MaxTech420

🗽 Reflector on EU & UK politics

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

DFM up 6% within hours of ceasefire. That's the market's actual verdict not a press release

[Smashi @smashibusiness]

The IMF has reaffirmed confidence in the UAE economy, saying it has remained resilient despite the Iran conflict and disruption to trade through the Strait of Hormuz.

Strong economic fundamentals, swift policy measures, and well-capitalised banks have helped cushion the impact of regional tensions.

While the IMF expects private sector credit growth and non-oil activity to moderate, it also forecasts stronger oil growth in the second half of 2026 as exports recover and production increases.

The main area to watch? Real estate. Property activity has slowed after years of rapid growth, although prices have largely remained stable across the UAE.

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#UAE #Economy #IMF #RealEstate #MiddleEast

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@offshoreenergyt @OEUK_ The Hormuz 'blockade' is really just Lloyd's pulling war-risk cover. Traffic dropped 70% in hours. Commercial reality, not naval power.

[ECIPE @ECIPE]

🌄 Looking for something to listen to this summer?

@MatBauerEcon is joined by Nicky Stewart, Senior Advisor at @OpenCloudCo, to discuss cloud markets in Europe, switching barriers, portability, lifecycle design, and why resilience and cybersecurity matter for Europe’s digital future.

🎧 Listen to the episode: https://t.co/TPvop3anri

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@Share_Talk Burnham's ten year plan is very New Labour. Fiscal rules line is what spooked gilts though. Same thing every time.

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@RobinJPowell £172k on £100k. This is why passive funds dominate now. Industry built its margins on people not doing this maths.

[The Costs of War Project @CostsOfWar]

Since 2012, the U.S. has spent at least $3.4 trillion countering China in the military domain. https://t.co/jvp1PgPchS

[RUSI @RUSI_org]

'The UK has a unique role in being able to hold European and American support together.'

In this clip from RUSI Reflects, Dr Andrew Gee examines the foreign and defence policy challenges facing Andy Burnham.

Watch the full members-only episode: https://t.co/MTYhhsc95N

Not a RUSI Member? Join today: https://t.co/KuNiUgLOM0

[Safi Ahsan Rizvi @SafiAhsanRizvi]

The seven-stage G2 Cold War over Strategic Minerals since 2022 will get nastier from November 10, 2026, advantage China.

Has China successfully substituted hard power with its power of strategic minerals?

4 Critical Minerals and 14 Rare Earths form the core of this largely silent War.

https://t.co/enY4zSP2lM

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@TheMinuend Bongs got no chill 😂 But why is a liberal arts dept at an IIT producing work on nuclear policy? Not what these institutions were built for.

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@raji143 Real issue isn't Xi's speech. Democracies left a governance vacuum and are now surprised someone's filling it. Can't complain about the rulebook if you haven't written one.

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@jakesgoodopines Same thing happened to me. Three hours in a satellite gate with one closed coffee stand. Waterfall doesn't help when you're locked in

[Stephen Stapczynski @SStapczynski]

The Hormuz closure is choking LNG supplies to Europe 🇪🇺⚠️

European imports are down 33% year-over-year (on a 30-day moving avg basis). That's because Asia is taking more US LNG to replace supply stuck in the Persian Gulf

Also, Europe imports at lowest seasonal level since 2021

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@sidd_sharma01 Half this already happened. DXB was struck multiple times and kept running. The Spain and World Cup hashtags are a giveaway though.

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@JuneGoh_Sparta Article gets the buffer problem right but misses that the Hormuz constraint is insurance-driven not infrastructure failure.Different recovery problem entirely

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@RichardMeyerDC This. We've been building gas infrastructure for decades. Permitting is what kills these projects. Jurisdictions that actually fix it will capture the datacenter build.

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

Aldi's stable margins tell the whole story. Duopoly isn't more efficient they just have pricing power. Same bs everywhere

[World Data Analysis @World_Data_A]

.
Have AUSTRAIAN supermarket prices become detached from costs????

What are product margins?
Product margin (also called gross margin) is the difference between what a supermarket pays for goods and what it sells them for, after removing taxes like GST. It shows how much profit the company makes on each dollar of sales before operating costs (wages, rent, etc.).

Nominal product margin = Total profit in Australian dollars (AUD million).

Average product margin (%) = Profit as a percentage of sales revenue.

Why it matters
Rising product margins mean supermarkets are keeping more money from every sale. This is especially important in Australia because the supermarket sector is highly concentrated, Coles and Woolworths dominate the market.

Higher margins can signal stronger pricing power, reduced competition, or cost efficiencies, but they also raise concerns about whether consumers are paying higher prices than necessary.

Key insights
Woolworths (red bars): The strongest performer. Its nominal margin rose sharply to over AUD 18 billion in 2023–24, with average margin approaching 34–35%. It has consistently increased both total profit and percentage margin.

Coles (blue bars): Also growing steadily. Nominal margin reached about AUD 12.8 billion in 2023–24, with average margin around 32–33%.

ALDI (green bars): Much smaller scale. Nominal margin is significantly lower (around AUD 2.5–3 billion), but its average margin has stayed relatively stable and slightly increased.

Metcash (orange bars – supplies independent stores): Moderate growth in nominal terms, but lower than the big two.

Australia’s two largest supermarket chains, Woolworths and Coles, have significantly increased their product margins over the past five years. This means they are earning more profit per dollar of sales, contributing to record-high profits while the cost-of-living pressures remain high for many Australian households.
Source: @OECD

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

Burry's been saying this for years. Nobody reads footnotes until something blows up

[Canadian Jennifer 🇨🇦 @cdntradegrljenn]

I agree actually

[Robert Colvile @rcolvile]

This is a good essay from Chris Curtis on why growth must remain Labour's priority. It would be reassuring if anyone remotely near the Burnham operation was saying anything remotely similar. https://t.co/zu7JuDSvQo

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

@rcolvile Workers vs Silicon Valley is a bs dichotomy. Tx proves this. Build the infrastructure, jobs follow. Labour never learns.

[MaxTech420 @CatsAndTechNY]

IP theft is real. But dismissing all Chinese growth as theft is bs. They invest, we complain. That's the real story.