Iran's Hormuz Fee Push Spurs Focus on Malacca
Iran's bid to start charging a fee to vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz (Tehran never ratified the UNCLOS despite signing it in 1982) is making other countries ensure they don't encounter such risks in other chokepoints -- the Straits of Malacca is a major one in Asia, actually a slightly bigger conduit for oil by volume than SoH.
Singapore Sees China as Engine for Regional Growth
1/6 Bloomberg: "“Singapore believes China can play a bigger role in supporting regional prosperity and stability,” Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at the Boao Forum. “Its vast domestic market can be a powerful engine of growth for the region.” https://t.co/npbm7nXQEo
China Claims Right to Counter Mexico's Tariff Hikes
1/9 Reuters: "China said that Mexico's trade measures against it, including tariff increases, constitute trade and investment barriers and that it had the right to take countermeasures." rld/china/china-says-it-has-right-retaliate-against-mexicos-tariff-hikes-2026-03-25/
Liberty's $475
Macro: convertible issuance funds growth but signals investor caution. Key: Liberty upsized $475M 0% convertibles due 2032, $37.44 conv (~30% premium). Risks: dilution, unsecured notes, redemption triggers. Trading insight: avoid new longs pre-conversion. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Building a Custom Fitness App Around My New Squat Rack
Got a squat rack finally so why not vibe design and code my own fitness app while I'm at it. https://t.co/0utcVSDSsw
China’s Growth Model Hinges on Weak Consumption, Excess Investment
The East is Red provides a translation of a very interesting essay by Wang Xiaolu, Deputy Director of the National Economic Research Institute. The problem with the Chinese economy, Wang says (and as I have argued for over a decade), is...
Founder Mode: Conquer Fear, Execute Relentlessly
Founder Mode is an arrival. It means you’ve overcome the fear of failure, and you simply execute to overcome any obstacle in your way.
AI + Crowd Voting Uncovers Viable Startup Ideas
Some nice new ideas upvoted by everyone today With the new AI models + human upvoting and downvoting there might actually be good ideas here for people to build startups from Possibly... https://t.co/PcyxSjjTQs
Turn Market Signals Into High-Converting Content Ideas
The best content ideas are right in front of you. Your clients and the market are already telling you exactly what they want to see. You just need to know where to look. Here’s how I pull that signal out...
Stop Watching the Clock, Embody Momentum for Real Impact
"Don’t watch the clock; do what it does." Sam Levenson’s insight is often dismissed as mere motivation, but for operators, it’s a masterclass in momentum. We spend immense cognitive capital building dashboards to watch time pass—obsessing over quarterly horizons and...
AI Fuels Document Churn, Founders Must Work Harder
Founders are running their decks, docs, and narratives through AI to drive investor cycles. But investors are doing the same: they’re making (more) comments on investor agreements, advisor docs, warrants, etc. Founders: expect to work harder to close.
Nvidia-Backed Startup Valued at $25B to Counter Chinese AI
Nvidia-Backed Startup Seeking to Counter Chinese AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation Yes, it's all about "countering Chinese AI"... https://t.co/7VwOnVxaeb
Five Interviews Later, Role Filled Internally
“Thanks for interviewing 5 times and completing a project based on a real business need but we’re filling the role internally.” https://t.co/usN0WsWX4D
Big Salary, Bigger Cost: Bay Area Reality
300k Comp sounds nice until they tell you that you have to move to the Bay Area.
Iran's $2 Million Strait Fee Shows Mutual Benefit
Finally, a little commerce is moving in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians benefit by charging up to $2 million for free passage and those who pass obviously benefit or they wouldn’t pay the transit fee. THREE CHEERS FOR COMMERCE. https://t.co/hzDa6MSkxF
Weaponizing Hormuz Is Global Economic Terrorism, Says ADNOC CEO
“Weaponizing the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation. It is economic terrorism against every nation, every family that depends on affordable energy and food.” Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. CEO Sultan Al Jaber says in speech at @MiddleEastInst...
