Category Archives: On the cover

On the cover

Argentina’s “Emergency Law” Means More Of The Same

Argentina's "Emergency Law" Means More Of The Same

The so-called “economic emergency law” announced by the new government in Argentina is simply another massive set of tariffs and burdens on the private sector to finance the bloated public expenditure, in a country where confiscatory monetary and fiscal policy is the norm.

What is the big problem of the recent Economic Emergency Law? That it does not address the country’s massive monetary and fiscal imbalances. Moreover, the big problem of the law and, in particular, of the decisions to raise retentions to the agricultural sector, is that they aim to increase the confiscatory nature of Argentina’s fiscal policy.

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Oil Weakness and Stagnation Risks

The oil market has changed substantially over the past ten years.

The most important factor that explains the lower volatility and price impact in the face of geopolitical risks is that the United States no longer depends on OPEC. At the end of 2019, the United States reached a record in oil production, more than 12 million barrels a day, above Russia, 10.8 million barrels a day, and Saydu Arabia, 10.3 million barrels a day. The United States’ dependence on foreign oil purchases is the lowest ever, and if we consider North America (Canada. US and Mexico), the region is almost self-sufficient.

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Negative Rates, The Destruction Of Money. Sweden Ends Its Experiment.

Negative Rates, The Destruction Of Money. Sweden Ends Its Experiment.

Negative rates are the destruction of money, an economic aberration based on the mistakes of many central banks and some of their economists who start from a wrong diagnosis: the idea that economic agents do not take more credit or invest more because they choose to save too much and therefore saving must be penalized to stimulate the economy. Excuse the bluntness, but it is a ludicrous idea.

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The Economics of Decarbonization. World Economics Episode 10

There are plenty of comments about the process of decarbonization and climate change policies but… What are the challenges? What do we do with developing markets? Can we afford “no growth” strategies?

Effective climate change policies need to start with three pillars: Competitiveness, technology, and open market competition.

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