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Rafael Mentges

@rafaelmentges

Economist interested in macroeconomics, monetary policy, and Banking. I have a second profile that is more focused on everything around space, so don't get confused ;)

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06.10.2023
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Latest posts by Rafael Mentges @rafaelmentges

Why are they still trying so hard to get Trump to like them? It's a pointless endeavor, possibly even harmful.

13.03.2026 16:08 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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How a US official’s deleted post sent oil markets on a wild ride Confusion over naval escorts in Strait of Hormuz exposes Trump administration’s lack of clarity over war aims

Probably once again a scheme to enrich MAGA elites at the expense of everyone else.

The amount of possibilities when you don't have a working judicial system anymore ...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

11.03.2026 18:41 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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a basketball player wearing a lakers jersey with the number 0 on it ALT: a basketball player wearing a lakers jersey with the number 0 on it

"Meine Damen und Herren, bitte erschrecken sie nicht. Wir erreichen Köln Hbf zwei Minuten früher als geplant." 🥳

Fünf Minuten später steht die Bahn 10 minuten auf der Brücke, wegen eines defekten Signals 🙈

10.03.2026 18:13 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Convenient dollars, inconvenient Treasuries? Special money

Interesting piece on interest parity and US government debt:

"... at almost all maturities, markets are exacting higher borrowing costs on the US government despite demand for the dollar."

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

10.03.2026 08:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

5. Die CDU hat ein Ideologieproblem. Die CDU ist nicht pragmatisch, sondern agiert ideologiegetrieben. Diese Politik der CDU auf Bundesebene ist genau das, was ihr in BaWü geschadet hat, weil es Wechselwähler vertreibt und Lager vereint. #lifestyleteilzeit #teuer-heizen-gesetz #zahnersatz (6/x)

10.03.2026 07:10 👍 8 🔁 2 💬 2 📌 0
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The Big Winner From the Persian Gulf Energy Crisis? Russia The turn of fortunes has given ​Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed swagger when it comes to energy.

Some Indian refineries are being offered Russian barrels at a premium of between $1 and $5 a barrel to the global benchmark Brent..arrival at Indian ports this month and next…That is in contrast to a discount of more than $10 a barrel below Brent in February.
🇷🇺🇮🇳
www.wsj.com/finance/comm...

09.03.2026 05:44 👍 17 🔁 10 💬 4 📌 3
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Neoclassical economics emphasizes that international trade acts like an improvement in technology that is mutually beneficial. Tariffs are a tax on this trading technology, from Ralph Ossa and @reddingecon.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w34915

08.03.2026 17:02 👍 16 🔁 9 💬 0 📌 0
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German chancellor’s party heads for narrow defeat in key regional election Greens projected to take lead in Baden-Württemberg state while AfD almost doubles vote share, according to projections

"If confirmed, a Green win would mark a striking victory for the party and its candidate Cem Özdemir, who would be well placed to become the first German state premier of Turkish descent in a coalition with the CDU."

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

08.03.2026 23:29 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Disinformation joining in globally together with war, famine, pestilence and death..

Disinformation joining in globally together with war, famine, pestilence and death..

Russia and the Trump administration turned #disinformation into a global reality.

The truth is just optional..

08.03.2026 19:04 👍 24 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 0

Das Problem ist, dass in den Städten schneller ausgezählt wird als auf dem Land (warum weiß ich nicht mehr).

Da die CDU auf dem Land stärker ist gewinnt sie leider im Laufe des Abends gegenüber den Grünen meistens noch etwas...

08.03.2026 20:33 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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My Ukrainian friend Ivan from Kyiv gifted me these colorful socks made in Ukraine by the Lviv Socks Cooperative. If you can navigate its website in Ukrainian, you too can be the proud owner. Buying products made in Ukraine helps Ukraine win.

leostep.ua

@ivanua.bsky.social

08.03.2026 19:36 👍 12 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
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Stop the count! 🙈

08.03.2026 20:08 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Allerdings ist das Ding noch nicht in trockenen Tüchern. Die CDU hat, glaube ich mich zu erinnern, auch bei der letzten Wahl hinten raus mehr zugelegt.

