No one wakes up in the morning and says, ‘What a nice day for a nuclear war. Let’s launch some missiles’. That’s not how a nuclear war will happen if it ever does. Instead, experts who have studied the subject of nuclear war fighting since the 1950s (and I’ve personally studied their work since the late 1960s) all agree that the danger is not an out-of-the-blue decision to launch. The danger is escalation.
Supply Chain Disruption and the Hidden Realities behind Inflation
Although the war began in February, supply chain disruption is hitting home now, as are many other knock-on effects from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Another Crisis Resulting from Ukraine
Trade and financial sanctions are a double-edged sword. It’s possible to cut off Russia from imports of needed goods and services. It is also possible to exclude Russia from financial systems and payment channels. But trade and finance are a two-way street.
Welcome to 1984
I’ve been addressing the war on cash lately, and for good reason. While everyone’s attention is focused on the war in Ukraine, inflation, and the Supreme Court, government plans to eliminate cash are accelerating.
The US Fed’s ‘Digital Dollar’ Is Almost Here
Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are coming even faster than many anticipated. The digital yuan is already here. It was introduced in China last February during the Winter Olympics. Visitors to the Olympics were required to pay for meals, hotels, transportation, etc., using QR codes on their mobile phones that linked to digital yuan accounts. […]
The US Fed’s ‘Digital Dollar’ Is Almost Here
The Federal Reserve was studying a possible Fed CBDC at a research facility at MIT. Now the idea has moved from the research stage to preliminary development.
A Food Shock Is Coming
While energy is making the headlines in terms of the economic impact of the war, food supply is equally in jeopardy. It’s important to understand that food on your table is one end of a long and complex supply chain.
Energy Shortages and Higher Prices
The dependence of Western Europe on Russian natural gas is critical. The 27 member nations of the EU currently receive 40% of their imported natural gas from Russia.
The Economic Consequences of War
The war news changes daily, and our purpose isn’t to give a dense chronology of causes, events, our purpose is to consider the economic consequences of the war, regardless of military success or failure by one side or the other.
Answering a Reader’s Question
Will soaring energy prices benefit the stock performance of oil and gas companies, or will it cause even higher inflation that depresses overall stock prices?
