On a single day earlier this month – and for the first time ever - wind power was the second-largest source of electric generation in the country, behind only natural gas. The Energy Information Administration reported on March 29th that wind turbines produced more energy than both coal and nuclear power.
The COVID pandemic and its subsequent mandatory lockdowns led to greater isolation, greater stress, and less time outside. What better way is there to brighten such a dark time – and occupy bored kids - than to get a puppy! The online pet food and pet supply company Chewy saw its market cap quadruple from the beginning of the pandemic to its peak.
As the pandemic winds down, life in many respects is almost back to normal—except for one area—office space. According to building security provider Kastle, which monitors the use of security and ID cards in office buildings, the “Kastle Barometer” of average weekly occupancy for offices is still just 40% of pre-pandemic levels.
It wasn’t widely known to the general public before recent days, but Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of many of the commodities necessary for modern society. Inflation was already on the rise, but since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the price of gasoline has soared. That’s because Russia is the second-largest crude oil exporter globally, only behind Saudi Arabia.
‘Help Wanted’ signs are a common sight in towns and cities across the country. According to conventional wisdom, the shortage of workers (aka “missing workers”) is due to older workers, after enjoying outsized gains in their stock portfolios and real-estate holdings, exiting the workforce. However, a deeper look into labor force data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows this isn’t exactly the case.
The S&P 500 is down about -12% for the young year. About a quarter of the stocks in the S&P 500 are up so far, and three-quarters are down. Energy is the only sector enjoying a good start to 2022, up about 40%.