⛏ America is heading for a debtpocalypse

America is heading for a debtpocalypse
There is a pernicious and persistent pattern among many partisan pundits and politicians, pertaining to public debt. When their own party is in power, they minimize or ignore the problem, but as soon as the other guys win the presidency, they start shouting that the debtpocalypse is upon us. Read on »

Lithium Use Cases: Batteries Now Consume 88% of Global Supply
In February 2026, the U.S. Geological Survey put a fresh number on a transformation that has been building for a decade: batteries now account for 88% of global lithium end-use, up from 87% a year earlier. The metal that once quietly toughened ceramics and thickened industrial greases has been almost entirely repurposed by the battery economy. As covered in our reporting on the shift from surplus to deficit, the supply side of this story is tightening. The demand side is now strikingly simple. Read on »

Maryland Reverses Course, Restores Sales Tax Exemption on Gold and Silver
In a highly controversial move that put Maryland at odds with 44 other U.S. states, lawmakers last year imposed a new tax on all gold and silver related transactions conducted outside of the Baltimore Convention Center. This new tax massively undermined a once-vibrant industry in Maryland. Read on »