Sanctions on Russia

Oil prices are basically back where they started at the beginning of the month, but somehow eggs have doubled in price, and everyone’s pointing the finger at the war and those sanctions

🤦^∞

The hens aren't exactly laying much today...

dustyowl29 said:The hens aren't exactly laying much today...

I mean, honestly, they're probably just stressed out from the whole Bakhmut bombing situation combined with that 5% sales tax on eggs.😁

The bleeding just won't stop. Honestly, Russia is falling further and further behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to education, scientific breakthroughs, and high-end tech—which is exactly what they desperately need right now. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before they just slam the borders shut and forbid any man from leaving the country entirely, all while using mobilization as a convenient excuse to keep everyone trapped inside.
https://twitter.com/MoscowTimes/stat...90347563143168

Regarding egg prices—it comes down to feed. Chickens eat corn and soy, both of which have surged by nearly 100% over the last few years. Grain costs began their climb long before the conflict in Ukraine, though the war certainly acted as an accelerant later on. What strikes me as odd is how egg prices remained stagnant on grocery shelves for so long. It suggests producers were likely tethered to outdated contracts with big-box retailers—who, predictably, enjoyed the margins while the farmers took the hit. Now, we’re all just feeling the delayed impact of those squeeze tactics.

Nancy Gomez26 said:Regarding egg prices—it comes down to feed. Chickens eat corn and soy, both of which have surged by nearly 100% over the last few years. Grain costs began their climb long before the conflict in Ukraine, though the war certainly acted as an accelerant later on. What strikes me as odd is how egg prices remained stagnant on grocery shelves for so long. It suggests producers were likely tethered to outdated contracts with big-box retailers—who, predictably, enjoyed the margins while the farmers took the hit. Now, we’re all just feeling the delayed impact of those squeeze tactics.

I mean, it's pretty obvious to us why the price of an egg doubled overnight...

I mostly just write these posts to give people a little motivational push to actually use their brains for once instead of just rushing out to type nonsense. 🙂

Nancy Gomez26 said:Regarding egg prices—it comes down to feed. Chickens eat corn and soy, both of which have surged by nearly 100% over the last few years. Grain costs began their climb long before the conflict in Ukraine, though the war certainly acted as an accelerant later on. What strikes me as odd is how egg prices remained stagnant on grocery shelves for so long. It suggests producers were likely tethered to outdated contracts with big-box retailers—who, predictably, enjoyed the margins while the farmers took the hit. Now, we’re all just feeling the delayed impact of those squeeze tactics.

I’d argue it’s more about stockpiles than contracts. If they knew prices were spiking, they would've raised them, but the retailer isn't the one hurting most here—it's the producer. A big retailer can sit on a massive inventory and hike prices whenever they feel like it without asking the farmer for permission. My uncle grows blueberries, and he tells me he can't even get a foot in the door with the giant supermarket chains because they buy in bulk at rock-bottom prices. Some producers end up slashing their own rates just out of desperation because they have nowhere else to sell.

I placed an order for 300 duck eggs yesterday.

They say we're in a crisis.

electricsurfer47 said:I’d argue it’s more about stockpiles than contracts. If they knew prices were spiking, they would've raised them, but the retailer isn't the one hurting most here—it's the producer. A big retailer can sit on a massive inventory and hike prices whenever they feel like it without asking the farmer for permission. My uncle grows blueberries, and he tells me he can't even get a foot in the door with the giant supermarket chains because they buy in bulk at rock-bottom prices. Some producers end up slashing their own rates just out of desperation because they have nowhere else to sell.

The fix? Just grow what people actually want to buy. I mean, why the hell would anyone in America be obsessing over chokeberries anyway?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fkf3X6BW...ng&name=medium

Natural gas prices on the New York City exchange just dipped below the $100 mark, currently sitting at about $98/MWh.

That’s basically a massive 40% drop compared to where things were just two weeks ago.

On top of that, the Dollar has strengthened against the Ruble, hitting 72 to 1 USD, even though there isn't really any active trading happening with it right now.

https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter...rom=USD&To=RUB

hollowdriver13 said:https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fkf3X6BW...ng&name=medium

Natural gas prices on the New York City exchange just dipped below the $100 mark, currently sitting at about $98/MWh.

That’s basically a massive 40% drop compared to where things were just two weeks ago.

On top of that, the Dollar has strengthened against the Ruble, hitting 72 to 1 USD, even though there isn't really any active trading happening with it right now.

https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter...rom=USD&To=RUB

I was just about to start posting some memes about the US dollar, because man, this thing has been taking a serious nose dive lately. It’s honestly kind of wild—we're looking at a 15% drop over the last month and then another 11% just this week alone... like, what on earth is actually going on?

