LyrArc Article Gist
WSJ's Greg Ip points out the realities on the ground for housing inflation- Austin 11% higher prices for housing 2020-2024, for NYC 20%, supply up 17% in Austin NYC only 3%. Austin avoided rent control route in elections even when prices were up 23% in 1 year, rent control freeze is not allowed in Texas. Prices eventually dropped as supply increased. This is a warning sign for NYC primary winner Mamdani's rent freeze and rent control in NYC. This is not to say that landlords have to get their act together and fix homes, and moderate pricing. It is to say that the supply of housing matters and adding supply to housing as the British Labor government is doing in Britain under a socialist/private enterprise oriented government matters. For this to happen a comprehensive policy is needed cutting time to build reducing permit times, and incentivising builders, as well as cutting costs, and building affordable housing. It is a reflection of the degree of desperation that New Yorkers- created by the same educated and the professional workers among them, the rich and the elites- that the vast number of young college educated people are now pushing free buses, rent freeze, and city run grocery stores. And so little discussion is taking place on the comprehensive plan to increase supply of housing and building the new infrastructure in a city where roads and pavements, whole neighborhood infrastructures are crumbling as in Brooklyn. So little discussion on creating a rising tide that lifts all boats. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Oil prices and the US war with Iran -Straits of Hormuz how much of it remains open, European supplies, and drop in production in Gulf region, how these risks are managed will have an impact on inflation. Inflation could end up at 2.9% instead of 2% says Greg Ip. Gep Ip does not take into acocunt new flexible oil policy under which India gets a waiver to buy oil supplies from Russia, China sources more of its supplies from Russia to make up for the supplies lost from the Middle East. Russia steps in for a temporary period to keep oil prices lower. US ramps up Venezuelan and its own oil production to meet the needs of other countries such as Japan and S. Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Europe. Conservation measures are enacted to reduce oil use for the same level of GDP as taken in Japan and Germany.

LyrArc Article Gist
What oil analysts would like to know about the Khurais oil field in Saudi Arabia is can it deliver. This is the Saudis big effort to sustain and increase oil production as other fields are aging and declining. The Saudis would like to see it add 1.2 million barrels a day to its current production of 11 million barrels a day. no date is set for when this oil field will come on stream and how much of the 1.2 million barrels a day will become reality. The Khurais field has been sitting there for many years while the Saudis tapped the Ghawar field just 60 miles away because of the complexity of the Ghawar field which situated deep within the rocky layers of the earth and dunes. Its been described as a hard sponge compared to the wet sponge that Ghawar is. The natural pressure is not enough to bring the oil up so natural gas or filtered salt water would have to be used. As natural gas is needed for soaring power generation needs filtered salt water will be brought from over 120 miles away from the Persian Gulf through pipes to Khurais and more than 100 injection wells have to be drilled so that 2.3 million barrels a day can be pumped down in a manner that would push the oil up but not kill an oil wellby going through a rocky fissure. All this has to understood through geologic mapping of 2700 square miles down to the microdetail for an area the size of Connecticut so that nothing goes wrong. 2.8 million 3-dimensional images of underground strata to trace any fractures in the rock that might cause trouble and building of models to simulate how the oil field may respond to water injection. The production would have to be monitored from Dhawan where the central monitoring facilites are for Aramco. Aramco the Saudi Oil company brought in for oil field services Foster Wheeler as project manager, Halliburton for drilling wells, Eni SpA's Saipem unit for water injection work, in the plan developed in 2005 with estimated cost of $6 billion. Halliburton is drilling more than 300 wells that go over a mile deep and then branch out horizontally, and 125 water injection wells. Nansen Saleri who heade reservoir management for Aramco and headed the Khurais revitalization effort is now running his own firm in Houston. He described it - the trick is to understand Khurais down to the smallest detail. This is a picture of the complexity and the resulting uncertainties of Khurais. A former head of Aramco oil exploration Mr. Husseini who retired 5 years ago says its quite possible that Aramco may achieve its target of 1.2 million barrels a day but isn't sure that production can be sustained at this level and what it might cost. Khuransiyah project was expected to generate half million barrels a day by 2007 en but is a year off schedule and many projects are running late from a shortage of steel and manpower. It used to cost $4000 to add one barrel of capacity through the 1990's now its estimated by experts to cost closer to $16,000 for a barrel added. So when will Khurais come on stream? And will the even more difficult Manifa field in the Persian Gulf come onstream? Its not certain. meantime oil reached 119 dollars a barrel. But analysts will be sure to watch this one and the new fields in Brazilian offshore waters to bring prices down just as conservation kicks in and global demand slips a bit from the super heated growth of the last few years especially from Asia. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
First month of 2026 shows upturn for Britain's economy and $31 billion monthly budget surplus at Treasury. This is good news for Reeves and Keir Starmer as they face Manchester by election on Feb 24, 2026, first of local elections after the Mandelson episode. Unemployment is at 5.3% and inflation has fallen to 3% for the British economy in January 2026.

