Jan Fichtner
@janfichtner.bsky.social
Senior Research Fellow SuFi Project @UniWH & @UvACorpnet | Global finance, age of passive investing, index providers, ESG, sustainable finance, greenwashing, decarbonization | www.jfichtner.net
Pinned
Jan Fichtner
@janfichtner.bsky.social
· Oct 30
🚨New publication with Kristijan Kotarski:
Enduring Structural Power? Assessing the Dominance of the Anglosphere in Global Finance Before the Trump Turn
Includes novel visualizations of global finance (banking, portfolio inv & FDI) showing persistent US centrality
hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/487488
Enduring Structural Power? Assessing the Dominance of the Anglosphere in Global Finance Before the Trump Turn
Includes novel visualizations of global finance (banking, portfolio inv & FDI) showing persistent US centrality
hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/487488
New Zealand is awesome. But even here the insanity of current global big power politics is disturbing the tranquility of the mind. 😖
January 4, 2026 at 3:13 AM
New Zealand is awesome. But even here the insanity of current global big power politics is disturbing the tranquility of the mind. 😖
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Friendly reminder that W's Iraq invasion had 65% bipartisan approval when it started, even with debate about whether or not Saddam Hussein actually had WMDs. So the fact that this can't even crack 60% within the GOP is telling. 60% own-party support would typically kill a policy immediately.
Jan 3 poll of 1,902 U.S. adults (+/-2.8 points)
% who support | oppose the U.S. running Venezuela following the U.S. military's capture of President Nicolás Maduro
U.S. adults 34% | 41%
Democrats 16% | 64%
Independents 26% | 43%
Republicans 60% | 16%
today.yougov.com/topics/polit...
% who support | oppose the U.S. running Venezuela following the U.S. military's capture of President Nicolás Maduro
U.S. adults 34% | 41%
Democrats 16% | 64%
Independents 26% | 43%
Republicans 60% | 16%
today.yougov.com/topics/polit...
January 4, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Friendly reminder that W's Iraq invasion had 65% bipartisan approval when it started, even with debate about whether or not Saddam Hussein actually had WMDs. So the fact that this can't even crack 60% within the GOP is telling. 60% own-party support would typically kill a policy immediately.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
They are not hiding it.
US politics must draw connection between authoritarian crackdown at home and abroad.
Escalation of repression at home
AND
Escalation by US military in Latin America on drug war pretexts and regime change operations in a new Cold War.
US politics must draw connection between authoritarian crackdown at home and abroad.
Escalation of repression at home
AND
Escalation by US military in Latin America on drug war pretexts and regime change operations in a new Cold War.
January 4, 2026 at 1:44 AM
They are not hiding it.
US politics must draw connection between authoritarian crackdown at home and abroad.
Escalation of repression at home
AND
Escalation by US military in Latin America on drug war pretexts and regime change operations in a new Cold War.
US politics must draw connection between authoritarian crackdown at home and abroad.
Escalation of repression at home
AND
Escalation by US military in Latin America on drug war pretexts and regime change operations in a new Cold War.
This. This. This! 👇
There's a global solar energy revolution happening led by China and it should have been one of the biggest stories of 2025.
While the US is committing to a suicide pact with fossil fuels, the rest of the world is leapfrogging into cheap nearly limitless energy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/c...
While the US is committing to a suicide pact with fossil fuels, the rest of the world is leapfrogging into cheap nearly limitless energy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/c...
Cheap Solar Is Transforming Lives and Economies Across Africa
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 3:00 AM
This. This. This! 👇
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
I cannot think of a better illustration of libertarianism in practice than fascist regime-affiliated individuals using inside knowledge to trade on electronic betting platforms.
I guess crypto is up there, but this is a great illustration of what libertarianism looks like in reality.
I guess crypto is up there, but this is a great illustration of what libertarianism looks like in reality.
A side story is there’s a ton of insider trading on these prediction markets. New accounts making hundreds of thousands on their first and only trade, that maduro would be ousted. Seems like insider trading is legal if not encouraged on these platforms
January 3, 2026 at 8:43 PM
I cannot think of a better illustration of libertarianism in practice than fascist regime-affiliated individuals using inside knowledge to trade on electronic betting platforms.
I guess crypto is up there, but this is a great illustration of what libertarianism looks like in reality.
I guess crypto is up there, but this is a great illustration of what libertarianism looks like in reality.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
1. Look, there are basically just two ways to run the global oil market: petro-imperialism and petro-consumerism. Historically USA has embraced both, varying over time. The attack on #Venezuela is a return to naked petro-imperialism. Thread.
