The firm’s nontraded real estate income trust, BREIT, was a big success until the turmoil of 2022. When redemption requests mounted, the firm limited them, raising a raft of issues, from fears of outflows to regulatory scrutiny.
CNBC – Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s largest brewer with 500 brands in more than 100 countries. In 2016, Flemish Interbrew and Brazilian Ambev, together known as InBev, merged with the American legacy company Anheuser-Busch, which ultimately brought AB under the leadership of 3G Capital.
3G Capital is a Brazilian-American global investment firm whose tactics include an aggressive, and at times controversial, cost-cutting strategy. AB InBev’s longtime priority of aggressive acquisitions has been coupled with a focus on profit and price per barrel rather than volume share. Premiumization and expanding beyond beer continue to be winning strategies. In 2021, the company amassed $54.3 billion in revenue with 169,000 employees worldwide. As overall beer consumption has declined, AB InBev has transformed from merely a beer company to the largest beverage company in the world.
0:15 Global Population Reaches 8 Billion – That’s 8 times more humans than existed in 1800. Even so, the world’s population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950 due to a declining global fertility rate. Today there are an average of 2.3 births per woman. In 1950 it was 5. The world’s population is projected to peak at 10.4 billion by 2080.
1:49 The Economic Case for Climate Adaption – Climate adaptation means preparing our ecological, social and economic systems so they can cope with the future impacts of climate change. Heatwaves, storms, wildfires: the costs of climate change are already mounting but so far only 20% of climate finance has gone towards adaptation.
3:44 French Start Up Blends Wind and Solar Energy – Unéole’s energy system combines a photovoltaic rooftop panel with 2 compact wind turbines, generating 40% more energy than an ordinary rooftop panel. Solar panels work best in strong sunlight but Unéole’s units generate power when it’s overcast or during winter and can turn through the night to ensure a steady flow of power. The turbines are silent, so they don’t disturb building occupants and they’re built from mostly recycled aluminium and steel.
4:54 Lab Grown Blood Used in World First – UK scientists have transfused lab-grown blood into humans for the first time. It could revolutionize treatment for people with rare blood types, especially those who need regular transfusions. Two people were injected with 1-2 teaspoons of the synthetic blood to see how how their bodies respond. So far, so good – the trial participants are fit and healthy with no reported side effects.
0:15The World’s Fastest Shoes – These inventors have made the ‘world’s fastest shoes’. They let you walk at 11kph, which is the speed of a run. The shoes are called Moonwalkers and they’re powered by a tiny electric motor that turns 8 wheels on the base of the shoe.
1:37These Cities Are Facing a Housing Bubble – Years of low interest rates and cheap mortgages have increased demand among homebuyers but the supply of housing has not grown at the same rate. This mismatch has caused house prices to shoot up around the world, creating housing ‘bubbles’. When these bubbles burst, prices can plummet and experts say rising interest rates could be the pin that pops them
2:53First Female Crash Test Dummies – The crash test dummy most often used as a stand-in for women Is just a scaled-down version of the male dummy. At 149cm tall and weighing 48kg, it’s actually the size of a 12-year-old girl. The new crash test dummy is 163cm tall and weighs 62kg, taking into account the physiology of the female body. It was created by Astrid Linder and her team in Linköping, Sweden.
4:22This Company Is Making Chocolate Healthier – The world’s biggest chocolatier has created a new, healthier chocolate. Which contains 50% less sugar, 60-80% more cocoa and zero processed additives. Second-generation’ chocolate uses a new method of preparation. Growing, fermenting and roasting the cocoa beans differently reduces their bitterness without the need for lots of sugar.
Financial Times – It could be the Shazam of smells. A California-based start-up has developed a device to sniff out substances such as drugs, explosives and viruses. Sniff tech is a burgeoning sector which could have major implications in fields including healthcare and security but may also raise issues over individual privacy. The FT’s Patrick McGee takes a trip to the lab and gets a good whiff of how the future might smell.
Koniku builds smell cyborgs. We will put out small form factor smell cyborgs in 10 million homes inside this decade. We aim to securely and safely diagnose disease and maintain health and wellness in real-time. We are building a marketplace that makes every individual the CEO of their own health.
Fed officials are considering the timeline of a potential slowdown in interest-rate hikes, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Bond yields moved off their highs.
Tesla’s stock has been in a tailspin. But if the electric-vehicle maker is able to navigate a few bumpy months, it will be a signal that it’s headed in the right direction.
Our latest Big Money poll of professional investors finds many bearish about stocks in the near term, but bullish about the market’s longer-term outlook.
World Economic Forum top stories of the week: 0:15 – The World’s First flying 3D printer 01:32 – Your outer circle of friends is more important for your career than you think 02:47 – How high interest rates lower inflation 04:47 – This Swedish start up has developed an electric passenger plane