2:00PM Water Cooler 2/15/2022 | naked capitalism
[ad_1] By Lambert Strether of Corrente Bird Song of the Day Strange buzz-saw sound! * * * Politics “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” –James Madison, Federalist 51 “They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing.” –Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord “When the going gets weird, the weird turn […]
The looming threat of long financial Covid
[ad_1] Economic activity contracted in 90 per cent of the world’s countries in 2020. This exceeded the proportion hit by the two world wars, the Great Depression and the global financial crisis. A pandemic, we now know, is a comprehensive disaster. It also bequeaths ill health and social and economic disruption. Among the most long-lasting […]
US considers suspending gas tax to combat rising inflation
[ad_1] The White House is open to temporarily suspending the gas tax, after a high-profile group of Democratic lawmakers proposed scrapping the federal levy on petrol until at least next year in an effort to curb rising inflation. “Every tool is on the table to reduce prices,” said Emilie Simons, White House assistant press secretary. […]
US trade deficits hit record highs in 2021: More effective trade, industrial, and currency policies are needed to create more domestic manufacturing jobs
[ad_1] The US goods trade deficit reached a record $1.09 trillion in 2021—an increase of $168.7 billion (18.3%) from the 2020 trade deficit—according to new US Census Bureau data. The broader goods and services deficit reached $859.1 billion in 2021, an increase of $182.5 billion (27.0%). These records were driven by a $576.5 billion increase […]
The Covid aftermath requires sovereign debt restructuring
[ad_1] Covid-19 hurt public finances everywhere. Many emerging economies, however, were heavily indebted to start with. Forced to spend on tackling the pandemic, while tax revenues collapsed, they quickly piled up unsustainable debts. Now the bill is coming due, with incipient sovereign debt crises in Sri Lanka, Zambia and several other economies. Handling these looming […]
Peasants Marginalized by Big Farms
[ad_1] Yves here. We have posted from time to time on how Big Ag has not been the boon to many economies that it was promised to be, particularly in terms of sustainability. This article points out that smaller farms, oriented towards producing mainly for its owners , are more productive in high-fertility areas, among […]
Rising energy costs push eurozone trade deficit to 13-year high
[ad_1] Soaring energy prices have taken a toll on the eurozone economy, combining with a jump in Chinese imports to drive the bloc’s trade deficit in goods to a 13-year high in December. Imports of goods into the eurozone rose 36.7 per cent in value in December, compared with the same month a year earlier, […]
US producer prices accelerate in another sign of inflation dangers
[ad_1] US producer prices jumped more than expected at the start of the year, reinforcing the case for the Federal Reserve to more rapidly remove the economic stimulus it has provided since the early days of the pandemic. The producer price index, tracking the prices that businesses receive for their goods and services, rose 1 […]
Links 2/15/2022 | naked capitalism
[ad_1] Science/Medicine Risk of Long COVID explained Don Ford (guurst). A must read. Circulate widely. From what I can tell, even though this piece is written in a very layperson-friendly manner, its statements are accurate. Particularly alarming is a chart that confirms what we’ve been saying, that the vaccines offer virtually no protection from long […]
Spain and UK Give a Masterclass on Why Both Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Should Fear Vaccine Passports
[ad_1] Even if you have complied with all of the public health requirements, human error or algorithmic bias can leave you stuck in limbo. A report published in The Daily Telegraph this weekend has revealed that more than a million vaccine records have fallen prey to NHS blunders, in some cases preventing people from travelling […]
More Home Surveillance Coming Your Way, Courtesy Bosch and the Internet of Things
[ad_1] Zach Campbell and Chris Jones have an important new story up at the Intercept, which if the Twitterverse reaction is any guide, hasn’t gotten remotely the attention it warrants. Perhaps it is because the Twitterati, which has a heavy representation of journalists, also skews strongly towards those who favor convenience over privacy. The newest […]
Democrats Helped Build The Social Safety Net. Why Are Many Now Against Expanding It?
[ad_1] Today’s Democrats fancy themselves as the party that trusts the evidence — wherever it might lead. This is why they invest heavily in science and technology and set up arms of government to translate that knowledge into action. But despite claiming to new ways of improving our society, Democrats don’t always prioritize act in […]