Wakanda Reality Are We Living In?

Submitted by Rabobank’s Michael Every

“A sinister, all-time disaster from which no one emerges unscathed.” That’s the Telegraph review of the new movie version of ‘Cats’ – but it also serves as a useful summary for the House of Representatives impeachment debate that just concluded. Trump just became only the third president after Nixon and Clinton to be impeached; regardless, the outcome is going to be what we suggested yesterday – greater polarisation, and a rapid Senate dismissal of the charges made in the House, and then even greater polarisation.

By the way, our other movie making-it-up-as-you-go-along-central-bank analogy from yesterday, ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, has a pathetic 58% Rotten Tomatoes critics rating, including such daggers as “it comes off more like fanfiction” (TIME Magazine); “the Star Wars saga has saved the worst for last” (ReelViews); “misses a chance to forge something special” (USA Today); “isn’t a great Star Wars movie” (New York Times); “another of those zillion dollar franchise films where I felt embarrassed for the actors but pleased for them, too, because the money is no doubt amazing and will presumably free them to do things they care about” (New York Magazine); and it “isn’t an ending, a sequel, a reboot, or a remix. It’s a zombie.” (Entertainment Weekly).

Which is very central-banky given how zombified the real economy is becoming as a result of our “Throw more Death Stars at the problem and the people will be satisfied; and space horses on Star Destroyers just in case” monetary policy. And, running the other way, even more so if we soon see stepped up central-bank support for fiscal policy when the latest US military budget has a green-light for the Spaaaaaaaaaace Fooooooooorce (which I remind readers can only be pronounced when speaking into your cupped hand). I wonder how long it will be until there is a tax-payer funded committee somewhere looking into the effectiveness of Death Stars or space horses (Spaaaaaace Hoooooorse).

If you think the Daily is increasingly blurring the lines between science-fiction and reality, don’t blame me. Consider this: the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) website recently included, then removed, the fictional Marvel-universe African kingdom of Wakanda (as in ‘Black Panther’) as a US free-trade partner vis-a-vis its agricultural tariffs.

Was this a joke, an error, or White House sympathy for an absolute monarchy hidden behind a giant wall that won’t export any of its cutting-edge high technology to ensure it retains supremacy? After all, Reuters reports the US is closing in on new limits on high-tech exports to China…in which case the ‘trade deal’ set to increase US exports to it by USD200bn within two years looks even more like science fiction too – and Wakanda better be buying a lot more agri products.

“Quick, bring me more Death Stars and space horses!”