New levy on Chinese ultra-fast fashion in France kicks in today

Bad news! What is this? Government interventionism? Government paternalism? Or is it government trade protectionism?

What is next?

If it is e.g. true that the Chinese yuan is systematically and significantly undervalued due to Chinese currency manipulation, then should this not be addressed first?

"France will from Tuesday impose a fee on ultra-fast fashion items that will eventually reach almost 20 euros per garment, as the government targets major Asian e-commerce platforms including Shein.

The levy follows legislation passed by the French parliament in June to regulate so-called "ultra-fast fashion" companies, known for selling large volumes of lower quality clothing at rock-bottom prices.

It is part of a push to rein in Asian e-commerce giants including Shein, Temu and AliExpress, which have exploded in popularity in France in recent years. ..."

France takes aim at ultra-fast fashion with new levy

France passes watered-down legislation to curb fast fashion "The law aimed at 'reducing the environmental impact of the textile industry' passed its final reading in the Sénat on June 29. Its content underwent numerous revisions over the past two years, particularly to accommodate domestic players in France, while excluding online giants Shein and Temu from those concessions."

Credits: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

This Great, Bipartisan Housing Bill Has a Major Flaw

Another example of how the road to hell is paved with good intentions!

"... the bill includes a provision, Section 901, that would hollow out its core promise."

"Titled 'Homes Are for People, Not Corporations,' the provision requires large investors who build or purchase homes specifically for rental to sell those homes to individuals within seven years, regardless of market conditions at the time. The section’s ostensible goal is to prevent those investors — companies that own at least 350 homes — from competing against individual home buyers. But its end result will be the evisceration of one of the fastest-growing and most promising sources of new family-oriented housing in the United States today: build-to-rent communities.""

This Great, Bipartisan Housing Bill Has a Major Flaw

Trump orders government to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds to lower rates. Really!

This seems to be a foolish government intervention in financial markets!

The current mortgage rate 30-year fixed is about 6%. Not too bad! According to Google search: "Over the past 30 years (roughly 1996-2026), the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate in the U.S. has fluctuated significantly, with averages in recent decades (2000s, 2010s) generally in the 4-7% range".

The daily turnover volume of U.S. Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) in the US is about $350 billion.

Maybe Trump ought to be removing all ridiculous federal regulations that make housing construction more expensive!

"President Donald Trump said Thursday afternoon that the federal government will buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds to bring down interest rates and monthly payments. ..."

Trump orders government to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds to lower rates | Just The News "In recent days, the U.S. president has floated a number of ideas to bring down housing costs."

President Trump threatens to take steps to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes. Really!

This seems to be a really bad, populist idea by President Trump! Looks like an arbitrary, selective big government intervention into a free market economy!

"... arguing that corporate ownership has helped push housing further out of reach for everyday Americans."

Thursday, January 8, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Trump threatens to ban Wall Street investments in single-family homes

Why Carmakers Are Bringing Back Buttons, Ditching Touchscreens due to government regulation with Palki Sharma. Really!

This does not make much sense to bring back buttons for more driving safety! Why not e.g. audio commands? Why not separate touch screens etc.?

Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, judge rules. Really!

Bad news! What is going on in California again? Politically motivated lawfare? Technophobia?

Caveat:  I am not familiar with the details of this case.

"An administrative law judge has ruled that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing that gave customers a false impression of the capabilities of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving driver assistance software, a pivotal development in a years-long case initiated by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles.

The judge agreed with the state DMV’s request to suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses in the state for 30 days as a penalty for its actions, but the DMV stayed the order and is giving Tesla 60 days to comply. ...

The company has signaled it won’t comply, though. Tesla said in a post on X that: “Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”

“This was a ‘consumer protection’ order about the use of the term ‘Autopilot’ in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” the company wrote. ..."

Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing for Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, judge rules | TechCrunch

Major mining merger creates 'Canadian giant: London-based Anglo American will acquire British Columbia based Teck Resources in a $70 billion merger.

Good news, except for the apparent heavy interference of the Canadian government!

Wie Österreich seinen Wohnungsmarkt ruiniert hat seit über 100 Jahren

Mit Sicherheit bestehen da deutliche Parallelen zum Wohnungsmarkt in der Bananenrepublik D!

