post 253] Document 72 Hours - The Convenience Store in a Midwinter Hokkaido Village Eng Sub



Summary

The Hokkaido village of Shosanbetsu is home to about 1,000 people and a single convenience store. Residents rely on this store as a source of fresh food and basic necessities, especially in midwinter. Among the customers were a woman who uses a sled to carry her shopping home; an octopus fisherman who shops there three times a day; and a hair stylist who knows everybody in Shosanbetsu. For three days as a blizzard buffeted the area, we spoke to the store's customers to get a glimpse at life in this village.

Wednesday, 12 July 2023

[Post 252] Heatwaves, water shortage, storms - why extreme weather is becoming more frequent | DW News


Summary

According to the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction, the average global temperature on Monday hit the highest level ever recorded, 17 degrees Celsius, 62 degrees Fahrenheit. As if that weren't enough, on Tuesday that record was shattered again.  
These are not records anyone covets.  Scientists say they’re part of the climate change equation.  A warming planet plus more extreme and unusual weather. 
In the Netherlands people are cleaning up and assessing the damage.  On Wednesday the strongest summer storm ever recording slammed into the country.   And that is where our first report takes us..

Thursday, 29 June 2023

[Post 249] Book Summary 3: The Psychology Of Money By Morgan Housel


Summary

Have you heard the story about Ronald Read, the janitor that had 8 million dollars in savings when he died in 2014? Yes, you heard that right. Janitor. $8 millions. And he didn´t win the lottery or inherit the money either. He just saved consistently throughout his life, while letting the wonders of compounding do its thing. The morale is that your behaviour with money is oftentimes more important than how intelligent you are. 

Even if you don´t have a diploma from Harvard, or work on Wall Street, you can become rich by just behaving in a sound way. As Morgan Housel puts it: “financial success is not a hard science. It’s a soft skill, where how you behave is more important than what you know.” Spend your next ten or fifteen minutes on this video, and you might excel on the soft skill of investing! This is a top 5 takeaways summary of The Psychology of Money, by Morgan Housel.

Sunday, 25 June 2023

[Post 248] The Massive Size Of Singapore's Largest Banks


Summary

Singapore is famous for one thing; its banking sector. But in all honesty, just how big is it really?