Stephen Fidler
Journalist. Former correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Reuters.
- “It took from the invention of the photovoltaic solar cell, in 1954, until 2022 for the world to install a terawatt of solar power; the second terawatt came just two years later, and the third will arrive either later this year or early next.” www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...
- I found this very moving. Thank you, @neildotobrien.bsky.social h/t @semafor.com open.substack.com/pub/almondtr...
- Trump has done it
- “How’s it going, Holy Father?” www.thebaron.info/people/howar...
- The Musk family. Such excellent judges of character.
- With every year that passes, the Tory plan to deal with Farage once and for all by holding a referendum on EU membership looks more and more like a stroke of genius.
- So widely liked and respected, someone who belied the usual first impression. A senior Pentagon official described him to me as “Like Wagner, better than he sounds.” An appreciation by James Mann. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
- You what?
- A reader asked our fashion critic: "Current fashion often includes pants that puddle on the ground. I can appreciate the look, but how do I wear them and keep them clean at the same time?" nyti.ms/4jhKv36
- Reposted by Stephen FidlerSuperb obit here of my friend and former colleague Gwen Robinson by @edwardluce.bsky.social - she was one of a kind. Probably had the widest network of contacts of any journo I have known. Lost far too soon. www.ft.com/content/ec0b...
- A great shame. A fine journalist and nobody’s fool.
- Gwen Robinson (1960-2025) “Badass” comes to mind when I think about her. Fiercely passionate w/ a career spanning decades across the region. A friend of many here in Bangkok; an inspiration to many more younger colleagues crossing paths with her. Rest in Power, @robinsonbkk.bsky.social
- Reposted by Stephen FidlerHaving your econ team promote “lower aggregate demand” is definitely a choice. @cnbc.com
- He won’t live for ever but it’ll seem like it
- My first guess for a future Trump pardon: Elon
- Turning on the cricket for some light relief. Oh.
- This from the NY Times shows, among other things, how the UK’s share of US imports collapsed around 2018, and the UK fell from sixth to 12th place. Is there a good explanation for why? General post-referendum shrinkage of the export sector? Anyway, UK hasn’t needed tariffs to cut exports to US.
- Original here. In Trump world, imports are bad. Maybe UK isn’t important enough to bother about. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02...
- Clearly part of the picture is some shifting from China to other countries, particularly in Asia.
- What a dirge is Flower of Scotland.
- Turns out it’s easier to win a cricket match with 12 players.
- Solved
- @stephenfidler.bsky.social Finally.
- Nice tribute to a lovely man and fine colleague.
- Obituary: Andrew Slade, FT journalist, 1963-2025 - on.ft.com/4fPT2aJ
- The two largest economies in the world will, as of January 20, be run by economic illiterates. Read this reporting from Lingling Wei. www.wsj.com/world/china/...
- And this. “What’s so bad about deflation?” www.wsj.com/world/china/...
- Paul Krugman and Simon Nixon turn up in my inbox minutes apart today with Substack posts on the fact that US long-term interest rates are rising even as short-term rates fall. Krugman asks whether there is "insanity premium" on LT rates, Nixon whether we're seeing "an American Liz Truss moment." 1/9
- I've been wondering when this shoe would drop. US interest rate developments reverberate worldwide. 2/9
- As Krugman says LT rates matter to people because of car loans, mortgages etc. They rise as bond prices fall and they fall when bondholders sell, often because they are worried about inflation. (Bonds pay a fixed annual interest rate and inflation reduces the real value of these payments.) 3/9
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View full threadIf Trump carries out his pledges then it's hard to see how inflation remains under control. The US stock market has been on a high, probably on promises of tax cuts and deregulation. But how long could this last in the face of higher LT rates and therefore borrowing costs for companies? 9/9
- I recall seeing Jimmy Carter wading through a rowdy crowd one night in Asuncion, Paraguay, I think in 1993, putting himself at risk to mediate in a disputed presidential election that almost no Americans were aware of. One of a kind. Remembering Jimmy Carter www.newyorker.com/news/postscr...
- Reposted by Stephen FidlerHa. If you know anyone who did go to an approved school I’d be *very* interested in chatting to them!
- Reminds me of a 1960/70s joke. “I went to a good school. It was approved.”
- And if you haven’t seen in other places, my book is now out: more on institutional care for girls “in trouble” in the mid C20th in England and Wales. Enjoy! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
- Presumably the answer was no, based on the poor punctuation. www.thetimes.com/article/5320...
- Reposted by Stephen FidlerNew thread from "Karl" on Ukraine; the first since the U.S. election. With @holgerroonemaa.bsky.social: 🧵
