#equity — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #equity, aggregated by home.social.
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4,500 cases, 2,100 deaths. Imagine the response, if this was happening in a rich country. In a world, in which the aim is to make money, there is no fairness and equality. #equity #equality #Ebola #Bundibugyo #Healthcare #economy #capitalism
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/13/ebola-drc-democratic-republic-congo-sixth-province
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4,500 cases, 2,100 deaths. Imagine the response, if this was happening in a rich country. In a world, in which the aim is to make money, there is no fairness and equality. #equity #equality #Ebola #Bundibugyo #Healthcare #economy #capitalism
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/13/ebola-drc-democratic-republic-congo-sixth-province
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Canadian governments are taking different paths back to the office
#Canada #ReturnToOffice #RemoteWork #HybridWork #Government #PublicService #PublicServants #WorkFromHome #Politics #PublicPolicy #Labour #Employment #GovernmentPolicy #PublicTransit #Equity #Economy
https://the-14.com/canadian-governments-are-taking-different-paths-back-to-the-office/ -
Canadian governments are taking different paths back to the office
#Canada #ReturnToOffice #RemoteWork #HybridWork #Government #PublicService #PublicServants #WorkFromHome #Politics #PublicPolicy #Labour #Employment #GovernmentPolicy #PublicTransit #Equity #Economy
https://the-14.com/canadian-governments-are-taking-different-paths-back-to-the-office/ -
Moral of the story: Never let bullies intimidate you. Ever. #Politics #Democracy #Business #DEI #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #US #USpol https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/14/dei-policy-company-performance
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Moral of the story: Never let bullies intimidate you. Ever. #Politics #Democracy #Business #DEI #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #US #USpol https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/14/dei-policy-company-performance
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If you are using an image as an aid to sighted people, then you DEFINITELY need to transcribe the text and/or describe it for low vision/blind folks.
Why would you think that sighted people need it but LV/blind folks do not unless it's purely decoration without any significance at all?
But far too many people either completely skip alt text or just put in some short summary or caption, which gives less information than you're giving to sighted folks. It really communicates what you think of disabled people and it's not good.
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If you are using an image as an aid to sighted people, then you DEFINITELY need to transcribe the text and/or describe it for low vision/blind folks.
Why would you think that sighted people need it but LV/blind folks do not unless it's purely decoration without any significance at all?
But far too many people either completely skip alt text or just put in some short summary or caption, which gives less information than you're giving to sighted folks. It really communicates what you think of disabled people and it's not good.
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Socio-Hydrology Modeling Captures How Inequalities Impact Community Flood Resilience
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2025WR041393 <-- shared paper
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https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-fema-can-build-rural-resilience-through-disaster-preparedness/ <-- shared technical/opinion article
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https://www.carbonbrief.org/us-flooding-increase-will-disproportionately-impact-black-and-low-income-groups <-- shared technical/opinion article
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https://headwaterseconomics.org/natural-hazards/unequal-impacts-of-flooding/ <-- shared technical/opinion article
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https://youtu.be/8jVRsD8wgMM?si=qBHchWZWkYRGbTdE <-- shared opinion video
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https://fedcommunities.org/lower-income-neighborhoods-face-greater-flood-risk-tougher-recovery/ <-- shared technical/opinion article
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H/T @matthew Preisser | PhD Civil Engineering, Natural Hazard Modeler and Socio-Hydrologists
“How can we better understand the dynamic feedbacks between the environment and society?
Socio-hydrology models are often built around the assumption that cities act as homogeneous entities, without capturing the variable capacity of communities with different underlying socioeconomic characteristics to respond to and recover from disasters.
In this study, [the authors] developed a disaggregated approach to model community-specific adaptive capacity, allowing [them] to examine how inequalities influence flood recovery and resilience. This framework provide[d] a basis for exploring hypotheses about the relationships between growth, inequality, and community resilience in the face of flood hazards.
[Their] results highlighted] the importance of considering community-level dynamics when developing flood mitigation and disaster response strategies that balance economic growth with equity. Many challenges remain in applying socio-hydrology models to real-world settings, but this work takes a step toward incorporating more realistic representations of socioeconomic inequality into human–water systems while preserving the generality and flexibility that make conceptual models useful…”
#risk #hazard #water #hydrology #flood #society #flooding #USA #SocioHydrology #naturalhazard #socioeconomic #population #demographics #infrastructure #damage #disaster #disaggregated #model #modeling #community #adaptiveresponse #growth #inequality #communityresilience #floodhazard #floodmitigation #disasterresponse #equity #city #town #rural #urban #economy #cost -
Socio-Hydrology Modeling Captures How Inequalities Impact Community Flood Resilience
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https://doi.org/10.1029/2025WR041393 <-- shared paper
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https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-fema-can-build-rural-resilience-through-disaster-preparedness/ <-- shared technical/opinion article
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https://www.carbonbrief.org/us-flooding-increase-will-disproportionately-impact-black-and-low-income-groups <-- shared technical/opinion article
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https://headwaterseconomics.org/natural-hazards/unequal-impacts-of-flooding/ <-- shared technical/opinion article
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https://youtu.be/8jVRsD8wgMM?si=qBHchWZWkYRGbTdE <-- shared opinion video
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https://fedcommunities.org/lower-income-neighborhoods-face-greater-flood-risk-tougher-recovery/ <-- shared technical/opinion article
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H/T @matthew Preisser | PhD Civil Engineering, Natural Hazard Modeler and Socio-Hydrologists
“How can we better understand the dynamic feedbacks between the environment and society?
