Writing

Buy Less

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It’s is trendy to be green these days.

More and more companies are offering so-called green products, that are biodegradable, organically farmed, or are natural. They all promise that they not only will make your life better, but are also easy on the planet. But the truth is most of them are pretty bad for our environment.

The truth it’s always better to buy nothing at all and minimize consumption then buy green products. Any time you purchase something it is a product that has been produced and made out of products from our environment. Most products contain a variety of non-renewable resources, that will never be replaced once you consume them.

Do you really need that new television or computer? How about that sofa bed or other piece of furniture?

Our biggest source of solid waste is from the consumption and disposal of the big objects in our lives: our furniture, our housing. Indeed, if you could learn to live with older furniture and older equipment you could do much to reduce your impact on the earth. While we can often buy new at low prices, we should think twice and consider our impact on the planet.

Instead, we should focus on investing more and buying less. If you save money, and buy only things you need that will have a lasting benefit on your life, but a relatively minor environmental impact. Reduce expenditures on things that depreciate quickly in value, and invest in things that either depreciate slowly or gain value.

Barn Trash Cans

Fed Could Raise Rates 3 Times in 2022 and Speeds End of Bond-Buying – The New York Times

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Fed Could Raise Rates 3 Times in 2022 and Speeds End of Bond-Buying – The New York Times

Federal Reserve policymakers moved into inflation-fighting mode on Wednesday, saying they would cut back more quickly on their pandemic-era stimulus at a moment of rising prices and strong economic growth, capping a challenging year with a policy shift that could usher in higher interest rates in 2022.

The central bank’s policy statement set up a more rapid end to the monthly bond-buying program that the Fed has been using throughout the pandemic to keep money chugging through markets and to bolster growth. A fresh set of economic projections released on Wednesday showed that officials expect to raise interest rates, which are now set near-zero, three times next year.

“Economic developments and changes in the outlook warrant this evolution,” Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said of the decision to pull back on bond purchases more quickly.

NPR

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With inflation still hot, the Fed takes a step towards rate hikes : NPR

The Federal Reserve is paving the way for possible interest rate hikes next year, in an effort to contain stubbornly high inflation.

At the conclusion of a two-day policy meeting Wednesday, the central bank announced plans to phase out its large-scale bond-buying program faster than initially planned. The Fed started purchasing bonds during the pandemic as a way to keep borrowing costs across the economy low and to prevent any market disruptions.

Ending the bond purchases earlier would give the Fed more flexibility to raise interest rates sooner, if necessary, to keep prices from spiraling out of control. The central bank said previously it wanted to stop its bond purchases before considering raising interest rates.

The Fed is taking a harder line against inflation after consumer prices in November jumped 6.8% from a year ago — the largest increase in nearly four decades.

In a statement, the Fed acknowledged the rapid runup in prices. Although the central bank still believes inflation is largely driven by factors tied to the pandemic, which should ease when the health outlook improves, policymakers are no longer taking that as a given.

Gold Bugs

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I don’t really get the appeal of gold to gold bugs, people who obsess over gold and say it’s an essential commodity to have in one’s portfolio.🤑

Gold is shiny and popular for use by rich people for showy jewelry, 💎 it’s uses in the real economy are quite limited — it’s fantastic conductor and has some other uses in chemistry — but other then that is has no real value. Gold in certain electronics is an important use, but the gold typically used is only a few atoms thick and only a small portion of the gold mined and consumed every year. Gold might not be entirely without use, but most of it’s practical uses are in margin, a small part of production each year.📿

There is some value in investing in commodities or energy businesses as a hedge against inflation, especially energy-driven inflation like what we saw during the 1970s with the energy-crisis. That said, commodities are always risky, as you don’t know if products will be substituted for new products. Coal, for example, has seen a long decline in recent years as natural gas and renewable have replaced it as a cheaper source of energy.🛢 Energy companies, especially in broader form, are less risky then raw commodities, as they enjoy a larger degree of flexibility in the sources of energy they sell. Electricity companies will continue to have a dominate role no matter what their generation is fueled by, coal and oil companies have certain talents and land ownership that will make them leaders even if we move towards geothermal, wind and solar.

Most precious metals aren’t really the precious, even if they are rare.🐲 I am more interested in the real economy, something you can point to actual economic growth, rather then some dubious scam pushed by certain unscrupulous business people.

Gold Finch