Author Archives: Yves Smith

An Unjustified Fear of Nuclear Energy Is Holding the Industry Back

Why consumers might have to reconcile themselves to much disliked nuclear energy as less bad than other options.

Energy Workers to Stage More Protests as Companies Raise Bills but Not Pay

Employees at Drax, Grangemouth and other energy sites will walk out every fortnight as firms rake in huge profits.

Is the US Underestimating China’s Space and Counterspace Capabilities?

How serious a threat is China in space war?

Chip Shortages And Inflation Are Plaguing The Auto Industry

Chip woes still bedevil carmakers, to the degree that auto quality ratings are down, particularly for preimum vehicles.

Links 8/10/2022

China And Saudi Arabia Intensify Energy Cooperation With Critical Deal

How China rescued bin Salman and leveraged that relationship into a deal that advances China’s aim of making the kingdom a client state.

How Employers Are Trying to Thwart a Wave of Union Drives

Union organizers are making headway, as measured by the more-aggressive cororate efforts to hobble them.

April Fool’s Inflation Medicine Threatens Progress

The world verges on recession. Central bank interest rate increases further slow growth without quelling supply-side cost-push inflation

Links 8/9/2022

Wrong Way CalPERS Increased Private Equity Allocation by Over 50% as Investors Are Dumping Holdings

The Financial Times reports that private equity investors are running for the exits as CalPERS plans to pile on.

America, Land of the Dying? Alarming Study Shows U.S. Killing Its Own Population

American became an outlier among rich countries in mortality rates pre pandemic, and Americans are dying younger than their peers abroad.

Memo to China: You Look Silly When You Threaten to Dump Treasuries

If China intends to cov the West, it needs to pick things it could do that would incur real damage. Selling Treasuries it not that.