Socio-hydrology models are often built around the assumption that cities act as homogeneous entities, without capturing the variable capacity of communities with different underlying socioeconomic characteristics to respond to and recover from disasters.
In this study, [the authors] developed a disaggregated approach to model community-specific adaptive capacity, allowing [them] to examine how inequalities influence flood recovery and resilience. This framework provide[d] a basis for exploring hypotheses about the relationships between growth, inequality, and community resilience in the face of flood hazards.
[Their] results highlighted] the importance of considering community-level dynamics when developing flood mitigation and disaster response strategies that balance economic growth with equity. Many challenges remain in applying socio-hydrology models to real-world settings, but this work takes a step toward incorporating more realistic representations of socioeconomic inequality into human–water systems while preserving the generality and flexibility that make conceptual models useful…”
#risk #hazard #water #hydrology #flood #society #flooding #USA #SocioHydrology #naturalhazard #socioeconomic #population #demographics #infrastructure #damage #disaster #disaggregated #model #modeling #community #adaptiveresponse #growth #inequality #communityresilience #floodhazard #floodmitigation #disasterresponse #equity #city #town #rural #urban #economy #cost -
The truth can sting.
[All the people who voted for Lindsay's sister refused to vote for Kamala because she was inexperienced.]
The irony is lost on the low information voter.
#fascist #USA #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #Senate #Congress #ironic #truth #voter #election #LindsayGraham #DarlineGraham #nepo #sister #diversity #equity #inclusion #conservatives #target the #most #vulnerable #among #us for #political #gain -
The truth can sting.
[All the people who voted for Lindsay's sister refused to vote for Kamala because she was inexperienced.]
The irony is lost on the low information voter.
#fascist #USA #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #Senate #Congress #ironic #truth #voter #election #LindsayGraham #DarlineGraham #nepo #sister #diversity #equity #inclusion #conservatives #target the #most #vulnerable #among #us for #political #gain -
GO VOTE
Connecticut, Alabama, South Carolina, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Vermont
get thee to the polls!
#fascist #USA #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #ICE #diversity #equity #inclusion #LGBTQ #minorities #immigration #policy #TransRights are #HumanRights #TransWomen are #women #TransMen are #Men #Republicans #target the #most #vulnerable #among #us for #political #gain
https://news24online.com/world/us-primary-elections-2026-alabama-connecticut-minnesota-south-carolina-vermont-and-wisconsin-voting-tomorrow-august-11-check-frontrunners-date-time-and-key-details/902602/ -
That quote "There are more people arrested for using Flock cameras to stalk people than there are trans in sports"
Here we go. You can find articles claiming stalker-camera-users-arrested total over a dozen, over two dozen, over 30, over 50...
Out of over 500K NCAA-playing students in college, there are less than 10 trans players. Link:
#fascist #USA #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #diversity #equity #inclusion #TransRights are #HumanRights #TransMen are #Men #TransWomen are #Women
https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/governing-bodies/article/15710780/association-president-tells-senate-panel-there-are-fewer-than-10-trans-athletes-competing-in-ncaa -
That quote "There are more people arrested for using Flock cameras to stalk people than there are trans in sports"
Here we go. You can find articles claiming stalker-camera-users-arrested total over a dozen, over two dozen, over 30, over 50...
Out of over 500K NCAA-playing students in college, there are less than 10 trans players. Link:
#fascist #USA #GOP #KKK #DEI #DHS #diversity #equity #inclusion #TransRights are #HumanRights #TransMen are #Men #TransWomen are #Women
https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/governing-bodies/article/15710780/association-president-tells-senate-panel-there-are-fewer-than-10-trans-athletes-competing-in-ncaa -
As DEI under attack faces backlash, accessibility offers a clearer model: inclusion must be infrastructure, not optional.
#DEI #Accessibility #Inclusion #Equity #Diversity #EventDesign
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As DEI under attack faces backlash, accessibility offers a clearer model: inclusion must be infrastructure, not optional.
#DEI #Accessibility #Inclusion #Equity #Diversity #EventDesign
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Infantino’s Plan For Saving Face Thoroughly Backfires https://www.rawchili.com/5065807/ #controversy #equity #fifa #FIFAWorldCup2026 #futbol #infantino #investor #Soccer #sports #WorldCup #WorldCup2026
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#AI Bias is a significant challenge for #diversity #equity & #inclusion leaders, w/ #bias not only in AI tools but also thruout the development process, per Nicol Turner Lee- Senior Fellow at the Center for Tech Innovation at the The Brookings Institution. …
More Thoughts And Observations about Bias on Substack at https://substack.com/profile/23237822-mike-temkin/note/c-307979199 -
#AI Bias is a significant challenge for #diversity #equity & #inclusion leaders, w/ #bias not only in AI tools but also thruout the development process, per Nicol Turner Lee- Senior Fellow at the Center for Tech Innovation at the The Brookings Institution. …
More Thoughts And Observations about Bias on Substack at https://substack.com/profile/23237822-mike-temkin/note/c-307979199 -
Hey, fedi. What smaller non-profits do you recommend for donations?
Some beautiful people have been tipping me for my articles and my accessibility app. That gives me the warm fuzzies.
But I’m going to donate those tips, because other folks need them more. And I’m going to replace my tips links with non-profit donation links.
