Baltic
Dry Index. 1650 +91 Brent Crude 70.35
Spot Gold 2984 US 2 Year Yield 3.94 -0.07
US Federal Debt. 36.593 trillion!!
You have to choose (as a voter) between trusting to the natural stability of gold and the natural stability of the honesty and intelligence of the members of the Government. And, with due respect for these gentlemen, I advise you, as long as the Capitalist system lasts, to vote for gold.
George Bernard Shaw.
Little need for my input this morning as
President Trump opens a new booze war on the EU. Will Ripple and Gallo’s Night Train Express
return in the USA in the loss of French and Italian wines?
S&P 500 closes in correction territory
Thursday as stocks tumble again on Trump tariff threats: Live updates
Updated Thu, Mar 13 2025 4:24 PM EDT
Stocks fell on Thursday, with equities
unable to shake a three-week market rout under the weight of new tariff threats
from President Donald Trump.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.39% to
settle at 5,521.52. The index ended the day in correction, 10.1% off its record
close. The Dow Jones
Industrial Average fell 537.36 points, or 1.3%, marking its fourth day
of declines and closing at 40,813.57. The Nasdaq Composite shed 1.96%
with shares of Tesla and Apple lower.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform
Thursday morning to threaten
200% tariffs on all alcoholic products coming from countries in the
European Union in retaliation for the bloc’s 50% tariff on whisky. “This will
be great for the Wine and Champagne businesses in the U.S.,” he wrote. Trump
later remarked that he wouldn’t be changing his mind on a broader group of
tariffs set to be implemented on April 2.
The disorderly rollout of Trump’s U.S.
trade policy has rattled markets this month, with investors worried it was
pressuring corporate and consumer confidence. The losses have intensified this
week. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are respectively on track for losses of 4.3%
and 4.9% week to date. The Dow is off about 4.7% in the period, tracking for
its worst week since June 2022.
The Nasdaq was already well into
correction territory heading into Thursday’s session and now sits more than 14%
below its recent record. The small-cap benchmark Russell 2000 is approaching a
bear market, down roughly 19% from its high. On Wall Street, corrections are
defined as losses of 10% and bear markets are drawdowns of 20%.
“These tariff wars are intensifying before
they’re abating. It just adds to unpredictability and uncertainty, and that’s a
negative for stocks, obviously,” said Jed Ellerbroek, portfolio manager at
Argent Capital Management.
On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott
Bessent said that the Trump administration is more
focused on the long-term health of the economy and markets, rather
than short-term movements. “I’m not concerned about a little bit of volatility
over three weeks,” he said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”
Stocks fell despite some encouraging
inflation signs. February’s producer
price index — which measures the cost of producing consumer goods and
is a good indicator of inflationary pressures — was flat that month, compared
with an expected increase. This follows a softer-than-expected February consumer
price index reading.
Though market strategists have been
watching for a technical bounce after the recent sell-off, some say the latest
inflation data likely isn’t enough to lead to a sizable rebound. Concerns over
Trump’s trade policies remain a key hangover on investor sentiment, and they
throw into question how the Federal
Reserve may proceed on interest rates.
Stock
market news for March 13, 2025
Chinese stocks up nearly 2.4%, leading gains in
Asia, despite fall on Wall Street: Live updates
Updated
Fri, Mar 14 2025 2:01 AM EDT
Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose on Friday
despite a plunge in
all three benchmarks in the U.S. over the previous session amid concern about
President Donald Trump’s tariff plans.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 traded 2.34% higher as of
1:24 p.m. Singapore time, leading gains in Asia. The increase was led by stocks
in the healthcare, consumer cyclicals and non-cyclicals sectors.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index saw
substantial gains, rising 1.9%. Pharmaceuticals company WuXi Biologics was the top
mover in the index, gaining 14.38%.
Other top performing stocks include BYD which surged
6.43%, Ping An Insurance which
was up 6.12% and Meituan which
rose 5.90%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 ended the
trading day 0.52% higher at 7,789.70.
