Happy Sunday. In today’s Sunday edition I will collate several interesting graphs that I discovered through the week about tech and business events.
[Currency] Russian stocks suffered their worst day in history. The ruble-denominated Moex dropped more than 30%. The dollar-denominated RTS index was down 38%.
The ruble plunged to a record low against both the dollar and the euro.
Over60: Axios
[Oil] Oil prices surged last week following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, crossing the $100 per barrel threshold. This trend is reminiscent of the 1970 energy crisis where elevated prices and petroleum shortages led to three U.S. recessions in relatively short order, annual core CPI reach a whopping 13.6%, unemployment above 10%, and the 10-year U.S. yield peak around a frankly unimaginable 16%.
Over60: Bloomberg
[Startups] The pandemic has driven telehealth funding to new heights — and investment hasn't slowed down. In 2021, equity funding to telehealth companies reached nearly $18B, a 57% increase from 2020’s total. Mega-rounds ($100M+) largely contributed to the growth. For example, weight loss platform Noom and online pharmacy Ro both raised $500M+ rounds. Mental health startup Lyra Health also raised a $200M mega-round from Coatue Management and Sands Capital.
Over60: CB Insights
[Finance] Warren Buffett on Saturday lamented the lack of attractive investments available to his sprawling $713 billion Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, warning that low-interest rates over the past two years had inflated valuations across financial markets.
Over60: FT