What we’re reading (4/8)
Good Economy, Negative Vibes: The Story Continues” (Paul Krugman, New York Times). “When it comes to economic news, we’ve had so much winning that we’ve gotten tired of winning, or at any rate blasé about it. Last week, we got another terrific employment report — job growth for 39 straight months — and it feels as if hardly anyone noticed.”
“Why 2024 Will Be A Year Of Fits And Starts For Dealmaking On Wall Street” (CNN Business). “[O]ver the past few years, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), have been hard to come by. Goldman Sachs reported substantial drops in revenue last year as 2023 had some of the lowest M&A activity in a decade. Dealmaking activity has dried up as executives have contended with recession fears, decades-high interest rates and geopolitical tensions.”
“Apple Wants To Make More Smart Home Devices — Which May Not Be Dumb” (Business Insider). “Apple isn't going to make a supercar, after all. Its Vision Pro headset is a cool curiosity searching for a killer app. And you already have an iPhone. So what's the next would-be-mind-blowing product for Tim Cook? Well, home robots, maybe. But those aren't coming out anytime soon. In the meantime we may see something decidedly less ambitious out of Apple: New iPads.”
“Blackstone Making $10 Billion Multifamily Purchase, Going On The Real Estate Offensive” (Wall Street Journal). “Blackstone is taking private Apartment Income REIT, known as AIR Communities , which owns 76 rental housing communities that are primarily in coastal markets, including Miami, Los Angeles, and Boston, the companies confirmed Monday. Blackstone plans to invest another $400 million to improve the properties, the firm said.”
“Americans Are Hooked On The Fantasy Of Financial Liberation” (Vox). “What multilevel marketing schemes are really selling.”