Die Interventionsspirale staatlicher Eingriffe! Viele Politiker sind naiv und lernen selten etwas hinzu.

"eine Botschaft war Vizekanzler Andreas Babler im ORF-Sommergespräch im August ganz wichtig: Aufgabe der Politik sei es, einzugreifen. Und mit der Mietpreisbremse für den freien Markt tue man nun genau das. Erstmals, so betonte Babler, greife man damit selbst in die Mieten im bislang weitgehend unregulierten Segment ein. Ab 2026 sollen sie auch dort nicht mehr um die volle Inflationsrate angehoben werden können, wenn diese mehr als drei Prozent beträgt.

Erstmals? Österreich verfügt bereits über 100 Jahre Erfahrung mit Mietpreisregulierung ...

Obwohl die Mieten in Österreich vergleichsweise leistbar sind, kommt nun der Holzhammer der Mietpreisbremse für alle. Zum Glück müssen wir uns um die Investoren keine Sorgen machen. Zwar werden ihre Kalkulationen nicht mehr aufgehen, wenn sie befürchten müssen – und das müssen sie –, dass in den nächsten 30 Jahren noch einmal eine Inflationskrise kommt. Aber dann investieren sie eben heute in London, Frankfurt oder Warschau. In Wien wird es dann in einigen Jahren heißen: Es gibt zu wenige Wohnungen! Es wurde zu wenig gebaut! ..."

Wie Österreich seinen Wohnungsmarkt ruiniert

Wie Österreich seit 1917 seinen Wohnungsmarkt systematisch ruiniert. (Studie) "Die Mietpreisbremse für den freien Markt wird kommen. Und mit ihr eine ganze Reihe an unbeabsichtigten Nebenwirkungen. In Österreich haben wir über 100 Jahre Erfahrung mit Mietpreiseingriffen. Nur gelernt haben wir nichts daraus."

Vizekanzler Andreas Babler (vielleicht auch ein Babbler) Laut seinem Facebook Portrait  gibt er vor Weitblick zu haben, dieser Kurzsichtige! (schlechte Fotoqualität noch dazu)

What Richard Nixon’s Real Scandal Should Have Been

Food for thought! This article makes a good point! Watergate was a distraction!

"... On Sunday August 15, 1971, against the advice of his economic counselors, and in total repudiation of his party’s campaign platform, he announced on national TV that he was suspending the gold standard, imposing a 10 percent tariff surcharge, and imposing wage and price controls. ...

In 1981, just eight days after taking office, President Ronald Reagan swept away the federal price and allocation controls on domestic oil and refined products. ..."

What Richard Nixon’s Real Scandal Should Have Been

Trump demands Microsoft fire global affairs head Lisa Monaco

Food for thought! How controversial is this? This is apparently the second such demand by President Trump!

"... Citing her roles as “a senior National Security aide under Barack Hussein Obama, and a Lawfare and Weaponization obsessed Deputy Attorney General under Crooked Joe Biden and Lisa’s Puppet ‘Boss’ Attorney General Merrick Garland,” Trump posted on Truth Social that Monaco’s current role gives her access to “Highly Sensitive Information,” which he deemed “unacceptable.”

“It is my opinion that Microsoft should immediately terminate the employment of Lisa Monaco,” he wrote.

As Trump noted, Monaco worked with both Barack Obama and Joe Biden, including as a deputy attorney general under the Biden administration. Trump rescinded Monaco’s security clearance earlier this year, in the an order that did the same for Biden, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and the Biden family. ...

This isn’t the first time Trump has targeted a tech executive since returning to office. He previously said that Intel President Lip-Bu Tan must “resign immediately” over alleged conflicts of interest. Then, after Intel gave the government a 10% stake in exchange for funding already committed by the Biden administration, Trump described Tan as a “Highly Respected Chief Executive Officer.” ..."

Trump demands Microsoft fire global affairs head Lisa Monaco | TechCrunch

Just the fact that she was employed as Deputy AG for four years by this moron Attorney General Merrick Garland is a reason for concern.

Germany's Chancellor Merz sends letter to Commerzbank staff voicing opposition to Italy's UniCredit moves in the takeover attempt. Really!

The new chancellor is not exactly charming Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni!

What the heck is he getting involved here!

