Juggling Dynamite

How about on demand printing of solar cells? See: Paper thin printed solar cells could provide power to 1.3 billion people.
“The cost of solar power has declined dramatically over the past few decades, from $40 per watt in 1977 to $0.74 per watt in 2013. This trend is expected to accelerate as improvements in efficiency and new technologies come online. This is good news for citizens of developed countries who want to make the switch to a cleaner and increasingly cheaper energy source. The shift to solar may be most dramatic for those living in developing countries. Thanks to inexpensive printed solar cells, 1.3 billion people currently without electricity may be able to plug in for the first time.”

No wonder commodity prices are plunging. Not only is the indebted, global economy slowing, but the world is using less and less energy to do more and more all the time. Technology innovation is allowing the developing world to leapfrog conventional systems and infrastructure and go straight to the sun. Power to people, while cutting out traditional fees to brokers, producers and transporters. This is a world changer.

There are thousands of entrepreneurs and scientists working passionately on these solutions every single day.  Here is another:

All Solar Lights CEO Paul Hitchens discusses bringing solar lighting solutions to some of the poorest and most remote communities on earth. Here is a direct video link.

Senator Elizabeth Warren explains some small victories of financial reforms to date, but reminds that most of the structural changes needed are yet to be accomplished.
Here is a direct video link.

The greatest failure of Dodd-Frank is that it does not break up the big banks and separate their deposit-taking arms backed by taxpayers, from their investment sales and speculating operations. The hundreds of pages of rules and regulations the act does include were in many ways skillful subterfuge negotiated by the banks to conceal the lack of the most critical change.

The financial lobby is the strongest in the world, right beside the oil lobby. Pushing for evolutions needed is a formidable feat that requires relentless attention and effort. But as Malcolm Gladwell so aptly explains in David and Goliath: Davids actually have more strength to defeat giants than is generally understood.  That is the reason that change always does happen eventually.

The charade of Chinese publicly traded markets reveals the folly of central planners believing they can control and sustain prices where they want them. At best they may buy some time to extend and pretend. But in the end they only waste good money after bad, as over-juiced asset prices resume the path of least resistance back to levels that reflect the financial reality of companies and economies.

When government interveners and other levered speculators are the only ones willing to buy assets you know that the mirage of prior gains is not long for this world.

China’s share market rallied on Friday, buoyed by the news of massive support to the tune of $210bn from the country’s banks. Michael Mackenzie, markets editor, says China may face a rather long wait until becoming a heavy hitter in global indices. Here is a direct video link.

Other emerging markets have been even less successful in keeping up QE appearances of growth and optimism. Over the past 5 years as financial strength has weakened, emerging markets have swung about in wild waves of speculative fury, accomplishing nothing but losses (chart on left).  See: China’s MSCI hopes soured by stock rout.

Other global markets still banking on the power of the US Fed and the ECB central riggers to sustain the unsustainable, would do well to take note…