Paul
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paulbali.com
Paul
@paulbali.com
Zachtwerkende Nederlander. 📍Paris, previously in Berlin, The Hague and Rabat. Views mine

Scribbles at chipsgunsandmoney.substack.com
I'm sick and tired of these guys buying up the entire ram and ssd supply. 500 euros for 32 gigs of ram is insane by any historical standard. Build new foundries in Europe. Let ASML resume EUV shipments to China so they can start fill supply gaps. etc www.ft.com/content/0a87...
Memory stocks soar as investors hunt for new AI winners
‘Insatiable’ demand and supply bottlenecks drive rally in once-unglamorous sector
www.ft.com
January 25, 2026 at 10:56 AM
Het enige antwoord op de afhankelijkheid van Amerikaanse technologie is - gezien de omvang van de vereiste schaal om te kunnen competeren op de wereldmarkten voor ram en chips etc - stevig en doelgericht industrieel beleid voor hightech sectoren op Europees niveau

nos.nl/artikel/2599...
Nederland hangt aan Amerikaans tech-infuus: 'We zitten in de houdgreep'
Twee derde van de overheden, scholen, vitale bedrijven en zorginstellingen gebruikt Amerikaanse clouddiensten, blijkt uit data-onderzoek van de NOS. De bezwaren daartegen nemen toe.
nos.nl
January 25, 2026 at 10:51 AM
Reposted by Paul
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
January 24, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Reposted by Paul
Andy Burnham announces bid to stand for Westminster seat ft.trib.al/DDVSXej
Andy Burnham announces bid to stand for Westminster seat
Manchester mayor seeks to contest Gorton and Denton by-election in move that could set up leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer
ft.trib.al
January 24, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Give the markets what they want. European safe asset
January 24, 2026 at 11:17 AM
With all the Rutte news, it is fun to note that while living in The Hague it wasn't uncommon to see him leisurely walking or cycling around, or just having a cup of coffee, as if a regular civilian. I once witnessed him wading through an ocean of schoolchildren trying to make the king's residence
January 22, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Paul
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen: “We have learnt something in the past days and weeks. When Europe is not divided, when we stand together, and when we are clear and strong also in our willingness to stand for ourselves, the results will show.”
January 22, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Paul
China’s quiet launch of an interest-bearing CBDC this month could be far more consequential for the future of the dollar and international monetary system than any of Trump’s shenanigans this week

Over to you, Brussels?
www.forbes.com/sites/digita...
China’s Digital RMB: Trillion-Dollar Shift In Payment And Crypto Rails
China has upgraded the digital Yuan to pay interest, marking a shift in CBDC design with implications for banks, payments, and cross-border trade.
www.forbes.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:40 PM
January 22, 2026 at 2:02 PM
It's completely crazy to me how previous generation ram that I bought like 5 years ago is now worth more than it was back then

sherwood.news/markets/insi...
Inside Sandisk’s transformation from thumb drive dinosaur to the hottest trade in AI
Soaring chip prices have fueled a nearly 1,000% run for Sandisk in a matter of months. Industry insiders, prolific hedge fund managers, and even...
sherwood.news
January 22, 2026 at 12:36 PM
The only lesson we need to take away from this is that Europe can be strong - if it unites and acts as one
January 22, 2026 at 10:17 AM
They still got assurances on resource concessions, which will shape negotiations going forward. I don’t call getting strong armed, extorted and humiliated by a country 5000km away a ‘win’ - but that’s just me
January 21, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Rutte’s entire strategy is sucking up even more and giving up even more stuff. It’s short sighted. And it still leaves Europe vulnerable to future extortion attempts
This is still extortion btw
January 21, 2026 at 8:59 PM
This is still extortion btw
January 21, 2026 at 8:47 PM
I'm reading this as a sign of weakness, ergo, Europe should go on the offensive now. They'll respect us more for it
Trump ruling out the use of military force does not defuse this crisis

Europe & Denmark's red lines are territorial integrity & the right of self-determination for the people of Greenland. They do not want to join the US

Trump has to give up his ambition for sovereign control
January 21, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Now we especially have to retaliate
Trump says, he won't use force on Greenland

"We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength & force, we'd be frankly unstoppable. But I won't do that.... that's probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force, but I don't have to"
January 21, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Paul
Trump says, he won't use force on Greenland

"We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength & force, we'd be frankly unstoppable. But I won't do that.... that's probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force, but I don't have to"
January 21, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Paul
Mit Stimmen von Rechtsaußen, Links und Grünen hat das Europaparlament heute Mercosur beschädigt. Während Trump Europa verspottet, weisen wir unsere Partner in Südamerika zurück. Wer so handelt, redet von europäischer Souveränität, meint sie aber nicht. Ein schwerer, unverantwortlicher Fehler.
January 21, 2026 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Paul
The new world order?
January 20, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Paul
It is now confirmed, I think, that the Trump administration’s vision for Syria overlaps with that of the Turkish and the Saudi: centralized state under Arab leadership.
January 20, 2026 at 4:35 PM
I honestly don't understand what the holdup is with activating the anti-coercion instrument. They're literally coercing us. This is what it's for
January 20, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Christ makes the money
Make Heaven Crowded is an insane title.
January 20, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Just as a side note - but this thread provides a good overview - I don’t think setting GDP or value added targets for manufacturing has ever worked. Even China gave up on them
2/ What began as a decarbonisation acceleration tool has, over recent months, shifted toward resilience and economic security aimed at shielding EU manufacturing from global pressures. The headline goal says it all: industry should aim for 20% of EU gross value added by 2030.
January 20, 2026 at 10:11 AM
Crazy stat
January 20, 2026 at 9:54 AM
Reposted by Paul
January 19, 2026 at 11:30 PM