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UK getting smarter about energy storage
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsThere has long been a feeling in the U.K. that better management of electricity consumption will pay benefits both for consumers of all scales and for the security and sustainability of the electricity grid itself.
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Blockchain: As Bitcoin flounders, its technology is poised to disrupt
Shawn Smajstrla Science & TechnologySince its infancy almost a decade ago, bitcoin has been both viewed skeptically and heralded as the future of currency. Its path to the latter still seems murky. A report by Internet Retailer noted just three of the top 500 online merchants accept bitcoin — down from five a year ago.
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Metals Thoughts: End the Fed (holding of treasuries)
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesWe are halfway through a busy back-half of the week from a central bank perspective. The FOMC yesterday raised rates as expected and maintained their view that three total hikes for 2017 are likely. Rates traders seem to disagree with aggregate odds of a further hike in Fed Futures at 43 percent, and OIS implied 47 percent.
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Will the gold rush ever end?
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesIn response to the financial crisis in 2007, gold prices more than doubled rising from an average of $600 per ounce in 2006 to a record high of $1,700 per ounce in 2012. Since then, markets stabilized slightly, and gold prices have decreased to an average of $1,200 to $1,300 per ounce through 2015 and 2016.
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Metals Thoughts: Eye on the vol
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesWith French elections out of the way (for now) and basically all economic data continuing its trend of low growth, strong labor and retail demise, there isn't a lot on the calendar to cause a paradigm shift. At the end of the day, our view is that time and politics mostly don't change markets — rates do.
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The Disneyfication of American cities
Lucy Wallwork Civil & GovernmentDisneyland is every child's dream and an escape from the messy reality of daily life. But if you look closely, you will notice that American cities (and increasingly other cities around the world) are being remade in the image of Walt Disney's famous fantasy theme parks. Places like the Mall of America, where every move is engineered, draw on the Disney rule book and have co-opted public spaces.
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Metals Thoughts: Peak populism
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesThe first round of the French election pretty much went the way that risk markets were hoping for. We have since seen the dollar sell off to a post-election low of 98.7, particularly against the EURUSD (1.07 to 1.095), with equity markets rallying, rates moving higher and a general risk-on sentiment.
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Metals Thoughts: Same as the old boss
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesWe seem to be gearing up for the next overreaction as markets and President Donald Trump learn that it's difficult to implement immediate change from the executive office. Geopolitical strife and some disappointing U.S. data managed to give us a bid last week and push us up out of the two-month $1,200-1,260 range amidst dollar weakness, but the last few days have seen a slight reversal of trend.
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The next frontier: Mining the deep sea
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesAs we continue consuming metals and rare earths at the same speed as today, we could run out of existing resources 20 years' time, according to an estimate of current resources and reserves worldwide. Rare earths are the basis for state-of-the-art renewable technology like solar panels. And replacing oil, gas and coal with existing renewable energy technology would require the extraction of rare earths to increase by 700 percent over the next 25 years, according to the latest MIT research.
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Being a good 3-D neighbor
Wendy Lathrop Construction & Building MaterialsOwnership of land runs from the highest point in the heavens to the center of the earth — or so we are generally informed as we surveyors begin our studies of real property characteristics. However, that vast expanse of ownership does not equate to full possession when it comes to such things as allowing airplanes and satellites cross the skies above us; some aspects are beyond an owner's full control. Neighbors above and below us have rights, too.
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