Tony Addison

Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation

“Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation”
😔🌎
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...

How to Tax a Trillionaire It’s time to move past the hysteria over wealth taxes and find a durable way forward.

California “… the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, a one-time 5% levy on the assets of residents with a net worth of $1.1 billion or more, payable in annual installments of 1% over five years. Then all hell broke loose”.

Good idea? 🤔🇺🇸

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Health & migration 👇🇺🇸

The need to accelerate breakthroughs in materials science are discussed in our @unu-wider.bsky.social (open access) book “Resources Matter: ending poverty while protecting nature” 📖 global.oup.com/academic/pro...

🇺🇸American science & technology could be central to the breakthroughs needed in large-scale energy storage & especially in new materials & fuels from sustainable & renewable resources to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels & mining. Instead, the administration tries to eliminate climate regs. 🙄🇺🇸

Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation

“Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation”
😔🌎
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...

How Much Should We Trust the Dictator’s GDP Growth Estimates? | Journal of Political Economy: Vol 130, No 10 I study the overstatement of economic growth in autocracies by comparing self-reported GDP figures to night-time light recorded by satellites from outer space. I show that the night-time-light elastic...

👇https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/720458

So the effective US tariff rate is above 10%, which is 5x the Jan 25 rate, despite the exceptions.

“… full or partial exceptions have since included bananas, coffee, cocoa, jet engines and rare-earth minerals”. Plus Apple phones etc @wsj.com

“The President who promised to “drain the swamp” has flooded a new bog with lobbyists seeking tariff exceptions from the trade rep and Commerce Department. And be sure to bring your campaign checkbook” @wsj.com editorial

Is This Crypto’s Fimbulwinter? Political power may not be enough to save the crypto cult

“Fimbulwinter — in Norse legend, the catastrophic winter that precedes Ragnarok, the end of all things”.
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Crypto sell off. Paul Krugman

US proposes critical minerals trade bloc aimed at countering China U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday unveiled plans to marshal allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals, proposing coordinated price floors as Washington escalates efforts to l...

US wants a critical minerals trade bloc to counter China

(Ultimately the world needs investment in pollution-free substitutes for rare earths)
www.reuters.com/world/china/...

Critical minerals and the need to find better replacements are discussed in our @unu-wider.bsky.social open access book 👇
global.oup.com/academic/pro...

🇪🇺Euro area inflation might now fall below ECB forecast (annual inflation in Jan was 1.7% below 2% in Dec: Eurostat).

Increase in cheaper Chinese imports (redirected from US after Trump tariffs) + stronger euro (weaker dollar) + lower energy import costs

Rate cut ahead? 🇪🇺🤔

Despite the full or partial reversal of some tariffs (iPhones, bananas etc) the effective tariff rate is still way above its Jan 25 level, with US consumers & businesses bearing much of the higher cost (ie the tax)
Graphic via @wsj.com

Oil curse? 🇻🇪Venezuela is discussed in our (open access) book ‘Resources Matter: ending poverty while protecting nature’ (🌴🛢️) @unu-wider.bsky.social global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Despite the full or partial reversal of some tariffs (iPhones, bananas etc) the effective tariff rate is still way above its Jan 25 level, with US consumers & businesses bearing much of the higher cost (ie the tax)
Graphic via @wsj.com

🇪🇺Euro area inflation might now fall below ECB forecast (annual inflation in Jan was 1.7% below 2% in Dec: Eurostat).

Increase in cheaper Chinese imports (redirected from US after Trump tariffs) + stronger euro (weaker dollar) + lower energy import costs

Rate cut ahead? 🇪🇺🤔

So the effective US tariff rate is above 10%, which is 5x the Jan 25 rate, despite the exceptions.

“… full or partial exceptions have since included bananas, coffee, cocoa, jet engines and rare-earth minerals”. Plus Apple phones etc @wsj.com

“The President who promised to “drain the swamp” has flooded a new bog with lobbyists seeking tariff exceptions from the trade rep and Commerce Department. And be sure to bring your campaign checkbook” @wsj.com editorial

Critical minerals and the need to find better replacements are discussed in our @unu-wider.bsky.social open access book 👇
global.oup.com/academic/pro...

US proposes critical minerals trade bloc aimed at countering China U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday unveiled plans to marshal allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals, proposing coordinated price floors as Washington escalates efforts to l...

US wants a critical minerals trade bloc to counter China

(Ultimately the world needs investment in pollution-free substitutes for rare earths)
www.reuters.com/world/china/...

Renewables surpass nuclear as Finland's biggest power source Wind and hydropower together exceeded nuclear in Finland’s electricity palette last year, with solar also on the rise.

”Finland enjoyed Europe's third-cheapest electricity prices in 2025, with negligible production from traditional fossil fuel sources. Approximately 28% of domestic electricity production came from wind power” (YLE). Nuclear provides 40% Hydro 16% yle.fi/a/74-20205942

Is This Crypto’s Fimbulwinter? Political power may not be enough to save the crypto cult

“Fimbulwinter — in Norse legend, the catastrophic winter that precedes Ragnarok, the end of all things”.
open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Crypto sell off. Paul Krugman

Renewables surpass nuclear as Finland's biggest power source Wind and hydropower together exceeded nuclear in Finland’s electricity palette last year, with solar also on the rise.

”Finland enjoyed Europe's third-cheapest electricity prices in 2025, with negligible production from traditional fossil fuel sources. Approximately 28% of domestic electricity production came from wind power” (YLE). Nuclear provides 40% Hydro 16% yle.fi/a/74-20205942

📢 #CallForPapers - Conference on New Challenges in Monetary Economics
📆28-29 August |📍@econunimannheim.bsky.social
Deadline: 31 March
Organised by: @klaus-adam.bsky.social & Matthias Meier
cepr.org/events/confe...
#EconSky #EconConf

Indian Rupee Declines to Set Fresh Record Low as Capital Outflows Persist The Indian rupee fell to a new low on foreign outflows from the nation’s equities, as a delay in a trade deal with the US dents investor sentiment.

”Indian rupee fell to a new low on foreign outflows from the nation’s equities, as a delay in a trade deal with the US dents investor sentiment.

The currency fell 0.3% to 91.2275 per dollar on Wednesday, breaching its previous record low set in December.”
🇮🇳
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

AP Source: Fed Chair Powell to attend Supreme Court argument on Cook case Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral arguments Wednesday in a case involving the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support by the central bank chair.

BREAKING: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court's hearing on Trump's attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support by the central bank chair.

China's population falls again as births drop to lowest rate since 1949 communist revolution China's population continues to shrink. Government statistics released on Monday revealed the population fell for the fourth straight year to 1.4 billion.

#China
Children born in 2025 7.9 mio, children born in 2015 16.6 mio. Have there been similar collapses in peace time?

apnews.com/article/chin...