The election of a right-wing, populist government in Italy exposes the economic and democratic shortcomings of the European project and its nationalist rivals.
Recent Items
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Italy Holds A Mirror to a Broken Europe
Topics: Banking industry, Doomsday scenarios, Economic fundamentals, Europe, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Macroeconomic policy, Politics, Social policy, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 12:32 am | 71 Comments »
Leaked Memo by Larry Sonsini Shows Sonsini and CalPERS Violating Fiduciary Duty With Proposed Private Equity Outsourcing Scheme
A leaked memo written for CalPERS by Silicon Valley attorney Larry Sonsisi not only reflects poorly on him and CalPERS, but also validates concerns about corruption.
Topics: Banana republic, CalPERS, Legal, Private equity, Ridiculously obvious scams
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:58 am | 28 Comments »
Links 6/17/18
Topics: Links
Posted by Jerri-Lynn Scofield at 6:55 am | 208 Comments »
Don Quijones: Consumers Stubbornly Cling to Cash, after Multiple IT Fiascos & Payment Systems Outages
More consumer pushback in the war on cash: An industry dogged by non-believers who fret about privacy and fraud.
Topics: Banking industry, Credit cards, Payment system
Posted by Jerri-Lynn Scofield at 3:25 am | 33 Comments »
Links 6/16/18
Topics: Links
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:55 am | 249 Comments »
How Purdue Pharma Hooked America on a Deadly Drug
Purdue Pharma’s slogan for OxyContin was: “The One to Start With and the One to Stay With.” As reader Brian C added, “Stay with alright….’Till death do us part.'”
Topics: Banana republic, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Health care, Regulations and regulators
Posted by Yves Smith at 3:47 am | 39 Comments »
Gaius Publius: Is Anti-War Fever Building in the U.S.?
Will the American public make politicians address the cost, immorality, and futility of our war machine?
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Guest Post, Middle East, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 12:15 am | 93 Comments »
2:00PM Water Cooler 6/15/2018
Today’s Water Cooler: Trade war with China?, mid-terms and women’s turnout, ranked choice voting, the border, industrial production, manufacturing, CMS ratings, risk corridors, the Incas, genderless pronouns
Topics: Guest Post, Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 134 Comments »
Cryptocurrencies Are Lousy Investments
A skeptical look at the prospects for cryptocurrencies.
Topics: Currencies, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Legal, Payment system
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 34 Comments »
Links 6/15/18
Topics: Links
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:55 am | 155 Comments »
Merkel’s Government Wobbles Over Immigrant Row as Italy Threatens Canada Trade Deal
Merkel had a bad day and things don’t seem likely to improve any time soon.
Topics: Europe, Free markets and their discontents, Globalization, Politics, Social policy
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:33 am | 21 Comments »
Why Are There So Many Unsheltered Homeless People in California?
Try guessing why San Francisco has encampments of homeless people….
Topics: Banana republic, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Income disparity, Real estate, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 3:41 am | 87 Comments »
Some Bankruptcy Judges Finding Ways to Give Desperate Student Borrowers Relief
Some bankruptcy judges recognize that the typical application of the “undue hardship” for discharging student debt is too stringent and are finding wriggle room.
Topics: Credit markets, Legal, Social policy, Student loans
Posted by Yves Smith at 3:15 am | 27 Comments »
2:00PM Water Cooler 6/14/2018
Today’s Water Cooler: Canada and trade, Sanders at Democrat cattle call, Poor People’s Campaign, Planned Parenthood, retail sales bump, Boring Company, unemployment insurance, moderation
Topics: Water Cooler
Posted by Lambert Strether at 2:00 pm | 151 Comments »
Wolf Richter: Riskiest Junk Bonds Completely Blow Off the Fed, Face “Sudden” Reckoning
Normally risky credits like junk bonds are the first to react when the Fed starts tightening. But we are not in normal times.
Topics: Credit markets, Federal Reserve, Guest Post, Investment outlook
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 4 Comments »