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01 / 05
Argentina Scrapped Rent Controls. The Market Is Thriving

Wall Street Journal | Housing

Argentina Scrapped Rent Controls. The Market Is Thriving

“For years, Argentina imposed one of the world’s strictest rent-control laws. It was meant to keep homes such as the stately belle epoque apartments of Buenos Aires affordable, but instead, officials here say, rents soared.

Now, the country’s new president, Javier Milei, has scrapped the rental law, along with most government price controls, in a fiscal experiment that he is conducting to revive South America’s second-biggest economy. 

The result: The Argentine capital is undergoing a rental-market boom. Landlords are rushing to put their properties back on the market, with Buenos Aires rental supplies increasing by over 170%. While rents are still up in nominal terms, many renters are getting better deals than ever, with a 40% decline in the real price of rental properties when adjusted for inflation since last October.”

From Wall Street Journal.

Axios | Motor Vehicles

Waymo Debuts in Philadelphia

“Waymo vehicles are cruising on Philadelphia streets this summer, potentially setting the stage for a fully autonomous rideshare service here…

Waymo is also seeking permission from Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation to test its automated robotaxis in Philly. If it’s granted, that doesn’t mean you can hail a driverless cab anytime soon. Testing would be conducted with a safety driver in the vehicle. No passenger transport will be offered.”

From Axios.

Bloomberg | Pollution

Mount Everest’s Trash-Covered Slopes Get Cleaned by Drones

“Human waste, empty oxygen cylinders, kitchen leftovers and discarded ladders.

Sherpas working on Mount Everest carry all that and more — 20 kilograms (44 pounds) per person — navigating a four-hour hike that traverses crumbling glacial ice and treacherous crevasses to bring trash back to base camp.

During the most recent climbing season, they had new assistance from two giant SZ DJI Technology Co. drones, which can complete the same journey in six minutes, sharing the task of clearing an expanding volume of refuse piling up on the world’s highest peak…

‘We’re very happy,’ said Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, a 33-year-old Sherpa at local expeditions firm Asian Trekking who has reached the summit of Everest 15 times. He estimates that about 70% of the garbage usually carted off the mountain by his team was transported by drone this year.”

From Bloomberg.

Our World in Data | Financial Market Development

There Are Half a Billion Mobile Money Accounts in the World

“In 2010, there were just 13 million mobile money accounts in the world, fewer than the population of my home country, the Netherlands. By 2023, this had reached more than 640 million. That’s more than twice the total number of Netflix subscriptions worldwide…

What’s immediately obvious is how much of this growth has come from Sub-Saharan Africa; it’s home to more than half of the world’s accounts. In 2023, there were over 330 million active mobile money accounts in the region; more than one mobile money account for every four people.

What’s changed? One of the obvious drivers of this growth has been the widespread adoption of mobile phones, not just in the richest countries but across the globe. Mobile subscriptions have surged in nearly every region.

But the total number of mobile money accounts doesn’t tell us what percentage of people use mobile money. A small portion of people could each have many accounts. So instead of examining absolute numbers, let’s look at the share of people with mobile money accounts in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As the chart below illustrates, the percentage of people in Sub-Saharan Africa with a mobile money account grew rapidly, from 12% in 2014 to 33% by 2021.”

From Our World in Data.

World Bank | Economic Growth

Developing Countries Have Seen Sustained Growth Since 1987

“Since the late 1980s, the classification of countries into income categories has transformed. The number of low-income countries has steadily declined, while the number of high-income countries has increased.

This shift reflects broader global economic developments, including sustained growth in many developing countries, greater integration into the global economy, and the effects of policy reforms and international organizations’ support. In 1987, 30% of reporting countries were classified as low-income and 25% as high-income countries. By 2024, these ratios shifted to 12% low-income and 40% high-income.”

From World Bank.