My current list:
1. Sogorea Te’ Land Trust
2. Audre Lorde Project
3. Equal Justice Initiative
4. STEM Like a GirlWho are your faves?
#AskFedi #Donations #NonProfits #LGBTQ #STEM #GenderEquality #BlackMastodon #Equity #NativeAmerican
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Hey, fedi. What smaller non-profits do you recommend for donations?
Some beautiful people have been tipping me for my articles and my accessibility app. That gives me the warm fuzzies.
But I’m going to donate those tips, because other folks need them more. And I’m going to replace my tips links with non-profit donation links.
My current list:
1. Sogorea Te’ Land Trust
2. Audre Lorde Project
3. Equal Justice Initiative
4. STEM Like a GirlWho are your faves?
#AskFedi #Donations #NonProfits #LGBTQ #STEM #GenderEquality #BlackMastodon #Equity #NativeAmerican
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1 #TorstenSlok, chief economist, Apollo Global Management:
The 60/40 portfolio is broken because #equity returns are driven by #AI concentration rather than the #businesscycle, while #bond returns are now driven by #fiscal constraints rather than #cycle #dynamics.
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1 #TorstenSlok, chief economist, Apollo Global Management:
The 60/40 portfolio is broken because #equity returns are driven by #AI concentration rather than the #businesscycle, while #bond returns are now driven by #fiscal constraints rather than #cycle #dynamics.
🧵 -
#Stocks & #Trading Update – August 03, 2026
Articles of Interest while having coffee at Panera.https://geospart.substack.com/p/stocks-and-trading-update-august
📈 #Trading & #equity can be boring—so let’s keep it fun! 😅.
💻 Fun fact: I used to admin BlackBerry servers—BB stock still trades (🍁📈) and is green in off-hours!
🛡️ 💥 #AAPL took a 25% dive Friday— #SpaceX [SPCX] - down 3.5% today.
🌍 US & Europe green, Asia mixed. Life’s too short—find the silver lining! 😉
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#Stocks & #Trading Update – August 03, 2026
Articles of Interest while having coffee at Panera.https://geospart.substack.com/p/stocks-and-trading-update-august
📈 #Trading & #equity can be boring—so let’s keep it fun! 😅.
💻 Fun fact: I used to admin BlackBerry servers—BB stock still trades (🍁📈) and is green in off-hours!
🛡️ 💥 #AAPL took a 25% dive Friday— #SpaceX [SPCX] - down 3.5% today.
🌍 US & Europe green, Asia mixed. Life’s too short—find the silver lining! 😉
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Diversity is having a seat at the table. Inclusion is having a voice. Belonging is having that voice be heard.
#intersectionalitymatters #mentalhealth #socialjustice #equity #stigma #ymhc -
Diversity is having a seat at the table. Inclusion is having a voice. Belonging is having that voice be heard.
#intersectionalitymatters #mentalhealth #socialjustice #equity #stigma #ymhc -
UEFA declares no confidence in Infantino after World Cup equity plan https://www.rawchili.com/5061951/ #equity #EquityPlanFifa #fifa #FifaAssociation #FIFAWorldCup2026 #Football #infantino #ldnd #Soccer #uefa #WorldCup #WorldCup2026
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UEFA declares no confidence in Infantino after World Cup equity plan https://www.rawchili.com/5061922/ #equity #EquityPlanFifa #fifa #FifaAssociation #FIFAWorldCup2026 #Football #infantino #ldnd #Soccer #uefa #WorldCup #WorldCup2026
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Meet the lawyer filling a critical NFL diversity advocacy role https://www.rawchili.com/?p=5060321 #access:metered #Equity&Inclusion(DEI) #NFL #Source:USATODAY #ssts:sports:nfl:columnist:bell #Sstsn:JarrettBell #Tag:AmericanFootball #Tag:Discrimination&IdentityRelations #tag:Diversity #Tag:MinnesotaVikings #Tag:NationalSports #tag:NFL #Tag:NFLHub #Tag:OverallNeutral #Tag:SportsNews #type:story
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“Let’s go to the numbers”*…
From the McKinsey Global Institute, the executive summary of their snapshot– a “balance sheet”– of the global economy…
• The global balance sheet takes stock of all assets, liabilities, and wealth, providing a lens into economic health. This annual update estimates that it reached nearly $1.8 quadrillion ($1,800 trillion) in 2025, up from $1.7 quadrillion in 2024. Several asset classes grew further out of balance with the underlying economy, raising the possibility of corrections through inflation, asset valuation losses, or, optimally, productivity growth.
• The balance sheet’s mounting detachment from the global economy was driven by the world’s two biggest economies in 2025. US equity values soared to 2.4 times corporate net assets as profits were double their share of GDP since 2000. China’s corporate debt grew to 80 percent of real assets, versus 50 percent globally. Government debt remains near all-time highs in the United States and has grown most rapidly in China.
• Globally, most corporate and household debt and real estate moved closer to 25-year averages relative to GDP. Inflation helped with this normalization, although values remain well above pre-2000 levels. The ratio of productive assets to GDP held steady amid flat investment.
• Global household wealth growth rose to a new high of $570 trillion, driven by “paper” gains. Only 20 percent came from real capital formation, while valuations of existing assets grew four percentage points faster than already-high consumer price inflation. In the United States and Canada, equity values drove wealth growth. China, France, and Germany saw a drop in paper wealth as real estate prices declined. In the United Kingdom and Japan, inflation pushed up asset values.
