October 8, 2025
Mr. Jesse van de Merwe

As established trading arrangements are questioned, the volatility in both markets and government policy are leaving countries and investors scrambling. In Trade Tumult, we explore the challenges that face an already vulnerable global economy and the implications these challenges have for countries, citizens and investors alike.

Beyond examining the challenges, we delve into opportunities for leaders and investors to navigate and capitalize on large shifts occurring in the global economy. We will discuss trade policy, inflation, fiscal policy, demographics, geopolitics and more–consolidating it into a cohesive framework to make sense of an increasingly fractured world.

Jesse van de Merwe - Trade Tumult: Challenges and Solutions in an Increasingly Fractured World

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 13, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss EIA's most recent oil price forecast, why the oil futures market is starting to trend the same way, and what that means for Alaska's fiscal situation (2:12); 2) we explain how all of the enthusiasm over the Ambler road and other new projects could end up causing even deeper PFD cuts (16:02); and 3) we explain how Jon Faulkner's Permanent Fund inflation-proofing argument in Must Read Alaska undermines both the current two-account system and the PFD (35:39).

The Weekly Top 3 (10.13.2025)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 20, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) following up on recent comments by House Speaker Bryce Edgmon about the situation in western Alaska, we ask whether it could be the final straw that breaks the PFD (2:18); 2) we use a recent op-ed from House Minority Leader Mia Costello to demonstrate that it's not just Ds that push spending without saying how they will pay for it (17:44); and 3) having read the second in his series on the Permanent Fund, we ask whether MustRead Alaska's Jon Faulkner should just start over (37:07).

The Weekly Top 3 (10.20.2025)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of October 27, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain why Legislators should ask those pushing for more spending to clarify at the same time how the proponents propose to pay for it(2:09); 2) we explain why one of the most prominent champions of PFD cuts is the very definition of hypocrisy (19:34); and 3) we discuss why, after taking some odd turns, MustRead Alaska's Jon Faulkner seems to be coming to the right conclusion on the ill-advised proposal to consolidate the two Permanent Fund accounts into one (39:02).

The Weekly Top 3 (10.27.2025)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 3, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss a stunner: how Alaska takes more as a share of income from its middle & lower-income families than California takes under its income tax from its billionaires (2:14); 2) we explain why the Task Force on Education Funding needs to address how they actually intend to FUND the increased spending they want (19:49); and 3) we examine the irony of Alaska's SNAP funding "crisis," how many of the same legislators who are now outraged about the potential loss of funds themselves voted to take even more from the very same recipients in the last budget (38:03).

The Weekly Top 3 (11.3.2025)

The World In Flux: Debt, Shutdowns & Digital Shifts | Financial Forecast S07 E12

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 10, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we explain what, to us, seems missing so far from this year's Governor's race (2:02); 2) we explain what irritates us about how many in the Top20% support taxes (18:00); and 3) we review the Permanent Fund's first quarter investment returns and what they tell us about the Permanent Fund Corporation's performance (37:33).

The Weekly Top 3 (11.10.2025)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 17, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss why revenues - where the money is supposed to come from - should be an equal part of the discussion of the Legislature's Task Force on Education Funding (2:15); 2) we explain why the Alaska fiscal policy debate sounds a lot like two kids fighting: it's your fault, no, it's your fault (19:24); and 3) we explain why the pre-session "priorities" discussions between local bodies and their legislators should be a two-way conversation, which includes a segment on "who pays" (37:51).

The Weekly Top 3 (11.17.2025)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of November 24, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we catch up on some recent developments affecting the Cook Inlet gas market (2:00), 2)  we catch up also on some recent developments related to North Slope oil (21:54), and 3) we explain the fatal disconnect which undermines what many think is Alaska's "trickle down" economy - GDP growth followed by household income growth (38:39).

The Weekly Top 3 (11.24.2025)

Welcome to The Weekly Top 3 - our look at the top 3 things on our mind here at Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets - for the week of December 1, 2025.

This week, our top 3 issues are these: 1) we discuss the significant uncertainty regarding oil price, and with that oil revenues, that the Legislature will face this coming session (2:10), 2) we explain why we have asked whether Lt. Governor Dahlstrom is duplicitous or just dumb when it comes to the Permanent Fund (18:56), and 3) we explain why, while we like Ralph Samuels, we believe he is a horrible pick for the Board of the Permanent Fund Corporation (36:59).

The Weekly Top 3 (12.1.2025)

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New tracks tagged #Fiscal Policy