housing

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Reading List 07/04/26
2 months ago
- Fixed-rate mortgages share similarities with rent control, such as protecting current homeowners and discouraging moves, but do not hinder new housing supply.
- Around 1 in 7 US homeowners lack homeowners insurance, highlighting a significant coverage gap.
- Taiwan is cracking down on smuggling AI chips into China, with raids on Super Micro Computer affiliates linked to Nvidia chips.
- Ford rehired quality inspectors after attempting to replace them with AI, showing limits of automation.
- Sony will stop producing physical PlayStation discs by 2028, marking a shift to digital.
- The US denied Polestar permission to sell cars in the US from 2027, despite shifting production to South Carolina to avoid tariffs.
- China is building a factory for personalized cancer vaccines using AI, with production of LK101 targeting individual tumor DNA.
- Car companies are switching to aluminum wiring due to rising copper costs.
- South Korea plans $1 trillion investment in memory chip fabs and humanoid robots, aiming to double DRAM production.
- Micron's memory chip fab in New York faces delays from endangered bat habitats, requiring winter-only tree clearing and $1 million in bat protection.
Reading List 05/16/26
2 months ago
- Tokyo achieves relatively affordable housing by building extensively, despite high land values; land is expensive but structures are cheap due to relaxed supply constraints.
- The House introduced a housing bill in response to the Senate's 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, notably omitting restrictions on build-to-rent housing.
- An improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered near an Alabama dam, raising security concerns.
- Fervo, a geothermal energy company, announced its initial public offering (IPO).
- Oil supply disruptions from the Strait of Hormuz and Iran conflict affect global markets, including naphtha shortages impacting Japanese snacks and semiconductors.
Reading List 06/27/26
2 months ago
- Trump refuses to sign the ROAD to Housing Act until the SAVE America Act passes, despite bipartisan support.
- NIST report attributes the 2021 Surfside condo collapse to design and construction errors that reduced safety margins.
- Major U.S. homebuilders like D.R. Horton and Lennar see rising construction defect costs and self-insurance reserves.
- A federal mandate for U.S.-made construction materials significantly increases costs for HUD-funded housing projects.
- Works in Progress articles highlight how opposing NIMBYism sparked modern capitalism and compare European housing issues.
- Mexican government plans to develop a locally produced, low-cost electric vehicle.
- California's AB2047, requiring 3D printers to block firearm manufacturing, faces opposition due to unreliable detection algorithms.
- U.S. EV maker Lucid lays off 18% of workforce after earlier 12% layoff.
- Chinese EV sales in Europe surge, with Leapmotor up 465% and BYD up 136.6% in May.
- Slate prices its EV truck at $25,000, but critics note it's not much cheaper than a base Ford Maverick.
Reading List 07/11/26
2 months ago
- 49% of US adults under 30 live with a parent due to financial unaffordability, with 55% citing necessity.
- Seattle leads US major cities in empty downtown office space.
- Samsung's chip division profits in 2026 are expected to surpass the combined profits of the previous 40 years.
- Atomic Semi rebrands as Fab2, designing and building all chip fabrication tools in-house.
- China's access to ASML's EUV machines remains denied, with ASML tracking all 340 units.
- The US seeks a cheaper Reaper drone after losing over $1 billion worth to Iran.
Reading List 07/18/26
2 months ago
- California Forever's planned shipyard lost a major tenant (Saronic) to Texas, a setback for the new city project.
- A study indicates that increased supply of single-family rental units helps economically disadvantaged children attend higher-performing schools.
- Baby Boomers are not downsizing to smaller homes upon retirement, contrary to previous trends.
- US EV manufacturing faces major setbacks, with Stellantis writing down $26 billion and Ford $19 billion in EV-related losses.
- Lucid Motors denies bankruptcy rumors but shares plummeted; the company claims sufficient liquidity into next year.
- A $500 million artillery shell plant by General Dynamics has failed to produce any shells after two years due to equipment repurposing issues.
- Other topics include automated carbon fiber manufacturing, Tesla production line changes, and challenges in recycling EV batteries.
Reading List 07/25/26
2 months ago
- China is rolling back EV subsidies and imposing a consumption tax on lithium-ion batteries starting September 2025.
- TSMC is accelerating investment in Arizona fabs due to AI demand and plans to raise prices by up to 10% in 2027.
- The CEO of DR Horton sees little short-term impact from the ROAD to Housing Act, while the FT argues luxury apartments help housing chains.
- Saronic chose Texas over California for operations, allegedly using California Forever negotiations to get better terms.
- The National Historic Preservation Act burdens clean energy projects more than fossil fuels due to larger viewprints and higher adverse effect findings.
- Fervo Energy CEO Tim Latimer advocates a learning-by-doing approach for geothermal, inspired by SpaceX, starting with simpler projects.
- Defective roadway guardrails are mentioned among other news in this weekly reading list.

housing

Reading List 07/04/26

Reading List 05/16/26

Reading List 06/27/26

Reading List 07/11/26

Reading List 07/18/26

Reading List 07/25/26