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Faisal Panawala

Facts, figures, charts and variances are merely data. The real value for me is in translating the data into information (for others), and then transforming this into knowledge (for myself). This is the transition from “what” to “so what” to “now what.”

The end of Coal Price Rush

It’s a catch 22 situation. At one end we want to curb greenhouse gases and on the other we crave for cheap power and source of energy for industrial units.

The coal is widely considered the cheapest source to produce energy but at the cost of damaging our environment as it’s the dirtiest one, harming our very existence. The demand for electricity surged as global economy recovered from the pandemic and winter is forthcoming.

China tried put its act together and on 27th Oct officials met with coal producers to agree on measures to fix pricing [read more]. Other measure by The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) was looking into the costs and profitability of the coal sector in an effort to work out a mechanism to guide prices to move within a reasonable range. As China is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of coal, and to meet demand, it has been increasing output but further improvement needs to be seen on supply side. With this intervention good news came on 1st Nov from NDRC that “China has seen significant improvement in its coal supply as production has greatly expanded and prices have stabilized”.

This raises the question that is free economy model really up to the mark to provide best prices for the consumers or can it be mangled by group of producers in the name of logistics issues post pandemic to cover loss during lockdowns and to let them become profiteers without repercussions.
The South African coal API4 was trading at $60 year ago on 2nd Nov 2020, it peaked to $238.25 on 6th Oct 2021, and now it’s at $129.9 on 2nd Nov 2021. Let’s hope that the super cycle is over and we are back to normalization.

Burnout…! But what are work-related stresses?

Gradual increase of work load and extended work hours lead to what is known as Burnout. But what are the real symptoms of this notorious evil thought that keeps us away from creativity and productivity.
• Do you feel active after work hours?
• Do you have the will to do household chores or just want to be yourself and not to be bothered?
• Do you lack energy to be part of family time?
• Have you been short tempered recently or lose your cool easily?
If this is a temporary thing like a project deadline nearby, there is nothing to worry about. But if you find yourself in a continuous spiral of you time being hijacked by your career or just to please your boss for next promotion, you need to find the right balance before it’s too late.
It’s all about work-life balance and how you juggle it. Schedule your time with right balance for work, family, friends and yourself as well. Don’t be intimated to do late sitting because your boss is sitting late. Respect your time and in turn it will be respected by others. Just be productive as you can be during working hours. Sleep well, keep yourself hydrated and take siesta if you can during your lunch break.
Learn to manage yourself before managing teams. Lead your life with example before being in a leadership position.
Remember you’re the chauffeur of your life and only you have to find your epiphany!
Ciao!