• Major economies were on different pathways entering 2026. The United States has been in a “productivity acceleration” scenario, but high public debt and equities add the possibility of “sustained inflation” or “balance sheet reset.” Europe has gravitated toward “secular stagnation” as sluggish demand depresses growth and interest rates. China has experienced a partial balance sheet reset amid declining property values, although government spending and corporate investment have continued to propel balance sheet growth.
In this report, we provide an update on the global balance sheet in 2025, exploring to what extent its recent expansion, and by extension wealth growth, has been “in balance.” The analysis finds that wealth was, to an even greater extent than previously, rooted in asset values rising faster than real economy investment and growth, creating record levels of global wealth “on paper.”
Although many economies that were studied experienced wealth and balance sheet swings, the global picture was largely driven by its two biggest: the United States and China. Higher US equity values and the accumulation of China’s public and private debt brought some near-term economic benefits but left their economies more vulnerable to potential corrections.
Businesses use both income statements and balance sheets to develop a complete picture of their financial health. Analysts of the global economy tend to focus on the former. Since 2021, MGI has developed a “global balance sheet” to fill this gap, representing a clearer view into the world economy’s wealth and health.
Our previous reports found that from the mid-1990s to the COVID-19 pandemic, household wealth expanded faster than gross domestic product. Asset prices for real estate, equities, and bonds grew, as did debt and deposits. This occurred amid declining (and eventually rock-bottom) interest rates, rapidly expanding US profits, and a property boom in China. Productivity did not keep pace across advanced economies, nor did real wealth formation through net new investment.
When the balance sheet outruns the underlying economy, weaknesses can be exposed. When real estate and equity values rise faster than GDP, capital may disproportionately go to asset repurchases, sometimes with a lot of leverage. This may push up valuations but leave the economy deprived of the type of investment that generates long-run growth. For households, wealth rises but merely on paper, with heightened risks of eventual corrections. Growing asset values also tend to exacerbate wealth inequality, as existing owners of wealth see large gains while entering asset markets becomes harder for others (for example, young households trying to buy a home).
Elevated balance sheets may correct in one of three ways. A productivity acceleration scenario involves higher income supporting high asset values and debt; this is the most preferred outcome. A sustained inflation scenario brings down the real values of assets and debt, recalibrating the balance sheet with higher nominal GDP. But it can erode inflation-adjusted wealth along with other undesirable side effects. A balance sheet reset scenario, entailing a drop in asset values, deleveraging, and defaults, would shrink the balance sheet in absolute terms, with severe wealth losses and, often, lengthy periods of lost economic growth. Or the balance sheet may just stay high, particularly under secular-stagnation-like conditions of low investment and interest rates, as seen in the United States and Europe in the 2010s. That’s seemingly good for wealth, but at the cost of low growth and rising leverage.
Historically, most balance sheet corrections have taken place through higher inflation. Indeed, the inflation coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and Europe brought a correction in the balance sheet (and wealth) ratio to GDP. In China, a drop in property values drove a decline in wealth to GDP.
In 2025, global wealth reached a higher dollar value than ever before. But how “healthy” was this new growth? After postpandemic corrections, some balance sheet items have resumed expansion and reached new heights. This was particularly the case for US equity as AI fueled market optimism and corporate earnings continued to climb. Rising government debt relative to GDP remains a challenge in many economies amid higher interest rates. Stocks of currency and deposits remain high compared to longer-term historical norms. Altogether, this has culminated in even more wealth on paper than in the past several decades and raises the stakes for US corporate earnings to deliver.
Balance sheets, and macroeconomic factors like productivity and inflation, point to diverging trends across major economies. Recognizing the swing factors that can shift an economy to productivity acceleration is more urgent than ever: for the United States, corporate earnings and greater government saving (in other words, less borrowing); for Europe, greater investment; for China, higher domestic consumption.
Future global wealth and stability may depend on it…
[The report unpacks 0with lots of charts/data) the contents– the constituent elements– of the balance sheet, examines whether or not it is “in balance,” and considers whether the growth that it reflects has been “healthy.” (McKinsey worries that it has not been.) It concludes, addressing the executives who are McKinsey’s primary clients…]
… A balance sheet that is out of kilter with the economy—in other words, with high paper wealth fueled by debt and liquidity levels significantly above historical norms—can unwind via higher productivity, higher inflation, or asset price corrections. Balance sheets may also remain large, typically under secular-stagnation-like conditions, effectively kicking the can down the road for potential correction.
Each of these four scenarios shapes the long-term economic outlook. Only productivity acceleration delivers real economic growth justifying valuations, thus protecting wealth. The others sacrifice wealth, growth, or both. Sustained inflation reduces real values of wealth, secular stagnation sees low growth, and a balance sheet reset signals a loss of wealth and growth. Importantly for business leaders, two scenarios would likely mean structurally higher interest rates: Productivity acceleration would entail greater demand for capital amid higher business investment, while sustained inflation would likely involve central banks tightening policy rates and, ultimately, higher long-term yields.
All scenarios are possible for all major economies. However, they appear to be on different pathways, with different swing factors that could move them from one trajectory to another.
For executives, this means both preparing for an unusually broad array of economic pathways and carefully watching the swing factors, which rise above the noise of daily indicators (see sidebar “Business planning for all scenarios”). Leaders across sectors and industries could also explore ways to encourage the optimal outcome, the productivity acceleration scenario.
Major economies show significant divergence in trends across macro drivers of productivity, inflation, and interest rates, along with fundamental balance sheet components including real estate, equity, and debt.
