Author Archives: Yves Smith

Brexit: More on the UK’s Weak Hand

Yet more debunking of pro-Brexit fantasies.

Nationalists Slipping in European Polls

European polls show voters moving towards conventional candidates in some of the big 2017 races. Mood du jour or trend?

Gaius Publius: Explosive WikiLeaks Release Exposes Massive, Aggressive CIA Cyber Spying, Hacking Capability

A look at some implications of the Wikileaks Vault 7 release of CIA documents.

After Failed UK IPO, Bank Software “Dog” Misys May Be Coming to the US!

Misys’s private equity owner Vista is trying for an overpriced exit. As the saying goes, “Little pigs get fed, big pigs get slaughtered.

Links 3/8/17

The OECD Penalizes Developing Countries for Trying to Tackle Tax Avoidance

How the OECD stacks the deck in favor of tax-dodging multinationals.

Empire in Decay as Trump Spying Allegations Fly

Astonishingly, Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s former chief of staff, is willing to say that the CIA may have arranged for spying on Trump.

Links 3/7/17

Definition of Madness: Spain Needs Bigger Banks, Apparently

Spain’s pending bank mergers look like an exercise in hope over experience.

America’s Hidden Water Affordability Crisis

Why water is a stealth crisis in places like Seattle and Atlanta and will become an economic and social problem for more cities soon.

NAFTA in Play: How President Trump Could Reshape Trade in North America

Some likely scenarios for US negotiations over NAFTA, and what they would mean for the US, Mexico, and Canada.

Vanity Fair Acts as Democratic Party Enforcer Against Greenwald, NC, Others; Train Wreck Ensues

James Wolcott had a hissy fit in Vanity Fair last week against parties he deems not sufficiently fixated on toppling Trump, including NC.

Cambridge Analytica: BINGO!

Our Marina Bart was alone in debunking the supposedly miraculously propaganda powers of Cambridge Analytica, which the Guardian just trashed.

Apprenticeship and the Rise of Europe

How the apprenticeship system developed and gave Europe an edge.