Things Worth Noting
The Federal Reserve, created in 1913 through the Federal Reserve Act following financial panics like the one in 1907, operates as a unique public-private hybrid designed to stabilize the U.S. economy. Its origins trace to pragmatic reforms, including the discreet Jekyll Island meeting, establishing 12 regional banks with member bank stock ownership but ultimate oversight […]
Hyperinflation, an extreme spiral where prices surge over 50% monthly, erodes currency value and purchasing power through excessive money printing and loss of confidence in fiat systems. Historical cases like Weimar Germany’s 1920s chaos, Zimbabwe’s 2000s trillion-dollar notes, and Venezuela’s ongoing crisis reveal how deficits, wars, and policy failures trigger wealth destruction, inequality, and social […]
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves (~303 billion barrels as of recent estimates), surpassing Saudi Arabia’s ~267 billion, yet it produces only about 900,000–1.1 million barrels per day in late 2025/early 2026—roughly 1/10th of Saudi Arabia’s ~10 million barrels daily. Saudi oil is mostly light, sweet crude: cheap to extract (low costs), easy […]
The U.S. national debt has surpassed $38 trillion, driven by years of budget deficits, rising interest costs, and growing entitlement obligations. Debt now equals more than 121% of GDP, with interest payments increasingly straining federal resources. Major contributors include high spending on defense, healthcare, and social programs, along with slower revenue growth from an aging […]