Should Frozen Russian Assets Fund Ukraine?

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in ,, at 4/20/2024 09:23:00 PM
The adversaries during more cordial times. Unbeknownst to many, one of the linchpins of the post-WWII global infrastructure is coming under sustained attack... from its main beneficiary. The United States has been extraordinarily fortunate that its national debt is regarded as being among--if not the--safest investment around. IOUs in the form of US Treasuries are a standard dollar holding across the world, and this demand allows the US to run an unimaginable debt of $34.58 trillion at the time of writing.Would it be strange if the US were to put its debt's status as a safe asset in jeopardy? Well, that's precisely what's...
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Young Worker Exodus from Low Pay Japan

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 4/13/2024 04:33:00 PM
Outbound 'r' Us. China is famously in dire economic straits, but how's Japan really doing to solve its longstanding problems like a dearth of working-age citizens? Here's a wrinkle in what is effectively Japan's attempt to devalue its way to prosperity: Just as the yen has fallen to a 34-year low of 153-something to the dollar, the resulting peanuts wages in Japan vis-a-vis those in other developed countries are making younger folks depart in search of higher pay. With similar visa programs [to Australia's] in the U.K., Canada and New Zealand recovering post pandemic, the outflow of talent risks exacerbating Japan’s acute...
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“Adios to the Chinese Dream” (Xi’s Theme Song)

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 4/07/2024 03:17:00 PM
With apologies to Rodney Crowell... Excuse me mister but what did you say? / My hard-earned money’s all gone away / Xi ain’t into capitalism you see / The stock market is just no place to be. Voila, An American Dream is a catchy ditty that I've turned into a lament for the loss of the so-called "Pacific Century" that academics so love[d] to talk about. Supposedly, China's economic ascent would power the entire Asia-Pacific into a period of global dominance. Let's just say that hasn't been how things have turned out. In the interests of "national security," the "national interest," or whatever the Communist Party claims...
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