tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64425143213581190042026-06-05T05:49:36.216-07:00<i>In war, everything not censored is a lie.</i>climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comBlogger52970125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-66438068538084071392026-06-05T05:10:43.448-07:002026-06-05T05:10:43.466-07:00

From Reuters, May 27:&nbsp;Mystery customers. Missing permits. Inaccurate customs declarations. Investigations in the U.S. and Mexico. Documents shed light on an alleged fuel smuggling racket.Ikon Midstream, a Houston-based petroleum trader whose offices were raided last month by U.S. authorities, is under investigation in Mexico in connection with fuel smuggling, according to three Mexican

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-80965818235267862462026-06-05T04:11:04.764-07:002026-06-05T04:11:04.778-07:00

From Marc Chandler at Bannockburn Global Forex:The low-intensity war in the Middle East continues. Crude oil looks set to close the week higher for the first time in three weeks. Meanwhile, some poor earnings have hit the tech sector this week and it is evident in both Asia and the US. A dramatic revision to Ireland’s Q1 growth spurred a downward revision in Q1 eurozone growth to show a 0.2%

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-13567609661536756532026-06-05T04:00:09.455-07:002026-06-05T04:02:39.815-07:00

In other news...From Anthropic, June 4:When AI builds itself&nbsp;For most of AI’s history, humans drove every step in its development cycle. But at Anthropic, we are delegating a growing share of AI development to AI systems themselves, which is speeding up our work.Taken far enough, and given enough compute, that trend points to an AI system capable of fully autonomously designing and

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-48980123875113541372026-06-05T03:26:29.448-07:002026-06-05T03:26:29.461-07:00

From the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, June 5:&nbsp;»&nbsp;The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 130.8 points in May 2026, down 0.2 points (0.2 percent) from its revised April level, remaining broadly stable. Increases in the price indices for cereals and sugar were offset by declines in vegetable oils and dairy products, while the index for meat products

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-79452272267407545772026-06-04T18:24:03.842-07:002026-06-04T19:06:09.069-07:00

From Dunstan Ramsay's Omnibudsman substack, September 4, 2022:The world needs to use a lot more energy&nbsp;A recent article in The New Yorker discusses the importance of refrigeration to the development of Rwanda, where cold storage is necessary to reduce rates of foodborne illness and secure more stable income for farmers. The piece demonstrates an inescapable fact about the future of the

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-14421737635041165302026-06-04T17:47:54.506-07:002026-06-04T17:48:49.065-07:00

This reminded me that I should note First Solar surpassed its $317.00 May 2008 all-time-high* yesterday, June 3, by trading up to $320.95 and closing at $318.25. The stock also had a $320 handle this morning ($320.64) before reversing to close down $3.30 at $314.95. Fingers, toes and other body parts crossed that we didn't just see a double top.From Reuters, June 4/5:Storage gets bigger display

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-84105470901770692162026-06-04T09:32:24.867-07:002026-06-04T09:48:38.272-07:00

I'm not sure that's a good idea but I haven't had much luck with companies run by attorneys either. With the lawyers they either remain in the "Thou shalt not" groove of the wise counselor or they go a bit nuts because they think they're no longer an officer of the court.With the analysts you, somewhat surprisingly, run into the same problems you do with economists: "Sure, it works in practice

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-87284303394945889692026-06-04T08:46:17.582-07:002026-06-04T08:52:38.098-07:00

It looks like the drought intensities decreased a bit while the areas affected remained about the same.*&nbsp;From the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, June 4:&nbsp;This Week's Drought Summary&nbsp;The mid-level height anomaly pattern during the week exhibited an omega-block type pattern, with mean troughing over Alaska and both the West and East, with the western trough cutting off over

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-70820879499486739232026-06-04T08:31:55.851-07:002026-06-04T08:31:55.860-07:00

Via MoneyWise, June 2:&nbsp;&nbsp;“I could end the deficit in five minutes,” he said. “You just pass a law that says that any time there’s a deficit of more than three percent of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. Yeah, yeah, now you’ve got the incentives in the right place, right?”—Warren E. Buffett, retired insurance salesman, Omaha Nebraska&nbsp;&nbsp;

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-38736083595214919162026-06-04T04:59:50.860-07:002026-06-04T05:10:39.340-07:00

From SemiAnalysis, June 3:To Boldly Go: The Case for Space DatacentersSpace DC Total Cost of Ownership Explained. Unpacking constraints from Terrestrial DCs and Chip Production. Space-Earth Parity in the late 2030s, Space DCs could start to be viable even sooner.&nbsp;Everyone has been talking about datacenters in space. Interviews given by Elon Musk in the past few months have spent lots of

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-72286459666269197462026-06-04T04:13:53.444-07:002026-06-04T04:13:53.455-07:00

From Marc to Market:Israel and Lebanon raises hopes of a breakthrough in US-Iran talks where a low intensity conflict has been waged under the flag of a ceasefire. The Israel-Lebanon deal reportedly does not include Hezbollah, underscoring the fragility and limits of the ceasefire claims. July WTI is near the middle of the $94-$96 range. The market seems cautious.&nbsp;The US dollar is mostly

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-14559109872841926622026-06-04T04:07:38.333-07:002026-06-04T04:17:45.834-07:00

These folks were among those who flagged how serious the memory chip shortage actually was and would be. See after the jump.&nbsp;From Counterpoint Research May 31:&nbsp;Global smartphone shipments are now forecast to fall 13.9% YoY in 2026, dropping to 1.08 billion units, the lowest annual volume since 2013, and a steeper contraction than our February forecast of 12.4%.A memory supply crisis,

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-60488420295202874472026-06-04T03:47:54.966-07:002026-06-04T03:47:54.977-07:00

