Jeff Opdyke

And now…this:  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was recently chin-wagging with some international banking boss-men and proffered this headscratcher, per Bloomberg and others: “The biggest surprise in the U.S. economy this year has been inflation. Inflation readings over the past several months have been surprisingly soft.”  Surprisingly soft?  Your Honor, the people would like to offer up Exhibit 1 as evidence:  As one can plainly see, Judge, the witness is gaslighting [Read More] …

The world is in the midst of an energy crisis. At the start of this week, U.S. oil prices climbed above $85 for the first time in seven years. Meanwhile, Europe and Asia are facing electricity blackouts amid soaring demand for natural gas and coal. I sat down with Field Notes Managing Editor Ciaran Madden [Read More] …

Higher Inflation Is Coming Next Year… Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve’s Grand Wizard of Backtrackery, had this to say during a virtual conference with the South African central bank a few days ago: There is a now a greater risk of “longer and more persistent bottlenecks and thus to higher inflation.” Hmmm… Never saw that [Read More] …

How I Became a Sports Real Estate Magnate  The four boys looked at the gate, wide-eyed in their excitement. A groundskeeper had not secured it properly. This was their opportunity—maybe an opportunity they’d never see again. And, so, they squeezed through the improperly secured gate—damn the crime!  They slunk though wide corridors, peeking around corners.   No one.  “I can’t [Read More] …

Plus, the UK Hints at a Hike in Interest Rates Welcome to your Sunday digest…my weekly breakdown of the things we’re thinking about and talking about in the Global Intelligence world.  First up this week, messy transitions.  Humans are storytellers. We like to think about periods of time as chapters…as though one ends and another neatly begins, with little or no transition between them.  However, [Read More] …