Category: Economics (Page 8 of 9)

BBC: Instant Pot to file for Bankruptcy

June 15, 2023 / Richard Nestoff

The maker of Pyrex glassware and Instant Pot multicookers has filed for bankruptcy protection, with as much as $1bn (£790m) in liabilities.

As well as the more than a century-old cookware brand Pyrex and Instant Pot, which was launched in 2010, Instant Brands’ portfolio also includes kitchenware brands Corelle, CorningWare and Snapware.

How do you screw up that company? Five years ago, everybody wanted an Instant Pot, and people are always talking about new Instant Pot recipes. When we cleaned out Mom’s house, Corelle was the only thing anyone wanted.

Barron’s: Trump vs Biden in 11 Charts.

June 13, 2023 / Richard Nestoff

A good friend occasionally says that, “No one has ever logically explained to me why they voted for Trump.” He thinks it’s persuasive, but it’s a trick. He would never vote for Trump, so any explanation would, by definition, be illogical or unpersuasive. Knowing any explanation would be futile and would stress our friendship, I never attempt it. This article provides some reasons I have voted for Trump, and will again.

Barron’s” Trump vs Biden in 11 Charts

A few charts are particularly interesting. Keep in mind that the Covid Lockdown started in March 2020, and Biden took office in January, 2021.

Mr. Bean says electric cars aren’t ready for prime time.

June 5, 2023 / Richard Nestoff

Guardian: Electric Vehicles

Electric motoring is, in theory, a subject about which I should know something. My first university degree was in electrical and electronic engineering, with a subsequent master’s in control systems.

I never knew that Mr. Bean is an engineer.

Electric cars aren’t a done deal.

May 31, 2023 / Richard Nestoff

WSJ: Automakers get into mining.

When General Motors began outlining plans in 2020 to fully switch to electric vehicles, it didn’t account for one critical factor: Many of the battery minerals needed to fulfill its plans were still in the ground.

“I remember seeing a report from our raw-materials team at the time saying, ‘There is plenty of lithium out there. There is plenty of nickel’,” said Sham Kunjur, an industrial engineer now in charge of securing the raw materials for GM’s batteries. “We will buy them from the open market.”

GM executives soon came to discover how off the mark those projections were, and now Mr. Kunjur’s 40-person team is scouring the globe for these minerals.

“Why Magical Thinking isn’t Whimsical” or “No Shit, Sherlock” would also have been serviceable titles for this article.

Give me a dollar.

May 8, 2023 / Richard Nestoff

WSJ: Tipping for Self Checkout

People seem to be baffled and rankled by the simplest things.

Prompts to leave 20% at self-checkout machines at airports, stadiums, cookie shops and cafes across the country are rankling consumers already inundated by the proliferation of tip screens. Business owners say the automated cues can significantly increase gratuities and boost staff pay. But the unmanned prompts are leading more customers to question what, exactly, the tips are for.

Missing the point on Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney

April 22, 2023 / Richard Nestoff

Washington Post: Dylan Mulvaney should be a role model

I’ve been a fan of Megan McArdle’s writing since she was with The Atlantic. She can be very good on economics, but her privilege starts to show when writing about middle America and flyover country. She is missing the point on Dylan Mulvaney.