In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.89% in its
final hour, while the broader Topix index gained 0.79%.
South Korea’s Kospi index fell 0.17%,
while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 1.86%.
These moves come after another escalation
in the developing trade war, with Trump threatening
to enact 200% tariffs on all alcoholic products coming from the
European Union in retaliation for the bloc’s 50% tariff on whiskey. Trump on
Thursday said, “I’m not going to bend at all” regarding tariffs.
Michael Strobaek, global chief investment
officer at private bank Lombard Odier, noted that uncertainties around Trump’s
policies “means market risk.”
“There will be so much for markets to
digest, and navigate so many ‘unknown unknowns’,” he wrote in a Friday note.
He suggested that investors play the
market by “filtering out the noise.” “The macroeconomic and market fundamentals
remain solid, but there will be a lot of uncertainty ahead. In the face of
volatility, a high degree of diversification is the prudent portfolio
response,” Strobaek added.
U.S. futures
rose on Friday after ending in the red on the back of new tariff
threats from Trump.
The S&P 500 dropped 1.39% on
Thursday to settle at 5,521.52, ending the day in correction territory.
The Dow Jones Industrial
Average fell 1.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 1.96%.
Asia
markets live: Stocks rise
Trump Tariff Chaos Induces Stock Market
Correction
March 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM GMT
Donald Trump is escalating his global
trade war, issuing increasingly wild threats as targets from China to Canada
and Europe retaliate with tariffs of their own rather than retreat. In the
meantime, the
resulting chaos has driven the S&P 500 into a correction.
The European Union has had the most
detailed and reciprocal response, which apparently has Trump “totally
annoyed,” according
to his commerce secretary. In response, the 78-year-old US president
threatened a 200%
tariff on wine, champagne and other alcoholic beverages from France
and elsewhere in the EU.
In a social media post, the Republican said he would move forward with
the import duties if Brussels follows through with a 50% tax on American
whiskey exports, a measure aimed at retaliating against Trump’s steel and
aluminum tariffs. Brussels’ 50% tax has American
distillers rushing to prepare, ferrying as much product as possible to the
EU—one of the industry’s biggest export markets—before the April 1 deadline.
But even when taken at face value, the stated goal of Trump’s tariff war may have a critical flaw. One of its goals, he says, is to boost domestic production, but the US trade deficit with the rest of the world is a result of broader factors powering the US economy. These include the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency, Americans’ appetite for cheap goods from abroad as well as company supply chains that extend across different countries and which took decades to develop. —Jordan Parker Erb and David E. Rovella
In trade war news, it’s boom time for bootleggers again. Canada and the Bahamas get a new service sector industry. Sadly, I’m now to old to move to the Bahamas to start a new career.
Trump threatens retaliatory 200% tariff on
European wine after EU proposes American whiskey tax
Updated 8:50 PM GMT, March 13, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on
Thursday threatened a
200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits if the European
Union goes forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.
The European import tax, which was
unveiled in response to steel
and aluminum tariffs by the U.S. administration, is expected to go
into effect April 1, just ahead of separate reciprocal tariffs that Trump plans
to place on the EU.
But Trump, in a morning social media post,
vowed a new escalation in his trade war if the EU goes forward with the planned
50% tax on American whiskey.
“If this Tariff is not removed
immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all WINES,
CHAMPAGNES, & ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS COMING OUT OF FRANCE AND OTHER E.U.
REPRESENTED COUNTRIES,” Trump wrote. “This will be great for the Wine and
Champagne businesses in the U.S.”
European Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen said Thursday that the EU trade commissioner would be having a phone
call Friday with his U.S. counterpart.
“We don’t like tariffs because we think
tariffs are taxes and they are bad for business and they are bad for
consumers,” she said. “We have always said at the same time that we will defend
our interests. We’ve said it, and we’ve shown it, but at the same time I also
want to emphasize that we are open for negotiations.”
