📊 EV’s charts of the week #14

Streaming wars and lithium batteries

Hi,

Great chart drop for you this week, including some crazy data out of Texas during the snowstorm. Stay safe if you’re in Texas!

Marija, Joseph Dana, Sameh Wahba (the Global Director for the World Bank’s Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience, and Land Global Practice), and I are hosting a discussion about understanding how to build resilient cities from the lens of renewable power tonight at 6pm UK time. It is on Clubhouse as part of our ongoing experiments with the platform.

Azeem

Staying power

The pace at which new streaming platforms are coming to market is dizzying. Yet, clear leaders (other than Netflix) are commanding market share. Disney+ had nearly 95 million subscribers worldwide in Q1 of 2021, up from 26 million this time last year. The key appears to be retention rates and Disney+ clearly has the back catalogue to keep customers coming back. Via Second Measure & Variety

Live a little

Consumers in the US are spending more on recreational activities. This trend was taking shape even before the pandemic. Sales at sporting goods, hobby, musical instruments, and book stores from July 2019 to July 2020 increased by 18.7%. Via the Fred Blog

Zero child policy

A new study published by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security found a 15 per cent decrease in registered births following the Covid-19 pandemic. While this might be understandable, China’s birth rate has been on the decline for the past three years and this latest decline bodes poorly for long-term growth prospects and the Chinese labour market. So much for a pandemic baby boom. Via Jamestown

FDI takes a beating

The Covid-19 pandemic has ravaged global FDI inflows and developing economies have been hit hardest. Beyond high-level investor flows, this data tells a story of human tragedy as remittance flows take a beating. In parts of Africa and Asia, remittances prop up economies and drive technological innovation. Via UNCTAD

American exceptionalism 

The handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the chaotic final months of the Trump Administration has damaged the way young Americans view their government. The result? Younger generations in the US are looking elsewhere. Maybe this shift will bring the metric system to the states? Via Pew Research

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

Crime and other social issues are increasingly on the radar of Americans (especially in California). This chart neatly outlines crime rates across America’s top 20 most populated cities. Via Next Door in Silicon Valley

The anti-air conditioner movement?

Move over meat-eaters, there’s a new group destroying the planet. Increasing air-conditioning use in India is potentially dangerous for climate change.  Via Christian Hernadez

The race for electric power

A couple of charts on electric power to round out this week. Demand for Lithium power is skyrocketing. Ray Wills notes that this demand has started a race for production. There are hundreds of gigafactories focused on car battery production. China builds one gigafactory a week; the rest of the world builds one every few months. Via Prof Ray Wills

The means of production

This reminds me of the old story about Cuba growing sugar only to import Coca-Cola. Much of the raw materials needed to produce lithium are available in less developed countries but the production of lithium carbonate (chart two) takes place in wealthier countries like Australia. Via Relly Brennan

Power emergency? 

Wholesale spot electricity prices spiked to around $9,000 per MWh (typically they are below $100) during the cold snap. Good discussion of why this is from Jesse Jenkins.

Endnote

Hope you liked this week’s Charts of the Week. People seem to enjoy it, so we’ll make it a permanent feature. If there is a good source of charts you think might help us improve this, let us know in the comments. We’ve got a pretty decent list of sources but always open for more.

Finally, if you or your firm wants to sponsor this newsletter, please let us know. We’re getting backed-up right now but happy to consider if we can.

Cheers
Azeem