Anas Abdullah

‘Words are often not adequate, silence always is.’

This sepoy gets awarded tamgha Basalat before generals because as guard he saved life of charge d affair Kabul, had 3 bullets yet stood by his duty. That’s how medals & those earning hold the honour which is linked to such medals.

Source: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

According to Morgan Stanley, Indian families are estimated to own about 34,600 tons of gold in the form of jewelry, bars, and savings kept in homes, bank lockers, temples, and family storage across cities from Mumbai to Kolkata. At today’s gold prices, this gold would be worth around $5.2 trillion.

Shehbaz Sharif has spent three decades being the brother who finished things. Where Nawaz gave the speeches, Shehbaz quietly built the projects. That style is now running Pakistan's foreign policy. And it is working.

Donald Trump’s Iran war has cost the US $25bn, driven primarily by the military’s use of munitions, according to the Pentagon. Jay Hurst, the Pentagon’s comptroller, on Wednesday told Congress the US has spent “about $25bn on Operation Epic Fury”, in the defence department’s first public estimate of the conflict’s cost. “Most of that is ammunition,” he added.

The oil market just passed its breaking point. And it doesn’t matter if the Strait of Hormuz opens tomorrow. Here’s why the damage is already done 🧵

Over 30,000 damage claims have been filed since the war began in Israel. The government says about 10,000 Israelis (0.1% of the population) have been displaced. The impact is far greater in neighboring countries: over 1 million Lebanese (17%) have fled, while in Iran, 2–3 million people (1%–3%) have been displaced, according to United Nations data.

Avoiding stupidity is more important than becoming brilliant.

China's central bank withdrew cash from its financial system for the first time in a year, draining a total of 890 billion yuan worth of liquidity via short-term open market operations in March. The People's Bank of China also soaked up another 250 billion yuan through longer-term tools, and commercial banks likely recorded their first net repayment of PBOC loans since last May. The withdrawal marks a cautious signal that keeps the bank's policy options open as higher oil prices filter through the economy, with policymakers wanting to "save bullets for the future when more injections are needed"

From an engineering perspective, oil wells are often easier to shut off than turn back on. Oil analysts estimated it would take two months to get oil production back to normal levels after the fighting stopped.

Cash strapped, yet dangerously relevant. Friends and foes alike mock it, underestimate it, and write it off, until the moment they need it. yet it has stood up to an adversary many times its size in modern conflict. They call it irrelevant, yet it keeps reappearing as a bridge between hostile camps, even when a superpower is in the mix. Its own citizens bash it day in and day out. Yet this is Pakistan: threading its way through geopolitical landmines, moving cautiously, protecting its national interests, and staying ready for the madness. I once would have called that too emotional or jingoistic, not anymore. You only grasp Pakistan’s reality when you see the madness of geopolitics up close. ft.com/content/dc7ba7…

On the occasion of Pakistan Day 2026, Pakistan’s national flag was illuminated on the iconic Burj Khalifa at 7:20 PM !

Anything that’s not earned that will not stay.

The payback period for solar is now 2.4 years (IRR: 76%), instead of 1.7 years (IRR: 147%). The horror of payback increasing by 6 months. This is what people are whining about -- an IRR of 76%. It is still a ridiculously great idea for everyone to install solar -- go for it. Get batteries as well. VPPs coming soon, you should start selling in evening back to the grid. Stop whining. Install solar tomorrow.

Level hai

Sharpen your axe before go chopping.

Source: bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Increases in Norwegian, Canadian, and Saudi Stockpiles of US Government Bonds Offset China's Decline

China's US Treasury holdings have quietly halved since 2013, Regulators in China have grown worried that large holdings of US government debt may expose banks to sharp swings, and have advised financial institutions to limit purchases.