The U.S. president has defined his opening
weeks in the White House with near
daily drama regarding tariffs, saying that taxing imports might cause some
economic pain but would eventually lead to more domestic manufacturing and
greater respect for America. The S&P 500 stock index fell 1.4% on Thursday,
while European alcohol stocks also tumbled.
But with the EU and Trump now tussling
over alcohol tariffs, the impact of a trade war could surface directly in ways
consumers could quickly see. It’s unclear how the import taxes would be
absorbed among vintners, distillers, brewers, distributors, retailers and
consumers.
Because of Trump’s threat, a previously
untariffed $15 bottle of Italian
Prosecco could possibly increase in price to $45. Similarly, Europe’s
response to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs means that the cost of a 30-euro
bottle of bourbon in Paris could increase to 45 euros.
Holly Seidewand, owner of First Fill
Spirits, a shop in Saratoga Springs, New York, said before Trump threatened the
tariffs on European alcohol, the spirits industry was already reeling
from layoff
announcements in the Kentucky Bourbon sector and the
tariffs planned by the EU on American spirits.
“This ongoing tariff war doesn’t just harm
importers — it weakens domestic brands, disrupts distributors, and squeezes
retailers who rely on global selections,” she said. “In the end, consumers will
bear the brunt of it all.”
Gabriel Picard, who heads the French
Federation of Exporters of Wines and Spirits, said 200% tariffs would be “a
hammer blow” for the sector. He said the U.S. market is worth 4 billion euros
($4.3 billion) annually for French exporters of wines and spirits.
“Not a single bottle will continue to be
expedited if 200% tariffs are applied to our products. All exports to the
United States will come to a total, total, halt,” Picard said in an interview
with The Associated Press. “With 200% duties, there is no more market.”
As of now, Europe seems unwilling to back
down.
“Trump is escalating the trade war he has
chosen,” Laurent Saint-Martin, the French delegate minister for foreign trade,
said on X. “France, together with the European Commission and our partners, is
determined to fight back. We will not give in to threats and will always
protect our industries.”
Trump’s latest tariff threats suggested
that even companies that have publicly stood by him could be collateral damage,
raising questions about whether the wider business community would be willing
to openly challenge a series of trade wars that have hurt
the stock market and scared
consumers who worry about inflation worsening.
More
Trump
threatens 200% tariff on European wine | AP News
Trump’s erratic policy is harming the reputation
of American assets
Like the stockmarket, the dollar is also
suffering from falling confidence and rising confusion
Mar 12th 2025
PRESIDENT DONALD Trump’s bullying of
America’s allies and neighbours may appeal to the maga base.
Unfortunately, investors feel otherwise. Confidence in the prospects for the
American economy has been sapped and financial markets are sinking.
More, subscription required.
Trump’s
erratic policy is harming the reputation of American assets
Trump’s tariffs may end up blowing up the US
dollar hegemony
Some of the US president’s most daring
policies to ‘Make America Great Again’ may inflict irreparable harm to the US
economy.
13 Mar 2025
United States President Donald Trump’s
second term in office has launched with a whirlwind of changes to the status
quo in Washington, DC, and to US relations with the world.
The rapid pace of departures from the norm
– from targeting Canada, the US’s most steadfast ally, with larger tariffs than
China, and floating the US occupation of Gaza, to the threat to annex Greenland
and the decision to reach out to Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to end
the war in Ukraine – is overwhelming, and intentionally so.
Trump’s tariffs may not be the most
shocking foreign policy overture of his second administration, but they may
well end up being the most consequential in the long run.
Like all his headline-generating foreign
policy moves, his plan for tariffs is also part of his overreaching game plan
to reshape the US economy. He says he will be imposing tariffs on Europe, China
and everyone else that trades with the US to bring manufacturing back home, and
“Make America Great Again”.
But in this instance, Trump’s boldness is
unlikely to bring him closer to his long-term goals due to the inadvertent
impact these tariffs will eventually have on the US dollar.