January 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
1. Look, there are basically just two ways to run the global oil market: petro-imperialism and petro-consumerism. Historically USA has embraced both, varying over time. The attack on #Venezuela is a return to naked petro-imperialism. Thread.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
The real kicker here is that if US companies do succeed in ramping up Venezuela’s oil, it’s some of the dirtiest and most carbon intensive in the world. And it’s cheap to produce (PdVSA says $5/barrel, probably closer to $25).
ociplus.rmi.org/supply-chain
ociplus.rmi.org/supply-chain
January 3, 2026 at 6:55 PM
The real kicker here is that if US companies do succeed in ramping up Venezuela’s oil, it’s some of the dirtiest and most carbon intensive in the world. And it’s cheap to produce (PdVSA says $5/barrel, probably closer to $25).
ociplus.rmi.org/supply-chain
ociplus.rmi.org/supply-chain
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Waiting for the 2026 version of this report using 2025 numbers where iirc a similar price drop was recorded
Just recorded a pod on solar+storage and holy shit y'all, if you are not tracking this market on a daily basis, you have no idea how wild it is. The global average price of a battery pack fell 40% *from 2023 to 2024*. That dropped the LCOE of a solar+storage plant by 22%. In a year!
January 3, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Waiting for the 2026 version of this report using 2025 numbers where iirc a similar price drop was recorded
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
The biggest geopolitical concern is 2026 is that, faced with a hammering in the November midterms, Trump will double down on his already authoritarian policies. Bombing Venezuela at the very start of the year is a very worrying sign of his intentions. War and domestic repression ...
1/2
1/2
January 3, 2026 at 9:09 AM
The biggest geopolitical concern is 2026 is that, faced with a hammering in the November midterms, Trump will double down on his already authoritarian policies. Bombing Venezuela at the very start of the year is a very worrying sign of his intentions. War and domestic repression ...
1/2
1/2
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
The FIFA peace prize aged really well.
January 3, 2026 at 8:18 AM
The FIFA peace prize aged really well.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Solar might be the one thing that’s going well. But can the sector’s growth withstand attacks from rightwing populists? @wblau.bsky.social questions @billmckibben.bsky.social and Ed Miliband.
Here comes the solar revolution
Demagogues, populists and despair can’t halt the electrification of our world
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
January 3, 2026 at 7:35 AM
Solar might be the one thing that’s going well. But can the sector’s growth withstand attacks from rightwing populists? @wblau.bsky.social questions @billmckibben.bsky.social and Ed Miliband.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
The mass of CO₂ humans put into the atmosphere in 2025 is 4x the mass of all plastic humans have ever produced.
Humans have emitted 2750 gigatons of CO2 since the industrial revolution from burning fossil fuels and land use change. To put this in perspective, this is more than the (dry) mass of all living things on earth and everything humans have ever built combined:
January 3, 2026 at 12:45 AM
The mass of CO₂ humans put into the atmosphere in 2025 is 4x the mass of all plastic humans have ever produced.
Very timely paper! 👇
What shapes fossil-fuel investment decisions?
What are pension funds’ climate considerations?
And how does the portfolio risk concept influence these issues?
Excited to see my paper "The dark side of diversification: Passive finance and fossil-fuel investment" published in @finandsoc.bsky.social!
🧵
What are pension funds’ climate considerations?
And how does the portfolio risk concept influence these issues?
Excited to see my paper "The dark side of diversification: Passive finance and fossil-fuel investment" published in @finandsoc.bsky.social!
🧵
January 3, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Very timely paper! 👇
Good, but not enough.
Wall Street’s biggest banks made more money financing green projects than they did from working with fossil fuel companies for a fourth straight year, even as they faced ongoing pressure to pull back from the business
Banks Notch Higher Fees From Green Bonds Than Fossil Fuel Debt
Wall Street’s biggest banks made more money financing green projects than they did from working with fossil fuel companies for a fourth straight year, even as they faced ongoing pressure to pull back from the business.
bloom.bg
January 3, 2026 at 7:03 AM
Good, but not enough.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Bari Weiss’ rebrand of CBS News as “Fox News but way less successful!” is coming along apace.
Incredible. CBS Evening News announces five new “simple values” — instead of their “38-page handbook” — as they roll out Tony Dokoupil is lead anchor.
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
January 2, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Bari Weiss’ rebrand of CBS News as “Fox News but way less successful!” is coming along apace.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine.”
— Steve Witkoff
— Steve Witkoff
January 2, 2026 at 8:42 PM
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine.”
