Bloomberg (October 4)
As Middle East crude flows return to near-normal levels, “global prices remain stuck above $100, roughly 40% higher than when the conflict began.” The elevated prices are “sending shock waves through the global economy, feeding inflation and squeezing industries and consumers alike,” but rapid improvement is unlikely. “A confluence of problems” now keeps prices high:” depleted inventories and reserves that need to be replaced, fears the “unresolved war could reignite,” the drastically increased cost of transit, and elsewhere Russia’s war with Ukraine has curtailed other supplies.
Tags: 100, 40% higher, Conflict, Confluence, Consumers, Cost, Crude, Depleted inventories, Fears, Global economy, Industries, Inflation, Middle East, Reignite, Reserves, Russia, Shock waves, Transit, War
The Times (September 30)
“Britain appears happier to offshore our pollution rather than risk it at home.” This facile approach ignores the cost. “The most direct cost is felt by workers with skills our economy needs. But their communities, the country and the environment also suffer a cost when we chase away unsightly industries.” Ultimately, “It is better for the world’s land, air and water if a country like Britain is invested in monitoring and containing pollution, treating the problems it creates and inventing new products to replace the most damaging ones.”
Tags: Air, Communities, Containing, Cost, Economy, Environment, Facile, Inventing, Land, Monitoring, Offshore, Pollution, Risk, Skills, UK, Unsightly industries, Water, Workers
New York Times (September 1)
“Chinese cars could be huge in U.S., and that’s the problem, officials say.” The New York Times “test-drove a stunning crossover from Geely that would cost under half of what its rivals charge.” There is no doubt “that Chinese cars, if ever sold in the United States, would give the competition a frightening run for its money. (Its competition would be approaching the luxury tier, like the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV; its price is more in line with a fully equipped Honda Civic.)” This appears to be why a bill is being sponsored in Congress “to permanently ban internet-connected vehicles from China from being sold in this country.”
Tags: Ban, Cars, China, Competition, Congress, Cost, Crossover, Frightening, Geely, Honda Civic, Luxury tier, Mercedes-Benz, Officials, Problem, Rivals, Stunning, Test-drove, U.S.
Reuters (July 1)
“Japan spent a record 11.7 trillion yen ($72 billion) intervening in foreign exchange markets between late April and early May. But the brief boost to the yen was quickly wiped out…. It slumped to a 40-year low of 162.66 per dollar on Tuesday.” The Ministry of Finance is reportedly changing tactics. “Japanese officials are abandoning their habit of telegraphing intervention risks, instead signalling a more targeted campaign to squeeze speculators and raise the cost of betting against the battered yen.”
Tags: $72 billion, Battered yen, Cost, Forex, Intervening, Intervention risks, Japan, Markets, MoF, Officials, Record, Slumped, Speculators, Squeeze, Tactics, Telegraphing, Wiped out
Barron’s (May 5)
“Bad news for investors: Another major disruption to global shipping may be on the horizon. There has been a spate of attacks on ships near the Horn of Africa in recent weeks, raising fears of a resurgence in Somali piracy 15 years after the peak of a multiyear crisis that leveled a heavy cost on the global economy.”
Tags: Bad news, Cost, Crisis, Fears, Global economy, Global shipping, Horn of Africa, Investors, Major disruption, Peak, Resurgence, Somali piracy, Spate of attacks
Fortune (March 5)
“A landmark Supreme Court ruling against President Trump’s tariffs has cost the federal government an estimated $1.7 trillion in projected revenue through 2036.” At its current spending rate, this sets “the United States on a course toward a national debt of $58 trillion within the next decade.”
Tags: $1.7 trillion, $58 trillion, 2036, Cost, Government, Landmark, National debt, Projected revenue, Ruling, Spending rate, Supreme Court, Tariffs, Trump, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (February 19)
Last week, several economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York “found that American households and businesses are bearing nearly 90% of the cost of the Trump tariffs, contrary to Mr. Trump’s claim that foreigners will pay.” This week, a defensive White House tried to fight back and sully the research. “If the tariffs are such an unambiguous economic and political winner, why is the Administration so defensive about them…. Clearly the White House is worried that voters might conclude this research aligns with their own experience.”
Tags: Businesses, Cost, Defensive, Economists, Foreigners, Households, New York Fed, Research, Trump tariffs, U.S., Voters, White House, Worried
Time (November 24)
Only half a month after Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi “met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in what both sides said affirmed bilateral ties,” a growing “rift” has emerged that “could cost both countries.” The pain is already being felt in Japan, where lost tourism during the remainder of the year could deal an economic blow of between $500 million and $1.2 billion, while China is likely to share in the pain if “the dispute drags out.”
Tags: $1.2 billion, Affirmed, Bilateral ties, China, Cost, Dispute, Economic blow, Pain, Rift, Takaichi, Tourism, Xi
New York Times (October 26)
Under Donald Trump, a “casino… now passes for the American economy.” Distinguished by froth, Trump’s “casino economy” is “built on speculation and risk. Across markets and policy, wagers on the future are being made with other people’s money at a cost that could prove catastrophic.” While it’s true that “economies run on risk, growth and ambition…. There’s risk, and then there’s reckless gambling.”
Tags: Ambition, Casino, Casino economy, Catastrophic, Cost, Froth, Future, Gambling, Growth, Money, Reckless, Risk, Speculation, Trump, U.S.
Washington Post (June 25)
“Governments around the world are scrambling for ways, often at great fiscal cost, to slow or even reverse their baby busts. From cash incentives to paid leave, the results have been disappointing.” They would do better to quit fighting and focus on adaptation. After 17 years of population decline, Japan “now offers a surprisingly hopeful counter that an aging economy can still offer growth and prosperity.” Recent analysis by Goldman Sachs found that in Japan “the demographic decline that once drained vitality is now creating a ‘virtuous cycle’ of tightening labor markets, increased worker bargaining power and more investment in productivity-enhancing tech. These trends are helping prop up the economy even as it weathers a shock from the U.S.-led trade war.”
Tags: Adaptation, Aging economy, Baby busts, Cash incentives, Cost, Demographic decline, Goldman Sachs, Governments, Growth, Investment, Labor markets, Paid leave, Population, Prosperity, Reverse, Scrambling, Tech, Virtuous cycle
