The hottest Finance Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics
Invariant 511 implied HN points 11 Feb 24
  1. Philip Morris International is focusing more on next-gen products like IQOS and its heated tobacco units, with efforts to transition users from traditional cigarettes - showing promise for future growth.
  2. Despite some challenges like higher costs and FX pressures, PMI is maintaining its position in the market by introducing innovative products and investing in its portfolio.
  3. ZYN, another product spreading rapidly, faces questions about its popularity among underaged consumers, but it still shows strong growth due to being a preferred choice over competitors.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:
SatPost by Trung Phan 435 implied HN points 17 Feb 24
  1. Hermès sells luxury by focusing on craftsmanship, heritage, and long-term thinking, with iconic bags like the Birkin and Kelly embodying these values.
  2. The concept of 'time' is central to Hermès' brand, with leadership emphasizing selling time and creating desire through managed supply and quality craftsmanship.
  3. The history and heritage of luxury brands like Hermès play a significant role in their perceived value, illustrating a strong correlation between brand longevity and luxury status.
Ginger River Review 668 implied HN points 17 Jan 24
  1. Decision-makers in China realized the importance of not blindly following the West's financial development mode after the 2008 financial crisis.
  2. China is striving to build a strong financial sector based on a combination of economic power, key financial elements, and a focus on preventing financial risks.
  3. Chinese leaders are emphasizing a combination of rule of law and virtue, fostering a unique financial culture, and prioritizing integrity, prudence, innovation, legal compliance, and openness with financial security.
The Crucial Years 966 implied HN points 22 Dec 23
  1. There is a potential victory on pausing LNG exports, which could impact Biden's campaign and the planet positively.
  2. Campaigners and new data have highlighted the detrimental impact of LNG exports on the climate and American consumers.
  3. The administration's decision on LNG exports can be a crucial win for climate action and Biden's re-election efforts.
Startup Real Talk 194 implied HN points 12 Mar 24
  1. The main goals for managing startup cash are capital preservation, liquidity, and income in that order.
  2. Keeping startup cash in a startup-friendly primary account and a secondary operating account is recommended.
  3. Investing the remaining cash in Treasury bills is a safe strategy, and it's important not to chase yield with riskier investment products.
OpenTheBooks Substack 236 implied HN points 05 Mar 24
  1. University of Virginia spends $20 million on 235 DEI employees, with some earning up to $587,340 annually.
  2. University of Florida saved $5 million yearly by eliminating 13 full-time DEI positions and reallocating funds to faculty recruitment.
  3. UVA has deep DEI infrastructure with various agencies and departments dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Fintech Blueprint 452 implied HN points 06 Feb 24
  1. Annual card fraud exceeds $33B, with digital wallets, credit, and debit cards projected to handle 86% of global POS payments by 2026.
  2. Mastercard introduced a new AI model, Digital Intelligence Pro, to improve fraud detection by using a proprietary recurrent neural network.
  3. Digital Intelligence Pro aims to reduce false positive fraud flags, leading to better fraud detection rates, potential savings of $90B yearly for merchants, and improved customer experiences.
PETITION 707 implied HN points 09 Jan 24
  1. Kirkland & Ellis LLP dominated the restructuring market in '23 by handling a vast amount of significant company-side chapter 11 filings.
  2. Joshua Sussberg of Kirkland & Ellis LLP emerged as a prominent figure in the restructuring circles, known for his relentless work ethic and deal-making prowess.
  3. Several other firms and professionals received honorable mentions for their notable contributions and achievements in the bankruptcy and restructuring field.
All-Source Intelligence Fusion 361 implied HN points 15 Feb 24
  1. Orbital Insight CEO Kevin O'Brien moved to the cryptocurrency surveillance firm Chainalysis, leaving behind the collapse and financial struggles of Orbital.
  2. Orbital Insight faced challenges leading to financial decline, including defaulting on rent, a nonfunctional main phone line, and failed attempts at a merger with Privateer Space.
  3. Despite substantial funding and strategic partnerships, Orbital's downfall was partially attributed to market changes, such as Apple's privacy measures affecting their commercial data analysis business.
Kyle Poyar’s Growth Unhinged 607 implied HN points 17 Jan 24
  1. Increase ACV by asking customers about willingness-to-pay without directly asking for a specific price.
  2. Understand that ACV growth involves price increases, product expansion, and knowing what customers value.
  3. As your business scales, consider factors like pricing, packaging, and customer willingness to pay to optimize revenue.
Mule’s Musings 295 implied HN points 22 Feb 24
  1. Nvidia's quarterly results exceeded expectations, with significant revenue growth in the Datacenter segment despite challenges like China's revenue dropping to almost zero.
  2. Nvidia achieved its highest gross margin ever, despite expectations that it would decrease in the future, hinting at potential pricing strategies for new products like B100.
  3. Nvidia is facing supply constraints but anticipates strong demand for upcoming products like B100, suggesting promising revenue growth opportunities and potential bottlenecks in the networking industry.
Dev’s Substack 13 HN points 25 Apr 24
  1. Performing a double worst-case analysis can help determine a reasonable price for a software investment based on the project's business value.
  2. ROI (return on investment) calculation considers total benefits, total costs, and time horizon to assess project profitability.
  3. Setting a target cost for development budget based on the minimum acceptable ROI and apportioning costs between development and operational can guide budget planning.
The Ankler 353 implied HN points 06 Feb 24
  1. The movie industry is facing challenges due to poor decision-making and leadership, which is threatening its survival.
  2. Hollywood should focus on creating hits to attract audiences and regain financial stability.
  3. Instead of blaming streamers, the film industry needs to adapt and overcome bad habits and thought patterns to thrive.
The Future, Now and Then 144 implied HN points 13 Mar 24
  1. Gravitational impact of money increases with scale, where extreme wealth creates societal problems beyond personal purchasing power.
  2. Tech billionaires accumulating astronomical sums of money have industry-warping and societal impacts, shaping the future and institutions.
  3. The concentration of vast capital in the hands of a few leads to comical ineptitude and problems society struggles to address, highlighting flaws in the tax system.
Console 354 implied HN points 05 Feb 24
  1. This post features top open source projects of the week on search engines, finance, and AI tools.
  2. Highlighted projects include Stract - a web search engine, Rye - offering a Hassle-Free Python Experience, and Maybe - an OS for personal finances.
  3. Additional projects like Pkl, Fabric, and WhisperKit are also showcased with their unique features.
Daily Chartbook 235 implied HN points 24 Feb 24
  1. The Daily Chartbook #388 provides a daily summary of events through 30 charts.
  2. The content is behind a paywall, accessible only to paid subscribers.
  3. Readers can subscribe to access the detailed chartbook or sign in if they are already paid subscribers.
All-Source Intelligence Fusion 742 implied HN points 18 Dec 23
  1. CEO of Gig-work Surveillance Firm, Maury Blackman, resigned after years of court battles and exposure of clandestine surveillance.
  2. Premise Data, an analogue of Uber for data-gathering, faced revenue stagnation despite investments and high-profile board members.
  3. Blackman's resignation led to Matt McNabb taking over as CEO, revealing a history of controversial events and legal issues within Premise.
Reflections on "Going Down Tobacco Road" and Investing 452 implied HN points 16 Jan 24
  1. Conwood was a unique and successful company acquired by Reynolds American in 2006.
  2. The management at Conwood had a dedicated leadership team that contributed to its success.
  3. Conwood's unique culture and focus on product quality and cost control made it a profitable venture.