BlackRock's Rieder Urges Fed to Cut Rates
BlackRock’s Rick Rieder said today he still thinks the 🇺🇸 Federal Reserve should cut interest rates - Bloomberg
Russia Halts Fertilizer Exports, Leveraging 40% Market Share
Russia stopped exports of ammonium nitrate through April to ensure domestic supply during planting season. Russia controls a massive portion of global trade in ammonium nitrate at about 40%. IT LOOKS LIKE MOSCOW IS SAYING SANCTIONS WILL HAVE TO GIVE OR FERTILIZER...
U.S. Pursues Symbolic Victory Over Practical Strategy
These narratives are likely just a reflection of the U.S. searching for a symbolic win, rather than a practical military plan. #iranwar #marines #geopolitics https://t.co/tCey0wFpxi
Social Listening Remains Rare Yet Essential Communication Skill
Being aware of and caring about what people are saying about your company on social media is still a rare thing today, yet should be a bare minimum communication skill (when done appropriately). @bocumbo knows. The full interview: https://t.co/sCRPBAd8oI https://t.co/XKQQLg6STQ
Asia's Energy Shock: War Disrupts Middle Eastern Supply
Good morning, We are in Day 26 of the war and Asia is reeling from the conflict as we are most dependent on Middle oil and gas. Let's talk about how Asia is affected by this conflict, a thread. You can...
Leadership's Delayed, Context‑poor Alerts Are the Biggest Risk
In highly technical organizations, the biggest risk isn't what breaks - it's when leadership hears about it too late or without the right context to act. #CIO https://t.co/a4Q8PTsrKE
Female Founders Face Fundraising Challenges Far Beyond Expectations
I talked to one of female founder clients today & she said something that stuck - “Fundraising [as a female] is so hard - so much harder than even they say.”
No Salary Pushback? Beware a Toxic Workplace
A Red Flag in an interview that's a bit hard to spot. If the company barely offers any pushback on your salary requests that should be a gigantic red flag and sign they're toxic. Especially if there's a LARGE gap...
OpenAI Funds Isara, a Youth‑led AI Startup
OpenAI Backs New AI Startup Seeking Bot Army Breakthroughs The San Francisco company, called Isara, was founded last June by two 23-year-old AI researchers, Eddie Zhang and Henry Gasztowtt. They have hired researchers from Google, Meta , and OpenAI. https://t.co/TmyAydRBDk
EU Clinches Australian Mineral
Yesterday, the EU struck a trade deal with Australia to secure access to critical minerals, like lithium and aluminum. According to the NYT, US tariffs pushed the deal forward. TRUMP’S TARIFFS = CREATING AMERICAN ENEMIES = PIVOT AWAY FROM UNCLE SAM. https://t.co/Suer5RGrQO
Fed's Losses Shrink; QE Hangover Eases After QT
Fed’s Operating Losses Declined to $19 Billion in 2025, “Unrealized Losses” Declined to $844 Billion. QE hangover a little less atrocious after years of QT and lower interest rates https://t.co/iwXBD2STH5 https://t.co/JmA1t7ABYD
Mortgage Rates Surge, Home Purchase Applications Plummet 35%
There Goes the Spring Selling Season: Mortgage Rates Jump, Mortgage Applications to Purchase a Home Drop. Mortgage purchase applications are down by 35% from the same period in 2019 in a housing market that remains frozen https://t.co/sR0N0Jznl0 https://t.co/Hkfy4IziDs
China's $3T Surplus Hasn't Boosted US Bond Inflows
A thread on some work in progress, on China's US bond portfolio As the chart below shows, China's cumulative current account surplus has increased by $3 trillion since the end of 2019 -- and inflows into the US in the US...
US Examines $200 Oil Price Shock Impact on Economy
US officials are examining what a potential spike in oil prices as high as $200 a barrel would mean for the economy, sources tell @hlowenkron @SalehaMohsin and me, a sign of studying possible fallout from extreme scenarios for the #Iran...
AI Gateway Simplifies Token Metering for Every AI Factory
Every company will become an AI factory, wherein the unit of production is the token. Tokens, however, create usage tracking billing headaches that are v unlike SaaS. ▲ AI Gateway now solves the metering problem across models & providers with...
Shopify‑ChatGPT Integration Instantly Surfaces Product Details
If you've been doing the boring work, clean product titles, structured data, real SEO, the @Shopify x ChatGPT integration is your payoff. I asked for the best Earl Grey, it returned our client as #1, complete with variants, rating, and...
Early Shift: Commodities Outsize Financial Assets Importance
It’s only appropriate to revisit this chart after the recent move in markets. And yes… We’re still in the early innings of a regime shift from financial assets to hard assets. The reality is simple: Commodity markets play a critical role, yet their size...
Iran Says Mediated Messages Aren't US Negotiations
This has been a week of the most confusing and contradictory headlines I’ve ever seen in 30 years. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that an exchange of messages between the two countries through mediators “does not mean negotiations with...
Beast Industries Appoints Former Hulu, Riot Exec as Communications Chief
MrBeast’s Beast Industries Hires Hulu and Riot Games Alum Gaude Lydia Paez as Communications Chief https://t.co/MJLvnqJXMw via @variety
Bookkeepers See Only, Can't Spend Your Money
Something I wish more people knew before working with a bookkeeper — when I connect to your bank account, I get view-only access. That means I can see statements and activity but I genuinely cannot transfer money, pay anyone, or...
Dry Promotions Are Corporate Myths, Not Real Opportunities
The biggest lie corporate tells you about: 'The Dry Promotion'. They frame a new title without a pay raise as a massive opportunity. THE BLACK BOX REALITY:
Success Doesn't Require a Mark Cuban Investor
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t need Mark Cuban on your cap table in order to succeed.
Know Who to Avoid: Startup Success Shortcut
Half the battle in a startup is figuring out who not to spend time with.
Fragmented Recruiting Data Wastes Time, Demands Unified Workflow
We didn’t decide to build Collected because we wanted to launch another piece of recruiting software. We built it because we kept seeing the same operational problem show up in different forms. It came up working with our recruiting agency...
Stop Stalking, Dominate Hashtags, Attract Customers
If your #SocialMedia presence seems like stalking to your target audience; you're doing it wrong. Let us help you dominate your key hashtags, build your brand and have your customers coming to you. gingerich.james@gmail.com https://t.co/fDZKLkzDlx
Act Your Age: Align Business Focus with Lifecycle
Aswath Damodaran on how the focus of a business changes depending on the company's lifecycle Companies that don't act their age will destroy value
Act Fast, Create Viral Content, Build Your Brand
The winning strategy to build a brand these days: Have an idea, act quickly and create viral content. When Rory Sutherland invented a fake business on a podcast, a coffee shop appealing to the busy commuter called “Flat White or...
Predictable Revenue Comes From Structured Client Journeys, Not Volume
Revenue doesn’t become predictable when you market more. It becomes predictable when your client journey is structured to convert.
Growth Requires Custom Innovation Accounting, Not Standard Metrics
The Lean Startup proposes a unique way of looking at growth metrics The book suggests that the typical metrics, user registration growth and gross revenue, don’t paint an accurate picture of true sustainable growth Rather, each founder needs to find their...
Click Signals Shape Rankings and Power AI Answers
Brilliant read on how click signals drive rankings and AI answers. Including details on known signals that are tracked, how it informs AI answers & a playbook you can apply. -> How Google Click Signals Drive Rankings and AI Answers by @CyrusShepard...
General Predicts Limited Impact of US Boots in Iran
I thought this was an interesting interview with a former general about what "boots on the ground" in Iran might look like, and also what would (and wouldn't be accomplished) by some landing on Kharg Island https://t.co/DDEilUbnMz
Japan Minister Discusses War‑Driven Commodity Risks, Seeks Asian Stability
Delighted to meet 🇯🇵’s Minister of Economy, Trade & Industry Ryosei Akazawa @ryosei_akazawa We spoke about how the Middle East war is impacting oil, gas & other commodities, with particular challenges for Asia – and how we can work together...
StartUp Health Seeks Head of Sponsorships & Partnerships
StartUp Health is hiring head of sponsorships / partnership sales... learn more and apply here: https://t.co/ffuKR75mgX
Fed Expands FIMA Access, Extends Window, Could Crash Yields
This is a really great divergent policy thought we should keep on our radar. If it comes to fruition, we could see a collapse in treasury yields. Fantastic work from @ericwallerstein ! “The solution: the Fed should expand FIMA access to sovereign wealth...