The Low VIX Hides Fierce Undercurrents

The Complicated Reality Behind High Gas Prices Authored by Petr Svab via The Epoch Times, Average gas prices in the United States have gone up by almost 40 percent since March 1. The reason appears straightforward: Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S. military operation that decapitated its regime and degraded its military. Hundreds of tankers trapped behind the strait cannot deliver their oil, depriving the world of 7 percent to 10 percent of its supply. Although that explains drastic price increases and even shortages in Europe...

Europe's Utility Sector Is 'On The Brink Of A New Regime' Authored by Gregor Morris via BondVigilantes.com, Europe’s utilities sector is on the brink of a generational shift. After more than a decade of subdued demand, the system is being forced to modernize, rebuild and expand. Electrification, datacentres, renewable integration and ageing infrastructure are converging into what can only be described as unprecedented capital expenditure programmes across the sector.  Simplistically, the bullish narrative is a convergence of rising electricity demand, visible investment pipelines, increase in regulated investments and improving returns. However, the same forces...

The Cost To Retire Comfortably Around The World For Americans considering retirement abroad, the same savings can go dramatically different distances depending on the destination. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, maps the estimated cost for Americans to retire comfortably around the world, based on data from NetCredit and Numbeo. Estimates reflect a retirement of 14 years and 8.4 months, based on the average U.S. retirement age and life expectancy, and exclude taxes and healthcare costs. The U.S. Is One of the Most Expensive Places to Retire At an estimated $738,000, the U.S. ranks as...