Author Archives: Yves Smith

Announcing the 2022 Harry Shearer and Friends “Double Your Donation” Challenge!

Harry Shearer and two anonymous donors are making a big reader challenge! Will you take them up on it?

Thanks! Met Our Sixth Goal, On to Our Seventh: More Original Reporting

Help fund what we most like to do, but find hardest to get to: original reporting.

Links 9/17/2022

Mark Ames: Why Finance Is Too Important to Leave to Larry Summers

Mark Ames’ biting classic is a reminder that Larry Summers, like so many prominent economists, has become too big to fail.

Using the Payments System to Enforce an Russian Oil Price Cap Likely to Cause Supply Shock

The G7 plans to use its payments system to enforce a Russian oil price cap, because that worked so well in the shock and awe sanctions.

Congressional Sausagemaking, or How Inflation Reduction Became Fossil Fuel Export Promotion

How Manchin and Sinema got dirty energy goodies and financier breaks into the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Russian Situation Comedy Is No Lying Matter – The Joke Is on the Office of Foreign Assets Control

How Russian comedy producers and broadcasters are laughing their way to the bank thanks to Western sanctions.

US Is Becoming a ‘Developing Country’ on Global Rankings that Measure Democracy, Inequality

High levels of inequality are correlated with poor social indicators, so the US falling in global scores should come as no surprise.

Speculation Over What Russia Does Next

Russia, as in Putin, is under pressure to amp up the Ukraine war. Will he be able to hold out?

Gasoline Demand Destruction Accelerates Despite Plunge in Prices: Consumption Drops to August 1997 Level

Gasoline purchases show a softening economy, but the Fed is likely to ignore that memo.

Yippie! Met Our Fifth Goal, and on to the Sixth: Expanding Our Reach

On to a new goal: expanding our reach to counter the effects of an environment hostile to independent voices.