FRANCE: HEATWAVE AND FRENCH WITH HEAVY USE OF AC, AND HAYING. @REALCONSTABLE @BATCHELORSHOW

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

UK: STARMER THE TRUMP WHISPERER. @REALCONSTABLE @BATCHELORSHOW

By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Ardfern, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

POTUS: HOOVER SIGNED SMOOT HAWLEY JUNE 1930. @REALCONSTABLE @BATCHELORSHOW

By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Herbert E. French, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

#FRANCE: PLUM TREE RIPENS, @REALCONSTABLE, OCCITANIE @BATCHELORSHOW

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Andrew.berdov, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

WSJ: Financial Flashback: Tariff Trouble in the 1930s

 

Briefings Magazine: ‘Rich’ Countries Sinking into Debt

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Sometimes countries need to borrow money by the boatload. It happened during WWII, when democracies faced a near-existential crisis. In the following decades, debt sank, as it often does in the wake of such a crisis: In the United States, Canada, and Japan, plus Europe’s large economies, such as Germany, France, and Italy, the debt-to-GDP ratio fell to a modest 40 percent by 1968.

Fast-forward 50-plus years, and things sure have changed. “Global public debt is probably worse than it looks,” the International Monetary Fund’s blog recently declared. “It is expected to exceed $100 trillion” for 2024. That’s approximately 93 percent of global GDP, up from around 83 percent in 2019. Already Japan’s debt is an eye-watering 250 percent of its GDP. And the IMF believes government worldwide borrowing is likely to worsen. Read more here.

 

FRANCE: CYBERCRIME QUIZ. @REALCONSTABLE @BATCHELORSHOW

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

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WSJ: How Much Do You Know About Cyber Scams? Take the Journal’s Quiz.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The cyber scammers are still stealing your money, and, in many cases, they seem to be getting better at their chosen field, according to recently released data from the FBI.

The 2024 Internet Crime Report is the latest edition of an annual report on cybercrime scams reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It combines information from 859,532 complaints of suspected internet crime and details reported losses exceeding $16 billion. 

How much do you know about the latest scams? Test yourself on our quiz here.

Max Plaisted, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons