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The 5000-Year View Of Rates & The Economic Consequences
The 5000-Year View Of Rates & The Economic Consequences The fact we have the lowest interest rates in 5000-years is indicative of the economic challenges we face. Such was a note brought to my attention by my colleague Jeffrey Marcus of TPA Analytics: “BofA wants you to know that ‘Interest rates haven’t been this low […]
China Coal Futures Hit Record High As Mines Flood; Worsening Power Shortages Hit Rust Belt
China Coal Futures Hit Record High As Mines Flood; Worsening Power Shortages Hit Rust Belt China’s top coal-producing region has been devastated by torrential rains and flooding this past week. About 9% of the coal mines in Shanxi province, an area responsible for producing 30% of China’s supply, have closed operations. The direct effect of […]
Yet another worry: Price of ship fuel is now highest since 2014
Yet another worry: Price of ship fuel is now highest since 2014 Bunker surcharges on the rise for shippers of containerized cargo Ship refueling (Photo: Shutterstock) Commodity prices are surging around the globe, so it should come as no surprise: Marine fuel is getting a lot more expensive. That’s bad news for ship operators on the […]
5 Signs a Civilization is About to Fail
5 Signs a Civilization is About to Fail
That Untraversed Land
That Untraversed Land It’s been just over a month since I started talking about how the predictions set out in 1972 by The Limits to Growth were coming true in our time. Since then the situation has become steadily worse. As I write this, rolling blackouts are leaving millions of people in China to huddle in the dark and […]
Fertilizer Prices Hit Record Highs, May Pressure Food Inflation Even Higher
Fertilizer Prices Hit Record Highs, May Pressure Food Inflation Even Higher Fertilizer prices have risen to a record high in North America, threatening to boost food inflation even higher. Nitrogen products are increasing due to the cost of natural gas, which is used in the manufacturing process. The Green Markets North America Fertilizer Price Index […]
An energy crisis is gripping the world, with potentially grave consequences
An energy crisis is gripping the world, with potentially grave consequences How China and Europe are catching the brunt of it The cooling towers at the coal-fired NTPC Ltd. Dadri Power Plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. The country, which relies on coal for about 70 percent of electricity generation, has already seen signs of power […]
British industry warns of factory closures without help on fuel costs
British industry warns of factory closures without help on fuel costs Stainless steel tubes are stored ready to be made into exhausts at the Eminox factory, during a post-Budget visit by Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, in Gainsborough, Britain October 30, 2018. Christopher Furlong/Pool via REUTERS LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Britain’s most […]
Dear Mr. Paulson, Re Your Recent NY Times Op-Ed about Mass Extinction
Dear Mr. Paulson, Re Your Recent NY Times Op-Ed about Mass Extinction Dear Mr. Paulson, You arguably are one of the most powerful, famous, and networked men in the world, with many important accomplishments. I am the completely ordinary, middle class, volunteer steward of 53 acres of publicly owned, remnant floodplain woodland situated on the […]
It’s all happening…..
It’s all happening….. Anyone who has been following this blog long enough will know that I predicted 2020 was crunch time and that we were heading into the mother of all energy crises. As I write, the UK is in deep turmoil, Germany is making contingency plans for blackouts, Lebanon has turned power off, China’s rationing electricity and India is doing the same. Low rainfall […]
The Perfect Storm Is Bearing Down
The Perfect Storm Is Bearing Down Time, the saying goes, is nature’s way of making sure that everything doesn’t happen at once. So now, maybe, we’re at the event horizon where nature is suspended because everything seems to be happening at once. The weeks ahead could determine whether we are a coherent society that can […]
Billionaire space race: the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growth
Billionaire space race: the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growth Image: courtesy of Tom Leishman/pexels.com Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, laments the Rocket Man in Elton John’s timeless classic. In fact, it’s cold as hell. But that doesn’t seem to worry a new generation of space entrepreneurs intent […]
Oil Prices Rebound As U.S. Walks Back Plan To Tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Oil Prices Rebound As U.S. Walks Back Plan To Tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve The U.S. Department of Energy is walking back previous comments that it was considering a release of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and a ban on crude oil exports The DoE isn’t considering tapping the SPR “at this time” Goldman Sachs: SPR release […]
Weekly Commentary: Contagion
Weekly Commentary: Contagion Another big miss for non-farm payrolls, with September’s 194,000 jobs gain less than half the 500,000 forecast. But with the Unemployment Rate down to 4.8% and Average Hourly Earnings up 4.6% y-o-y (not to mention almost 11 million job openings), there’s ample evidence that much of the labor market has turned exceptionally […]
“Programmable Digital Currency”: The next stage of the new normal?The war on cash’s endgame is here: money replaced by vouchers subject to complete state control.
“Programmable Digital Currency”: The next stage of the new normal?The war on cash’s endgame is here: money replaced by vouchers subject to complete state control. Building on the bitcoin model, central banks are planning to produce their own “digital currencies”. Removing any and all remaining privacy, granting total control over every transaction, even limiting what […]
