The Recent Weakness in the German Manufacturing Sector
A look at the fallen state of German manufacturing seems to understate the implications of the conditions it describes.
Read more...Author Archives: Yves Smith
Links 2/22/2025
Cuts to U.S. Weather and Climate Research Could Put Public Safety at Risk
Weather and climate research are yet more examples of how the DOGE slash and burn can and probably will do real harm.
Read more...“How Can Europe Respond to the Ukraine Standoff?”
An example of European paralysis as a result of the US looking likely to abandon not just Ukraine but also NATO.
Read more...New Suit Seeks Clawback of >$4 Billion of Fines and Insider Trading Profits from TD Bank Executives Earned While Running Decade+ Massive Money Laundering Schemes
TD Bank engaged in over a decade of criminal misconduct. A new suit seeks to make its board and executives pay.
Read more...A Fiscal Crisis Is Looming for Many US Cities
US cities, which enjoyed a renaissance after the flight of the 60s and 70s reversed, now face a world of budget hurt.
Read more...Blackouts Are Becoming the Norm—Can the U.S. Power Grid Be Saved?
The US future of more erratic power supplies comes nearer as officials dither over what to do about a creaky grid.
Read more...Guantánamo, Donald Trump’s “Immigrant Problem,” and the Rest of Us
Trump’s methods for dealing with immigrants with less than solid visa status are often cruel. That is almost certainly a feature, not a bug.
Read more...Musk Is Lying About Waste and Fraud in Social Security to Have an Excuse to Kill It
Musk wants to cut your Social Security benefits and then have Congress use the savings to give himself a gigantic tax cut.
Read more...EU Consumers Don’t Trust US Goods: A Look into Trump’s Trade Deficit Claims
Why trade deficits can’t always be solved by price, as in tariffs or currency manipulation.
Read more...Charles Kindleberger, the Dollar System, and Financial Crises
On Perry Mehrling’s Money and Empire: Charles P. Kindleberger and the Dollar System, including how some of his key ideas have been borne out.
Read more...The Bazooka Diplomacy of Trump’s Tariffs
A look at theory and practice as far as tariffs are concerned, and what that means for Trump’s threats and plans.
Read more...Links 2/19/2025
After We Amplified Warnings of Wildly Overvalued Unicorns, They Crash and Burn
“What Is the Mainstream Media Missing About Elon Musk? He Is Instituting Technocracy”
A discussion of the regime that Elon Musk and his tech bros are in the process of implementing.
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