WSJ: How Much Do You Know About Home Solar Energy? Take This Quiz
Wall Street Journal, Nov 8, 2024
Solar power has long been at the center of the renewable-energy conversation. That’s never been more true than now, as solar farms take off and more people add solar panels to their homes. But how much do you really know about solar energy in the U.S.? You can test your knowledge here:
1 OF 10
What portion of U.S. electrical grid power came from solar last year?
2 OF 10
Which state installed the most solar-energy capacity in 2023?
3 OF 10
What federal tax credits can U.S. households get from installing solar panels on their property?
Read more and try your luck with the interactive quiz here.
Contrary to popular belief, Europeans have long wanted to imitate America; a combined set of states with freedom of movement, a single currency and a united government. That was the unspoken goal when the European Union was born after World War II. But so far, the dream has failed to materialize.
Recently, it got another blow, which pushed the vision of a fully politically and economically integrated bloc even farther into the future than it already was. Read more here.
Solar power has long been at the center of the renewable-energy conversation. That’s never been more true than now, as solar farms take off and more people add solar panels to their homes.
But how much do you really know about solar energy in the U.S.? You can test your knowledge here.
It was a long time coming, but 25 years ago this month the “New Economy” joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The change, as of trading on Nov. 1, 1999, came in the form of adding chip maker Intel, and SBC Communications, which cemented the role of both technology and communications sector in the index. Home Depot, was also added to the Dow that day.
As those stocks joined, out went old-economy stalwarts: Chevron, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Sears Roebuck and Union Carbide. The changes were also notable because it was the first time that stocks from Nasdaq (Intel and Microsoft) had joined the Dow. Until then, all 30 Dow industrials had been listed on the NYSE.
“If that change didn’t happen, there would have been a big discrepancy between that index and it would have been a big oversight,” says Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown. The index is designed to reflect the major sectors of the U.S. economy. Read more here.
It was a long time coming, but 25 years ago this month the “New Economy” joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The change, as of trading on Nov. 1, 1999, came in the form of adding chip maker Intel, and SBC Communications, which cemented the role of both technology and communications sector in the index. Home Depot, was also added to the Dow that day.
As those stocks joined, out went old-economy stalwarts: Chevron, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Sears Roebuck and Union Carbide. The changes were also notable because it was the first time that stocks from Nasdaq (Intel and Microsoft) had joined the Dow. Until then, all 30 Dow industrials had been listed on the NYSE.
“If that change didn’t happen, there would have been a big discrepancy between that index and it would have been a big oversight,” says Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown. The index is designed to reflect the major sectors of the U.S. economy. Read morehere.
John and I discuss the mess caused by the UK Labour Party and the beginning of the hunting season in France. All the deer and boar are looking for a place to hide, some in the garden copse. You won’t want to miss this.
John and I discuss the mess that is China’s economy. The country’s demand for key industrial materials has fallen and prices are falling. Its not a good sign.
Until 2014, American companies dominated the bulk of U.S. tech-company IPOs. Then came the initial public offering of China-based Alibaba in September 2014, raising $21.8 billion — making it the world’s largest IPO at the time. (It was surpassed in 2019 by Aramco.)
On Day 1 of the stock trading in the U.S., Alibaba’s share price closed at $93.89, which was 38% higher than the opening price of $68. Why so successful?
The stock peaked in October 2020 when it had gained over 250% excluding dividends, Yahoo data shows. Since then, share prices slid to $78 recently. Read morehere.
WSJ: FINANCIAL FLASHBACK: Alibaba Becomes Largest U.S. IPO
Until 2014, American companies dominated the bulk of U.S. tech-company IPOs. Then came the initial public offering of China-based Alibaba in September 2014, raising $21.8 billion — making it the world’s largest IPO at the time. (It was surpassed in 2019 by Aramco.)
On Day 1 of the stock trading in the U.S., Alibaba’s share price closed at $93.89, which was 38% higher than the opening price of $68. .
The stock peaked in October 2020 when it had gained over 250% excluding dividends, Yahoo data shows. Since then, share prices slid to $78 recently. Read more here.
John and I discuss British-born author Patrick O’Brian who lived in French coastal town Collioure for more than half a century. He’s the author a series of books about Britain’s Royal Navy.
Traditionally, UK employers have wanted new hires to stick around for at least a few years. Late last decade, the average tenure of a UK employee was five years. But the job market keeps shifting—fast.
According to a new survey, more than half (53%) of UK workers report quitting their job within the first six months. Read more here.
Quitting the job that’s killing your soul! It’s one of those seemingly ever-present fantasies of office workers. But to leave without a net that’s unnerving to the vast majority of people. Yet it’s what long-time radio host Tess Vigeland did. She recently wrote a book about her experience: Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B to Find the Career and Life You Really Want.
Unlike many confessional books, this one won’t tell you how easy it was. Or that the post-quit euphoria just kept on going for months. Or that everyone should do it because, hey, what the hell. No, the story here is quite different. If you believe Vigeland, it’s hard work, and there will be loads of anxiety. It will upend your life in ways you never imagined.
Things like that make this book more believable than some self-help books urging you to make your way in the world — it’ll be like riding a bicycle, as such books seem to promise. Except they gloss over the time when you scrape the skin off your knees. Or they seem to leave out something that you can’t quite put your finger on. For instance, who’s paying the mortgage while all this quitting is happening? Or where did all the money necessary to sustain eating every day come from?
In some ways, Vigeland’s work is the antidote to “the easy route to happiness” books, which imply you can do everything (wealth, harmony, and relaxation) if only you’d follow a few simple rules. Such promises are chimeras.
The worries about money, career, and leaving what, for many, would seem like a dream job are what Vigeland focuses on. It is her self-perceived shortcomings that make the story so much more realistic and so much more relatable. She becomes something more than the voice we remember from the radio — a three-dimensional individual, just like the rest of us. On top of that, the willingness to open up, in a warts and all way, is a sign of herculean strength. Have you ever noticed that the people who never admit to their failures are, deep down, the weakest? She’s the opposite.
I’d say after her experiences, leaping and then writing this book, Vigeland will be unstoppable.
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