The United States has seen a structural uptick in both productivity growth and interest rates relative to the prepandemic period. Productive investment, particularly driven by the tech sector, has recently grown. High equity values also signal market confidence, although they may pose some downside risks. Meanwhile, inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target and government debt remains near all-time highs, adding further inflation risk.
The eurozone has experienced a return to secular-stagnation-like conditions, akin to the prepandemic period, amid flat productivity and higher saving. Europe’s balance sheets overall appear more in balance compared to the US balance sheet (with a few exceptions, such as Italy’s government debt). Productivity growth rates, however, are down across the region’s three largest economies (Germany, France, and Italy). Until recently, inflation was mostly trending toward the European Central Bank’s 2 percent target, although Europe is more exposed to energy price changes. Personal savings rates remain high amid a drop in aggregate demand and per capita household wealth has declined in PPP terms in Germany and France.3 Productive investment remains below prepandemic and global averages.
China continues to work through a partial balance sheet reset in the face of a continued decline in real estate, with questions about future growth drivers amid low household demand and a boom in corporate investment. Productivity growth has receded in recent years, although it remains above the rate in advanced economies. Inflation and, in tandem, nominal interest rates have dropped, and concerns have shifted to dealing with deflation risks. At a macro level, lower household property investment has been offset by higher corporate investment, especially among state-owned enterprises, and by government spending. This has coincided with a substantial rise in corporate and government debt, both reaching all-time highs.
While the United States is the only major economy showing signs of productivity acceleration, it is not guaranteed long term, and other economies have a potential path to it. Focusing on “swing factors” could help filter signal from noise in the daily flow of indicators, market fluctuations, and political headlines. These factors differ by economy.
In the United States, swing factors that could knock the economy out of productivity acceleration include the “fiscal tightrope” and corporate earnings.
- Government debt stands at about 120 percent of GDP. Combined with higher interest rates, this means more public spending will need to be directed toward debt repayment. Public spending could come under pressure, especially from bond investors, in the form of higher market interest rates. These translate into higher business costs of capital. If fiscal policy tightens too little, a public debt crisis or sustained inflation becomes more likely. Too much, and secular stagnation is a potential outcome. To bring budgets back into balance, greater fiscal saving (or lower borrowing) on the order of three percentage points of GDP would be needed.
- On the corporate-earnings side, an equity or wealth reset could be triggered by a large structural shift in the longer-term outlook—for example, from AI disappointment or large geopolitical disruption. Equities are at all-time highs, at 3.7 times GDP and 2.4 times net assets, and constitute nearly 40 percent of household wealth. A price correction could result in a sharp pullback in demand, ushering in an extended period of low growth. It is thus imperative that corporate earnings deliver on high expectations…
Eminently worth reading in full: “The global balance sheet 2026: Imbalance and divergence.”
See also: “World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026” from UNCTAD (the UN Trade and Development Organization), whose review of the global finacial situation resonates with McKinsey’s, but whose recommendations are targeted to global policy makers and development champions:
• Strengthen coordination across macroeconomic policies. Monetary policy alone cannot manage persistent price pressures. Better alignment between monetary, fiscal and industrial policies is essential to stabilise inflation, support investment and protect vulnerable groups.
• Use fiscal policy strategically and credibly. Targeted and temporary measures can help protect households from high prices and support social cohesion, while credible medium-term fiscal plans and prudent debt management are essential to rebuild fiscal space.
• Scale up multilateral cooperation and development finance. Implementing commitments under the Sevilla Commitment, including debt reform and expanded concessional and climate finance, is vital to closing investment gaps and reducing systemic risks.
• Reinforce an open, rules-based trading system. Strengthening transparency, predictability and cooperation in global trade remains central to sustaining growth and limiting fragmentation in an increasingly uncertain global economy.
And for a differently-flavored kind of accounting: “What the Big Mac index reveals about a global currency beef.”
* Catchphrase often used by financial and sports journalists to transition to statistics or financial data, e.g., on public radio’s wonderful Marketplace.
###
As we ponder the political economy, we might recall (hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself) that on this date in 1929, while the U.S. economy was already showing signs of strain (agricultural strains and a sagging consumer market), the U.S., its businesses, and its financial markets were still in the “Roaring Twenties.” Roughly three months later (on October 24, 1929, “Black Thursday,” and October 29, 1929, “Black Tuesday”) America– and the world– suffered the Wall Street crash of 1929 and began the slide into the Great Depression.
By this date in 1932, stocks had lost roughly 90% of the value they had had three years earlier. GDP in the U.S. had fallen 30%; GDP around the world was down 15%. International trade fell by more than 50%, and unemployment in some countries rose as high as 33% (peaking in 1933 at 25% in the U.S.).
Unemployed people lined up outside a soup kitchen opened in Chicago by Al Capone, February 1931 (source) #balanceSheet #BlackThursday #BlackTuesday #business #CrashOf1929 #culture #economics #economy #equity #finance #globalEconomy #GreatDepression #history #McKinseyGlobalInstitute #politics #RoaringTwenties #stockMarket #trade #UNCTAD -
“Let’s go to the numbers”*…
From the McKinsey Global Institute, the executive summary of their snapshot– a “balance sheet”– of the global economy…
• The global balance sheet takes stock of all assets, liabilities, and wealth, providing a lens into economic health. This annual update estimates that it reached nearly $1.8 quadrillion ($1,800 trillion) in 2025, up from $1.7 quadrillion in 2024. Several asset classes grew further out of balance with the underlying economy, raising the possibility of corrections through inflation, asset valuation losses, or, optimally, productivity growth.
