Gas prices are now a major concern for US consumers: According to the University of Michigan's Survey of Consumers, ~40% of respondents spontaneously mentioned gasoline as an economic factor in June, the highest reading in at least 2 years. This proportion fell to ~31% in July but remains well above pre-Iran War levels of ~10%. By comparison, concerns around AI’s economic impact have risen much more gradually, to just ~11% in July, up from ~1% in January 2025. AI has been mentioned by at least 10% of consumers for the 3rd consecutive month. Meanwhile, mentions of high prices eroding personal finances declined slightly, from 56% in June to 50% in July, but remain one of the biggest factors shaping consumer views of the economy. Cost of living in America has never been higher.

Gas Turbines and Datacenters my TLDR is: • Literally every turbine (even the inefficient ones) are sold out through 2030. • Prices are 3x those from 2019. Slot times are more valuable than the cost efficiency. • Turbine OEM's were burned out from a buildout from 2009–2014 when there was a huge rush due to the shale revolution, shift to use more gas due to Fukushima, coal retirements. For ex, GE Power imploded. Therefore, they have been slow to expand production. • Four key bottlenecks for parts that go into a gas turbine: 1. Single-crystal castings: only 5 firms in the world do this 2. Heavy rotor forgings: only 4 firms do this 3. The casting furnaces themselves: 3 firms 4. GSU transformers: in the US, there's only one. Heron Power is building here, they raised $140 million in a Series B from a16z in Feb 2026.