Rural families in the US are saving money by switching to electric vehicles (EVs) and avoiding gas expenses. EVs require less maintenance and have financial incentives, making them cost-effective.
Amidst ESG skepticism, impact investing gains recognition as a credible way to back companies that deliver positive impact and financial returns. Investors prioritize measurable impact activities aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Wind power has surpassed coal as a major source of electricity in the US for two consecutive months. Renewable energy accounted for 21% of electricity generation in 2019.
BlackRock’s new climate transition ETFs offer ESG tilting, but concerns remain about their impact. The ETFs may be a useful tool for institutional investors, but lack exposure to key sectors.
Vectorlite is a fast and tunable vector search extension for SQLite, offering improved performance, metadata filter support, index serialization, and cross-platform compatibility compared to similar solutions like sqlite-vss.
Active inventory in the existing home market increased by 34.5% YoY, marking the 35th consecutive week of growth. New listings declined 4.9% YoY. Buyers still face a 30% decrease in homes compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Housing prices have surged in recent years, but there are concerns about low returns going forward. The impact on homeowners may vary depending on their situation and future plans.
Johns Hopkins Medical School will offer free tuition to most students thanks to a $1 billion donation from Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic organization.
Core equity and short-duration bond ETFs saw the highest inflows in Q2, while ESG ETFs experienced outflows. The iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (CSPX) and the Xtrackers EUR Overnight Rate Swap UCITS ETF (XEON) were among the popular choices.
The impact of passive investing on markets is less significant than believed, says GMO. The shift of retirement assets to defined contribution plans is coming to an end, limiting the future impact of passive flows.
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---title: "Today's Picks (13.07.24): Wind Power Surpasses Coal, EV Savings for Rural Families, Impact Investing, and Shifts in ETF Trends"page-layout: fulltitle-block-banner: truedate: 07-13-2024categories: [climate,coding,economics,etf]tags: [evs, impact, renewable, etfs, housing, inflation, tuition, inventory, investing, energy]image: /pictures/blog-post.png---::: {layout-ncol=2}:::{#first-column}As of July 13, 2024, today's curation highlights key developments in finance, energy, and educational initiatives. Below are the summarized topics:- The financial benefits of electric vehicles for rural families in the US.- The rise of impact investing amidst ESG skepticism.- Wind power's dominance over coal in US electricity generation.- Concerns surrounding BlackRock's climate transition ETFs.- Introduction of Vectorlite, a new SQLite extension for vector search.- Trends in the existing home market and housing prices.- Johns Hopkins Medical School's significant donation for free tuition.- Recent ETF inflows, particularly in core equity and bonds.- Insights on the impact of passive investing on market dynamics.::::::{#second-column}::::::# Climate| Title | Summary ||-----|-----------|| [Electric Vehicles: A Game-Changer for Rural Families Saving Big on Fuel and Maintenance Costs (Skeptical Science, 2024-07-09)](https://skepticalscience.com/rural-families-saving-thousands-evs.html) | Rural families in the US are saving money by switching to electric vehicles (EVs) and avoiding gas expenses. EVs require less maintenance and have financial incentives, making them cost-effective. || [Impact Investing: A Smart Alternative to ESG for Optimized Financial and Social Returns (Forbes Australia, 2024-07-13)](https://www.forbes.com.au/brand-voice/brandvoice/rip-esg-how-impact-investing-can-help-save-an-industry-in-crisis/) | Amidst ESG skepticism, impact investing gains recognition as a credible way to back companies that deliver positive impact and financial returns. Investors prioritize measurable impact activities aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. || [Wind Power Surpasses Coal in US Electricity Production as Renewable Energy Continues to Rise (Sherwood News, 2024-07-13)](https://sherwood.news/power/lean-energy-wind-generated-more-electricity-than-coal/) | Wind power has surpassed coal as a major source of electricity in the US for two consecutive months. Renewable energy accounted for 21% of electricity generation in 2019. || [Are BlackRock's New Climate ETFs Truly Driving Change or Just Ticking Boxes for Sustainable Investment Goals? (ETF Stream, 2024-06-24)](https://www.etfstream.com/articles/blackrock-climate-transition-etfs-portfolio-tool-or-tick-box-exercise) | BlackRock's new climate transition ETFs offer ESG tilting, but concerns remain about their impact. The ETFs may be a useful tool for institutional investors, but lack exposure to key sectors. |# Coding| Title | Summary ||-----|-----------|| [Make SQLite Smarter and Faster with Vectorlite: Your Go-To Extension for Enhanced Vector Search in AI Applications (Reddit, 2024-07-13)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/1e26xsm/vectorlite_a_fast_vector_search_extension_for/) | Vectorlite is a fast and tunable vector search extension for SQLite, offering improved performance, metadata filter support, index serialization, and cross-platform compatibility compared to similar solutions like sqlite-vss. |# Economics| Title | Summary ||-----|-----------|| [Home Inventory Grows 34.5% YoY but Still Struggles to Meet Pre-Pandemic Levels: Insight into Current Market Trends (Calculated Risk, 2024-07-11)](http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2024/07/realtorcom-reports-active-inventory-up_01292103715.html) | Active inventory in the existing home market increased by 34.5% YoY, marking the 35th consecutive week of growth. New listings declined 4.9% YoY. Buyers still face a 30% decrease in homes compared to pre-pandemic levels. || [Navigating Market Peaks: What to Know Before Buying a Home Amidst Soaring Prices and Mortgage Rates (A Wealth of Common Sense, 2024-07-13)](https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2024/07/buying-a-house-at-the-top-of-the-market/) | Housing prices have surged in recent years, but there are concerns about low returns going forward. The impact on homeowners may vary depending on their situation and future plans. || [Bloomberg Donates $1 Billion to Johns Hopkins for Medical School Free Tuition and Comprehensive Student Support (NPR, 2024-07-13)](https://www.npr.org/2024/07/09/g-s1-8876/johns-hopkins-medical-school-bloomberg) | Johns Hopkins Medical School will offer free tuition to most students thanks to a $1 billion donation from Michael Bloomberg's philanthropic organization. |# ETFs and Index Investing| Title | Summary ||-----|-----------|| [Investors Flock to Core Equity and Short-Duration Bonds Amid Market Rally and Inflation Concerns: Q2 Insights (ETF Stream, 2024-07-13)](https://www.etfstream.com/articles/core-equity-and-short-duration-bond-etfs-capture-most-inflows-in-q2) | Core equity and short-duration bond ETFs saw the highest inflows in Q2, while ESG ETFs experienced outflows. The iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (CSPX) and the Xtrackers EUR Overnight Rate Swap UCITS ETF (XEON) were among the popular choices. || [How Passive Investing Subtly Shifts Market Dynamics: A New Perspective from GMO Experts (GMO Quarterly Letter, 2024-07-13)](https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2dgy5jctx2rb7g3wv2juo/portfolio/gmo-passive-investings-impact-has-been-overblown-but-its-not-negligible) | The impact of passive investing on markets is less significant than believed, says GMO. The shift of retirement assets to defined contribution plans is coming to an end, limiting the future impact of passive flows. |
