Independent thinking for complex markets and current events
Researchers at Columbia Engineering just dropped a massive breakthrough: a new, fast technique to pull lithium for EV batteries… This method could finally solve one of the dirtiest, slowest problems currently stalling the green energy transition… The process is significantly cleaner than the traditional evaporation ponds that have been poisoning local water tables for decades… …
Beijing publicly indicated a willingness to live with a 30% tariff baseline to prevent a total collapse of trade negotiations… The Commerce Ministry is pushing for a formal extension of the Kuala Lumpur agreement before it expires in November… Plans include a $17 billion annual purchase of US agricultural goods through 2028 to keep the …
China’s industrial system depends heavily on fuel it does not control. Its factories, ports, shipyards, and military production all rely on imported oil and LNG to keep operating. That dependence means any disruption in supply routes or supplier stability is felt quickly inside the system, often before there is time to adjust. A significant portion …
The egg on your plate this morning was made from corn. Not literally. But the hen that laid it ate roughly two pounds of feed for every dozen eggs she produced. That feed was primarily corn and soybean meal. The corn was grown with nitrogen fertiliser at $610 per ton on the CBOT March settlement. …
Morgan Stanley just slammed a price tag on AI’s future. $2.9 trillion in data center spending by 2028. Only $1.4 trillion of that comes from actual cash flow. That leaves a massive $1.5 trillion debt crater. Not a simple gap. A full-blown crisis. “By 2028, global data center construction will require approximately $2.9 trillion… relying …
BREAKING: Bank of Japan to supply U.S. Dollars against pooled collateral. This can trigger a sudden Yen carry trade unwind in U.S. stocks as investors liquidate positions to cover losses, especially in low-liquidity environments.pic.twitter.com/0cP3EGiT1F https://t.co/RFacCZofsY — Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) June 3, 2025 Whooopsie! And now you also have the T-Bills dumping that completes the whole picture …
Amazon is royally screwed without goods from China. This doesn’t just mean 71% of goods on Amazon come from China. The actual figure is likely much bigger as many goods from other countries also have Chinese input/origins. Cutting out China from US trade is like asking your… pic.twitter.com/lMlx3KHreA — Brian Tycangco 鄭彥渊 (@BrianTycangco) April 17, …
A lot of people want to be able to rely on tapping their home equity in the event they lose a job or fall on hard financial times. The irony is, if you lose a job and are having a tough financial time, you likely will not be able to tap your home equity as …
by Mike Shedlock Is TikTok a national security threat or not? Apparently not, and service is being restored. Trump’s Truth Social Post I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can …
Despite Iran’s recent aggressive actions against Israel, analysts suggest that the Biden administration is unlikely to impose significant sanctions on Iranian oil exports. The delicate balance between deterring future attacks and avoiding economic repercussions complicates the administration’s response, particularly in light of China’s role as a major consumer of Iranian oil. Biden unlikely to cut …
In one of their first acts, Miami Beach’s newly constituted mayor and commissioners ordered the removal of a dock that dozens of people living on boats in Biscayne Bay have relied for years as a lifeline to the mainland. The unanimous vote to cut off their easy access to food and water is part of …
The alarming contraction in bank credit, an event occurring only once in the past 50 years, adds a foreboding dimension to the rapid depletion of the 2 trillion-dollar Reverse Repo pot. As Wall Street grapples with financing challenges for Washington’s deficits, the ominous trajectory raises concerns about the stability of the financial system. At this …