Category Archives: Economic fundamentals

Can Europe Afford Its Energy Transition?

A not-complete tally cost estimate for Europe’s climate change containment comes in at €1.3 trillion annually to 2030, then >€1.5 trillion through 2050.

Why Did the French Government Fall and What Happens Next?

Some detail on the French government crisis and what the next moves may be.

NATO Pledges Urgent Support for Ukraine’s Battered Infrastructure

NATO messaging about “helping” Ukraine is become even more divorced from reality.

Wall Street Journal Tries “Recovery Finally Underway” Office Space Patter as Securitized Office Mortgage Delinquencies Hit a New Post-Crisis High of 10.4%

The Journal gets egg on its face for trying to call a bottom in the office space market even as delinquencies were accelerating

Trump Threatens BRICS Countries With 100% Tariffs if They Ditch the Dollar

Why Trump’s dedollarization tariff threat is much more bark than bite.

Nissan in Crisis, “12 or 14 Months to Survive,” as Size, Difficult Conditions for Non-China Carmakers Make Rescue Seem Remote

Nissan, with intensifying cash flow woes and vultures circling, looks like a canary in the coal mine for non-China carmakers.

Book Review: The Many Bounties of Collaboration in Nature

What would make a critical mass of Americans, marinating in a rugged individualist culture, want to become their neighbors’ keepers?

Inflation Re-Accelerates Despite Plunging Gasoline Prices as “Core Services” PCE Price Index Hits 7-Month High

Core services inflation is the biggie and going the wrong way. The Fed is already talking down the pace of rate cuts.

Monetary Policy in Response to Tariff Shocks

If the Trump tariff scheme weakens the economy enough, the Fed would do better to ease rather than tighten even if inflation increases.

Trump’s Inflation-Stoking 25% Mexico and Canada Tariff Scheme

Trump’s latest tariff threat is quickly getting a lot of well-warranted criticism.

COP29 Puts World on Course for More Extreme Weather – and More Deaths

COP29 summit proves change won’t come until floods and wildfires are killing tens of thousands in rich Global North cities

Trump’s Opportunity to Reset U.S.-Iran Relations

An in-depth look at Iran’s economic and political situation suggests that Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign will not have much impact.

A Post-Election Reflection on Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right

On how the shame resulting from the loss of seen-as-meaningful and well-paid work led many to reject the rule of their PMC betters.

How the Wall Street Journal Blew the Story of the Democrats and Inflation

The firehose of affluent consumption continues to drive inflation, not the stimulus package

Forget Snowbirds. These Sunbirds Are Flocking North

Hotter days and higher flood risk are prompting people across the South to consider moving north.