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US Job Market Shows Fresh Strength With ADP and Layoff Data (2 min read)
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The US labor market continues to show resilience, with private hiring surging, layoffs slowing, and jobless benefit claims remaining relatively low. According to data from ADP Research Institute, US companies added nearly half a million jobs in June, the highest in over a year. Additionally, announced job cuts by US employers fell to an eight-month low. While job openings declined more than expected in May, the labor market remains historically strong. These reports indicate a potential case for the Fed to raise rates at its upcoming meeting.

Key Metals Shortages Could Slow The Energy Transition (2 min read)
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Consulting firm McKinsey & Company warns that looming shortages of critical metals like nickel, copper, lithium, or dysprosium, could hinder the adoption of renewable energy and low-carbon solutions. The shortages could drive up metals prices and the cost of finished products like EV batteries and solar panels. McKinsey predicts nickel shortages of 10-20% and a 70% supply gap for dysprosium, which both are used in electric motors, by the end of the decade. Despite rising demand for critical metals, the current investment levels in metals mining remain low.

Meta launches Instagram Threads in a direct challenge to Twitter (4 min read)
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Meta has launched Threads, a text-based messaging app that aims to capture users who have left Twitter. The app is now available on iOS and Android in over 100 countries and allows users to post text messages of up to 500 characters, as well as photos and videos up to five minutes long. Threads is linked to users' Instagram accounts and offer real-time updates, similar to Twitter. Meta’s move aims to capitalize on Twitter's recent outages and unpopular changes by providing an alternative platform.

The real reason Tesla is letting rival car companies use its EV charging stations (6 min read)
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This article argues that Tesla’s decision to allow other automakers like Ford or GM to use its Supercharger stations is a strategic move to gain access to data from its rivals' EVs. Tesla's Superchargers have data ports that not only provide electricity but also collect information about the charging process. By allowing other automakers to use its charging network, Tesla can potentially extract valuable data on the competitors' batteries to improve its own battery efficiency. In addition, there are also several ways to monetize those data once collected.

Dimensional Funds 101: What Are They? (6 min read)
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Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) offers a range of mutual funds and recently expanded to ETFs. DFA is known for its investment philosophy that is rooted in academic research, particularly in the Fama–French three-factor model developed by economists Eugene Fama and Kenneth French. These funds are not widely available to the public as individual investors can only access them through DFA-authorized financial advisors. More details on DFA and its fund offerings are available in this article.

Best, Worst International Stock ETFs for First Half of 2023 (4 min read)
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The top-performing international stock ETFs for the first half of 2023 were mostly comebacks from countries like Greece, Argentina, and Japan. On the other hand, six of the bottom-performing ETFs were China-focused, which has struggled to recover from the pandemic. Some experts believe emerging markets outside of China may still hold value in the second half of 2023 as investors seek diversification opportunities. The full list of best and worst-performing international stock ETFs is available in this article.

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