Manufacturing costs in the US are far
higher than they are even in Europe, let alone Asia, and thus the immediate
effect of his tariffs and threats of tariffs would inevitably be to raise
inflation expectations as well as begin a new cycle of US dollar strength
versus other leading currencies. While it may seem that a stronger dollar would
weaken inflation, tariffs and the threat thereof add additional costs to trade,
which minimise this potential benefit. Additionally, the US Federal Reserve has
paused its rate-cutting cycle even as other top central banks, such as the Bank
of England and the European Central Bank, push ahead with their cuts, as their
fears of renewed inflation have been supplanted by the need to stimulate growth
in the face of trade threats.
The structure of the international
monetary system in which the US dollar already dominates, however, means that
higher yield expectations for US assets will only further strengthen the
dollar.
For so long, global demand for the US
currency has meant that its primary export has been its currency and related
financial products. This unique “exorbitant
privilege” is what has enabled Washington to run both trade and fiscal
deficits without any major drag on the economy.
Trump has increasingly realised the
importance of protecting this system, threatening 100 percent tariffs and other
action against countries that seek to de-dollarise and embrace the Russia and
China-backed “BRICS” organisation.
Trump today sees his task as not just one
of reordering fiscal policy to support US domestic manufacturing, but one of
establishing new rules of the international monetary order as well. Put simply,
the president wants to ensure that the US dollar can trade at a weaker value
compared with other currencies while not undermining the centrality of the
currency – and in particular US government securities – in the international
monetary system.
This has led to a discussion of whether
the Trump administration is aiming to reach new dollar stabilisation deals with
other governments and their central banks akin to those the Reagan
administration made in the 1980s, known as the Plaza Accord and the Louvre
Accord. Indeed, that the Trump administration is trying to reach a so-called
“Mar-a-Lago” accord has become a frequent talking point amongst economists.
Yet such a move will be extremely
difficult because, in contrast to the Reagan-era dollar stabilisation accords,
where the focus was on Japan, today any such accord would have to focus on
China. Back then, the US saw the perceived weakness of the Japanese yen as a
threat to its interests and acted to correct it. This was not a big challenge
as Tokyo was – and still is – a close US ally. China, however, is nothing of
the sort. It is far less interested in any such negotiations, and the legacy of
those 1980s’ deals – in Japan, the strengthening of the yen as a result of
those accords is more often than not seen as a core factor in the country’s
subsequent “lost decades” – is frequently cited by Beijing as an example of why
strengthening its currency against the dollar would carry significant risks.
Trump is willing to weaponise this system
to secure concessions and achieve its long-term goals, even when they have
nothing to do with trade. Even the most steadfast US allies must prepare for
threats that go far beyond tariffs. This was foreshadowed in his late January
threat of “treasury, banking and financial sanctions” against Colombia if it
did not accept military aircraft delivering deportees – moves typically
reserved for rogue states like North Korea, Iran, and Russia.
Such threats portend far more economic
devastation than tariffs precisely because of the US dollar, its government
securities, and the wider financial system’s centrality to the global economy.
More
Trump’s tariffs may end up blowing up the US dollar hegemony | Business and Economy | Al Jazeera
Finally in other news.
Elon Musk Fears U.S. Is on the Brink of Collapse
Due to Growing National Debt
March 12, 2025
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is
a figure that always seems to stir up conversation.
Known for his ambitious projects, Musk's
leadership decisions and opinions often make headlines.
Recently, he’s been speaking out about
something that has caught his attention: the potential for the United States to
face a financial collapse.
In a recent interview, Musk shared his
concerns, explaining why he believes the country is heading in the wrong
direction.
Musk’s new role in the Department of
Government Efficiency hasn't come without its costs.
Since taking on this position, he has lost
a significant portion of his wealth. It is estimated that Musk has lost over
95.2 billion US dollars, according to Boosted.
The bulk of his wealth is tied to Tesla
and SpaceX, with Tesla's stock taking a massive hit since the political shift
in the U.S.
