From budding trends to mature industries, Novem Group works hard to stay abreast of developing news. Here’s what caught our eyes this week:
The next species of human | Juan Enriquez
Juan Enriquez’s 2009 TED Talk. And oldie-but-goodie from back when TED Talks were awesome.
I’m not going to offer commentary. Please watch the whole thing.
(Juan Enriquez has some other great TED talks on youtube if you’re in the market.)
The Costs of Current Fiscal and Monetary Policy
https://rochesterbeacon.com/2021/05/12/free-lunch-from-washington-what-could-go-wrong/
- Ever-mounting debt is a real number! Some one has to bear this burden! Unless politicians get brave and raise taxes/cut spending (highly unlikely) then this will manifest itself in high inflation.
- These negative trends are now reinforcing one another “Would Washington be promoting trillion-dollar stimulus programs if the debt funding them cost 5 percent or 6 percent instead of 1 percent or 2 percent? Would the federal government be able to borrow at just 1 percent or 2 percent had the Fed not purchased and monetized nearly 23 percent of all publicly traded U.S. Treasury debt? Again, probably not.”
- This is supported by an electorate that does face the realities of these spending decisions
- “Here’s the conundrum: For the 50 percent of Americans paying little or no personal income tax, government is essentially free. If half the electorate benefits from government largess without shouldering any of the financial burden, what constraint is there on elected officials to be fiscally prudent when the free lunch of expansive government is a ballot box winner? As George Bernard Shaw put it: “A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”
Is Inflation Coming? Dr. Copper says it’s already here.
https://aheadoftheherd.com/dr-coppers-inflation-diagnosis-shows-the-patient-is-already-sick/
- The post-COVID economic boom is creating significant demand, pushing prices up across the board.
- Copper specifically, faces strong secular demand with the buildout of EVs and electrical grids.
- Futures for many commodities are also backwardated, signaling perceived shortages.
- These costs are starting to flow through other companies like CMG, KMB, BRK.A