Watch it slip
Watch it slide
I bet $10 on the losing horse
Feel the grip
Of my bride
Watch me do it again
Where’s my dinner?!
– Short Lip Fuser, Rocket from the Crypt
Empty Stomachs
Evergrande is facing a serious downfall, dragging the hard-earned savings of numerous individuals down with it.
Meanwhile, food prices are on the rise, and the increase is significant.
Data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicates global food prices surged by nearly 33 percent year-over-year in August. Essentials like vegetable oil, grains, and meat are all becoming more expensive. Sadly, escalating food prices often lead to empty bellies, which can incite social unrest and upheaval. Continue reading
Fiscal policy is often more relatable to the everyday worker than monetary policy. Concepts such as income taxes, budget deficits, and national debt are tangible issues that people can easily comprehend.
In contrast, the effects of zero interest rate policy (ZIRP) and quantitative easing (QE) are less apparent to the average individual. While they may witness the extreme booms and busts arising from central bank-induced price distortions, they often fail to connect these events to the Federal Reserve. Some may mistakenly attribute their dissatisfaction to capitalism itself.
Many diligent workers, despite their increasing efforts, find little improvement in their circumstances—some may even notice a decline. Yet, few recognize that stringent monetary policy might be contributing to their discontent.
A recent college graduate, earning a meager wage at a coffee shop while buried under $50,000 in student loans, may sense a profound discrepancy. They might wonder why the cost of education seems so disproportionate to the value it provides. Continue reading
In 2021, nearly everything you do leaves a digital footprint, thanks to the collaboration between big tech and government.
Nevertheless, there is still a straightforward way to maintain some level of economic privacy: using cash.
When you pay with cash, authorities cannot track what you purchase. They can’t determine if the cash taken from your ATM was stuffed away, used for groceries, or spent on other personal items. This lack of oversight is something those in power dislike.
The controlling central planners desire to know your purchasing habits—what you buy, when, and how much you spend. The introduction of a digital dollar, alongside the eradication of cash, would enable them to monitor every transaction you engage in fully.
For instance, if a purchase deviates from the rules set by the monitoring algorithm of the digital dollar, it could be blocked immediately. Continue reading
The ongoing computer chip shortage of 2021 is likely to worsen before it improves, as evidenced by preliminary analysis and anecdotal evidence.
Although COVID lockdowns initially triggered the shortage, the roots of this issue lie in decades of unwise decisions and rising geopolitical tensions, making it far more complex than merely addressing supply chain gaps.
Taiwan’s TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics dominate the chip market, together controlling over 70 percent of semiconductor manufacturing.
The U.S., once a leader in this sector, has fallen behind due to significant and shortsighted shifts in the semiconductor industry’s business model over the past 15 years. However, changes may occur if the U.S. government can effectively recalibrate the semiconductor market to align it with its objectives.
The global semiconductor crisis, compounded by geopolitical frictions with China, has led to Washington scrutinizing the supply chain. Continue reading