Musk has already seen 48% of Tesla’s
market value vanish. Despite this financial setback, he remains committed to
his mission, stating that the government’s handling of debt and the national
budget needs urgent attention.
Musk has expressed his concerns about the
growing national debt, particularly the interest payments, which are higher
than the defense budget.
He sees this as a major issue that needs
immediate attention. According to Musk, if the government doesn’t act quickly,
there won’t be enough funds to support the country’s basic needs.
Elon Musk Fears U.S. Is on the Brink of Collapse Due to Growing National Debt
With the exception only of the period of the gold standard, practically all governments of history have used their exclusive power to issue money to defraud and plunder the people.
Friedrich August von Hayek.
Global Inflation/Stagflation/Recession
Watch.
Given
our Magic Money Tree central banksters and our spendthrift politicians,
inflation now needs an entire section of its own.
Germany
could suffer recession on U.S. tariffs, Bundesbank chief says
13
March 2025
FRANKFURT
(Reuters) - Europe was right to respond to U.S. tariffs but a trade war is a
negative for all sides involved and could push Germany, the bloc's biggest
economy, into recession this year, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel told the
BBC.
"We
are in a world with tariffs, so we could expect maybe a recession for this
year, if the tariffs are really coming," the BBC quoted Nagel as saying on
Thursday.
"I
hope that there is the understanding within the Trump administration that the
price that has to be paid is the highest on the side of the Americans."
Germany could
suffer recession on U.S. tariffs, Bundesbank chief says
French
central bank trims growth outlook on trade tensions
13
March 2025
PARIS
(Reuters) - France's economy will slow more this year and next than previously
expected as trade tensions hit demand for French exports, the central bank said
on Wednesday in its quarterly outlook.
The
euro zone's second-biggest economy is set to slow from 1.1% growth last year to
0.7% this year, the Bank of France forecast, revising its 2025 estimate down
from 0.9% previously.
The
central bank estimated the economic uncertainty created by various tariff
threats from U.S. President Donald Trump shaved 0.1 percentage points off the
outlook for this year.
"Our
projection takes into account the uncertain context created by tariff measures
evoked by the Trump administration (other than tariff increases on
China)," the central bank said in its outlook.
If
the threats materialised into real tariff increases, France could expect a
smaller hit than some other EU countries because its exports are less exposed
to the U.S. market, the Bank of France said.
Looking
ahead, improved business investment would boost growth to 1.2% in 2026 (revised
down from 1.3% previously) and to 1.3% in 2027 (unrevised).
The
central bank also said that inflation would come in weaker than expected until
now due to lower regulated electricity prices and softer service prices added
to slower wage growth.
Calculated
using an EU-wide harmonised method, inflation was set to average only 1.3% this
year, down from an estimate in December for 1.6%.
Inflation
would pick up next year to 1.6% and reach 1.9% in 2027, which meant wages were
likely to grow faster than inflation over the period, boosting consumer
purchasing power.
The
central bank said its short-term economic outlook, based on a monthly survey of
8,500 firms, suggested the economy would growth 0.1-0.2% in the first quarter
from the previous quarter.
French central
bank trims growth outlook on trade tensions
Trump's
trade war: What could be the consequences for French economy?
12
March 2025
The
spectre of a transatlantic trade war looms again as US President Donald Trump
has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs of up to 25% on all EU goods.
The
potential move could send shockwaves through the French economy. In response,
Brussels has signalled that it will be ready to retaliate.
One
month ago, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25%
tariff on imports of steel, aluminium, and related derivative products,
affecting approximately €26 billion worth of EU exports.
The
US is France's fourth-largest customer and fifth-largest supplier in
2023, according
to Natixis,
a major French banking group.
Aeronautics,
pharmaceuticals, wines and spirits together account for more than a third of
French exports to the US, meaning these sectors are particularly vulnerable.
But
the French spirits industry, valued at €3.9 billion in annual exports, is
bracing for the worst.
Already
between 2019 and 2021, a similar tariff war saw Trump impose 25% duties on
French wines, later expanding the policy
to cognac and
other high-end liquors.
