Author Archives: Yves Smith

Gaius Publius: It’s Not About Gorsuch, It’s About the Democrats

The Gorsuch vote will show if there is any shred of hope that the Democrats intend to woo disaffected voters.

Italian Banks: Not Quiet on the Eastern Front

Never before have I seen the condition of a bank’s finances (in this case liquidity) described as “hemorrhagic”. Italians beware!

Big Companies Shake Fingers at Employees for Raiding 401(k)s

401(k) “leakage” is yet another sign of the wobbly state of many Americans’ finances.

Wolf Richter: This Economy is Ruined for Many Americans

The lower tier of the two-tier economy is not faring at all well.

Links 4/1/17

Ilargi: Our Economies Run On Housing Bubbles

A look at the long-term role of home price bubbles in multiple countries.

The Paradoxes of Fiscal Austerity in Brazil

Brazil as a test case of austerity per neoliberal theory v. outcomes.

Why Has Italy’s Banking Crisis Gone Off the Radar?

An update on Italy’s festering bank crisis.

Inequality in the US: A Tale of Two Countries

A look at US inequality, before and after tax and transfers.

Settling the Brexit Bill: 12 Negotiating Questions

Sorting out the principles for in the Brexit talks for how to compute the UK’s departure tab is not trivial.

Gaius Publius: Crossing the U.S. Border with Electronic Devices

Ideas for how to protect yourself against border searches.

Inequality Update: Who Gains When Income Grows?

In a perverse reversal of historical norms, more growth produces more inequality as a result of economic policy and changes in legal rights.

Links 3/30/17

MIchael Hudson: The Democracy Collaborative

Michael Hudson gives new riffs on his regular themes: classical economics and its perversion by Hayek, rentier capitalism, debt jubilees.