Tony D'Onofrio
Did Silicon Valley Bank Start a Banking Crisis? -CNBC
- March 17, 2023
Silicon Valley Bank is no more. The question now, though, is whether the collapse of this tech-friendly regional bank is the start of something more serious — or just what happens when higher interest rates give companies less room for error.
Sponsored Content
Top 3 Weekly Essentials
World Economic Forum
It is a Small World
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Continuing our global journey to learn something new, our next stop is the Taj Mahal in India. This UNESCO World Heritage building was actually a mausoleum commissioned in 1632 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the remains of his late wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Indian, Persian, and Islamic architecture influenced the construction. Its white marble façade, which seems to change color according to the time of day, is a masterpiece symbol of love.
Constructions took 20 years and involved 20,000 workers, and the mausoleum houses both the emperor and his wife. 1000 elephants were used to haul the construction material to Agra, where it is located.
Inside the Taj Mahal, you will find beautiful flowers such as tulips, lilies, irises, poppies, and narcissus inlaid into the walls with 28 different types of precious and colorful stones. The cost of this perfectly symmetrical building in today’s dollars would be $1 billion.
Of all my travels around the world, this visit to the Taj carries special memories. After important customer meetings in New Delhi with retailers, the local team organized a trip to this unique location. The visit coincided with my birthday, and the hotel recognized this as I was checking out. While I was getting into the private transportation to visit the Taj Mahal, two hotel employees rushed out and handed me a dozen roses and a bottle of champagne. Every year for a long time, this same hotel also sent me birthday wishes. I wish I had kept the hotel’s name as I would mention them in this article.
Life is a great adventure if you do indeed live like you are dying tomorrow and learn something new continuously as if you were going to live forever. It’s one small beautiful world of potential ideas to explore to their next level starting now.
Categories
Brilliant Research
Private Equity Outlook in 2023: Anatomy of a Slowdown
Private equity managed to post its second-best year ever in 2022, riding a wave of momentum coming off the industry’s record-breaking performance in 2021. But spiking interest rates caused a sharp decline in deals, exits, and fund-raising during the year’s second half, almost certainly signaling a turn in the cycle. - From Bain & Company Read more
Smart Infographic
The World's Happiest Countries
Are wealth and prosperity legitimate measures of happiness? How about safety and health outcomes? In the West, we view democracy as a key component to happiness, yet there are countries under authoritarian rule that score high in the Happiness Index. Questions like these make “ranking happiness” a particularly challenging puzzle, but also one worth pursuing. - From Visual Capitalist
Insightful Videos
Why China's population is shrinking -Vox
For the first time in six decades, China’s population is shrinking, and it’s predicted it could create a demographic crisis. That’s because China isn’t just shrinking, it’s also aging. Read more