The
results were catastrophic for the industry, with a 40% plunge in exports and a
net loss of €500 million, according to industry figures.
Pharmaceuticals,
the second-largest category of French exports to the US, could also be at risk.
Should
the US move forward with tariffs, French pharmaceutical firms could face
difficult decisions about whether to shift production elsewhere.
“The steel
sector is
already weakened, as is the automobile sector with the transition to electric
vehicles," said Christophe Blot, an economist at the OFCE, a French
economic think tank.
"Meanwhile,
industries heavily exposed to the US market — such as luxury goods and
pharmaceuticals are particularly vulnerable,” Blot added.
How
can France and the EU retaliate?
The
EU has made clear that it will respond if Trump follows through with his
threats. But economists warn that retorsion measures could backfire, penalising
European consumers.
“If
we do the same as Trump, we’re going to penalise French consumers. It’s not
necessarily an ideal situation — it’s a game where everyone loses,” Blot told
Euronews.
----Back
in 2018 during a previous trade dispute between Trump and the EU, the bloc
imposed tariffs on distinctive American brands such as Harley-Davidson
motorcycles, Levi's jeans, bourbon, and Florida orange juice.
On
Wednesday morning, the EU executive launched a set of countermeasures on US
imports into the EU, targeting a variety of American products, ranging from
boats to bourbon to Harley-Davidson motorbikes, similar to what happened in
2018.
What
other countries could be most impacted?
While
France would feel the sting of tariffs, Germany and Italy — Europe’s largest
exporters to the US — would likely be hit even harder, Camatte said.
Both
countries maintain substantial trade surpluses with the United States, making
them primary targets for Trump.
According
to research
by Natixis,
a 10% tariff hike could reduce economic output in Germany by approximately
0.5%, followed by Italy with 0.4% and France with 0.3%.
Despite
the uncertainty surrounding the US president's next move, economists caution
that the EU should brace for more tariff hikes.
“At
this stage, these are just threats, with no clear timetable or details,"
said Sébastien Jean, an economist specialising in international trade.
"But
given the repeated declarations and signals from the White House, it would be
surprising if the US did not impose tariffs on EU imports, beyond those already
planned for steel and aluminium,” he concluded.
Trump's trade war: What could be the consequences for French economy?
Covid-19
Corner
This
section will continue until it becomes unneeded.
Reports:
German intel agency collected evidence of Covid-19 lab leak
Wed,
March 12, 2025 at 2:51 PM GMT
Germany's
BND intelligence agency reportedly gathered plausible evidence that the
coronavirus pandemic originated with a laboratory leak in the Chinese city of
Wuhan, according to reports by three newspapers on Wednesday.
The
BND and Germany's Chancellery had asked scientists to examine the evidence over
recent months, although the outcome of that assessment was not immediately
available, according to reports in the NZZ, Süddeutsche and Die Zeit
newspapers.
The
so-called "lab leak" theory has long been a prominent but
controversial explanation for the deadly global pandemic.
It
posits that the Sars-CoV-2 virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of
Virology, which conducted research on coronaviruses, and began spreading
through some sort of accident or failure at the lab.
The
other major theory for the pandemic's origin is that the virus had a purely
natural origin, just like the SARS outbreak in 2002-3.
Not
all researchers involved in the BND round were equally convinced that the virus
clearly came from the laboratory, according to the NZZ.
Some
see the probability of a man-made pandemic from the institute growing steadily,
but have not yet wanted to commit themselves.
Deputy
government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told journalists in Berlin that they
had taken note of the reports. However, it was not possible to comment on
intelligence findings and activities.
She
said that the responsible committees of the German parliament, which meet in
secret, would be informed in such matters.
In
January, US President Donald Trump's newly appointed director of the US Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Ratcliffe, changed his agency's assessment of
the origin of the coronavirus as one of his first official acts.
More
Reports: German intel agency collected evidence of Covid-19 lab leak
Technology
Update.
