Author Archives: Yves Smith

A Battle Over American-Made Products Is Looming and Republicans Are in the Middle of It

Why “Buy American” is going to be a tough sale for Trump.

Gauis Publius: North Pole 50 Degrees Warmer Than Normal in December

Why you should be worried about abnormally hot temperatures at the North Pole.

Links Christmas Eve 2016

Progressives Need to Promote Deficit Spending Before Trump Makes It His Baby

The failure to do enough deficit spending is a big reason why the Democrats hemorrhaged losses. Progressives need to take up this issue.

Why Central Bank Models Failed and How to Repair Them

Why macroeconomic models perform so badly.

Chanos: Is a Big Change Underway in Global Capitalism?

Storied short seller Jim Chanos takes a long view of recent political and economic changes, including, of course, the Trump win.

Links 12/23/16

I Correct Schumer Fudging What Medicare Privatization Would Mean and He Pretends He Was Being Honest All Along

Chuck Schumer’s nose is getting so long that he needs to get a hacksaw. That does not not bode well for the Democrats standing up to Trump.

Tom Engelhardt: The Future According to Trump

Gaming out some likely Trump scenarios.

Deutsche Bank Wins in Stare-Down With Department of Justice Over Mortgage-Backed Securities Liability; Credit Suisse Also Settles While Barclays Holds Out

Deutsche came off well in a mortgage settlement with the DoJ, while Barclay’s decision to fight doesn’t look so smart.

Links 12/22/16

Uber’s Woes Mount: California Strips Driverless Cars’ Registration, Losses Rise, VAT Charges Loom

Uber has a bad week.

Italy Announces Sketchy Plan to Bail Out Monte dei Paschi

The Monte dei Paschi domino is finally about to fall. But what does that mean in practice?

Hospitalized Patients Treated by Female Doctors Show Lower Mortality

A JAMA article, based on a large, well-designed study, found that female doctors in hospitals saved more lives than men. The question is why

Italy Banking Crisis Is Also a Huge Crime Scene

While Italy’s banking crisis results from business loans gone dud in a shrinking economy, some of the banks were also up to no good.