CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: No petrol queues in chilly Scotland

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

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Leidos: Is the future of coal in super material graphene?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Coal is mostly known as a fuel to generate power, but scientists are actively exploring its lesser-known potential. Now the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Leidos have discovered a new way to transform coal into graphene, a super material so promising it earned scientists the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Read more here.

Coal

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CityWire: Investing in commercial real estate may improve your portfolio performance

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

“Real estate may serve as a hedge against market risks, such as inflation,” says David Vincent, CFA, CAIA, investment Specialist at New York-based real estate financial technology company Cadre. “It tends to be less volatile than equities and holds its value over the long term.” Read more here.

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CityWire: How macro data can help identify promising commercial real estate markets

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Data scientists are upending the way investors select and buy commercial real estate. Quantitative machine learning techniques, analyzing millions of data points from thousands of variables reflect a radical change in the real estate industry. Such predictive analysis builds upon the traditional method of buying and selling properties, which once relied solely on a deep personal knowledge of local markets by individuals. Read more here.

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WSJ: When Investors Mention ‘Decoupling,’ What Do They Mean?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

The Wall Street term had one definition for decades, while now it has another. Read more here.

China's Forbidden City

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Barron's: Brazil’s Stocks Fizzle as Political Problems, Inflation Persist

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

On the face of things, booming commodities markets should mean Brazil’s outlook would be promising. But the reality is that global investors have lost confidence in the county’s leadership, including President Jair Bolsonaro. The situation could get worse as global growth slows, experts say.

“Earlier this year, Brazil was a favorite investment play, but it fell out of favor,” says Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex. “Bolsonaro has lost credibility with investors.” Read more here.

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Forbes France: Un indicateur clé montre la faiblesse de l’économie chinoise

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

D’après les statistiques officielles, on pourrait croire que l’économie chinoise est en plein essor. Mais un indicateur clé montre que la deuxième économie mondiale pourrait connaître des difficultés. 

Read more here.

Steel rebar for construction

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