That 70s Inflation Show - MMM #18

Hi there,

Still in the middle of exam preparations so a bit of a smaller newsletter today. This week I’ve focused on my Finance course and debated discount rates for tax shields under the APV method, maybe a good idea to write an article about that at some point.

📃In today’s Monday Morning Mashup:

Have a great week!

Excellent coverage by Prof. Damodaran of the possible scenarios that can unfold over the next year(s) regarding inflation and economic growth. Worth a watch if you’re interested in macroeconomic development, everyday impact of inflation, and if the market is fairly priced. Also covers some key economic theory about inflation expectations in a very clear and accessible way.

I recently came across a cool project: using “synthetic aperture radar” satellites to visualize shipping lanes. SAR-satellites allow you to see through clouds by bouncing signals off it, much like conventional radar but then in image form.

Using the freely accessible Sentinel constellation ships can be seen and hence busier shipping lines can be determined (and drawn). For the full technical details check out the excellent post below:

Meta (the company formerly known as Facebook) released a massive new language AI this week which is a free alternative to GPT-3 (for which you have to pay per use). Here’s an article covering why that’s great, and the inherent flaws that come with the model.

As sanctions continue to tighten Russian oil continues to flow into Europe. Last week we saw Dutch dock workers refuse to unload a (non-Russian) vessel containing Russian oil, after Sweden had refused it.

Now, the EU wants to ban Russian oil altogether, reducing its dependence to zero in as little as a year. But: not quite yet, Hungary has blocked the proposal for now (talks continue on Tuesday).

Have a great week!