Dent is a type of field corn. A long way for a not-very-good play on words&nbsp;First up, from Xinhua via People's Daily, June 4:Chinese scientists develop high protein maize in animal feed quest&nbsp; Chinese scientists have identified two key genes for high protein content in maize and have managed to develop high protein varieties, offering a promising solution to China's animal feed protein

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-22911503494207021082026-06-04T02:20:15.648-07:002026-06-04T02:43:13.766-07:00

From&nbsp;EBSCO Information Services:&nbsp;Oil Is Discovered in PersiaThe discovery of oil in Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1908 marked a significant turning point in the region's economic and political landscape. The process began when Moẓaffar od-Dīn Shāh, the Qājār Dynasty's ruler, sold exploration rights to William Knox D'Arcy, a wealthy Englishman. Despite initial challenges, including

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-86050497850631281212026-06-03T22:05:03.734-07:002026-06-03T22:05:03.747-07:00

From Bloomberg, June 1:Senior government officials have warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that spending on the war in Ukraine is on an unaffordable path, the most serious sign of internal division in Moscow since the full-scale invasion began.Officials in Russia’s Finance Ministry and central bank have advised the Kremlin that the current level of projected defense expenditure risks

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-68063689961123533442026-06-03T21:51:41.213-07:002026-06-03T21:51:41.222-07:00

From Bloomberg via The Edge, Malaysia, June 4:Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) chief executive officer CC&nbsp;Wei said the company’s global chip supply will fall short of AI-fuelled demand for years to come, sustaining revenue growth for the firm. Even with new manufacturing capacity in the US, TSMC can’t fulfill demand led by American customers, Wei said at the company’s

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-83255775409996210172026-06-03T18:40:11.121-07:002026-06-03T18:40:11.132-07:00

From Barron's June 3:Quantinuum raised $1.68 billion in its upsized initial public offering late Wednesday, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated tech listings of the year.The quantum computing company priced its upsized IPO of 28 million shares at $60 apiece. Underwriters have been granted a 30-day option to sell an additional 4.2 million shares if demand is higher than

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-43480599385339412802026-06-03T08:52:34.747-07:002026-06-03T09:01:15.022-07:00

What authority would they be claiming? Not the '33 or '34 Acts so probably some sort of fraud statute. Or maybe Federal Trade Commission false advertising, tee hee.From Reuters, June 3:Manhattan's top federal prosecutor ​said on Wednesday he and his staff are ‌asking questions in the private asset marketplace about valuations, as concerns rise about opacity in those processes in private credit

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-24800267665373256472026-06-03T05:19:32.218-07:002026-06-03T05:19:32.230-07:00

From Rod Martin, June 2:He helped break the Bank of England. Now Trump’s Treasury Secretary is using that experience for the United States — and China should be terrified.&nbsp;More than a year ago, both before and after Donald Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs, I told you that China could not win a trade war with the United States. My reasoning was straightforward: China’s economy

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-48424511809459142602026-06-03T05:02:40.355-07:002026-06-03T05:02:40.368-07:00

From Reuters, June 3:The European Parliament will switch to French ​search engine Qwant from Google&nbsp;it said on Wednesday, underscoring Europe's push to reduce its reliance on U.S. technology ​in favour of local alternatives.The ​European Commission will later on Wednesday ⁠announce measures on chips, cloud computing ​services and AI as part of ​its "Buy and Use European" drive........MORE

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-83496377438408510452026-06-03T04:34:29.133-07:002026-06-03T04:34:29.147-07:00

From Marc Chandler at Bannockburn Global Forex:While what has been dubbed China Shock 2.0 as the Chinese model moves into higher value-added goods is important, the most immediate challenge facing investors is the double shock from the US in the form or tariffs and war. And both are impacting the capital markets today. More clashes between the US and Iran have been reported, which are

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-9763138527766270722026-06-02T18:57:09.549-07:002026-06-02T19:00:09.445-07:00

From India's Financial Express, June 1:Nvidia's decision to build its new humanoid robot platform around Unitree indicates a major push into robotics, autonomous systems and the future of physical AI.&nbsp; Artificial intelligence may be driving Nvidia’s record growth today, but the company increasingly sees robotics as the next frontier. From humanoid robots and autonomous machines to

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-4258387978407817082026-06-02T18:23:47.803-07:002026-06-02T18:32:39.341-07:00

I assume Mr. Son is aware the term "dot.com" does not have the best connotations.From CNBC, June 1:Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son told CNBC that the AI revolution will outpace the dot-com boom in the 2000s.“This is the biggest revolution of technology and realization that mankind ever experienced,” Son said.The Japanese investment giant announced on Friday a 75 billion-euro investment to build AI

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-16719442902253868282026-06-02T06:31:35.133-07:002026-06-02T06:31:35.146-07:00

From Markets Insider via MSN, June 1:A federal jury found Andrew Left of Citron Research guilty of securities fraud.Left, who took the stand in his own defense, could face years in prison.The Los Angeles trial was closely watched because of potential consequences on Wall Street.Short-seller Andrew Left was convicted Monday of securities fraud for a lucrative tweet-and-trade operation — a verdict

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6442514321358119004.post-54019315319996275452026-06-02T05:48:29.278-07:002026-06-02T05:48:29.299-07:00

From the RAND Corporation, May 11:Forecasting is hard. Accurate forecasting is harder still. But why forecasting? In support of policymakers dealing with uncertainty, intelligence analysts perform three principal functions: They form judgments, prepare forecasts, and generate insights. A key aim of this paper is to show how better alignment between forecasting methods and structured analytic

climateerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12588010121648399850noreply@blogger.com