Archives for Macro
In Australia a schooner of beer (about 375ml) can cost anything up to $10 (USD8 at the time of writing), depending upon the location of the bar. Taxes, both direct and indirect, make Australian alcohol among the most expensive in the world. In the case of buying a beer at…
Australia’s last recession was in 1991. The Australian government believes that the long run of growth shows they are doing a great economic job and the country is in good shape. But looking a little deeper tells a somewhat different story. The state of the Australian economy is directly related to the…
I wrote last month on the insanity of South Australian politics. Clean, efficient coal-fired power stations were shut down to be replaced by subsidised wind mills. It didn’t work, so the state imported electricity from the neighboring state of Victoria, electricity generated by burning coal. They then engaged Elon Musk…
We are told that electric automobiles are the future. Currently coal, oil or gas are the source of energy for most electricity. Only about a third of the energy in the source is converted to electricity. There are also significant losses in the transmission of electricity and in charging the…
Image Courtesy hedgeye
Once, Saudi Arabia was a major producer of wheat, along with dairy, chickens and the like. This was achieved in desert conditions by massive use of ground water and desalinated seawater, paid for by the government. Not any more. The depletion of ground water has led to a cessation of…