Top Links 1084 The New Normal in America's Political Economy. Syrian Property Deals & the Trumps. Burial at Sea and...
Adam Tooze’s latest "Top Links" note flags a shift in America’s political economy, beginning with U.S. inflation settling above the long‑held 2 percent target, a trend highlighted by Reuters analyst Mike Nolan. The piece also touches on opaque Syrian property deals that are attracting foreign capital despite sanctions, and references the Trump family’s overseas real‑estate exposure. Finally, it reflects on Lee Kuan Yew’s historical legacy and a symbolic burial at sea, drawing parallels to contemporary governance challenges.
Top Links 1083 China Investing in Batteries, India in Dockyards. Big Cuts in Big Tech & "Talking with Sartre".
China’s foreign‑direct investment (FDI) surged this year, driven primarily by a wave of battery‑related projects that signal a strategic push into clean‑energy manufacturing. India, meanwhile, redirected capital toward its dockyard sector, earmarking billions to modernize ports and boost maritime logistics....
Top Links 1082 China's Oil Reserves. Global Hunger. America's Megadrought & Adorno V. Gehlen.
The latest roundup highlights four distinct developments: China’s proven oil reserves have expanded, pushing the nation closer to energy self‑sufficiency; the United Nations warns that global hunger now affects over 800 million people, a record high; the United States is grappling...
Top Link 1079 The Tanker Convoy to the Gulf Coast. Explaining the Market Disconnect. Eastern Libya's Money Man & the...
The piece highlights a growing convoy of empty oil tankers, primarily from Asia, queuing at the Cape of Good Hope before heading to U.S. Gulf Coast terminals. This buildup underscores a market disconnect between oversupplied crude inventories and weak demand...
Top Links 1078 The Stealth Manufacturing Boom in the US. How Will the World Pay for the US AI Boom?...
The piece spotlights a covert surge in U.S. manufacturing, largely driven by defense‑related and artificial‑intelligence initiatives that are hidden from headline statistics. Federal incentives and private‑sector investment are expanding capacity in semiconductor fabs, advanced materials plants, and robotics assembly lines...
Top Links 1075 Global Uncertainty. Why Global Growth in 2025 Was so Resilient. Guyana's Boom & How the Chicago School...
Adam Tooze’s Top Links newsletter examines why global growth is projected to stay resilient through 2025 despite persistently high uncertainty metrics. The piece highlights that the global uncertainty index remains above 7, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis,...
Top Links 1067 The Collapse of the New Deal Financial Order. The Weakest Links in the Yield Chain. After the...
Adam Tooze’s latest Top Links newsletter warns that the post‑World‑War‑II financial architecture, built on New Deal policies, is unraveling. He highlights a fragile “yield chain” where short‑term rates are rising faster than long‑term bonds, threatening credit markets. The piece also...
Top Links 1066 Why US Health Care Is so Expensive. Hysteretic Noise. Targeting Pistachios & Family Values.
The article examines why health‑care costs in the United States remain dramatically higher than in peer economies. It points to hospitals charging inflated prices for routine services, a pricing structure that outpaces Medicare reimbursements and private‑insurance benchmarks. The piece suggests...
Top Links 1064 Jobs V. Cardboard Boxes. Pakistan Makes Public Transport Free. The African Retail Battle. Bousquet or the "Grand...
International Paper, the United States' largest cardboard box producer, announced the closure of two mills in Georgia, resulting in more than 1,000 job cuts. The move reflects a broader contraction in the American cardboard packaging sector, driven by weaker demand...
Top Links 1053 The Costs of the Iran War. VW to Make the Iron Dome. Hegemony Is What You Make...
The Pentagon estimates that the first two days of the current U.S. war against Iran have cost roughly $5.6 billion in munitions, with the first week’s expense doubling to about $11 billion. These figures, highlighted by Brookings analyst Michael O’Hanlon, underscore the...
Top Links 1051 Looking at the Wrong Oil Price. Insuring the Straits. Rupee Weakness. Epstein and Primal Fathers.
The White House is reportedly using an outdated oil price benchmark—specifically the OPEC basket—when calculating costs and sanctions related to the ongoing Iran conflict. Analysts argue that this misalignment skews revenue projections, inflates insurance premiums for vessels transiting the Strait...
Top Links 1037 How Bad Is a Closure of the Straits? Revisiting THAT Summers Chart! The Brits and Dubai &...
Recent surveys reveal a majority of fund managers believe US technology companies are overinvesting in artificial intelligence. Analysts point to soaring R&D budgets and hiring spikes that outpace clear revenue prospects. The sentiment reflects growing skepticism that AI hype translates...