• The balance sheet’s mounting detachment from the global economy was driven by the world’s two biggest economies in 2025. US equity values soared to 2.4 times corporate net assets as profits were double their share of GDP since 2000. China’s corporate debt grew to 80 percent of real assets, versus 50 percent globally. Government debt remains near all-time highs in the United States and has grown most rapidly in China.
• Globally, most corporate and household debt and real estate moved closer to 25-year averages relative to GDP. Inflation helped with this normalization, although values remain well above pre-2000 levels. The ratio of productive assets to GDP held steady amid flat investment.
• Global household wealth growth rose to a new high of $570 trillion, driven by “paper” gains. Only 20 percent came from real capital formation, while valuations of existing assets grew four percentage points faster than already-high consumer price inflation. In the United States and Canada, equity values drove wealth growth. China, France, and Germany saw a drop in paper wealth as real estate prices declined. In the United Kingdom and Japan, inflation pushed up asset values.
• Major economies were on different pathways entering 2026. The United States has been in a “productivity acceleration” scenario, but high public debt and equities add the possibility of “sustained inflation” or “balance sheet reset.” Europe has gravitated toward “secular stagnation” as sluggish demand depresses growth and interest rates. China has experienced a partial balance sheet reset amid declining property values, although government spending and corporate investment have continued to propel balance sheet growth.
In this report, we provide an update on the global balance sheet in 2025, exploring to what extent its recent expansion, and by extension wealth growth, has been “in balance.” The analysis finds that wealth was, to an even greater extent than previously, rooted in asset values rising faster than real economy investment and growth, creating record levels of global wealth “on paper.”
Although many economies that were studied experienced wealth and balance sheet swings, the global picture was largely driven by its two biggest: the United States and China. Higher US equity values and the accumulation of China’s public and private debt brought some near-term economic benefits but left their economies more vulnerable to potential corrections.
Businesses use both income statements and balance sheets to develop a complete picture of their financial health. Analysts of the global economy tend to focus on the former. Since 2021, MGI has developed a “global balance sheet” to fill this gap, representing a clearer view into the world economy’s wealth and health.
Our previous reports found that from the mid-1990s to the COVID-19 pandemic, household wealth expanded faster than gross domestic product. Asset prices for real estate, equities, and bonds grew, as did debt and deposits. This occurred amid declining (and eventually rock-bottom) interest rates, rapidly expanding US profits, and a property boom in China. Productivity did not keep pace across advanced economies, nor did real wealth formation through net new investment.
When the balance sheet outruns the underlying economy, weaknesses can be exposed. When real estate and equity values rise faster than GDP, capital may disproportionately go to asset repurchases, sometimes with a lot of leverage. This may push up valuations but leave the economy deprived of the type of investment that generates long-run growth. For households, wealth rises but merely on paper, with heightened risks of eventual corrections. Growing asset values also tend to exacerbate wealth inequality, as existing owners of wealth see large gains while entering asset markets becomes harder for others (for example, young households trying to buy a home).
Elevated balance sheets may correct in one of three ways. A productivity acceleration scenario involves higher income supporting high asset values and debt; this is the most preferred outcome. A sustained inflation scenario brings down the real values of assets and debt, recalibrating the balance sheet with higher nominal GDP. But it can erode inflation-adjusted wealth along with other undesirable side effects. A balance sheet reset scenario, entailing a drop in asset values, deleveraging, and defaults, would shrink the balance sheet in absolute terms, with severe wealth losses and, often, lengthy periods of lost economic growth. Or the balance sheet may just stay high, particularly under secular-stagnation-like conditions of low investment and interest rates, as seen in the United States and Europe in the 2010s. That’s seemingly good for wealth, but at the cost of low growth and rising leverage.
Historically, most balance sheet corrections have taken place through higher inflation. Indeed, the inflation coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and Europe brought a correction in the balance sheet (and wealth) ratio to GDP. In China, a drop in property values drove a decline in wealth to GDP.
In 2025, global wealth reached a higher dollar value than ever before. But how “healthy” was this new growth? After postpandemic corrections, some balance sheet items have resumed expansion and reached new heights. This was particularly the case for US equity as AI fueled market optimism and corporate earnings continued to climb. Rising government debt relative to GDP remains a challenge in many economies amid higher interest rates. Stocks of currency and deposits remain high compared to longer-term historical norms. Altogether, this has culminated in even more wealth on paper than in the past several decades and raises the stakes for US corporate earnings to deliver.
Balance sheets, and macroeconomic factors like productivity and inflation, point to diverging trends across major economies. Recognizing the swing factors that can shift an economy to productivity acceleration is more urgent than ever: for the United States, corporate earnings and greater government saving (in other words, less borrowing); for Europe, greater investment; for China, higher domestic consumption.
Future global wealth and stability may depend on it…
[The report unpacks 0with lots of charts/data) the contents– the constituent elements– of the balance sheet, examines whether or not it is “in balance,” and considers whether the growth that it reflects has been “healthy.” (McKinsey worries that it has not been.) It concludes, addressing the executives who are McKinsey’s primary clients…]
… A balance sheet that is out of kilter with the economy—in other words, with high paper wealth fueled by debt and liquidity levels significantly above historical norms—can unwind via higher productivity, higher inflation, or asset price corrections. Balance sheets may also remain large, typically under secular-stagnation-like conditions, effectively kicking the can down the road for potential correction.
