Let me tell you about the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees

I tried to capture the parrots using the extreme zoom on my Samsung Galaxy phone. This is as good as I could get, given how they are about 40 feet up in the trees. When we moved into this house in South Florida, we inherited a dead royal palm tree (along with many beautiful and … Continue reading Let me tell you about the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees →

How the Russian oil ban charade is contributing to inflation

Much ado has been made about the European Union enacting a partial (90%) ban on Russian oil. I have written in the past about how sanctions have quite failed to cripple the Russian economy, but have contributed significantly to debilitating inflation and supply chain issues in the west. (I am certainly not opposed to sanctions, … Continue reading How the Russian oil ban charade is contributing to inflation →

Electric utilities will be an even bigger mess than usual out west this summer

I realize my blog posts are getting rather... dark... lately. I wish I could talk myself into a contrarian worldview on the economy, because I love bargain-hunting during financial pukes. I just don't see the path there right now. And I am not sure how many investors are willing to get into the business of … Continue reading Electric utilities will be an even bigger mess than usual out west this summer →

Why US sanctions have failed to collapse the Russian economy

The post-Afghanistan-and-Iraq foreign policy orthodoxy in Washington is that economic and financial sanctions are a bona fide alternative to direct war with a country. This is an ideological, not empirical position. The United States has not engaged in a direct war - or proxy war, for that matter - with an enemy that has posed … Continue reading Why US sanctions have failed to collapse the Russian economy →

Reuters energy analyst expects diesel and gas shortage, imminent economic slowdown

From Jack Kemp, a well-established energy analyst - Global diesel shortages herald imminent economic slowdown (emailed financial commentary): Global distillate fuel oil shortages signal the business cycle is peaking and a period of slower growth or even a recession is imminent to bring consumption back in line with production.Middle distillates including diesel and gas oil … Continue reading Reuters energy analyst expects diesel and gas shortage, imminent economic slowdown →

Does wholesale inflation suggest consumer prices are headed up significantly?

Blue-chip stocks like Walmart and Target, among others, have been decimated this week. Target's stock was down 25% (!) yesterday after the company reported dire earnings. Not only did Target reinforce Walmart's message that inflation is cutting into consumer spending, they mentioned that even the higher-income, bourgeois households are getting an inflation shock. Walmart and … Continue reading Does wholesale inflation suggest consumer prices are headed up significantly? →