The Daily Upside

Politics

The Ever-Trickier Geopolitics of Being Elon Musk

Photo by Ministry of Communications of Brazil via CC BY 2.0

Elon Musk’s fight with Brazil has highlighted how his interlocking array of companies can put him in a difficult geopolitical spot.

2 min read

Today’s Upside

Recent News

Energy

OPEC+ Wants to Prop Up Falling Oil Prices

Photo by Zukiman Mohamad via Pexels

Days after Brent crude oil prices fell under $74 per barrel, the member nations of OPEC+ agreed to delay a production increase for two months.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Google Patent Eyes Hydrogen for Data Centers as Energy Use Soars

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The tech could signal that Big Tech is looking for creative solutions to AI’s power demand.

2 min read
Investments

Family Firm Growth Set to ‘Explode’ to $9.5 Trillion Under Control by 2030

Photo by Scott Graham via Unsplash

Deloitte estimates say private wealth management advisory firms will control $9.5 trillion by 2030, up 73% from the current $5.5 trillion.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Intel’s IP ‘Land Grab’ Highlights Lagging in Robotics, AI Market

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Intel is “playing catch-up” in robotics – and AI as a whole, one expert said.

2 min read
Energy

US Dithering on Hydrogen Gives Foreign Investment a Way In

Photo by Etienne Girardet via Unsplash

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) signed a deal with Exxon to buy a 35% share of a new hydrogen plant just outside Houston, Texas.

1 min read
Patent Drop

Sony Patent Highlights how Game Industry Should (and Shouldn’t) Use AI

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Copyright issues make it difficult to substitute creative labor in game development, one expert said.

2 min read
Semiconductors

Intel’s Bad Year Keeps Getting Worse and Worse

Photo by Alexandru-Bogdan Ghita via Unsplash

Intel’s contract chipmaking business suffered a major setback after it failed some major initial tests, sources said.

2 min read
FA Upside

Josh Brown Talks AI and ‘Perpetual Motion Machines’

Photo via Duncan Hill

‘Downtown’ Josh Brown is largely bullish on investments in artificial technology and tackles the segment’s future in a new book out this week.

2 min read
Healthcare

Pfizer on Opposite Sides of Two Promising Vaccine Trials

Photo by Anastasia Nelen via Unsplash

Data from two promising vaccine trials heralded potential breakthroughs in the treatment of pneumococcal infection and Lyme disease.

1 min read
FA Upside

FINRA Cases Hit Record Lows. Warren Wants Answers

Photo by Gage Skidmore via CC BY-SA 2.0

FINRA enforcement cases plummeted last year, sliding to the lowest level in the agency’s history, which caught the eye of Elizabeth Warren.

2 min read
Artificial Intelligence

Canva Shows AI Doesn’t Come Cheap

Photo by Jonathan Borba via Pexels

Canva users found that their subscriptions were going up as much as 300%. Subscriptions are going up from $120 a year to $500.

1 min read
FA Upside

Where Does Gen Z Turn for Financial Advice? It’s Not TikTok

Photo by Kenny Eliason via Unsplash

Parents and family members are Gen Z’s No. 1 source for financial advice, even topping social media influencers.

1 min read
Economics

Manufacturing, Construction Slowdown Trigger Broad Sell-Off

Photo by Scott Blake via Unsplash

Both manufacturing and construction spending came in softer than expected. The downbeats stoked fears of a downturn.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Tech Firms Inch Closer to Users with AI Wearables

Photo by Gian Prosdocimo via Unsplash

Your data may be more valuable than the money made from selling devices themselves, experts told Patent Drop.

5 min read
Consumer

Back-to-School Spending Is Flat or Falling, Depending on Whom You Ask

Image Credit: iStock, Nadezhda1906

Early data this year suggests back-to-school season spending is either flat from last year, or took a slight dip.

1 min read
Finance

Warfare is ESG Now

Image Credit: iStock, A.Greeg

Defense stocks are taking up a growing slice of the ESG (environmental, social, governance) pie. Reports attribute that to the war in Ukraine.

1 min read
Media & Entertainment

Summer Box Office Shows Hollywood Settling into a New Normal

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels

After a dismal start to the summer, the movie business roared back to life with a steady stream of big-screen hits.

2 min read
Personal Finance

Home Economics: Homeownership is still the American Dream. But Should it Be?

Photo by Thirdman via Pexels

Buying a home is expensive. And so is owning one. In the era of high mortgage rates and soaring expenses, is homeownership still worth it?

4 min read
FA Upside

Schwab Eyes Financial Advice as Cash Sweeps Dry Up

Photo by Djkeddie via CC BY-SA 4.0

The online brokerage has long relied on bank revenues, like cash-sweep programs, but executives are now leaning into wealth management.

2 min read
Practice Management

Advisors Gear Up for Treasury’s New Anti-Money Laundering Rule

Photo by Meanie Hyaena via CC BY 4.0

Most financial advisors will have to start formally reporting suspicious money laundering activity by 2026.

2 min read