Finance

Coffee Break: Theology at Work in the World, Eugenics Is Still Undead, Science Is Still Under Attack, and Ultra-Processed Foods in the Dock

Part the First: Pope Leo XIV and the Larger World.  Of the academic historians currently writing for both their colleagues and students and the general reader, Greg Grandin is among the finest.  In The Education of Pope Leo XIV he places the former Father Bob Prevost and current Pope Leo XIV in context of our […]

Job Growth Trend Turns Around Decidedly after Weakening for Years, while Immigration Crackdown Caps Supply of Labor

Some industries hired, others cut jobs: we zoom out with charts by major industry categories.

Who Needs Bitcoin & Cryptos (-50%) Amid the Semiconductor & Miracle IPO Mania?

Are bitcoin and crypto, followed by semiconductors and AI, proving Mark Twain right, that manias don't repeat but they rhyme?

Links 6/5/2026

Iran War: Hezbollah Rejects Israel-Favoring Ceasefire, Casting More Doubt on “Deal”: Iran Agrees to Inspection of Bushear Plant but No Enriched Uranium Concessions; Trump Warned of Oil Cliff as Private Debt Fund Wobbles Rise

Today's Iran war news: The US-Iran impasse is undeniable to everyone ex Team Trump as Israel balks and the oil cliff comes ever closer.

“Se Vende Todo”: Javier Milei Seeks to Allow UNLIMITED Sale of Argentine Land to Foreign Investors

This may partly explain Peter Thiel's recent decision to temporarily relocate to Argentina.

RFK Jr. Seeks Access to Americans’ Individually Identifiable Medical Records for Clues, Using a Bogus Autism and Vaccines Pretext

RFK Jr. wants to go fishing in medical records to substantiate debunked theories about autism and vaccines. What could go wrong?

Who Needs Bitcoin & Cryptos (-50%) amid the Semiconductor & Miracle IPO Mania?

Rotating from mania to mania?

Is Artificial Intelligence Social Evolution and Progress?

AI benefits are predicated on social progress. However, while societies constantly change, it is not always for the better

Fox News Defines Most Americans as Anti-American

Fox News brands the majority of Americans as official enemies, echoing extra-legal "“domestic terrorism organizations" in Trump’s NSPM-7.

Links 6/4/2026

Iran War: US Attempts Project Freedom 2.0 as Israel Continues Attacks in Lebanon Despite Alleged Ceasefire; Iran Economy Not Harmed by Sanctions, Performed on a Par to Saudis; Rice Prices Jump in Asia

Today's Iran war update: Iran punched back harder than the US expected in the latest exchange, but Israel still refuses to stop war-making.

Satyajit Das: An Emerging Market Crisis in Oil-Poor Asia?

It is no secret that most countries in Asia will be hard by the energy crunch. What can they do?

Europe Scrambles to Contain the Energy Shock

Europe expects annual energy price increases to hit 11% in May. What happens when the oil cliff fully kicks in?

AI Investment Boom Sucks Up Hoarded Cash from Stock Market Investors & Companies, Sprays it into the Real Economy

It could break the stock market. But it’ll stimulate the economy. Just don’t expect inflation to cool on its own.

Coffee Break: Centrist Win in California, AIPAC Loss in New Jersey, Platner Under Seige

Multiple states held primaries last night and the overall results were muddy with a big win for centrist Dems in California, losses for Trump and Schumer in Iowa, a loss for AIPAC in New Jersey. Meanwhile Dems are doing their best to undercut the party’s presumptive nominee for a Maine Senate seat. Let’s start with […]

Housing Market’s Crucial “Spring Selling Season” Winds Down with a Whimper. So Maybe Next Year?

But mortgage rates are not high historically, and “real” mortgage rates, amid resurging inflation, are relatively low.

How Propaganda and False Information Are Undermining Humanitarian Work

How the post-truth era makes it harder for humanitarian organizations to build trust, protect civilians, and save lives.

Links 6/3/2026

Iran War: Rubio Testimony Raises Questions as to Why Iran Is Bothering With Talks; Intensified Tit-for-Tat Attacks Continue; US Muscles Oman

Today's Iran war update: The kinetic war is heating up as the US keeps demanding things of Iran that Iran has already rejected.

A Food Philosophy for Our Time?

It is clear that in much of the so-called developed world, food has largely lost its meaning beyond nourishment.  Julian Baggini has written about this, ten years ago in The Virtues of the Table, which is especially useful in considering how and why we eat.  More recently Baggini has expanded his range in How the […]

Commodity Markets Are Living on Borrowed Time

Another warning that the deceptive calm in the commodity markets is not set to last.

Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Game of Drones

WORDPRESS EXCERPT Drone warfare is transforming the economics of military power. Cheap autonomous systems built from globally scaled civilian technologies are eroding the traditional monopoly on precision strike capability once held by major powers. As persistent surveillance, attritable attack systems, and rapid adaptation reshape the battlefield, military advantage may shift away from major powers dependent on high cost systems in favor of those who adopt low-cost distributed defenses.

And More Data Showing a Weirdly Decent Labor Market

But this dynamic makes it harder for young people to find a job.