Nice assessment of Washington trade politics that makes gloomy reading for US trading partners and the evolution of economic policy away from pure neoliberal and free market theory. Worth a read.

"James K. Galbraith attributes the supply-chain problem in the US to a system that was built for efficiency, not resilience"

"This piece ties together our current supply chain crisis with some of the flaws in securitization. it is very good and was comprehensible to someone as economically illiterate as me"

"The idea that everyday consumers have the power to intervene is misguided, because the structure of the delivery industry is dictated by something grander than individual demand." On Amazon, the Postal Service, and the Tyranny of Logistics

"Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday said President Joe Biden's infrastructure proposals would help alleviate issues in global supply chains that have slowed the global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic."

"The global supply chain is slowing down at the very moment when Americans are demanding that it go into overdrive."

"Official figures on exports and imports are a poor guide to the countries that are capturing the profits and employment income from international trade."

"Shipping bottlenecks, supply chain nightmares and a continuing shortage of semiconductors have pushed up costs of just about everything — and experts say we're still a long way away from any sort of relief for Canadian businesses and _...Read More_

"Global factory activity lost momentum in August as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic-disrupted supply chains, raising concerns faltering manufacturing would add to economic woes caused by slumping consumption, surveys showed on Wednesday."

"The immediate consequences of natural disasters for global value chains are well-documented, but little is known about the longer term. This column examines the long-term impact of the 2011 earthquake in Japan on auto and electronics _...Read More_

I think we're dealing with a temporary bout of inflation, and the worst might be behind us. But that doesn't mean it's going to be over super quickly.

"Some back-to-school products could be hard to find for American consumers in the coming weeks."

>"Global shortages of many goods reflect the disruption of the pandemic combined with decades of companies limiting their inventories."