I was just sitting here staring at these exchange rate charts, trying to make sense of how much everything is swinging lately, and man, it’s a total rollercoaster. It feels like every time I blink, the value of the dollar is doing some wild dance against other currencies, and honestly, it’s enough to give anyone a little bit of a headache if they stare too long! I’m just over here trying to wrap my head around whether now is actually a decent time to plan any big moves or if I should just sit tight and hope the volatility settles down a bit before I make any silly mistakes.
🤔

Gregory Ramos3 said:I was just about to start posting some memes about the US dollar, because man, this thing has been taking a serious nose dive lately. It’s honestly kind of wild—we're looking at a 15% drop over the last month and then another 11% just this week alone... like, what on earth is actually going on?

I was just sitting here staring at these exchange rate charts, trying to make sense of how much everything is swinging lately, and man, it’s a total rollercoaster. It feels like every time I blink, the value of the dollar is doing some wild dance against other currencies, and honestly, it’s enough to give anyone a little bit of a headache if they stare too long! I’m just over here trying to wrap my head around whether now is actually a decent time to plan any big moves or if I should just sit tight and hope the volatility settles down a bit before I make any silly mistakes.
🤔

It's called "price discovery." It’s what happens in a free market—nothing more, nothing less.

Amanda Allen4 said:It's called "price discovery." It’s what happens in a free market—nothing more, nothing less.

I mean, okay, but why is this all hitting the fan right now? Things seemed pretty steady for the last few months...

Then again, nobody's even trading it anyway, so I guess it doesn't really matter much in the grand scheme of things..

Gregory Ramos3 said:I was just about to start posting some memes about the US dollar, because man, this thing has been taking a serious nose dive lately. It’s honestly kind of wild—we're looking at a 15% drop over the last month and then another 11% just this week alone... like, what on earth is actually going on?

I was just sitting here staring at these exchange rate charts, trying to make sense of how much everything is swinging lately, and man, it’s a total rollercoaster. It feels like every time I blink, the value of the dollar is doing some wild dance against other currencies, and honestly, it’s enough to give anyone a little bit of a headache if they stare too long! I’m just over here trying to wrap my head around whether now is actually a decent time to plan any big moves or if I should just sit tight and hope the volatility settles down a bit before I make any silly mistakes.
🤔

Russian oil sales have plummeted by 56%👍

lp

Bryan Booth82 said:Russian oil sales have plummeted by 56%👍

lp

Ahaaaaaa... I guess that's how it goes, huh?

I mean, didn't some people claim they’d just pivot everything over to China or India and it would be totally fine, like no harm done at all? ☕

Gregory Ramos3 said:Ahaaaaaa... I guess that's how it goes, huh?

I mean, didn't some people claim they’d just pivot everything over to China or India and it would be totally fine, like no harm done at all? ☕

It’s certainly not out of the question, but let me tell you something: I don't think it's going to be that simple, and it sure as hell isn't going to happen overnight. Do people really think things just fall into place without a fight? Not a chance.

Ford just announced they’re slashing production, and get this—they're planning to stop selling to the West entirely. But what happens to the inventory they actually manage to build? They’re going to have to find ships to haul everything away, but who on earth is going to insure those vessels? You can't exactly sail the high seas without insurance coverage, and without it, maritime transport becomes an absolute nightmare. It begs the question: will China actually be willing to pay the premium prices that the West used to cover? Or are we looking at a massive logistical and financial sinkhole?🤔

The primary objective here was always to choke off Russian oil revenues, and from where I'm sitting, it looks like the Russians are actually doing half the work for us. Is it just me, or does it seem like they’re practically handing us the tools to sabotage their own income?👍

lp

Why aren't they fueling up Russia? 70% of Russia doesn't even have gas... they should be providing cheap fuel to their own country instead.

Because there’s zero profit to be made from that.

Let’s be realistic. There are plenty of other things that should be prioritized for Americans before we even think about subsidizing natural gas. Judging by how the US military is performing over in Ukraine, they have a massive amount of groundwork to cover before energy comfort becomes an issue. Besides, increased comfort brings a certain level of complacency, which leads people to actually question the purpose of their existence. In an environment where living standards are higher, more people might start asking why they have this kind of government—or why these "special military operations" exist in the first place. Honestly, it’s probably better if the vast majority continues to live in absolute poverty. If life were actually decent, how many would still be lining up to volunteer for these "special operations"? As it stands, those who did sign up are just clinging to the hope that they'll finally get to own some high-end tech they can currently only stare at through a store window.

dustyowl29 said:Because there’s zero profit to be made from that.

When you sell exclusively to your own people at home, you run out of hard currency. And hard currency matters; it's what builds luxury yachts and buys high-end cars—the kind of things an average American citizen can rarely afford. Foreign reserves create a convenient illusion of national prosperity. But that's a dangerous game. It breeds a heavy reliance on the global market, leaving you vulnerable the moment your policy decisions stop making sense.