links for 2011-05-31

Germany to scrap nuclear power by 2022 – Sky News Germany on Monday became the first major industrialised power to agree an end to nuclear power in the wake of the disaster in Japan, with a phase-out to be completed by 2022. Chancellor Angela Merkel said the decision, hammered out by her centre-right coalition overnight, … Read more

A Danger of Inflation: The Misallocation of Resources on the Way to Sustained Price Increases

(Adapted from original article in Inflation Watch) In January of this year, Professor Russ Roberts of George Mason University invited fellow economics professor Don Boudreaux to address “Monetary Misunderstandings” on the weekly podcast “EconTalk.” From the synopsis: “Don Boudreaux of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts on some of the common misunderstandings … Read more

Even Central Banks Are Buying Australian As the RBA Plans Higher Rates

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released its minutes from its last board meeting, May 3. I reviewed these minutes curious to understand the bank’s expectations for commodity prices given the on-going sell-off in commodities. The meeting occurred just as commodities started their current sell-off, so these pressures were not salient at the time. However, … Read more

Cabot Corporation Restarts Tantanlum Mining In Canada

Just when the current stampede out of commodities seemed to shout out that demand is quickly disappearing from the face of the earth, Cabot Corp. (CBT) announces that growing demand has pushed it to restart mining for tantalum in Canada: “Rising global demand for tantalum has caused Cabot Corp. to announce its intention to resume … Read more