Wednesday Reading List
Stuff worth sharing from the past week
What Prior Market Crashes Can Teach Us About Navigating the Current One by Paul D. Kaplan
The stock market is rising on hope for a pharma solution to coronavirus — here’s how close we are by Thomas Franck
Great rundown of the vaccine and treatment options in the pipeline.
Why Did The World Shut Down For COVID-19 But Not Ebola, SARS Or Swine Flu? by Kaleigh Rogers
Good overview of why it’s been different this time.
“Maybe He Doesn’t Want to Be the Hero”: In the COVID-19 Crisis, Warren Buffett is Lying Low—And Ackman Stepping Up by William D. Cohan
Perhaps the greatest investor of all time has been quiet during this downturn, unlike in 2008. This article discusses some reasons why. My guess? Buffett is great at staying within his circle of competence (unlike Ackman) and maybe he doesn’t have much to say because he doesn’t know enough about what’s going on to have a differentiated view.
I wrote about this in 7 Things (I Think) I Know.
She discovered coronaviruses decades ago—but got little recognition by Sydney Combs
“Scientific pioneer June Almeida is finally being acknowledged for virology breakthroughs she made a half century ago.”
IT’S TIME TO BUILD by Marc Andreessen
This is a thought provoking essay that runs the risk of turning some people off, but the spirit of the message resonated with me and I wanted to share it with you.
“Every Western institution was unprepared for the coronavirus pandemic, despite many prior warnings. This monumental failure of institutional effectiveness will reverberate for the rest of the decade, but it’s not too early to ask why, and what we need to do about it.”
Who Pays For This? by Morgan Housel
A fascinating way to look at the debt that we are currently accumulating and how it can be “paid off” by drawing comparisons to the debt incurred during World War II.
Book Recommendation
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry
The definitive account of the 1918 flu pandemic that is drawing comparisons to today’s COVID-19 pandemic.