Category Archives: Economic fundamentals

Mark Ames: Credit Suisse Decries Russian Inequality After Playing Leading Role in Creating It

Credit Suisse criticizes Russian inequality after having profited handsomely from playing a big role in creating it.

The Operation and Demise of the Bretton Woods System: 1958 to 1971

Even though the Bretton Woods system was short lived, legacies like the dollar standard remain and are likely to be with us for some time.

The Fall of the Latin American Left, Part I: Brazil’s Boom and Bust

Discussing why the left in Latin America lost power, starting with Brazil.

Wolf Richter: Private Equity in the Thick of Bricks and Mortar Retail Implosion

The distress at traditional retailers has been made much worse by private equity asset stripping rendering them fragile.

America is Regressing into a Developing Nation for Most People

Like developing countries, America is becoming more stratified, with the economic and physical distance between rich and poor widening.

The Amazon.com Effect: Retailers Say They’re Not Selling, but Consumers Report They Are Buying

Are retail sales understated because online retailers aren’t fully captured in the data?

It’s Time to Regulate the Gig Economy

Depicting the gig economy as ‘sharing favours’ creates a parallel dimension, where chores are form of leisure, with no relation to ‘work’.

The Failure of Austerity in the Great Recession

More evidence that austerity is a bad idea.

How Land Disappeared from Economic Theory

Why the removal of land from economic theory is a glaring oversight.

Wolf Richter: Wild Housing Speculation Drives Entire Canadian Economy

Canadian housing continues on its relentless rise because too many people can’t afford to have it stop.

Embracing the Silver Economy

Does the silver economy, meaning one where the over 65 age cohort is growing faster than other age groups, have a silver lining?

IMF Blames Fall of Middle Class on Globalization and Technology

An IMF report comes up with some orthodoxy-reinfocing conclusions by failing to address some key issues.

Student Debt Bubble Sucks Even More Out of Economy and Ruins Lives, Yet Officials Keep Inflating It

The student debt problem is only getting worse and no one in power has any interest in addressing it.

Trump’s Idea of Running Government Like a Business is Bad for Citizens

Michael Hudson gives a high level debunking of a pet Republican canard: that government should operate like a business.

Wolf Richter: Great Debt Unwind: Consumer Bankruptcies Jump, First Since 2010; Commercial Bankruptcies Spike

Both consumer and commercial bankruptcies spiked in March– and the oil bust’s not to blame.