GM.

Chapter 13 of Broken Money is called "Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown".

It focuses on the US trade deficit and why it arises structurally. In short, since the USD is the global reserve currency (for reserve assets, international contracts, FX trading pairs, and cross-border funding), there is tremendous automatic demand for USD in the world compared to other fiat currencies.

To supply the world with that ever-growing need for USD to service all sorts of needs, the United States runs structural trade deficits with the rest of the world. That's how the USD spills out to the rest of the world for them to use. And the mechanism for that is that the overvalued USD boosts Americans' import power, reduces Americans' low-margin export competiveness, and basically forces open that trade deficit.

That trade deficit is the cost of maintaining the benefits USD system as currently structured. The fatal flaw is that those who bear the cost (e.g. industrialists in the Rust Belt) are not the same as those to gain the benefits (e.g. Wall Street and Washington DC folks). And those costs and benefits accumulate over decades, resulting in rising populism and pushback, which is now front and center.

The challenge that the administration faces is that they have identified a real problem, but are tackling the surface issues rather than the underlying structural issues.

Anyway, I uploaded that chapter 13 on my website for free reading:

https://www.lynalden.com/wp-content/uploads/broken-money-chapter-13.pdf

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Discussion

Chapter 13 - nice double meaning there too 😁

And Linkin Park has "Heavy is the crown" :-)

I was thinking the same #lulz

Gm ☀️

Chp.13 is too far from me

Thank you

I wonder though did the administration actually identify this problem beforehand and this was their solution? Or did they just draw up some policy they liked without much thought and we collectively drew the more logical conclusions about the logic behind it?

This goes for the previous admin as well btw, making policy that someone is a fan of without much thought for practicality.

Idk, maybe that doesn't make sense, but I feel like the whole globalization narrative shifted after the "solution", not before.

GM! ☕ ☀️ 🫂

Very good read!

I have a photo from a Roman tomb that depicts Dionysus and Araidene that I saw in the Louve. Very cultured of you to include this content in your book Lyn!

But isn't that trade deficit anyway just fictional? Only the trade in manufactured goods or raw materials are taken into account and it doen't include the whole service economy, from which the US exports a lot. Or am I mistaken here?

You are not mistaken. You nailed it. There’s no trade deficit!

I'm almost to that chapter, I've been making my way through your book and it's glorious.

I started with chapt. 1, then skipped to read some of the later chapters, including this one. The main thing is, as I read it I get it, but afterwards I don’t really remember it. So I think it takes re-reading and taking notes.

People need to understand how complex systems work: Structure gives rise to behaviour which gives rise to events. As long as the structure remains the same, nothing will actually change.

System behaviour arises from internal structure, not external influence!

System structure, in turn, is governed by the underlying predominant mental models and beliefs.

Perfect timing- excellent primer to get better hand on current macro - maybe folks gonna be having more nuanced discussions - I want to be able to bandy about words like mercantilism and trade deficits 😆 many thanks for this Lyn

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So they would need to get rid of dollar's reserve currency status to solve the underlying problem. How could this be achieved?

I happened to just read Ch. 13 of Broken Money, a few days ago, just before this tariff tsunami started. It's got very relevant background information, very helpful, I've been recommending this chapter to folks.

Brilliant content, brilliant move to make it available for free now!

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Shouldn't importing lots of cheap goods and services by printing money, make their companies very competitive and somehow compensate the difficulties of their low margin exporting companies ?

Google can buy cheap chips („depreciating asset“/tool) and use them to offer better services in part because the dollar is more valuable than it should be. But the American worker becomes more expensive and less eager to work.

On the other hand, foreigners move to the high paying US to work and build companies. This braindrain starves the rest of the free world of their entrepreneurs.

Some people say China or India is going to be the next super power, but those aside, I don’t see any country that is in better position than the USA.

As usual you point in the right direction

Thanks 🙏 - I’ll read it while i wait..

Love your action figure. You've made it now 😜

Includes:

• Mini Fed printer

• Signed copy of Broken Money

• Express train (no brakes)

• Trillion-dollar coin (non-redeemable)

Huge error that her left ear is visible though

Yeah that’s an imposter! Bizarro Lyn Alden!

Want

Being superticious gives you bad luck... But chapter 13? 😏😶😂

not in other countries, and also not for Taylor Swift or her fans.

"That trade deficit is the cost of maintaining the benefits USD system as currently structured. "

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Gm🫡

The new hit single by Linkin Park - Heavy is the crown

https://youtu.be/R8OqqaBwcl8

So let’s say you know that the reserve currency was about to change.

Would you try to reverse policy beforehand or nah?

I would argue that fixing the trade balance is more important than maintaining the status of being the only global reserve currency.

I’d emphasize a multipolar currency world and neutral reserve assets.

Neutral reserve assets....

Thanks Lyn so yes there we go.

This is pretty much exactly what would be happening before a global monetary reset.

Thanks for the reminder about this important chapter. I'm re-reading and annotating this time so I can help myself recall themes and data points for friends that think they "get it" but not like nostr:nprofile1qqsw4v882mfjhq9u63j08kzyhqzqxqc8tgf740p4nxnk9jdv02u37ncpz4mhxue69uhkummnw3ezumtpd35kutn0dekqz9rhwden5te0wfjkccte9ejxzmt4wvhxjmc7tn8dw "gets it." Cheers!

The truth. The ability to print money is more like the Lord of the Rings

We are being *asked* to kindly share this 🖇️ association at this time.

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