Inflation: What’s Still Rising?

Hi, today we explore: (1) The pockets of inflation that just won’t go away, (2) The sports empire that is Fanatics and (3) China’s coal industry. Hello and Happy Friday! After surviving on coconuts for over a week, 3 men were rescued from a tiny uninhabited [Pacific island]( by creating a ‘HELP’ sign from palm tree leaves. Today we're exploring: - Sticker shock: Where is inflation still biting? - Comic-Con for sports: Merch giant Fanatics has big plans. - Burning ambition: China can’t kick the coal habit. TOGETHER WITH The endless escalator Inflation is that one unwanted guest that just won’t leave: headline inflation (CPI) in March [rose]( to 3.5% annually, up from 3.2% the month before. Investors didn’t love the news initially as it pushed expectations of rate cuts further out, but markets have short memories — the S&P 500 is now actually flat this week, thanks to a better day (+0.7%) yesterday. On a personal level, though, you might be wondering: what’s still going up in price? The bad news: The cost of buying a new car hasn’t changed much… but insuring it has. Indeed, [auto insurance prices have gone nuts]( — rising more than 22% per the latest release. Insurers are shifting the blame onto the increasing cost of “repairing and replacing cars”, which has also risen (some 12%), though not quite to the same extent. The other bad news: Your household bills are likely still stubbornly climbing, with rent, housing, and electricity costs all up ~5-6% in the last year. The good news: If you’d rather fly than drive, it's a different story. Indeed, if you catch a plane across the country and rent a car on arrival, you should pay less than a year ago for both the flight (down 7%) and the rental car (down 9%). The cost of eating at home is only up 1% in the last year, and buying a massive TV has never been cheaper... which is perhaps why [no-one goes to the movies anymore](. [Read this on the web instead]( House of cards, kits, and… conventions? Not content with having a [quasi-monopolistic]( hold over the world of sports jerseys, or constructing a multi-billion dollar empire from trading cards, or dipping its toe into sports gambling, Fanatics is now targeting the live event industry as well, unveiling plans this week for a “[Comic-Con for sports](. Fanatics Fest, slated to take place in August, will see huge names from across the sporting landscape — like Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, and Derek Jeter — take to New York to snap selfies and sign shirts for eager fans willing to pay through the nose to get near their sporting heroes. Merch merchants Fanatics started life in Florida as a brick-and-mortar store selling football jerseys and paraphernalia back in 1995, though it only really started to become the sports fan apparel giant we know today after it was acquired by Michael Rubin in 2011. Since then, the company’s grown at an extraordinary pace. For example, in the summer of 2021, Fanatics wasn’t in the trading cards business at all. About a year later, it was its largest player, per [FastCompany]( after securing the rights to the MLB, NFL, and NBA, as well as acquiring trading card giant Topps. However, not everyone’s been along for the ride: memorabilia rival Panini is just one of the entities to pursue legal action against Fanatics, accusing the company of “[anticompetitive conduct]( in a lawsuit. [Read this on the web instead]( [Sponsored by Timeline Nutrition]( Go beyond the cell-by date Aging starts earlier than you think... and it begins with your body's building blocks: your cells. Our energy centers are tied to 2 key hallmarks of aging: mitochondrial dysfunction and the decline of mitophagy.* Starting in our 30s, our mitochondria become less efficient, leading to decreased energy production throughout the body. This decline wears down our physical strength and endurance, making everyday activities and hobbies harder to enjoy. An alternative way to age? [Mitopure from Timeline Nutrition](. It’s a daily supplement that targets the root cause of this decline by stimulating mitophagy, an innate cellular recycling process, which directly renews our energy centers. This renewal means double-digit increases in muscle strength and endurance — without any change in exercise. Unlike temporary energy boosts, Mitopure offers a [clinically-backed solution]( to enhance mitochondrial function and promote healthy aging. [Use code CHARTR30 for 30% off Mitopure]( Complicated airflow China has announced plans to increase its already world-leading coal production, setting a target to add 300 million tons of annual mining capacity by the end of the decade, as reported by [Bloomberg](. The news comes less than 5 months after China joined nearly 200 countries in signing a pledge to "transition away" from fossil fuels at COP28. Despite much discussion about clean energy, global coal power capacity rose to record levels last year. Per data from Global Energy Monitor, China [accounted]( for the majority of that increase, building 47 gigawatts of new coal capacity, while the retirement of coal plants in Western economies also slowed, seeing the lowest number taken offline in a decade. Can’t kick the habit Transitioning away from coal — the dirtiest fossil fuel by emissions — is easier said than done. This is particularly true for nations with large coal reserves that have come to rely on its relatively low and stable pricing. Last year, coal accounted for nearly 59% of China’s power generation. Carbon debt: To incentivize the transition, certain wealthier countries, accountable for the majority of historical emissions, have pledged billions to support [decarbonization efforts]( in developing nations. [Read this on the web instead]( More Data • Pass go: Following the success of Barbie, Margot Robbie's production company has been slated for another [toy-based adaptation]( — a live-action Monopoly movie. • Apple doubled its production in [India]( last fiscal year, assembling $14 billion worth of iPhones in the country as it moves to reduce its reliance on China. • Energy production decreases with age — and it starts with your cells. Now, scientists have discovered a molecule called Urolithin A that targets cellular aging. [Timeline Nutrition’s Mitopure®]( is the first clinically validated form of it, and Chartr readers get [30% off with code CHARTR30]( • Blocked up: Four Californians have been arrested after stealing a stash of [Lego]( worth $300k. • Credit card delinquency is at its [highest since 2012](. **This is sponsored content. Hi-Viz • On a loop: A statistical analysis of when we stop searching for [new music](. • How [The Masters]( has swung its prices for golf fans. Quiz time: World Athletics [announced]( that they will become the first sports federation to award prize money at the Olympics in Paris — but how much can gold-winning track and field athletes expect to receive? A) $5k B) $50k C) $500k D) $5m [Answer here](. Thanks for stopping by! Have some [feedback](mailto:daily@chartr.co?subject=Feedback&body=Hi%2C%0A%0AI%20like%20the%20newsletters%2C%20but%20I%20had%20a%20thought%20for%20you...) or want to [sponsor]( this newsletter? *Source: López-Otín C, Blasco MA, Partridge L, Serrano M, Kroemer G. Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe. Cell. 2023 Jan 19;186(2):243-278. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.001. Epub 2023 Jan 3. PMID: 36599349. Not a subscriber? Sign up for free below. [Subscribe]( Copyright © 2024 CHARTR LIMITED, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: CHARTR LIMITED 231 Vauxhall Bridge RoadLondon, SW1V 1AD United Kingdom [Add us to your address book]( Don't want charts in your inbox anymore? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](. [Privacy Policy](