With events happening fast in the development
of solar power and graphene, among other things, I’ve added this section.
Updates as they get reported.
Move over
graphene! Scientists forge bismuthene and host of atoms-thick metals
Tiny
anvil squeezes metal atoms into super-thin sheets with strange properties.
By Katherine Bourzac 12 March 2025
Taking
inspiration from ancient techniques, researchers have forged relatively large
sheets of metal that are just atoms thick, enabling them to more readily study
the weird properties of these materials in the laboratory. The method can be
applied to any metal with a low melting point, and the team has used it to make
2D sheets of bismuth, gallium, indium, lead and tin. The feat was reported
today in Nature1.
Javier
Sanchez-Yamagishi, a physicist who studies 2D materials at the University of
California, Irvine, likens the accomplishment to the creation of graphene, an
atomically thin layer of carbon. “This is just a starting point,” he says.
“Now, other people can step in and start studying” the metal sheets’
properties.
The
tiniest metal forge
The
properties of 2D materials are very different from those of chunks of material
with the same chemical formula. For example, graphene is mechanically tougher
and more conductive of heat and electricity than is the graphite in pencil
tips. Since the first studies of graphene in 20042,
researchers have made many atomically thin materials. Most of them, including
graphene, however, are generated by peeling sheets from layered crystalline
materials. “Like a book, you can pick a single page up and make a 2D sheet,”
says Guangyu Zhang, who studies nanomaterials at the Chinese Academy of
Sciences in Beijing.
Metals
don’t have this peelable layered structure, and most have been unstable when
scientists have tried to shape them into ultrathin sheets. However, researchers
have created small swathes of atoms-thick metals. Last year, for instance, a
team reported a method3 that produces
flakes of gold, called ‘goldene’, that are hundreds of
nanometres wide. Other methods involve depositing vaporized metal atoms onto a
surface to form thin sheets4. But
studying these materials has been challenging because metal atoms bind tightly
to whatever they are placed on, making it difficult to isolate their properties
from those of the surface material. Two-dimensional metal sheets are also
unstable: metal atoms tend to clump into nanoparticles, and when exposed to
air, the ultrathin sheets oxidize, so researchers have only been able to study
them inside vacuum chambers using a limited set of techniques.
Zhang
was inspired to develop the latest technique by a video of copper forging. To
make sheets of copper, the metal is heated in a furnace, then hammered and
squeezed on a large anvil.
It
took his team seven years to adapt the concept to work at the nanoscale. The
biggest challenge was finding a sufficiently flat anvil to squeeze the metal
layers. The researchers eventually selected sapphire, which is very hard, and
they coated it in molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which is atomically
flat.
More
Move over
graphene! Scientists forge bismuthene and host of atoms-thick metals
Next, the
world global debt clock. Nations debts to GDP compared.
World Debt
Clocks (usdebtclock.org)
Another weekend and while President Trump and Elon
Musk think up new fiendish tariff troubles for the rest of the world, many
vulcanologists are watching Mount Adams in Oregon which is giving some signs
that it might be about to become this century's Mount St. Helens. Have a great weekend everyone.
Scientists panicking as earthquakes strike near US volcano about to
blow
March 12, 2025
A series of earthquakes has shaken Washington State’s
most active volcano, raising concerns among scientists.
Mount Adams, located in the center of the state,
stands at over 3,600 meters (12,000 feet) tall and is situated 88 km (55 miles)
from Yakima.
The volcano has been classified as a "serious
threat", as it has the potential to trigger mudflows and avalanches that
could travel up to 80 km (50 miles), endangering thousands of residents in the
surrounding areas.
Although Mount Adams has not erupted in nearly a
thousand years, experts from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) warn that it
will erupt again in the future.
However, predicting when that will happen remains
impossible. Because of this, monitoring stations have been installed around the
volcano to track seismic activity and detect any warning signs of an impending
eruption.
Scientists
panicking as earthquakes strike near US volcano about to blow
We have
gold because we cannot trust governments.
Herbert Hoover.
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