13 November 2018 FT — Articles to Read

13 November 2018

 

Question: According to MSN: Lifestyle, What are five (5) reasons why Millennials are not as well as they think?

 

Oil used by cars to peak in 7 years as more electric vehicles hit the road – Pg. 1

–          Ever since the first Model T Ford rolled off the production line in 1908, cars and oil have shared a relationship that has transformed the world

–          Global oil demand from cars makes up 21.4m barrels a day of the close to 100m b/d the world consumes.  This will rise to about 23m b/d in the late 2020s, after which car consumption falls back to current levels by 2040, even as global car numbers increase by 80%

–          Total consumption across motor vehicles, aeroplanes, ships, trucks and the petrochemicals sector is set to grow by 2040 at half the rate of the past two decades…

–          Companies such as Tesla are leading the fight against oil use, with as many as 300m electric cars forecast to be running by 2040

–          …the bigger impact will come from more economical fuel standards in conventional cars, which will cut consumption by 9m b/d

–          The IEA said oil demand would fall sharply in advanced economies, with the EU falling 45% by 2040 and North America 25%

 

Bond fund bulls confident of picking the low-risk bets – Pg. 21

–          The value of triple B bonds in the Bloomberg Barclays index, a widely followed benchmark for corporate debt buyers, has grown from $670bn at the end of 2008 to $2.5tn at the end of 2017

–          …Triple B, which now accounts for 49% of investment grade debt, up from a third in 2008 and just 25% in 2000

–          The category of triple B sits just one downgrade away from high-yield, or junk, bonds – the poorer but richer-yielding relative that investment-grade funds are not allowed to own much of

–          Given triple B debt now makes up a big slice of the major indices investors benchmark their performance against, the fear is that a tougher economic backdrop triggers a wave of downgrades that unleashes forced selling

–          …within the triple B bucket there are subtle differences.  At S&P Global, for example, its ratings range from triple B plus to triple B minus while at Moody’s they span Baa1 to Baa3

 

Answer: (1) Mental health (Prof Note: some 70% of millennials surveyed noted that depression undermined their ability to function at full capacity at work….mental health is real.  If I can assist anyone, please reach out to me.  This “Prof Note” is me reaching out to you to say, “I want to help.”); (2) Binge drinking; (3) Sexually Transmitted diseases (STDs) (Prof Note: The article states that “young people” are choosing riskier sex and paying the price.  Prof Note1: An STD test is one that you want to FAIL!!!); (4) Colon and rectal cancers; (5) Stroke