Each of these four scenarios shapes the long-term economic outlook. Only productivity acceleration delivers real economic growth justifying valuations, thus protecting wealth. The others sacrifice wealth, growth, or both. Sustained inflation reduces real values of wealth, secular stagnation sees low growth, and a balance sheet reset signals a loss of wealth and growth. Importantly for business leaders, two scenarios would likely mean structurally higher interest rates: Productivity acceleration would entail greater demand for capital amid higher business investment, while sustained inflation would likely involve central banks tightening policy rates and, ultimately, higher long-term yields.
All scenarios are possible for all major economies. However, they appear to be on different pathways, with different swing factors that could move them from one trajectory to another.
For executives, this means both preparing for an unusually broad array of economic pathways and carefully watching the swing factors, which rise above the noise of daily indicators (see sidebar “Business planning for all scenarios”). Leaders across sectors and industries could also explore ways to encourage the optimal outcome, the productivity acceleration scenario.
Major economies show significant divergence in trends across macro drivers of productivity, inflation, and interest rates, along with fundamental balance sheet components including real estate, equity, and debt.
The United States has seen a structural uptick in both productivity growth and interest rates relative to the prepandemic period. Productive investment, particularly driven by the tech sector, has recently grown. High equity values also signal market confidence, although they may pose some downside risks. Meanwhile, inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target and government debt remains near all-time highs, adding further inflation risk.
The eurozone has experienced a return to secular-stagnation-like conditions, akin to the prepandemic period, amid flat productivity and higher saving. Europe’s balance sheets overall appear more in balance compared to the US balance sheet (with a few exceptions, such as Italy’s government debt). Productivity growth rates, however, are down across the region’s three largest economies (Germany, France, and Italy). Until recently, inflation was mostly trending toward the European Central Bank’s 2 percent target, although Europe is more exposed to energy price changes. Personal savings rates remain high amid a drop in aggregate demand and per capita household wealth has declined in PPP terms in Germany and France.3 Productive investment remains below prepandemic and global averages.
China continues to work through a partial balance sheet reset in the face of a continued decline in real estate, with questions about future growth drivers amid low household demand and a boom in corporate investment. Productivity growth has receded in recent years, although it remains above the rate in advanced economies. Inflation and, in tandem, nominal interest rates have dropped, and concerns have shifted to dealing with deflation risks. At a macro level, lower household property investment has been offset by higher corporate investment, especially among state-owned enterprises, and by government spending. This has coincided with a substantial rise in corporate and government debt, both reaching all-time highs.
While the United States is the only major economy showing signs of productivity acceleration, it is not guaranteed long term, and other economies have a potential path to it. Focusing on “swing factors” could help filter signal from noise in the daily flow of indicators, market fluctuations, and political headlines. These factors differ by economy.
In the United States, swing factors that could knock the economy out of productivity acceleration include the “fiscal tightrope” and corporate earnings.
- Government debt stands at about 120 percent of GDP. Combined with higher interest rates, this means more public spending will need to be directed toward debt repayment. Public spending could come under pressure, especially from bond investors, in the form of higher market interest rates. These translate into higher business costs of capital. If fiscal policy tightens too little, a public debt crisis or sustained inflation becomes more likely. Too much, and secular stagnation is a potential outcome. To bring budgets back into balance, greater fiscal saving (or lower borrowing) on the order of three percentage points of GDP would be needed.
- On the corporate-earnings side, an equity or wealth reset could be triggered by a large structural shift in the longer-term outlook—for example, from AI disappointment or large geopolitical disruption. Equities are at all-time highs, at 3.7 times GDP and 2.4 times net assets, and constitute nearly 40 percent of household wealth. A price correction could result in a sharp pullback in demand, ushering in an extended period of low growth. It is thus imperative that corporate earnings deliver on high expectations…
Eminently worth reading in full: “The global balance sheet 2026: Imbalance and divergence.”
See also: “World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026” from UNCTAD (the UN Trade and Development Organization), whose review of the global finacial situation resonates with McKinsey’s, but whose recommendations are targeted to global policy makers and development champions:
• Strengthen coordination across macroeconomic policies. Monetary policy alone cannot manage persistent price pressures. Better alignment between monetary, fiscal and industrial policies is essential to stabilise inflation, support investment and protect vulnerable groups.
• Use fiscal policy strategically and credibly. Targeted and temporary measures can help protect households from high prices and support social cohesion, while credible medium-term fiscal plans and prudent debt management are essential to rebuild fiscal space.
• Scale up multilateral cooperation and development finance. Implementing commitments under the Sevilla Commitment, including debt reform and expanded concessional and climate finance, is vital to closing investment gaps and reducing systemic risks.
• Reinforce an open, rules-based trading system. Strengthening transparency, predictability and cooperation in global trade remains central to sustaining growth and limiting fragmentation in an increasingly uncertain global economy.
And for a differently-flavored kind of accounting: “What the Big Mac index reveals about a global currency beef.”
* Catchphrase often used by financial and sports journalists to transition to statistics or financial data, e.g., on public radio’s wonderful Marketplace.
###
As we ponder the political economy, we might recall (hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself) that on this date in 1929, while the U.S. economy was already showing signs of strain (agricultural strains and a sagging consumer market), the U.S., its businesses, and its financial markets were still in the “Roaring Twenties.” Roughly three months later (on October 24, 1929, “Black Thursday,” and October 29, 1929, “Black Tuesday”) America– and the world– suffered the Wall Street crash of 1929 and began the slide into the Great Depression.