Sending a letter to the staff of the bank???? 

Caveat: I did not read the letter by Merz.

"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has told staff at Commerzbank, opens new tab he opposes Italian lender UniCredit's, opens new tab efforts to build up a stake in the bank, in a letter which Germany's finance minister said was "an important signal" about the government's stance.

Merz addressed labour representatives at Commerzbank in a letter dated May 26, and posted on LinkedIn on Tuesday, saying the Italian lender's approach for Germany's second-biggest bank was unacceptable. ..."

Germany's Merz sends letter to Commerzbank staff voicing opposition to UniCredit moves | Reuters

ML & AI and power consumption. Don't panic! No government interventionism please!

Update of 6/4/2025: Remember the early mainframe computers with electromechanical components and vacuum tubes.

It appears, the huge power consumption of running ML & AI models is becoming more and more a political issue.

ML & AI are still in their very dynamic infancy. Excessive concerns could become a drag on its development. Don't let this happen! Government intervention at this point would be counterproductive and undesirable!

As time goes by, we will find solutions to reduce the power consumption of ML & AI. Don't worry! E.g. the high electricity bills will be a constant reminder!

It could also very well be we need more electricity generation overall! Think e.g. about Africa were about six hundred million Africans are still without electricity in their daily lives.

More than a dozen state attorney generals in a letter urge Walmart CEO to reconsider DEI rollbacks

Who are these arrogant and pretentious fools! They should be fired instantly!

Resale tickets price to be capped in UK. Really!

Stupid government interventions! And it does not work!

TikTok commits to permanently withdraw TikTok Lite Rewards from the European Union. Really!

A typical case of EU Big Government committed to government paternalism! Quite literally!

It was reported that this arm twisting by the EU is supposed to protect children as if parents were not capable of doing that!

"Today, the Commission has made TikTok's commitments to permanently withdraw TikTok Lite Rewards programme from the EU binding. ...

Background

TikTok Lite is a new separate version of the TikTok app. Following its launch in Spain and France in April 2024, the Commission expressed concerns regarding the TikTok Lite Rewards programme, which allowed users to earn points while performing certain ‘Tasks' on TikTok Lite, such as watching videos, liking content, following creators, inviting friends to join TikTok, etc.

The Commission was concerned that the TikTok Lite Rewards programme had been launched without a prior diligent assessment of the risks it entails, particularly in relation to the addictive effect of the Rewards programme, and without taking effective risk mitigating measures. The Rewards programme, which may stimulate addictive behaviour, could potentially have negative effects on the physical and mental health of users. This is of particular concern for minors, who may have a heightened sensitivity to such features. ..."

TikTok commits to permanently withdraw TikTok Lite Rewards

Bank of Japan to end yield curve control and ETF purchases Tuesday

Good news! Get central banks out of the way to manipulate free markets!

"The Bank of Japan is poised to decide to end its yield curve control and purchases of risk assets as well as call time on negative interest rates Tuesday, Nikkei has learned, making the biggest change in Japanese monetary policy in nearly two decades."

BOJ to end yield curve control and ETF purchases Tuesday - Nikkei Asia Negative interest rates also ending in Japanese monetary policy shake-up

The SEC’s misguided attempt to regulate AI

Recommendable! 

There is a rush to regulate AI underway! Governments and legislators keep your hands off! Busy bodies stay put!

The SEC’s misguided attempt to regulate AI - Competitive Enterprise Institute

California Governor signs 7 year Right to Repair of electronic devices priced over $100 into law. Really!

Shows once more what a fool Newsom is! He needs to change his hair gel!

These kind of useless government requirements have a lot of negative consequences! Who is going to pay for it? The consumer by higher device prices. It will certainly impact innovation!

A free market economy does not need this kind of government interventionism! If there is demand for such repairs, then there will be suppliers.

Seven years and over $100 price? How often do these do gooder legislators want to adjust the price?

"... making California the third state with such a right-to-repair law. ..."

"... It mandates that manufacturers must provide the necessary tools, parts, software, and documentation for devices priced above $100 for a period of seven years after production. Devices with a lower price point are required to have these resources available for a minimum of three years. ..."

