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10 wholesome things that happened this year

What if I told you that 2023 was the best year ever for global health, conservation and clean energy and one of the best years ever for economic and social justice? You probably would say: “Micael, you’re bananas!”

But here’s the thing: The news is supposed to tell us what's happening in the world. It doesn't. It tells us what's going wrong. Thanks to a combination of commercial pressures, cognitive bias and cultural habits, we became used to see the worst of humanity, without highlighting any progress, healing or restoration. From my perspective though, when we only hear stories of doom, we fail to see the stories of possibility. We deny ourselves the opportunity to do better.

Therefore, here’s a list of 10 amazing things (just a tiny fraction) that happened this year:

1. Global Poverty Reduction Back on Track

Overcoming setbacks from the pandemic, the World Bank predicts a decline in poverty for the majority of low and middle-income countries in 2023. India and Indonesia stand out, with India lifting millions out of poverty over the past two decades, and Indonesia significantly reducing the percentage of people living on less than $3.20 a day.

2. Global Triumphs in Disease Eradication

This year witnessed an unprecedented number of countries successfully eliminating various diseases. Egypt achieved a groundbreaking milestone by becoming the first nation to eradicate hepatitis C, despite once having the highest global burden. Additionally, the Maldives conquered leprosy, Bangladesh vanquished black fever and elephantiasis, and Niger emerged as the first African nation to eliminate river blindness. Furthermore, trachoma was eradicated in Benin, Mali, and Iraq, rubella in Timor-Leste, Bhutan, and North Korea, sleeping sickness in Ghana, and malaria in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Belize

3. Pinnacle Year for Clean Energy

The embrace of wind and solar power exceeded all expectations, causing a revision of global fossil fuel use predictions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed in October that the peak of global fossil fuel use might occur two years earlier than anticipated just a year ago. More than 120 countries, including major carbon emitters China and the United States, committed to tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. This ambitious target, if achieved, would keep the world on course for the 1.5°C goal.

4. U.S. Economic Miracle Unfolds

Contrary to economists' predictions, the U.S. not only avoided a predicted recession but also achieved the fastest GDP growth among advanced economies. The administration created 14 million jobs, unemployment reached its lowest point since WW2, and inflation returned to pre-pandemic levels. Economic inequality trends reversed, and wealth increased for households and specific age groups.

What about the rest? Click here to read the whole post.

Business

this is not some superhero group

The Magnificent Seven

They were once called MAGA, then FAANG and now, with the addition of two new members and the rebranding of some existing ones, they are called The Magnificent Seven: Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla, and Meta.

• Looking at the S&P 500 index, which counts the five hundred largest companies listed on the American stock exchange, the group have appreciated 75% this year, 6x the average gain of 12% of the other 493 members. Together, they account for 30% of the entire index, a record for the largest share of any 7 listed companies, with data going back to 1980.

Looking at the MSCI World Index, which counts 1500 publicly listed companies on global stock exchanges, the magnificent seven have a greater weight than all the companies in the UK, China, France and Japan combined.

If you're wondering whether it's a good time to get in or not, it's worth noting that they're trading at a P/P ratio (Prize/Profit) of 33x, compared to 21x for the other S&P500 companies.

What else is on:

• Streaming Giants. Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. held preliminary talks on a possible merger with Paramount Global, potentially combining two of the biggest media companies in the world.

• Google trial continues. Remember the biggest antri-trust trial already mentioned in our first edition? Now it came to light a secret Google deal let Spotify completely bypass Android’s app store fees.

• Incoming IPO. Shein has confidentially submitted the paperwork to go public (IPO) in the US as early as next year - its last valuation was U$66bn.

Technology

for disclousure, I always liked Bill Gates

EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Music

of course the last one was about music

and that’s a wrap! What an amazing year for music. While it is true that some of the best albums of 2023 were actually released in 2022, with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé dominating the year through global stadium tours, blockbuster movies, and countless digital column inches, this year was also a fantastic one for globe-spanning artists chasing creative breakthroughs and growth.

Although it was really hard to choose these 9 albums, I want to make it clear that my parameters were mostly related to the albums that I listened the most as a whole, that were interesting with full concepts and storylines and that I believed added value to their genre in general. Let’s start!

1 - That! Feels Good! by Jessie Ware - Disco is familiar territory for Ware —2020’s What’s Your Pleasure looked towards Giorgio Moroder’s blueprint to help kickstart pop music’s disco revival. Like Donna Summer before her, she eliminates the distance between dancefloor ecstasy and sexual pleasure, suggesting an imperceptible difference between the two. With the trust of funk bass and spontaneous yelps, Jessie invites us to her party - one that you do not want to miss. Seriously recommend it.

What about the others? Click here to read the whole post.

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Micael

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