Happy Friday. The big winner this week? DEI. Not the DEI you’re thinking about. No, DEI as in diversified equity investments. What did you think I meant? That’s right, diversified equity investments. And you can add to that the two other legs of this stool: patience and compound interest. In other words, being well-balanced or […]

The Big Winner this Week? DEI
E.J. Smith

The U.S. economy added 165,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in October, exceeding the average monthly gain of 48,000 over the previous 12 months, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. The unemployment rate remained relatively stable at 4.1%, with approximately 7.1 million people unemployed. Job growth was strongest in professional and business services (+70,000), health care […]

U.S. Labor Market Shows Stronger Job Growth in October
Young Research

The United States significantly increased its imports of Venezuelan crude oil in 2026, reaching an average of 701,000 barrels per day in July, the highest level since May 2017, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Imports began the year at approximately 200,000 barrels per day before steadily increasing, then declining slightly to 655,000 barrels […]

Venezuelan Oil Exports to the U.S. Surge in 2026
Young Research

Ships linked to Iran have been observed making unusual movements above major subsea telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Oman, raising concerns about potential attacks on critical digital infrastructure. Maritime analysts identified four vessels, including three U.S.-sanctioned tankers, that slowed down, circled cable routes, or switched off their tracking systems. The activity follows threats from […]

Iran-Linked Ships Raise Concerns Over Threats to Undersea Cables
Young Research

FedEx is expanding into defense and government logistics through a partnership with the U.S. Army to modernize its supply-chain operations at 23 industrial facilities, Freight Waves reports. Through FedEx Dataworks, the company will introduce predictive analytics, AI, and next-day delivery capabilities to improve inventory management, demand forecasting, and transportation routing. The Army also plans to […]

U.S. Army Taps FedEx to Modernize Military Supply Chains
Young Research

The winner in Tuesday’s election was the Tooth Fairy. Elected to make voters’ every wish come true, she’ll have her work cut out for her. Don’t like your station in life? Feel you deserve more? Blame it on someone else and vote for the Tooth Fairy. She’ll make life easier. Good luck with that. There’s […]

The Winner in Tuesday’s Election? The Tooth Fairy
E.J. Smith

The United Arab Emirates is considering a third crude oil export pipeline to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, according to Bloomberg. Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) is reportedly evaluating a route connecting western UAE oil fields to the eastern port of Fujairah, allowing crude exports to bypass the strategic waterway. The […]

UAE Considers Third Oil Pipeline to Bypass Strait of Hormuz
Young Research

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that U.S. refineries have shifted production away from gasoline toward diesel fuel and jet fuel in 2026, driven by significantly higher refining margins for middle distillates. According to the EIA’s latest Petroleum Supply Monthly data, covering January through August 2026, gasoline’s share of refinery output averaged below 45%, […]

U.S. Refineries Shift Production Toward Diesel and Jet Fuel
Young Research

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm business labor productivity increased 3.6% in the third quarter of 2026, as output rose 3.7% while hours worked increased just 0.1%. Productivity was up 2.1% compared with the same quarter a year earlier. Meanwhile, unit labor costs declined 0.7% during the quarter, reflecting productivity growth […]

U.S. Labor Productivity Rises 3.6% in Third Quarter 2026
Young Research

Wood Mackenzie estimates that approximately 20% of the world’s existing oil refining capacity faces an increasing risk of closure as global refined product demand approaches its projected peak of 108 million barrels per day in 2032, up from 105 million barrels per day in 2025. As demand begins to decline, refineries with higher operating costs, […]

Global Refining Capacity Faces Major Structural Shift by 2032
Young Research

Big blob cities turned red states blue in yesterday’s geographical rebuke election. Look at the results state by state, and you see tiny blue blob population centers and coastal elites turning red states blue. What spending problem? Expect more bond issuance to pay for it all. We’re still the nicest house in a bad global […]

Cities Turn Red States Blue in Geographical Rebuke
E.J. Smith

QatarEnergy is expected to become the world’s largest buyer of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2033, securing access to approximately 23.7 million tonnes annually through new agreements and its stake in the Golden Pass LNG project in Texas. The move comes as the war in the Middle East disrupts Qatar’s exports and limits shipping […]

Qatar Strengthens Global Gas Position Through US LNG Deals
Young Research

Canada’s trade surplus widened to C$5.35 billion ($3.8 billion) in September 2026, as higher exports of energy and gold to the United States helped offset the impact of new U.S. tariffs. Total exports increased 0.2%, while exports to the U.S. rose 0.7%, driven mainly by crude oil and gold shipments. However, overall export volumes fell […]

Canada’s Exports Hold Steady Despite Rising US Tariffs
Young Research

The United States carried out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island following reported attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on a U.S. aircraft. The strikes come as President Donald Trump faces growing pressure to end the war, while signaling that he is not in a rush to escalate military operations. Meanwhile, diplomatic negotiations involving […]

New US Strikes Raise Stakes in Strait of Hormuz Standoff
Young Research

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the U.S. trade deficit narrowed slightly in September 2026, falling 0.7% to $105.0 billion. Exports increased 1.9% to $321.5 billion, while imports rose 1.2% to $426.6 billion. Export growth was driven by capital goods, computers, aircraft, and agricultural products, particularly soybeans. Imports also increased, mainly due to […]

BEA Reports Growth in U.S. Exports and Imports
Young Research

Your Survival Guy loves stories about guys like Ronald Read, pumping gas like he always did, and as I imagine, without a single customer realizing that he was the millionaire next door. Customers probably had no reason to know or to think about how wealthy someone like Read was because they were too busy trying […]

Your Survival Guy Loves Stories about Quiet Wealth
E.J. Smith

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released an assessment on October 21, 2026, estimating approximately 96 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of technically recoverable, undiscovered natural gas resources beneath Alaska’s North Slope. This estimate is nearly three times the region’s approximately 35 TCF of proven natural gas reserves, highlighting the significant untapped energy potential of the area. […]

USGS Identifies 96 Trillion Cubic Feet of Undiscovered Natural Gas in Alaska
Young Research

The U.S. Census Bureau’s September 2026 Construction Spending Report shows a slowdown in overall construction activity, with total construction spending down 1.9% from August to an annualized rate of about $2.186 trillion, a 2.7% decrease from September 2025. Private construction spending fell 2.4%, driven mainly by a 5.5% drop in residential construction. Public construction spending […]

U.S. Construction Spending Faces Continued Downward Pressure
Young Research

Global crude oil refinery inputs declined sharply by 4.8 million barrels per day (b/d), or 6%, during the second quarter of 2026 following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East and disruptions to crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the decline was particularly significant in […]

Refinery Recovery Remains Limited Amid Supply Constraints
Young Research

Global hydropower development is increasingly shifting toward pumped storage hydropower (PSH), which now represents 62% of prospective worldwide capacity, totaling 690 gigawatts (GW), according to the Global Energy Monitor (GEM). PSH capacity grew 6.5% over the past year, reflecting rising demand for long-duration energy storage to improve grid reliability and support renewable energy integration. China, […]

Pumped Storage Drives Global Hydropower Growth
Young Research