— Steve Witkoff
— Steve Witkoff
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Mamdani has only been Mayor for a day & criminals are already fleeing New York
January 2, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Mamdani has only been Mayor for a day & criminals are already fleeing New York
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
What the war against London really is about. V good by @robertshrimsley.bsky.social #Giftlink
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
The plot against London
Distorted attacks by the populist right are really about demography
giftarticle.ft.com
January 1, 2026 at 11:29 AM
What the war against London really is about. V good by @robertshrimsley.bsky.social #Giftlink
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Trump just vetoed a bill that would fund the completion of a project to bring clean drinking water to rural Colorado.
The bill was passed unanimously by the House and the Senate.
He did so in retaliation for the state refusing to release Tina Peters, who illegally tampered with voting machines.
The bill was passed unanimously by the House and the Senate.
He did so in retaliation for the state refusing to release Tina Peters, who illegally tampered with voting machines.
Trump vetoes bill to fund Arkansas Valley Conduit in Colorado
President Trump vetoed a bill to fund a pipeline project to bring clean drinking water to communities on the Eastern Plains between Pueblo and Lamar.
www.9news.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Trump just vetoed a bill that would fund the completion of a project to bring clean drinking water to rural Colorado.
The bill was passed unanimously by the House and the Senate.
He did so in retaliation for the state refusing to release Tina Peters, who illegally tampered with voting machines.
The bill was passed unanimously by the House and the Senate.
He did so in retaliation for the state refusing to release Tina Peters, who illegally tampered with voting machines.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
They're going to *throw out* one-of-a-kind NASA archives?!
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
December 31, 2025 at 7:55 PM
They're going to *throw out* one-of-a-kind NASA archives?!
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Imagine scientists could invent an effective, safe, cheap way to prevent a wide range of terrible diseases and the people in charge of the nation's health system worked hard to stop people from using them.
That would be crazy. Criminal. Immoral. Inexcusable.
#impeachRFKJr
That would be crazy. Criminal. Immoral. Inexcusable.
#impeachRFKJr
The share of counties where 95% or more of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles has dropped from 50% before the pandemic to 28%, according to our analysis of public records from 44 states and the District of Columbia. At least 19,000 schools are now more vulnerable to outbreaks.
December 31, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Imagine scientists could invent an effective, safe, cheap way to prevent a wide range of terrible diseases and the people in charge of the nation's health system worked hard to stop people from using them.
That would be crazy. Criminal. Immoral. Inexcusable.
#impeachRFKJr
That would be crazy. Criminal. Immoral. Inexcusable.
#impeachRFKJr
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Today on Volts: you've probably heard that Australia has cheap rooftop solar power. You've probably also heard some rumors & myths about it. (Is it destabilizing the grid?) I called my favorite Australian energy expert to clear it all up. This is a fun one!
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
What's the real story with Australian rooftop solar?
Saul Griffith joins me to debunk the myths surrounding Australia's massive influx of solar energy.
www.volts.wtf
December 26, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Today on Volts: you've probably heard that Australia has cheap rooftop solar power. You've probably also heard some rumors & myths about it. (Is it destabilizing the grid?) I called my favorite Australian energy expert to clear it all up. This is a fun one!
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
Looking back at the #TopStories of #2025 from @greencb.bsky.social.
In September, @pfzwpensioen.bsky.social — the Dutch pension fund — ended mandates with BlackRock, Legal & General & AQR as it ramped up efforts to align its portfolio with new sustainability goals.
In September, @pfzwpensioen.bsky.social — the Dutch pension fund — ended mandates with BlackRock, Legal & General & AQR as it ramped up efforts to align its portfolio with new sustainability goals.
Major Dutch pension fund withdraws from BlackRock, L&G in sustainability push
PFZW withdraws billions from leading asset managers as pension funds come under mounting pressure to take account of climate risks.
greencb.co
December 31, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Looking back at the #TopStories of #2025 from @greencb.bsky.social.
In September, @pfzwpensioen.bsky.social — the Dutch pension fund — ended mandates with BlackRock, Legal & General & AQR as it ramped up efforts to align its portfolio with new sustainability goals.
In September, @pfzwpensioen.bsky.social — the Dutch pension fund — ended mandates with BlackRock, Legal & General & AQR as it ramped up efforts to align its portfolio with new sustainability goals.
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
As always, the biggest Trump scandals take place right out in the open
Exclusive: A year after Tenet Media was busted for funneling Russian money to MAGA pundits like Benny Johnson and Tim Pool, a Trump administration effort involving State and the FBI has welcomed Tenet's founders back into the US. @thebulwark.com: www.thebulwark.com/p/lauren-che...
Trump Admin Scores Visa for Founder of Russian Propaganda Outlet
Tenet Media’s Lauren Chen is back—even though the illegal-influence and money-laundering investigation remains open.
www.thebulwark.com
December 30, 2025 at 2:45 AM
As always, the biggest Trump scandals take place right out in the open
Reposted by Jan Fichtner
