my two tuesday mornings train WFH wrote:

• New Yorkers plan to cut time in office in half, survey finds New York City is second only to San Francisco in reducing office hours, with an office occupancy rate of just 36 percent. (Bloomberg) see also Wall Street’s rigid culture succumbs to the need for job flexibility Many big banks are offering flexible work arrangements — sometimes reluctantly — as they chase talent who would rather stay at home. (New York Times)

• 10 companies to watch in Q2 2022 The rise of remote work amid the pandemic has boosted demand for cloud computing; relationships with partners such as Amazon Web Services are expected to triple by 2025 at the rate of the broader cybersecurity market, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. (Bloomberg)

• Track nail prices since 1695: From the late 1700s to the mid-20th century, the real price of nails fell tenfold, largely due to productivity growth in manufacturing. (National Bureau of Economic Research) see also Why do people dislike inflation? The great public concern about inflation has undoubtedly had an impact on the economics profession. We have to ask whether the level of public concern about inflation is really justified, or whether the economics community has been influenced by outsiders to pay too much attention to inflation. (National Bureau of Economic Research)

• Why new music faces fading while older actors soar in popularity. “We’ve experienced a generational shift”: Artists and groups that first emerged decades ago, including the Beatles, are winning the streaming wars. (Market Watch)

• Economist Jim O’Neill on Russia: “The West will decide if Putin goes bankrupt”: Jim O’Neill once coined the term “BRIC” to refer to the fast-growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China. In an interview, he discussed why Vladimir Putin’s Russia failed to live up to expectations. (mirror) see also 3 fund chiefs explain why oil prices will keep rising For Britt Harris, Marcus Frampton and Sean Beal, powerful forces will drive up energy costs for a while. (Chief Investment Officer)

• Can house prices and interest rates skyrocket at the same time? Rising mortgage rates should lower house prices. But this time may be different. (New York Times)

• Happiness, Kindness and Trust During COVID-19 and Beyond The evolution of life evaluations and some sentiments since Gallup World Poll data first appeared in 2005-2006. Using a wider range of emotional and other supports for life assessment allows us to distinguish a wider variety of global and regional trends. (world happiness report) but see Alcohol-related deaths surge during pandemic Deaths in 2020 increased by 25% compared to 2019 due to increased stressors and delayed treatment. (New York Times)

• Hertz plans to expand electric vehicle fleet with 65,000 Polestars The five-year agreement will give renters an alternative to Tesla. (Bloomberg)

• 11 Rules for Buying an Electric Bike, and 11 Electric Bikes to Buy Now Electric bikes are about to change the world. They’re already the best-selling electric cars, and they’re selling as fast as the factory ones. (Ryan’s Blog) see also Electric bikes are booming (again) Sales rose faster than expected and above the already high expectations set by the pandemic boom. While the cause is hard to pin down — easing pandemic restrictions and returning to the office may have played a role — most see fuel prices as a contributing factor. (Bloomberg)

• How Jon Batiste Shattered Grammy Expectations Jazz pianists are a traditional choice to win Album of the Year — but a traditional choice for a growing institution. (atlantic organization)

Be sure to check out our Master of Business interview This weekend with Bill Gross, co-founder of PIMCO who manages the Total Return Fund, the largest mutual fund in the world at $293B. Gross advised the Treasury on the role of subprime mortgage bonds and was named Morningstar’s ten-year fund manager in 2010.

Streaming accounted for 65% of recorded music revenue, up from 61.9% in 2020

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