james22

If history is any guide, Russia will again be fighting both their Ukrainian foes and the vodka bottle. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/28/putins-military-draft-is-unpopular-so-what-00059145

Hidden paragraph of Putin's decree allows 1 million Russians to be mobilised https://news.yahoo.com/hidden-paragraph-putins-decree-allows-115625603.html

Vladimir Putin’s decision to call up 300,000 men to fight in his invasion of Ukraine is hitting two of the battered Russian economy’s weak spots. The order takes about one in a hundred of the country’s active workers from their jobs to send to the front when record-low unemployment – combined with the exodus of Russians fleeing the country to avoid the mobilization – means there are few candidates to replace them. And it’s likely to batter Russians’ already-fragile finances, leaving some draftees’ families short of cash. https://news.yahoo.com/putin-mobilization-hits-russia-economy-095203471.html

Seriously greedy as well?

OXY below $60, should we assume BRK is buying again?

One can hope.

Untrained men don't pose much of a threat to anyone.

Never know. Putin may be strengthened as his troublesome ethnic minorities are fed to the meat grinder.

Russia is already crashing demographically, and the main cohort of this war is coming from the men who should be fathering children. “This is a potentially a country killer. Before I thought that this was Russia’s last war. Now I’m certain of it.” https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=52709

Everything Taleb.

Sure. Peter Zeihan on the Ramifications of Russian Imperial Decline https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=52632

“We haven’t built a major transmission line in this country in many years,” Robb told CNBC. “And it’s not because there aren’t good projects identified. It’s not because there aren’t investors ready to fund it, it is really because local siting boards don’t, and people don’t want them running through their backyard.” https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/26/why-the-us-has-a-massive-power-line-problem.html

It's also the case that acting to extract now (while still valuable) would demonstrate a belief that the future lies in alternative energy.

Thomas Friedman! The most important factor for quickly expanding our exploitation of oil, gas, solar, wind, geothermal, hydro or nuclear energy is giving the companies that pursue them (and the banks that fund them) the regulatory certainty that if they invest billions, the government will help them to quickly build the transmission lines and pipelines to get their energy to market. Greens love solar panels but hate transmission lines. Good luck saving the planet with that approach. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/opinion/putin-ukraine-winter.html

Consider: If Russian President Vladimir Putin tired of attrition and decided to use tactical nuclear weapons, how would Russian behavior—a rapid withdrawal and even leaving key equipment behind—be different? The answer: It would not be. https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/09/could-russias-sudden-ukraine-retreat-mean-a-tactical-nuclear-weapons-strike-is-coming/

I am telling you people that the situation in #Europe is much worse than many understand. We are essentially on the brink of another banking crisis, a collapse of our industrial base and households, and thus on the brink of the collapse of our economies. Short thread. We are also totally at the mercy of the authorities, and we have very little knowledge what they have planned. Will they be able to stop the onset of the banking crisis, yet again? I don’t know, but I am doubtful. In any case the speed of deterioration is massive now, and it's only a matter of time, when markets catch up. I am betting that we still have few weeks (months at max.) before "mayhem" truly begins. Take precautionary measures. Stock: 1. Cash. 2. Food. 3. Water. 4. Wood (if you have a stove). 5. Other necessities. No harm will come from preparation, if somehow miraculously we can avoid the onset of an outright economic collapse. You just have more cash (no meaningful interest in banks), food, water and wood.

Less so if one is retired.

"All investing is value investing."

Catalyst? Three of the largest investment shops in the U.S.—BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street—have long used their dominance in passive-investment funds to force corporations to comply with their preferred set of environmental, social and governance policies. Their reign, however, may be nearing its rightful end, as America’s law enforcers are waking up to the threats the Big Three pose to investors and the economy. https://www.wsj.com/articles/break-up-the-esg-investing-giants-state-street-blackrock-vanguard-voting-ownership-big-three-competitor-antitrust-11661961693

Some few did see O&G outperformance (though most too early).

A Purse (or a Nurse)!

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck ruled out on Sunday extending the lifespan of the country’s three remaining nuclear power plants in order to save gas, saying it would save at most 2 percent of gas use. These savings were not sufficient to be worth reopening the debate about the exit from nuclear energy given the consensus on the topic, he said during a discussion with citizens at the government’s open-door day. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel initiated legislation to halt the use of nuclear power by the end of this year after the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 with a majority of voters in favour. But attitudes are shifting amid fears of an energy crisis this winter following a decline in Russian gas deliveries – with the three-way coalition itself divided on the matter. “It is the wrong decision given the little we would save,” said Habeck, a member of the Greens party, which has it roots in the anti-nuclear movement of the 1970s and 80s. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/german-minister-rules-out-keeping-nuclear-plants-running-save-gas-2022-08-21/ LOL

Generations really matter when choosing where to live once retired. Surrounded by young professionals downtown is very different from a retirement community.