BSo the White House wanted Russian diesel back in American tanks. The Wall Street Journal says it hasn't happened.
ANot one barrel. Tankers bound for the U.S. changed course because buyers didn't want the cargo.
BUnusual Whales posted the Journal's reporting. As of Nov. 11, no Russian diesel has reached the U.S. since April 2022, and several tankers bound for the U.S. changed course or are waiting for orders after buyers balked.
AAnd now the administration is trying to reopen that door. The market is saying no thanks.
BIt's a fascinating test. You can lift sanctions on paper, but if refiners and traders won't touch it, the policy is dead.
AReputation risk. Nobody wants to be the first buyer of Russian fuel after two years of sanctions.
BAnd the tankers are just sitting there, waiting for orders. That's a lot of floating capital doing nothing.
AThe administration can say it's trying to lower prices. The market is saying the price of that diesel includes a political cost.
BSpeaking of markets repricing things, Citadel Securities' bond boss says voters just repriced the AI buildout.
AZeroHedge flagged that one. The argument: scarce compute wins, suppliers lose.
BI think that's right. If everyone is building data centers, the bottleneck is the chips and the power, not the companies selling shovels.
ABut the suppliers are the ones with the order books. Nvidia, the power companies, the cooling guys.
BSure, but the bond boss is talking about who captures the margin. If compute is scarce, the owners of compute set the price.
ASo the hyperscalers win, and the equipment makers get squeezed. That's a real shift from last year's narrative.
BAnd it's coming from the bond market, not the equity cheerleaders. That's why I pay attention.
AMeanwhile, Polymarket is out with a college ranking. University of Texas at Austin number one, then Florida and Notre Dame.
BCity Journal's college rankings. I can't confirm those numbers, and neither could our team.
ASo treat it as a claim, not a fact. But it's a fun one. Texas, Florida, Notre Dame.
BThe usual suspects for people who think the Ivy League has lost its way. I'm not saying they're wrong.
AI'd want to see the methodology. Graduation rates, earnings, debt. Otherwise it's just a vibe.
BFair. But the vibe is real. Parents are asking whether a degree from some of these places is worth the price.
AAnd that's the money story. College is a purchase, and people are finally treating it like one.
BDifferent world entirely: a Bluesky account called Reconstructionist is asking a counterfactual about the economy.
AWhat would 2023 look like without the Ukraine war shock? And 2026 without the tariff and Iran war shock?
BI like the question. It forces you to separate the underlying economy from the shocks.
ABut you can't just subtract a war. The war changed energy prices, supply chains, defense spending. It's all connected.
BThat's exactly my point! The counterfactual is a thought experiment, not a forecast.
AThen it's just a way to blame Trump for the 2026 economy. Take away the tariffs and the Iran war, and everything's fine?
BNo, no, wait— the post isn't blaming anyone. It's asking what people's perceptions would be.
APerceptions are shaped by the shocks. You can't separate them.
BBut you can ask whether the underlying economy is strong or weak. That's a legitimate question.
AFine. But the answer is always going to be political. That's why I'm skeptical of the whole exercise.
BAnd that's why it's a good post. It got us arguing.
BLast one, and it's a little spicy. Mr. November on Bluesky says we shouldn't have balanced the entire economy on one man's... anatomy.
AI'm not going to repeat the word. But the point is about concentration risk.
BHe's talking about Elon, obviously. Tesla, SpaceX, the AI stuff, the government role. One man, a lot of the economy.
AIt's a fair point about concentration. But it's also a little unfair. He built those companies.
BSure, but the market has priced in his personal brand. If something happens to him, a lot of value evaporates.
AThat's true of any founder-led company. Apple had the same risk with Steve Jobs.
BBut Apple wasn't also running a space program and a social media platform and advising the government.
AFair. The concentration is real. But the post is also a little crude for a money show.
BIt's Bluesky. They're not exactly the Wall Street Journal.
AAnd that's the show. Russian diesel, AI compute, college rankings, and one man's... brand.