Submarine Cable Map of the World

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Have you ever wondered how many under sea cable lines are there in the world? How does communication tools such as the internet, phone systems work great across most of the countries? I came across a wonderful site that shows in realtime the submarine cable networks in the world. For instance, the Greenland Connect network connects Greenland to Iceland. Similarly you check out the lines that connect any country to another by clicking on the link below.

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Source: SubmarineCableMap.com

On the Use of Robots in Manufacturing by Country

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The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) publishes a report each year on the use of robots in manufacturing in countries around the world. According to the latest date, Korea is the top country for industrial robots use with about 1,000 per 10,000 workers in manufacturing industry. Singapore came in at second followed by Japan and Germany as shown in the chart below:

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Source: IFR report via China using industrial robots at 12x US rate, Asia Times

China’s usage rate is 322 robots while the US is lower at 274 robots per 10,000 workers.

In terms of robot adoption, Asia leads the world. The US rate is again lower then other peer countries like Germany which is a high-wage country.

Source: IFR report via China using industrial robots at 12x US rate, Asia Times

Life Expectancy At 65 For Select OECD Countries: Chart

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The life expectancy at 65 is important because how long people people live after retirement. According to the latest OECD data, people in Japan live the longest at age 65 as shown in the chart below. Other countries with high life expectancy at 65 are Korea, Spain, France and Switzerland.

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Note: The y-axis shows the life expectancy at 65.

Source: OECD via 30-year chart is pointer to retirement outcomes, Graham Hand, First Links

For Australia, the life expectancy at 65 for men is 20.3 years and for Women it is 23.0 years.

The Top 10 North America-based Auto Parts Suppliers 2023

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Auto parts suppliers is one of the largest industries that supports the auto makers. From proving jobs to hundreds of thousands of workers to producing cutting edge parts these parts suppliers are a major backbone of the global auto industry. With the growth in EVs the parts companies are expanding their portfolios to take advantage of the EV industry.

Automotive News published its annual ranking of the world’s largest original equipment suppliers based on 2022 sales in June this year. The following table shows the Top 10 North America-based auto parts suppliers from that list:

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Source: Top suppliers: Giants grow larger, Automotive News

The tickers of some of the companies shown above are listed below:

  • Magna International Inc(MGA)
  • Lear Corp (LEA)
  • BorgWarner Inc (BWA)
  • Tenneco Inc (TEN)
  • American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc (AXL)
  • Dana Holding Corp (DAN)
  • Adient PLC(ADNT)

Investors interested in adding exposure to this sector can use the above list as a starting point for further research.

Disclosure: Long MGA and ADNT

Eight Charts on the Australian Economy

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The Australian economy is one of the largest among the developed countries. With a GDP of about $1.5 Trillion the economy is smaller than the Canadian economy. Similar to Canada, Australia is also a resource-based economy. To put it another way, Australia mostly depends on simply digging up what’s under the ground and exporting to resource hungry countries such as China. The Reserve Bank of Australia published an excellent chart pack each month on the economy and financial markets. The following are select charts from the September edition of the report.

1.Cash Target Rate:

Similar to other developed countries, the Central Bank of Australia has increased interest many times from almost 0% and the cash rate has reached 4.10%.

2.Central Bank Total Assets:

3.Consumer Price Inflation:

The official rate has started to decline from a peak 7.8% and has reached 6%.

4.Employment and Participation Rates:

After dramatic declines during the covid-19 pandemic, labor participation rates have picked up strongly.

5.Employment growth by Industry:

6.Exports by Destination:

China is the largest export destination for many Australian resources particularly iron ore. As China’s economy has stagnated, the demand for commodities has declined leading to the sharp decline in Australian exports to China.

7.Housing Prices and Household Debt:

8.Australian Share Prices vs. US and World Share Prices:

Australian equities as represented by the ASX 200 has underperformed US stocks for many years now. Global decline in commodity prices and demand could lead to further underperformance in the future.

Source: The Australian Economy and Financial Markets Chart Pack | August 2023, Reserve Bank of Australia