The Real Reason Saudi Arabia Killed Doha
Who was Saudi Arabia really targeting when it scuttled the meeting of oil producing states in Doha?
Read more...Category Archives: Commodities
Is the Oil Price-GDP Link Broken?
Explanations of the oil price decline are starting to acknowledge deflationary factors, even though the “d” word seems to be outside the pale .
Read more...How Much Has Global Economic Power Really Shifted?
Why the shift in economic power from advanced to developing economies has not gone as far as most accounts would have you believe.
Read more...Is an Aussie Debt Crisis Around the Corner?
Australia’s macro numbers are looking more worrisome by the minute. Is this a trajectory to a debt crisis?
Read more...Senators Try to Scuttle Syngenta/ChemChina Merger, in a Harbinger for U.S. Posture Toward Chinese Investment
This is a big week for the future of American industry. Chinese Premier Xi Jinping will meet one-on-one with President Obama on the sidelines of a summit in Washington. The Chinese will apparently use the meeting to make a new offer on a bilateral investment treaty that would pave the way for more foreign direct […]
Read more...Wolf Richter: World Trade Collapses in Dollars, Languishes in Volume
A rout in world trade that started in June 2014 shows no sign of getting better.
Read more...CFTC Commissioner Giancarlo Admits to Hijacking Advisory Committee to Boost Commodity Speculators
Last week, an advisory committee to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission produced a highly dubious report recommending that the agency abandon the Dodd-Frank mandate of setting position limits in futures markets to eliminate excessive speculation. The report was just an enhanced form of lobbying; eight of the nine members of the Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee (EEMAC) have ties to industries that would personally benefit from killing the rule.
The big question was how an official advisory committee of a federal agency could turn into a purely distilled conduit for corporate talking points? And the answer is Christopher Giancarlo, the lone Republican commissioner on CFTC at the moment, who took advantage of the committee, twisted it to his own ends, and produced a work product destined to be used in future litigation to overturn the position limits rule.
Read more...Oil Giant Cuts Budget By 80 Percent And Suspends Fracking
Whiting Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:WLL), the largest oil producer in North Dakota, has announced that it will suspend all fracking in the state and cut its budget for this year by 80 percent in a move that sent its shares up 9 percent on Wednesday, back down to a record low on Thursday, and $4.02 Friday morning.
Read more...China’s Vulnerable External Balance Sheet
A look at the risks of China’s external debt.
Read more...35% Of Public Oil Companies Could Face Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy looms for many exploration and development companies, particularly US shale players.
Read more...Wolf Richter: What the Heck is Going on in the Stock Market?
Even Moody’s which is always late to the party with its warnings – but when it does warn, it’s a good idea to pay attention – finally warned: “Don’t fall into the trap of believing all is well outside of oil & gas.”
Read more...Capital Bleeds from Emerging Asia
2015 was a terrible year for emerging markets, not just in terms of trade in goods and services, but also capital exit.
Read more...New York Times’ Bank-Boosting, Neoliberal-Excusing Story of the Global Debt Hangover
A new story at the New York Times on the global debt overhang is an economically warped account that omits important policy options.
Read more...Gaius Publius: A Non-Neoliberal Woman President Is Not One of the Choices
Hillary as a neoliberal is not your friend….unless you are a member of the 1% or on their meal ticket.
Read more...Ilargi: Square Holes and Currency Pegs
The difficultly of maintaining currency pegs, most important the renminbi and riyal versus the dollar, will put even more stress on financial markets.
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