LyrArc Article Gist
Ten year euro denominated bonds of Portugal had a yield of about 3.58% in June 2014, down from about 6% at the beginning of 2014. Ireland's 10 year bonds have a yield of 2.36%, down from 3.42% at the beginning of 2014. In comparison 10 year German Bunds yield about 1.25% in June 2014. There is strong investor demand for the higher yield on these bonds in a low interest rate environment. Portugal exited a 78 billion euro three year bailout without getting a precautionary credit line which was seen favorably by credit ratings agencies.

LyrArc Article Gist
One way to ease the supply of oil cutoff from the Middle East to Asia (to India, Japan and South Korea) is to ease sanctions on the oil on tankers on the sea (large inventories at sea) and from Russia. US president DJT says -“We have sanctions on some countries, we are going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out. And then who knows, maybe we won’t have to put them on because there will be so much peace." 

Treasury Secretary Bessent says the same thing that “waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices," would be good way to ease the impact of the war on prices.

This will help Russia balance its budget and who knows it may make it possible to open up new discussions for peace in Ukraine as the US acts as an intermediary in negotiations to end the war. From the larger interest of US, China, India + Indonesia, of Russia and Ukraine, and of Europe,it makes sense to end that war.

LyrArc Article Gist
Rupert Murdoch brought positive changes as shown here to introduce electronic printing technologies to the newspaper business in 1981 the year Reagan became president. Yet there are questions why others across the news operations did not take this up as it would make sense to adopt new technologies. Why was there no competition? This led to The Times being acquired for $28 million in 1981 compared to the $5 billion paid for The Wall Street Journal in 2007- enormous difference as monopolistic/oligopolistic behaviour has become entrenched in shaping public perceptions and policy. Why for instance is not taking climate change action in the face of fires/floods or not taking action to invest hugely in infrastructure for a dilapidated USA become seen as acceptable in for 2024-2030-even as the European Union aims to be fossil free by 2030?

LyrArc Article Gist
Sanders wins in New Hampshire Democratic primary election with 60% of the votes, to Clinton's 34%. Voter turnout was record breaking in the Democratic primary. Women voted for Sanders 55% to 44% for Clinton. In the Republican primary Trump won 35% of the vote to Kasich's 16%, followed by Cruz, Rubio, and Jeb Bush. The Republican primary continues to show a fragmented vote with many candidates.

LyrArc Article Gist
Cognitive decline from social media shown in scientific studies and how short breaks are necessary to reverse the damage done. A plea to educators, parents, the public, and parliaments to take action now before more damage is done to girls, children and to the new generation in many countries.

LyrArc Article Gist
Losses at China's 3 largest airlines Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern will reach 20 billion yuan or $2.9 billion for 2008. Large capital injections and suspension of atax on jet fuel surcharges is the form of government help for these state owned airlines.

LyrArc Article Gist
Increasingly hospitals in the U.S. are buying independent medical practices of physicians and writing the contracts in their favor. This is part of a general consolidation of health care services in the U.S. In 2012 about 39% of physicians are in independent medical practices compared to 50% in 2000, according to consulting firm Accenture.

LyrArc Article Gist
Tax credit of $1700 to Scholarship Granting Organizations or SGO's, is part of the One Big Beautiful Act. This means that one gets a direct tax credit to offset taxes due in the tax return, so that a donation to an SGO will cost the one donating nothing. The government allocation for this is $254 billion to 2034 and will help parents with upto 3 times the median wage in the region finance their children's education. Will Blue states (states run by Democrats) under pressure from Education unions favoring public schools oppose the school choice this offers parents. Parents are increasingly frustrated with the public school education system's failure to give children a good education to get jobs and pursue higher education or apprenticeship education.

LyrArc Article Gist
Mr. Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the select committee on foreign affairs, a Tory MP, says UK companies are vulnerable to takeover by foreign state backed entities and calls for new laws to protect British companies. Prime minister Boris Johnson is preparing to announce new laws that will make it mandatory for British companies to report to the government when any foreign company attempts to take over 25% of the shares in a British company, or which could pose a security threat, with strong sanctions. Failing to do so would have directors jailed, disqualified, or face large fines.