08.03.2026 18:05 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0
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Wow, phänomenales Ergebnis für die Grünen und Cem Özdemir!

Allerdings auch nicht ganz überraschend nach dem Momentum der letzten Wochen.

Und 17,7 Prozent für die AfD in einem westdeutschen Land ist schon alarmierend/schockierend.

08.03.2026 18:02 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Iran attacks show US haven status is in peril In moments of extreme uncertainty investors usually rush to the safety of US government bonds, but not this time

"US Treasuries are losing their status as the world’s go-to asset in times of crisis — the result, investors say, of erratic geopolitical and economic policy and the erosion of institutions under Trump."

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

02.03.2026 19:26 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Alles war früher besser:

Wohnfläche pro Person:

1960er: ca. 23 m²

1970er: ca. 26 m²

1990er: ca. 37 m²

Heute: ca. 49 m²

Und ja, unterschiedliche Quellen und Berechnungsmethoden machen vergleiche manchmal schwer, aber es ist Fakt, dass Leute heute wesentlich mehr Wohnfläche haben.

01.03.2026 10:37 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Most policy makers wouldn't design such legislation in the first place.

26.02.2026 12:28 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Right-wing extremism is actual the original cancel-culture.

Wokism is actually just a way to cancel right-wing cancel-culture.

25.02.2026 16:39 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Excellent piece!

Deutsche Bank again and again

25.02.2026 15:02 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Another own goal

21.02.2026 16:13 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Pentagon aggressively lobbies EU against Buy European weapons push In previously unreported remarks, the U.S. administration warned Brussels that it will retaliate if Europeans “strong-arm American companies out of the market.”

www.politico.eu/article/wash...

"While the Trump administration has repeatedly told Europeans that it wants them to shoulder the bulk of the continent's conventional defense, the U.S. doesn't want that to come at the expense of American defense firms."

21.02.2026 16:11 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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Investors pour record sums into European stocks Inflows on track for all-time high in February as global fund managers seek alternatives to expensive US tech shares

"European bourses have benefited from big investors’ desire to diversify away from Wall Street and its massive technology sector, which has been buffeted this year by concerns over a potential AI bubble."
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

20.02.2026 08:46 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

After years of saying “it’s complicated" on our podcast, Soumaya and I finally put it simply and into a book.

How To Win a Trade War is now up for #WPreorder at @waterstones.bsky.social (25% off!!!)

📖 👉 www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-...

18.02.2026 14:16 👍 11 🔁 3 💬 2 📌 0
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What fast food’s downturn says about the US economy Restaurants have raised prices to offset rising labour and ingredient costs, leading low-income customers to visit less often

"restaurants and other businesses that cater to low-income Americans are experiencing reduced sales as their customers increasingly struggle to make ends meet, while businesses that cater to affluent consumers enjoy resilient spending bolstered by booming stock markets."

10.02.2026 07:28 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Rubio sagt bei der #MSC inhaltlich nichts anderes als Trump, aber in freundlichere Worte verpackt.

Die Reaktion darauf zeigt, wie groß der Wunsch ist, dass im transatlantischen Verhältnis einfach wieder alles wird, wie es mal war. So wird das mit der europäischen Souveränität nichts.

15.02.2026 10:41 👍 1364 🔁 263 💬 38 📌 12

The fact that large parts of the German media landscape “reported” on this White nationalist fever dream of a speech by Rubio as merely reaffirming the transatlantic alliance is so far removed from reality that it truly makes me speechless.

15.02.2026 10:41 👍 1983 🔁 645 💬 49 📌 25

Valid point 🙈

15.02.2026 10:49 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

What happened to #FreeSpeech?

15.02.2026 10:06 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Kaja Kallas now talking @ Munich

"Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilisational erasure. In fact, people still want to join our club and not just fellow Europeans. In Canada, I was told over 40% of Canadians have an interest in joining the EU"

15.02.2026 08:14 👍 319 🔁 102 💬 14 📌 9

Wie bei Trump #AmericanCarnage

14.02.2026 17:10 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0