🚦Signal & Noise

Economic History Rhymes — But Are We Too Busy Screaming to Notice?

Jun 27, 2025

For the week ending June 27, 2025

Theme of the Week: Economic History Rhymes — But Are We Too Busy Screaming to Notice?

Welcome to this week’s🚦Signal & Noise.

So, your news feed is basically screaming 'THIS IS NOT A DRILL' every single day? Welcome to the 'Unprecedented' Times — where the Fed is acting like a panicked DJ trying to fix the beat, and gas prices have more mood swings than a toddler in a tiara.

But here’s the gag they forget to mention in the panic-tweets: the economy isn’t some special, misunderstood main character. It's more like a predictable sitcom we’ve all seen before. It cycles through stormy seasons and sunny episodes, but honestly? The punchlines are just getting recycled for a new audience.

Back in the halcyon days of bell-bottoms and questionable haircuts, two visionaries named Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney decided to shake up the world by founding Atari, Inc. What did they do? Oh, just pioneer the video game industry — no big deal.

Atari didn’t just give us Pong (that addictive, glorified digital ping-pong that sucked entire weekends away before Netflix was even a twinkle in the internet’s eye); they basically handed humanity a joystick and said, “Good luck getting any work done ever again.”

Thanks to Atari, your childhood was a glorious blur of quarter-munching arcade cabinets and that infuriating moment when your little sibling smashed your high score. They paved the way for home consoles, computer games, and eventually, the digital time-sinks we call smartphones.

So, next time you’re procrastinating by scrolling through TikTok instead of adulting, tip your hat to Atari, the company that first turned “just one more game” into a lifelong lifestyle choice.

Happy 51st birthday, Atari. Here’s to many more years of video games ruining productivity worldwide.

Economic History Rhymes, But Are We Too Busy Screaming to Notice?

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.” — Mark Twain, or maybe some guy on X

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been gently nudged by countless people telling you this economic moment is unprecedented, unlike anything we’ve ever seen, and that your portfolio might as well be a collection of Beanie Babies. The Fed is running around trying to wrangle inflation, while energy prices bounce like a bad date.

But here’s a truth bomb: the economy isn’t a snowflake. It’s a weather pattern repeating with all the originality of a dad joke. The 1970s called, and they want their stagflation back (surprise, it’s just as annoying now).

Stagflation: The Gift That Keeps on Taking

Remember the ‘70s? Inflation was out of control, growth was sluggish, and the energy crisis made gas station visits feel like a scene from Mad Max. Today’s inflation is playing copycat, fueled by pandemic supply chain chaos and geopolitical spice. The Fed’s dance? Pretty much the same two-step: raise rates, try not to crash the economy, repeat until someone cries.

Back then, the Fed’s tough love approach did rein in inflation but not before ruining a few livelihoods. History whispers a warning: expect pain, not miracles. If your advisor is promising a painless inflation cure, run.

Oil Shocks vs. Renewable Hope

The ‘70s oil embargo was like the economy getting punched in the gut by OPEC. Today, geopolitical tensions still rattle energy markets, but we’re a bit smarter (or luckier). Renewables and diversified energy sources act like a helmet. Yes, they’re imperfect, but better than nothing. If anything, the lesson is that clinging to a single energy source is a bad idea.

Goodbye Gold, Hello Debt Mountain

1971: Nixon says “Hasta la vista, baby” to the gold standard, unleashing the wild west of fiat currency and government borrowing. Fast forward, and U.S. debt has ballooned from a mere $398 billion to a stomach-churning $36 trillion. It’s like giving your credit card to your college bound freshman and hoping for the best.

This massive debt isn’t just numbers; it’s the invisible thread pulling interest rates and economic policy like marionettes. Investors ignoring this are basically the people who still think their MySpace page will make a comeback.

Dot-Com 1.0 and Now We’re All Crypto-crazy

The dot-com bubble when everything with a “.com” was worth its weight in gold, despite selling nothing but dreams. Fast forward to today, and tech speculation isn’t just alive; it’s doing backflips on TikTok. Cryptos, SPACs, AI startups . Come on, it’s the same circus, just with cooler hats.

But here’s the kicker: the market’s a bit more cautious this time. Maybe the scars from the dot-com carnage made investors swear off rollercoasters... or maybe they just hide their lunacy better.

The Roaring 2020s?

The 1920s were a cocktail of innovation, exuberance, and inevitable crash (think flappers, jazz, and stock market debauchery). Today, AI, biotech, and renewables are the jazz bands of the decade, but beware: wealth concentration and speculation lurk in the shadows, ready to remind us that the party might end with a punch to the gut.

What’s the Signal in All This Noise?

If you read history like a therapist reads a patient — patiently, and with a pinch of cynicism — you’ll see that our economic symptoms are familiar. The past won’t hand us the cure, but it offers a blueprint for what not to do.

Keep one eye on inflation. It’s the economic mosquito you can’t swat but can prepare for.
Diversify like your grocery list — don’t rely on just one aisle to feed you.
Watch debt like you watch your email inbox: constantly, and with dread.
Beware of bubbles. They’re like sale signs at the mall — exciting at first, until you realize you paid full price for junk.

So, before you buy into the hype, remember: history rhymes. And if you’re like me, struggling to get anything done on your to-do list, the past is a brutal reminder that sometimes the best plan is just not to panic (or at least, to procrastinate wisely).

That’s a Wrap

If this week’s market chaos has you sweating more than this incredible heatwave melting our collective sanity, you’re not alone. Just like the blazing sun outside, economic history keeps throwing the same old curveballs only now we’re trying to dodge them in flip-flops and tank tops.

So here’s the takeaway: the economy isn’t reinventing itself; it’s just doing the cha-cha it learned in the ‘70s, but with Wi-Fi. Keep your cool, diversify like you’re shopping for snacks in a heatwave (don’t rely on just one aisle), and remember that bubbles pop faster than ice cream on a July sidewalk.

Stay hydrated, stay skeptical, and above all, don’t scream louder than the weather. History rhymes, folks and if you listen closely, you might just learn to dance through the heat.

Catch you next week hopefully with fewer sweat stains and more signal.

Lawain

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