Monday, January 12, 2026

Has this Contorted Labor Market Forced Companies to Change their Thinking about Layoffs?

There is now mounting anecdotal evidence that many employers are having second thoughts about laying off people at the first signs they see their revenue growth get into trouble.

The Public Shouldn’t Pay for Drugs Twice

Taxpayers foot the bill for medical research, but drug companies profit. We need a new R&D model to stop this rentierism.

Collateral Damage From Higher Interest Rates

Why to be wary of Larry Summers selling another Volcker-type “kill the economy to save it” interest rate jihad.

#Musk + #Twitter, Liberal Democrat Aghastitude, and Social Capital on Social Media

Is Twitter really a hellscape of hate and bigotry? And what will happen to Twitter now that Musk has taken it over?

Links 11/6/2022

Centene Showers Politicians With Millions as It Courts Contracts and Settles Overbilling Allegations

Centene earns billions of dollars from governments and then uses its profits to back the campaigns of the officials who oversee those government contracts.

Links 11/5/2022

A Brief History of the Mortgage, From Its Roots in Ancient Rome to the English ‘Dead Pledge’ and its Rebirth in America

The backstory of what is now arguably the most widely-used form of lending in principal terms, the mortgage.

Russian Oil Price Cap Will Not Apply To Resold Cargoes

The “collective West” is remarkably attached to sanctions that have hurt them more than Russia. The oil price cap is next in this pattern.

2:00PM Water Cooler 11/4/2022

~ Today’s Water Cooler ~

Could the Ukraine Conflict Be an Opportunity for the Global South?

Many countries see the Russia challenge to Western economic dominance as an opportunity to rewrite the rules of global trade in their favor.

Links 11/4/2022

One Year In, The First Ever Large-Economy CBDC, Nigeria’s eNaira, Is a Gigantic Flop

The Central Bank of Nigeria is undeterred. To deepen its drive to “entrench a cashless economy” and boost take-up of the eNaira, it is launching a demonetization process not too dissimilar from India’s.

The Destiny of Civilization: An Interview with Michael Hudson on Economic Development, Rentierism, Debt, China

Another tour de force with Michael Hudson, covering development, rentierism, economic narratives, debt dynamics, and the rise of China.

The Best Climate News You May Not Have Heard About

The Montreal Protocol — designed to save the ozone layer — is also averting other global warming/climate damage.