What the Hell is an Economy?

Another stupid AI image In the beginning, there was bartering. Then money was invented, prices were listed, and markets happened.  Goods, services and assets could be efficiently bought and sold. Currency ties it all together.  While dollars used to be made of cotton and stored in our leather wallets, today the ownership of dollars is recorded in electronic bank ledgers, somewhere deep within a data center.  The transfer of dollars is accomplished by the adjustment of these l

Yes, I know.  I said that this post would be in Tether.  Next one, I promise.  But this one is short. In my prior post , I made what I thought was a pretty convincing argument that the recent “gold rush” was primarily due to 2025 ETF buying.  That would be people like you, adding gold to your IRA, 401k, brokerage account, whatever. Here is something else to consider. Roughly 5% of the total bitcoin supply is held in ETF’s, the leader being Blackrock’s bitcoin ETF IBIT , holdi

For the last two years the price of gold has increased by about 145%, making it one of the best performing assets over that period.  Why this 2-year surge in price? While new gold is being constantly mined, the dramatic increase in price tells us that demand is increasing faster than the supply is increasing.     But First, Ton vs Tonne A tonne (metric) is defined as 1,000 kilograms, while a ton (imperial/US) is 2000 pounds. Even though the term “ton” is commonly used, gold i

In reference to the government paying able-bodied people not to work , I previously claimed  that “ the cold, hard truth is that this is the worst economic decision that a society can make.” The logic is obvious. Not only does such a policy diminish the percentage of the population that is economically productive, is also discourages those that are working, that are trying to make ends meet.  Why would this not result in a downward spiral of productivity, and a gradual reduct

In response to the lack of Air Traffic Control (ATC) paychecks during the so called “government shutdown”, there were once again calls to “privatize” the ATC .  That we should follow Canada’s lead on this one and create a separate, financially independent entity to manage the flow of our nation’s air traffic. As the owner & operator of an aircraft (N123PJ), and as an active instrument rated private pilot who relies on a well-functioning ATC for flight safety, here are my thou

While there are many secondary reasons why people choose to attend college (parental pressure, networking opportunities, future name dropping, etc.), primarily it is, or should be, an investment of their time and money.  With the ROI being an enhanced education, certified with a degree, that will open otherwise closed career doors and eventually enhance their future earning potential. For a bachelor’s degree, the average time invested is 4.5 years.  The money invested is the

GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is an economic indicator that measures the total value, in local currency, of all goods produced and...

Time for a deeper dive into these three related topics. Let’s start with the relationships established in my prior blog : 1.      If a...

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Is the Federal Government's well running dry? Let’s start with a quick high-level review of the federal government’s 2024 finances: Total...

I would rather we learn from Argentina’s mistake instead of repeating it. A hundred years ago, Argentina was one of the wealthiest...

On Sept 18, with breathless anticipation accompanied with much fanfare, the Federal Reserve revealed to the universe that it was...

It sounds quite noble for the Democrat Party to claim that it is “protecting democracy,” but given that the super majority of us are...

For most people, economics usually comes across as a hot mess of equations, graphs, acronyms and talking heads.  Which is why over the...

Several years ago, U.S. nuclear power was politically dead. The consensus was that it was both too dangerous and too expensive, leaving...

Why are they not going down?  Are they not contributing the present slowdown in the housing market as mortgage rates once again exceed...

E-bikes looked like this 20 years ago In my prior post I questioned just how "free" is the PEV market... A competitive, well-regulated,...

We just need to make cities PEV friendlier In my prior post I claimed that not only will the BEV rollout be very expensive, but that much...

The Economic Cost is not Sustainable A year ago I posted a blog entitled “Micro-Mobility is an Economically Viable Climate Solution”,...

“Economic freedom, limited government, and unrestricted respect for private property are essential elements for economic growth. This...