16 November 2018 FT — Articles to Read

16 November 2018

 

Question: According to MSN: Lifestyle, what are 27 ways not to get mega-depressed as the days get shorter?

 

Investors ‘price in’ rising risk of disorderly rupture from bloc – Pg. 2

–          The pound tumbled almost 2% against the dollar for its biggest drop in two years, while sliding 2% against the euro

–          The challenge in trying to calibrate the Brexit risks has persuaded many investors simply to steer clear.  Sterling, in particular, has been tricky for investors to trade

 

Tudor Jones warns of ‘scary’ crisis risks lurking in US corporate credit binge – Pg. 21

–          …”some really scary moments” in the swelling corporate debt market might precipitate another financial crisis

–          A prolonged period of low interest rates across the globe has encouraged companies to binge on cheap debt

–          Corporate bond issuance in the US alone has been above $1tn every year since 2010, having only previously surpassed that in 2006 and 2007, …

–          The borrowing binge has almost doubled the size of the US corporate bond market over the past decade, to more than $9tn, while the so-called leveraged loan market, used by riskier borrowers, has more than doubled since 2012 to vault over the $1tn mark

–          The reduction in corporate tax rates has accelerated US growth this year but encouraged the Federal Reserve to step up its interest rate increases, lifting corporate borrowing costs and leading to some tremors in the bond market…

–          The yield on a widely tracked Bank of America Merrill Lynch junk bond index moved above 7% this for the first time since July 2016

 

Answer: (1) Escape on the weekends (Prof Note: Come join me at the cottage.  When you cannot drive any further south in Maryland, the light is ours!); (2) Spend time outdoors (Prof Note: Nothing beats natural sunshine…ok…a roaring fire does come close!); (3) Watch the sunrise (Prof Note: And sunset!); (4) Make a summer vacation Pinterest board; (5) Buy blooms; (6) Start fires (Prof Note: Lov’n the roaring fire!); (7) Let the light in; (8) Think ‘South of the Border’; (9) Treat yourself to seasonal staples (Prof Note: I purposely redecorate by season); (10) Go to the spa; (11) Paint your toenails a fun colour (Prof Note: No comment! J); (12) Eat carbs unabashedly; (13) But mix in energy-boosting foods; (14) Read escapist summer beach books; (15) Even head to the coast; (16) Start your days with a small accomplishment; (17) Volunteer; (18) Open the windows; (19) Bake … often (Prof Note: My oven is kerput!); (20) Keep active (Prof Note: I regularly am on the bike and circling the state park); (21) But know when to rest; (22) Dress in colour; (23) Upgrade your lougewear; (24) Get creative; (25) Make S’mores indoors (Prof Note: I tried this last night.  What is up with this?!  The graham crackers get too hot to put in your mouth, the chocolate runs, the marshmallows are ablaze when not careful, everything ends up in your lap or on the oven mitt needed to hold the S’More in the fire.  There has to be a better way!!!  Oh….try HOT milk, honey and Kahlua!); (26) Find a new show to binge-watch; (27) Fine, go someplace warm (Prof Note: Can we say “N-eeee-vis”?!)

 

Update: I reached out to parents and learned the secret to S’mores:

 

My current favorite method, tested as recently as last month (and stamped with approvals from a 4yo and 5yo), is to SLOWLY heat a marshmallow over the heat source (heat, but far enough away that the process runs 45-90 seconds – the longer it takes to slightly brown the outside, the better. Aim for symmetry when browning), then place on top of chocolate (at ambient temp) which is waiting on top of a graham cracker. That hat-trick of layers should then be topped with another graham cracker. Then give it a minute for the marshmallow’s inside to cool, and the chocolate to warm. Much like compound interest, time is your friend when making s’mores.