Perspective

USA Today – $5 to access your own money? ATM fees jump to record high and these cities are the worst – David Carrig 10/2

• “Among the top 25 metropolitan areas, Pittsburgh residents encountered the highest fees. The top 25 metro areas with the highest average ATM fee, according to Bankrate.com:
  1. Pittsburgh: $5.19
  2. New York: $5.14
  3. Washington D.C.: $5.11
• 3. Cleveland: $5.11
  5. Atlanta: $5.05″

Vox – These charts show Fox News really did ignore Puerto Rico’s crisis – Alvin Chang 10/2

Vox – Gun violence in America, explained in 17 maps and charts – German Lopez 10/2

VC – The Most Congested Cities in the World – Jeff Desjardins 10/3

Worthy Insights / Opinion Pieces / Advice

NYT – Nothing Will Change After the Las Vegas Shooting – Steve Israel 10/2

Bloomberg – Puerto Rico Governor’s Dire Warning: Millions May Flee the Island – Jonathan Levin 10/3

• “You’re not going to get hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans moving to the states – you’re going to get millions.” Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rossello

Markets / Economy

WSJ – Hurricane Maria Packs a One-Two Punch for Insurance – Paul J. Davies 10/3

China

WSJ – China, With Methodical Discipline, Conjures a Market for Electric Cars – Trefor Moss 10/2

• “In the U.S. and elsewhere, there is some skepticism about whether electric vehicles will be a significant market soon. China has made up its mind. One goal is to curb pollution and reduce reliance on foreign oil. China’s chief aim, though, is to use the emerging electric market to improve the patchy quality of its domestic auto makers. To that end, it is using industrial-policy measures to create a giant test bed for its companies’ designs and technology.”
• “Already, Chinese-made models dominate. More than 100 electric models are on the domestic market. Sales of plug-in passenger vehicles reached 351,000 in 2016—nearly half the global total, according to EV-Volumes, a research group that tracks electric-car sales.”
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• “Foreign manufacturers were already making millions of gasoline cars in China annually, but they had held off building electric cars in the country until recently, and imports were discouraged by a 25% tariff. Bill Russo, a former Chrysler executive who is now managing director of auto consultancy Gao Fung Advisory Co. in Shanghai, said they had been reluctant to plunge into a market that didn’t yet offer significant scale.”
• “Hints of scale are appearing. Sales of plug-in passenger cars in China have increased 40% this year, EV-Volumes said. They will make up 22% of Chinese auto purchases by 2025, projects Bernstein Research, up from 1% to 2% this year.”
• “Volkswagen AG was firmly committed to diesel engines until it recently announced a sharp shift to embrace electric vehicles after its diesel-emissions scandal forced it to rethink strategy. China accounts for half its revenues, and VW Chief Executive Matthias Müller at last month’s Frankfurt auto show indicated China will help drive VW’s global transformation: ‘China and California are leading the way.’”
• “Propelled by a China sales target of 1.5 million annual electric cars by 2025, VW will invest $83 billion rolling out 300 electric models world-wide by 2030, he said.”
• “Some auto makers wonder if China’s electric-car demand growth will slow as the government dials back subsidies, as it has begun doing.”
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• “China began actively promoting electric cars in 2009 by introducing subsidies and setting sales targets. Sales began to take off in 2013. Electric vehicles took center stage in China’s industrial strategy with the 2015 launch of the Made in China 2025 plan, which calls for China to become a world leader in 10 future industries, including electric-vehicle production. China has provided $8 billion in subsidies so far.”
• “China has gone a step beyond with its incentives. Authorities have guaranteed sales for Chinese makers, in part by buying vehicles for public fleets. Beijing’s municipal government has earmarked $1.3 billion to replace 70,000 city taxicabs with electric models.”
• “China will have 4.8 million charging points by 2020, the government forecasts, up from 156,000 in March. The U.S. had 43,000 points in June, according to a University of Michigan study.”
• “At those rates, China has roughly one charging point for every six electric cars, versus about one for every 17 in the U.S. and Norway.”
• “Beijing’s most persuasive tool—and a reason foreign makers are eager to start producing in China—is restricting license plates for new gasoline-powered cars in seven cities. In Beijing, more than 11 million people typically enter a monthly lottery for 14,000 gasoline-car plates. Shanghai auctions them to the highest bidders. Electric-vehicle buyers in the cities can get tags almost instantly at no cost.”
• Essentially, cars are going to happen. China has decided.