Right-to-Repair Law for Electronics Enacted in California

California Governor signs Right to Repair into law in a major win for the movement Although California is not the first US state to sign Right to Repair into law, it is by far the strictest one the US has seen. New York was the first state to ake Right to Repair into a law, but it was very watered down as per activists

Ab Oktober kontrolliert Microsoft automatisiert alles, was Sie mit ihrem Windows-Computer anstellen

Das klingt nicht gut! Kenne die Details nicht. Wird der Staat zum Denunziant (neudeutsch Hinweisgeber)?

"... Microsoft verspricht, nur verhältnismäßige Strafen bei schweren und wiederholten Verstößen zu verhängen. Aber in dem Regelwerk steht nichts, was eine halbwegs glaubwürdige Garantie bieten würde, dass nicht genau dasselbe passiert, wie bei den sozialen Medienplattformen Facebook, Instagram, Twitter und Co. Dass diese nämlich unter dem Druck der Regierungen viel zu viel zensieren, blocken und regelmäßig über ihre diesbezüglichen Bemühungen berichten. Oft wird wegen kleinster oder nicht nachvollziehbarer Vergehen auf völlig intransparente Weise zensiert, blockiert und gekündigt, bevorzugt gegen Kritiker der Regierung und internationaler Organisationen wie der WHO und Abweichler von deren Narrativ. ...

Die Plattformen haben sogar spezielle Seiten für die Regierungen eingerichtet, über die diese ihre Zensurbegehren privilegiert übermitteln könnten. Offenkundig wurde und wird dem oft nachgekommen. Das ist auch bei Microsoft unter diesem Service-Vertrag ohne weiteres möglich und vielleicht sogar zu erwarten. ...

Es reicht, Microsoft darauf hinzuweisen, dass einer der Gummiparagraphen des „Servicevertrags“ angeblich verletzt worden sei. Diese Möglichkeit ist auf der Netzseite zur Durchsetzung der Regeln sogar ausdrücklich angesprochen (übersetzt):

„Wir nutzen Berichte von Nutzern, Behörden und vertrauenswürdigen Hinweisgebern, die uns auf mögliche Richtlinienverstöße aufmerksam machen.“ ..."

Ab Oktober kontrolliert Microsoft automatisiert alles, was Sie mit ihrem Windows-Computer anstellen Wenn Sie sich als Microsoft-Kunde bei ihrer Nutzung von Produkten des Quasi-Monopolisten nicht an einen vagen Verhaltenskodex halten, kann Ihnen bald das Konto gesperrt werden - und Sie verlieren Zugriff auf alle bezahlten oder kostenlosen Dienste und ihre dort gespeicherten Daten. Regress gibt es auf Basis von Gutdünken durch Microsoft. Von Norbert Häring

FTC Chair Khan and other regulators sue Amazon for allegedly inflating prices through monopoly. Really!

This has the appearance of a phony government intervention! Caveat: I am not familiar with the details of this new case.

FTC Chair Lina Khan (age 34) seems obsessed or has an Amazon complex! In 2017, she wrote this article for the Yale Law Journal: Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox. First sentence of the abstract: "Amazon is the titan of twenty-first century commerce.". Does she want to be a titan slayer?

In 2017, she wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times titled "Amazon Bites Off Even More Monopoly Power".

In a free market economy, let the market and competition deal with Amazon. See for example Temu or Walmart etc.? On the face, these allegations are absurd, anyone can open the next Amazon on the Internet.

"The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general sued Amazon on Tuesday for allegedly using its power as a monopoly to illegally block competition and inflate prices. ..."

"The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general today sued Amazon.com, Inc. alleging that the online retail and technology company is a monopolist that uses a set of interlocking anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power. The FTC and its state partners say Amazon’s actions allow it to stop rivals and sellers from lowering prices, degrade quality for shoppers, overcharge sellers, stifle innovation, and prevent rivals from fairly competing against Amazon.  

The complaint alleges that Amazon violates the law not because it is big, but because it engages in a course of exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging. By stifling competition on price, product selection, quality, and by preventing its current or future rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers, Amazon ensures that no current or future rival can threaten its dominance. ..."

US regulators sue Amazon for allegedly inflating prices through monopoly | Just The News

FTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power Amazon’s ongoing pattern of illegal conduct blocks competition, allowing it to wield monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle innovation for consumers and businesses

FTC Chair Khan, a titan slayer