Category Archives: Doomsday scenarios

Satyajit Das: Age of Stagnation or Something Worse?

In The Age of Stagnation, author Satyajit Das has shifted from his usual wry detachment to a sense of foreboding.

Eurobanks: The Probable Point of Failure as Systemic Stress Rises

Why Eurobanks are the most likely fracture point if current economic stresses continue.

Former Central Banker William White on the Failure of QE, Danger of Negative Interest Rates

Former Bank of International Settlements chief economist William White criticizes central bank policies sharply, particularly negative interest rates.

Dean Baker Exposes How CBO Cooks Inflation Forecasts to Promote Deficit Scaremongering

Yet more funny forecasts from the CBO telling you why you can’t have nice things, like a better job market.

How Many Flints? America’s Coast-to-Coast Toxic Crisis

Flint is just the tip of the iceberg of lead poisoning in America.

Why the Market Freakout About Bank Stocks is Well Warranted

Bad loans are not the only reason to worry about banks. ZIRP and negative interest rates will bleed them to death, and Eurobanks are at real risk of bank runs.

Stock Market Investors Abandon Private Equity, Expect No Profits Overall From Current Deals

Equity investors think private equity funds will show no profits on their current deals, which contrasts sharply with portfolio company valuations.

Tom Engelhardt: The U.S. Military Bombs in the Twenty-First Century

The US military is not exceptional, save in sheer scale. It’s bad enough that the public is repeatedly told otherwise, but worse, the officialdom has fallen for its own PR.

Capital Bleeds from Emerging Asia

2015 was a terrible year for emerging markets, not just in terms of trade in goods and services, but also capital exit.

CalPERS Takes on Risk Where Federal Government Fears to Tread: Provides Liquidity to a Derivatives Central Counterparty on the Cheap

CalPERS has engaged in one of the most bone-headed moves ever, the financial equivalent of picking up pennies before a steamroller.

New York Times’ Bank-Boosting, Neoliberal-Excusing Story of the Global Debt Hangover

A new story at the New York Times on the global debt overhang is an economically warped account that omits important policy options.

Is the Saudi Market Share Strategy Backfiring?

The Saudis appear to have bitten off more than they can chew.

Why the Neoclassical Story About German Wage “Moderation” Causing the Eurozone Crisis is Wrong

Focusing on German wage “moderation,” as in restriction, leads to a neat, plausible, and wrong tale of what caused the Eurozone crisis.

Grexit Risk May Be Back Sooner Than You Think

Why Grexit is likely to be back on the table by summer.

The Greenhouse 100

A ranking of the top greenhouse gas producers in the US.