Amit's Musings

Part 1: Scale, Growth, and Global Comparisons Introductory Note Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s most water-scarce nations, relies heavily on desalination to meet its water demands. With negligible rainfall and no permanent rivers, the country has invested aggressively in converting seawater into potable water. Over decades, it has built one of the largest and most sophisticated desalinated water distribution systems globally, combining advanced technology, massive infrastructure, and significant capital expenditure. This document explores the technical, financial, and operational dimensions of Saudi Arabia’s desalination network, compares it to global projects, and outlines its strategic importance in the nation’s water security. 1. Movement of Desalinated Water Through Underground Pipelines Saudi Arabia uses a vast network of underground pipelines to transport desalinated water from coastal plants to urban centers and industrial zones. Key features include: Pipeline...

Decoding Berkshire Hathaway’s Portfolio: A Dive into Its Market Value Composition Over Time Introductory Note Berkshire Hathaway, led by the legendary Warren Buffett, is a financial juggernaut with a market capitalization of approximately $1 trillion as of 2025. Its diverse portfolio spans publicly traded stocks, wholly-owned subsidiaries, cash reserves, and other investments, reflecting Buffett’s disciplined value investing philosophy. This blog post explores the composition of Berkshire’s market value in 2025, with historical comparisons to 2015, 2007, and 2000, highlighting key holdings and analyzing how changes reveal strategic shifts. Whether you’re an investor, analyst, or Buffett enthusiast, this deep dive offers insights into one of the world’s most successful conglomerates. Berkshire Hathaway’s Market Value Composition and Strategic Evolution Current Composition (2025) As of December 31, 2024, Berkshire Hathaway’s market capitalization stands at roughly $1 trillion. Its market...

Olympic Medal Analysis: Mass Sports vs. Accessible-but-Niche vs. Elite-Niche Sports To better categorize Olympic sports, we’ll use three tiers based on  accessibility  and  global popularity : Mass Sports  – Highly accessible, widely played globally (e.g., football, basketball, athletics). Accessible-but-Niche  – Technically accessible but lack global popularity (e.g., judo, taekwondo, wrestling). Elite-Niche Sports  – High cost/access barriers (e.g., equestrian, sailing, modern pentathlon). Medal Distribution (Paris 2024 Olympics) Category Gold Medals Total Medals (Gold × 3) Mass Sports ~90 ~270 Accessible-but-Niche ~120 ~360 Elite-Niche Sports ~100 ~300 (Exact counts may vary slightly due to event adjustments.) Breakdown of Sports by Category 1. Mass Sports (Highly Accessib...

Fiat to Folly: Capital Misallocation Since the 1970s Preamble The transition to fiat currency in 1971, following the Nixon Shock, ushered in a new era of monetary flexibility, fundamentally reshaping global financial systems. Combined with persistently low interest rates, the rapid proliferation of exotic financial products, deregulation of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and antitrust policies, and the meteoric rise of venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE), these forces drove unprecedented economic growth but also systemic capital misallocation on an enormous scale. This note traces the evolution of these interconnected drivers from the 1960s onward, analyzing their contributions to inefficiencies in capital allocation. Supported by data and enriched with expert insights, it provides a comprehensive examination of how these factors distorted economic priorities, fueled speculative excesses, and reshaped global markets. The structure includes an introduction, detailed themati...