Welcome to Bespoke Brunch Reads — a linkfest of the favorite things we read over the past week. The links are mostly market related, but there are some other interesting subjects covered as well. We hope you enjoy the food for thought as a supplement to the research we provide you during the week.

While you’re here, join Bespoke Premium with a 30-day free trial!

Energy Policy

Department of Energy Releases New Notice of Sale as Gasoline Prices Continue to Fall (The White House)

A new Biden administration initiative will start using futures markets in conjunction with the SPR, in an effort to balance the crude market’s term structure as well as the physical market, which can allow for easier market conditions without outright selling crude from the SPR. [Link]

Resource Nationalism and Decarbonization by Miguel Ángel Marmolejo Cervantes , Martín Obaya, Thea Riofrancos, and Alex Yablon (Phenomenal World)

A conversation discussing the prospects of nationalization and national management of decarbonized energy resources in Latin America. [Link]

How London Paid a Record Price to Dodge a Blackout by Javier Blas (Blooomberg)

The UK’s metropole only barely avoided a blackout in mid-July, but to do so it needed to pay 5000% more per hour than is typical. These sorts of shocks to the grid are becoming more and more common as resilience falls. [Link; soft paywall]

Growth Tech

Zuck Turns Up The Heat by Alex Heath & David Pierce (The Verge)

The trials and tribulations of the Meta CEO, struggling to manage a sprawling social media behemoth that is being nibbled at from all sides. [Link]

Changes to Shopify’s team by Tobi Lutke (Shopify)

A frank admission that the explosion in e-commerce activity during the pandemic didn’t continue, and investments made during that period are souring amidst a huge swing back towards normal spending from consumers. [Link]

Politics

Republicans Confront Unexpected Online Money Slowdown by

While political partisans on both sides of the aisle appear motivated, recent GOP grassroots fundraising efforts have dried up at a critical period for advertising spending headed into the midterm elections, in a potential warning sign for the party that has analysts puzzled. [Link; soft paywall]

Investing

The Secret Diary of a ‘Sustainable Investor’ — Part 1 by Tariq Fancy (Medium)

A rejection of the “sustainable” or “ESG” investing movement by one of its founding members, in favor of much bigger and more dramatic interventions in how our society consumes resources. [Link]

Demographics

Study: Millennials didn’t stray far from where they grew up by Mike Schneider (AP)

A new analysis of Census data suggests that narrow economic opportunity sets mean they tend to lead their adult lives close to where they grew up. [Link]

Remembering When Bob Dylan Shocked The World By Going Electric, On This Day In 1965 [Videos] by Rex Thomson (Live For Live Music)

An oral history of the night that folk music legend Bob Dylan decided to take a different tack, switching from his acoustic guitar to an electric one and forever changing how he was viewed as an artist. [Link]

Inflation

Cheaper Beer, Cigarettes Gain Favor as Inflation Pinches Shoppers by Jennifer Maloney and Alex Harring (WSJ)

Lower-priced value brands are seeing strong sales while premium offerings suffer, a response to pinched budgets and incomes that can’t keep up with broad prices. [Link; paywall]

Read Bespoke’s most actionable market research by joining Bespoke Premium today!  Get started here.

Have a great weekend!