ROI-Weekend Reads: Billionaire bets, AI power grab, Fed's big shrink

The opinions expressed here are those of the authors.

By Anna Szymanski

Aug 21 (Reuters) - Looking for inspiration? Every Friday, Weekend Reads rounds up what the Reuters Open Interest team has been reading, watching and listening to.

This week's picks span wealth and innovation, decarbonisation hurdles, critical minerals, AI power demands, and the Fed's balance sheet.

This weekend, we're reading...

MIKE DOLAN, ROI Finance & Markets Columnist: This column by Rebecca Christie at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel examines the trade-off between allowing individuals to have preposterous levels of wealth and the benefits of greater risk-taking and innovation that such large rewards can engender. The question she asks is whether Europe should follow the U.S. in this regard. There's also a podcast on the question.

CLYDE RUSSELL, ROI Asia Commodities and Energy Columnist: The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis examines the challenges of using ammonia in Japan's coal-fired power plants. The article asks whether ammonia and hydrogen simply aren't viable fuels to help achieve decarbonisation goals.

ANDY HOME, ROI Metals Columnist: In this Substack post, Amanda van Dyke, founder of the Critical Minerals Forum, breaks down the link between critical minerals and defence systems. Defence consumption may be small relative to sectors such as automotive and energy, but "strategic importance is not proportional to volume."

We're listening to...

RON BOUSSO, ROI Energy Columnist: This Plugged In podcast discusses how the demand for power for AI is reshaping Europe's electricity markets.

And we're watching...

JAMIE MCGEEVER, ROI Markets Columnist: Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh wants to shrink the central bank's balance sheet. But it's complicated. If you want to get into the whys and wherefores, then tune into the latest episode of David Beckworth’s Macro Musings podcast with Bank Policy Institute chief economist and former Fed official Bill Nelson. Health warning: high wonk level.

Opinions expressed are those of the authors. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

(By Anna Szymanski
Editing by Marguerita Choy)