Introduction: Rothbard at 100: A Tribute and Assessment

ECB Holds Rates At 2%, As Expected, With Stagflation Looming The European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged, as expected, with officials signaling they need more time to assess the extent of the Iran war’s jolt to the economy. The deposit rate was left at 2%, where it’s been since June 2025 and in line with the predictions of all analysts in a Bloomberg survey. The ECB offered no guidance on future decisions, reiterating it will act one meeting at a time based on information as it arrives. In the statement, the...

A US official told Reuters on Wednesday that the US military launched another round of airstrikes in Iran, an attack that risks plunging the region back into full-scale war. Details of the attack are minimal, but it comes after Iranian media reported there were explosions near Bandar Abbas, an Iranian port city on the Strait […]

Three Factors Leave Salty-Snack Demand Stale UBS analyst Peter Grom, who covers U.S. consumer staples including packaged food, beverages, and household products, served up a sour outlook for the salty-snack category, warning that the recovery investors had hoped for remains further out than expected. "Despite recent optimism around a potential recovery in salty snacks, our analysis would suggest the category remains challenged. While tracked channel growth has turned positive relative to prior periods, we have observed momentum beginning to moderate with L13W $ takeaway growth decelerating to +1.2% vs. the +3.4%...