Up next: Russian invasion of Ukraine generates an infinitude of unlikely and improbable side effects.

Ukraine is not the largest supplier of wheat in the world. They don’t call the US Midwest ‘the bread basket of the world’ for nothing.

American gasoline does not come from the Ukraine; nor does it come from Russia. While the conflict would have a predictable impact on world gasoline supply overall, ours doesn’t come from there. A reasonable expectation would have gasoline prices moving up in response; gasoline sellers would have gasoline prices move up dramatically for any reason, and THAT is why gas prices are dramatically higher.

Finally, if the US isn’t operating it’s own fabs (and we demonstrably aren’t) then supplies of palladium and neon should have no immediate impact on the US chip supply. Long term, perhaps; but the invasion is barely days old, no?

We rapidly approach a time where there are no countries among oligarchs. What will they do for fun when counting money becomes boring?