Iran Attack Escalation May Hurt China’s Economy More Than Anyone

Every time there is tension in the Middle East, we read that Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz. It is important to remind readers that Iran has never actually shut down the strait. It has threatened to do so many times but has never followed through. Moreover, a closure of the Strait of Hormuz would primarily hurt China, as about 76% of traffic through it goes to the Asian giant, with less than 4% going to the United States and around 7% to the European Union.

China is one of the few key partners of the Iranian regime, purchasing close to 90% of Iran’s exports. A shutdown would therefore damage China the most, which is precisely why it is unlikely to happen. Oil exports via the Strait of Hormuz by country also show that one of the largest negative impacts would be on Iran itself, which ships around 2.3 million barrels per day of crude and products through this route.

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Cuba sank because of its repressive regime, not because of an external blockade

Cuba’s economy is not sinking because of a supposed “blockade,” but because of a communist regime that combines political terror, economic ruin, and systematic propaganda to hide its own failure.

Cuba sank because of its repressive regime, not because of an external blockade

The murderous dictatorship has imposed a parasitic model that uses poverty to play the victim while enriching the regime’s leaders.

Cuba did not run out of oil due to any blockade. Cuba produces 45,000 barrels of oil per day and receives more than 50,000 barrels daily free from Mexico and Venezuela. This is far more than domestic demand. So why has Cuba run out of fuel?

The dictatorship resells that crude oil and pockets the dollars, hoarding more than $18 billion stolen from Cubans in foreign accounts, as reported by the Miami Herald.

The only blockade Cuba faces is the one the dictatorship imposes on its own people. 

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Supreme Court Tariff “Bomb”? Fears of a $200 Billion Refund Shock Are Overdone

The market consensus reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on the Liberation Day tariffs exaggerates the negatives and ignores the options of the Trump administration.

Markets are overreacting to headlines about a $175–200 billion tariff refund financial hole. However, the Supreme Court ruling opens a long, narrow, and manageable process, not an imminent fiscal crisis.

In the days after the Supreme Court struck down the Trump Liberation Day tariffs, many sell-side analysts turned a complex legal ruling into a simple story, stating that Washington would soon have to repay up to $200 billion. Risk premiums in Treasuries ticked higher, gold and silver soared and some commentators warned about a looming refund shock for the U.S. budget that would make government debt soar.

The impoverishment of Spaniards is the result of years of interventionist policies

Inflation, bloating GDP with public spending and immigration and hidden unemployment are the ingredients of the so-called “economic miracle” of the Sánchez administration.

The impoverishment of Spaniards is the result of years of interventionist policies

Spain closes 2025 with the consumer price index (CPI) rate above the euro area average and higher than all the large economies in Europe.

Cumulative inflation, measured by CPI, during Sánchez’s term reached 24.8%. Housing and food have risen by almost twice as much as the headline CPI.

The reality of Spain is that the loss of purchasing power and the impoverishment of Spaniards are the result of years of interventionist policies.

Home purchase prices have soared by more than 38%, housing-related expenses (rent, utilities, maintenance) have risen by more than 30%, and food prices are up around 38%.

The “real shopping basket” studies find increases of between 40% and 60% in basic products between 2019 and 2025, showing that inflation in essential goods has been far higher than the official average.

Between 2019 and 2025, real wages in Spain have fallen by 0.3%, according to CaixaBank, but the picture is much worse if we look at net real wages, which have fallen by more than double because the government refused to index taxes to inflation and has sharply increased the fiscal burden of families and businesses.

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