The Bot Brief

"There is no force on earth more powerful than an idea whose time has come."     

- Victor Hugo

In the News:

The Bot Index produced its best results since March 18^th and the greatest gain over the S & P 500 in over a year. The bots rose 6.62% while the broader market increased 2.55%. Paced by a double digit increase in the NASDAQ, the bots were led by iRobot Company. The company has been on a two-year slide that has seen the stock cut to a third of its February 2021 price. Sensing a bargain, investors bid up the stock by 19.29% for the week.

Tesla rose 13.40% after reporting 2^nd quarter earnings that saw its EPS rise 57% and revenues up 42% in year over year comparisons. The company also reported it has sold over 75% of its bitcoin position.

NVIDIA Corp. rounded out the major gainers with its 9.88% jump. The corporation was in the news regarding the husband of Nancy Pelosi taking a significant position in the stock just before the Senate voted to provide subsidies to chip makers.

Google’s 20 to 1 stock split was not sufficient to avoid the company’s near 4% decline as it led the losers within the Bot Index. The only other negative production was from Northrup Grumman (-2%) and a one percent decline by rival defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Robots in the News:

On the heels of Ford’s announcement that it would be laying off 8,000 salaried employees, one third of its labor force, in order to save $3 billion in operational costs to fund its EV ventures, Cadillac revealed it was in production with its new EV luxury Celestiq. Designed to compete with Mercedes and BMW, the vehicle will be equipped with autonomous steering systems, all wheel drive and will incorporate over 100 3D printed parts.

In an article featured in Materials Today, a new form of gas storage was introduced by Ian Chen and Dr. Srikanth Mateti that might allow a breakthrough in hydrogen power. The Bot Brief has, in the past, issued numerous discussions on the potential for hydrogen power to fuel EV’s and fuel cell technologies. The process involves a mechanochemical reaction that absorbs gas into powder. The key is that the powdered gas allows storage in a safe manner without temperature or pressure containers. Hydrogen has been hailed as the clean fuel of the future but its inert nature and need for specialized storage has been a conundrum. This new process allows for lighter storage which would be a boon for aircraft and better fuel economy in EV’s.

While these concepts are in their initial stages of commercial development, the obvious benefits of turning gas into powder will capture the attention of a raft of academicians and scientists and progress will be enhanced.

Member: American Economic Association, Society of Professional Journalists, United States Press Association. Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, Robotic Industries Association, Member IEEE.

The Bot Brief is a weekly newsletter designed for economists, investment specialists, journalists, and academicians. It receives no remuneration from any companies that may from time to time be featured in the brief and its commentaries, analysis, opinions, and research represent the subjective view of Balcones Investment Research, LLC. Due to the complex and rapidly changing nature of the subject matter, the company makes no assurances as to the absolute accuracy of material presented.