By this date in 1932, stocks had lost roughly 90% of the value they had had three years earlier. GDP in the U.S. had fallen 30%; GDP around the world was down 15%. International trade fell by more than 50%, and unemployment in some countries rose as high as 33% (peaking in 1933 at 25% in the U.S.).
Unemployed people lined up outside a soup kitchen opened in Chicago by Al Capone, February 1931 (source) #balanceSheet #BlackThursday #BlackTuesday #business #CrashOf1929 #culture #economics #economy #equity #finance #globalEconomy #GreatDepression #history #McKinseyGlobalInstitute #politics #RoaringTwenties #stockMarket #trade #UNCTAD -
Treating higher ed as a series of fragmented markets instead of a unified system only deepens the urban-rural divide. Equity over profit. #Education #India #Equity
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Treating higher ed as a series of fragmented markets instead of a unified system only deepens the urban-rural divide. Equity over profit. #Education #India #Equity
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Stock market crash: SK Hynix continues to fall despite record figures
#ai #asia #markets #chips #daytrader
#economy #equity #finance #indices
#kaspi #korea #marketnews #nasdaq
#skhy #stocks #stockmarket #tarriffs
#tech #technology #wallstreet -
Stock market crash: SK Hynix continues to fall despite record figures
#ai #asia #markets #chips #daytrader
#economy #equity #finance #indices
#kaspi #korea #marketnews #nasdaq
#skhy #stocks #stockmarket #tarriffs
#tech #technology #wallstreet -
AI is transforming health care, but not everyone will share the benefits
#AI #Healthcare #HealthCare #Canada #HealthEquity #Tech #DigitalHealth #MedicalAI #AlgorithmicBias #HealthPolicy #Equity #Inclusion #Medicine #RacializedCommunities #AIForAll #Fair
https://the-14.com/ai-is-transforming-health-care-but-not-everyone-will-share-the-benefits/ -
AI is transforming health care, but not everyone will share the benefits
#AI #Healthcare #HealthCare #Canada #HealthEquity #Tech #DigitalHealth #MedicalAI #AlgorithmicBias #HealthPolicy #Equity #Inclusion #Medicine #RacializedCommunities #AIForAll #Fair
https://the-14.com/ai-is-transforming-health-care-but-not-everyone-will-share-the-benefits/ -
Who are the individuals who want Donald Trump dead? And why do they want him dead? Do they think his death could lead to a landslide victory for Kamala Harris or another Democratic candidate? These are the pressing questions on the minds of political observers as the former president survives yet another assassination attempt.
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/trump-s-attempted-assassination-a-new-era-in-us-politics
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities,
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Who are the individuals who want Donald Trump dead? And why do they want him dead? Do they think his death could lead to a landslide victory for Kamala Harris or another Democratic candidate? These are the pressing questions on the minds of political observers as the former president survives yet another assassination attempt.
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/trump-s-attempted-assassination-a-new-era-in-us-politics
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities,
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Who are the individuals who want Donald Trump dead? And why do they want him dead? Do they think his death could lead to a landslide victory for Kamala Harris or another Democratic candidate?
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/trump-s-attempted-assassination-a-new-era-in-us-politics
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities,
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Who are the individuals who want Donald Trump dead? And why do they want him dead? Do they think his death could lead to a landslide victory for Kamala Harris or another Democratic candidate?
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/trump-s-attempted-assassination-a-new-era-in-us-politics
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities,
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The teachers’ union has long expressed their frustrations. Comrade Abdullah Mohammed Tasha's, the state chairman of the NUT, made it clear that the situation has become untenable.
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/fct-teachers-strike-primary-school-resumption-remains-in-limbo
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities,
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Nigeria is home to three major ethnic groups: the Hausa-Fulani in the North, the Yoruba in the Southwest, and the Igbo in the Southeast. Each group possesses its own distinct traditions, languages, and customs, contributing to a rich national mosaic.
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/celebrating-nigeria-s-rich-culture-on-independence-day
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities,
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The killing spree began with Hamas’s sudden offensive on October 7th, a day that changed the course of the conflict. Breaking through Israel’s borders, Hamas fighters unleashed an attack that left around 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians.
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/twelve-months-of-violence-examining-the-killings-in-israel
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities,
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CW: nzpol
From bsky.app:
Huia Sue
@huiasue.bsky.social
#Winston Peters voted against #abortion rights
He backed taking away pay #equity from women
He's running a candidate who wants to ban abortion.
He ran a candidate who referred to women as "a pair of tits & a vagina".
Peters pretends concern for women as it’s politically convenient.
#NZF=antiwoke & corrupt -
A Quaker related effort >>
Right Sharing of World Resources | #Equity & #CommunityDevelopment
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The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Instituted has decided to award the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Victor Ambrose and Gary Ruskin “for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation”.
link-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln5rCmDqua0&t=67s
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities
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Many voters in the US have options to cast their ballots before election Day, November 5. Reports say that some have already started receiving mail-in ballots. Early voting became popular in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was in full swing, as it allowed people to avoid crowding into polling stations.
link-https://www.culturalvibing.com/post/early-voting-begins-in-the-us-here-s-what-to-kn
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities
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Every year, millions of people tune in to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to witness one of the largest and most celebrated events in the country. With iconic balloons, dazzling floats, and spectacular performances, the parade has become a staple of American culture.
link-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhl_vXmwLMs&t=2s
#Productions, #artistry, #motivational, #speaking, #culturaldiversity, #Equity, #training, #business, #Institutions, #communities
