u/GlobalMacroMaven

Reuters is reporting today that the EU has just signed on to the US-led Pax Silica.

This brings the total number of nations formally participating up to 16 given that Norway signed on in May.

The move makes sense. Europe is getting nowhere in its bilateral negotiations with China. They have every incentive to engage with, and profit from a supply/value chain that potentially ring-fences China's stranglehold on the materials that will power 21st century computing and renewable energy solutions.

So much for the new harmony following last month's bilateral summit.

A European trade association (SolarPower Europe) just released a new report indicating that battery storage installations are on a trajectory to quadruple by 2030 in order to support renewable energy installations. Link to the news story above.

Data centers in the cross-hairs.

Clearest explanation I’ve seen so far as to why it’s important to focus on data input quality when deploying LLMs.

From the executive summary: “These developments are putting mounting pressure on the foundational principles that underpin global finance – such as the interoperability of payment systems and the independence of fiscal and monetary policy – and are raising new concerns around norms like the integrity of public data. These global trends present concrete risks and opportunities for emerging markets and developing economies, which are explored in detail in a case study on major African economies.”

Cambodia accelerating its pivot towards an "all of the above" energy mix. Some will celebrate the increased reliance on renewables where possible. Many will groan and rail against the increased reliance on coal. Cambodia is not alone. The South China Morning Post yesterday indicated China is also pivoting back to coal at scale. They are dressing up the move as an initiative to reclaim critical minerals (particularly, but not exclusively, lithium) & urea from coal production runoff.

So much for the trade deal. It’s not the first — and it won’t be the last — time that this kind of non-tariff barrier conflicts with a trade agreement.

If you use factor models to measure risk, this webinar by PRMIA on Wednesday might be of interest. PRMIA is the Professional Risk Managers' International Association.