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How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

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Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#621

Post by horns4lyfe »

yosito wrote: post #592
rayiner wrote: post #42

Americans need to get over their view of “Asia” as being about making shoes. When I was working in engineering in the early aughts, we mocked the Chinese as being able only to copy American technology. Today, China is competitive with or ahead of America in key technology areas, including nuclear power, AI, EVs, and batteries. We need to anticipate a future where China is equal to America on a per capita basis, but f…

> We need to anticipate a future where China is equal to America I'm a US American living in Asia. I can't tell you with 100% certainty that in terms of technological progress, China is far far ahead of the US.

Can’t or can?

Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#622

Post by thaumasiotes »

ViktorRay wrote: post #515
bunderbunder wrote: post #485

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. And the more of that that happens, the better for the economy overall. The less of that that happens - implying more of it ends up in JKR's proverbial dragon hoard, not doing much good beyond being an impressive pile of wealth for the dragon to sleep on top of - the less good for the economy overall.

I don’t think your comment is accurate. When rich people get large amounts of money they don’t hoard it like they did in Roman times. That money either goes into the stock market or to a bank. If it’s in the stock market that money is being used in investments that further economic growth. The portion of the leftover money that’s in the bank is then lent out by the bank to others in the forms of loans and so on for p…

> When rich people get large amounts of money they don’t hoard it like they did in Roman times.

> The idea that the pile of wealth is simply hoarded to be slept on is out of date

I don't see what you're arguing against. If they did that, what would the problem be?

Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#623

Post by horns4lyfe »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #560
rayiner wrote: post #42

Americans need to get over their view of “Asia” as being about making shoes. When I was working in engineering in the early aughts, we mocked the Chinese as being able only to copy American technology. Today, China is competitive with or ahead of America in key technology areas, including nuclear power, AI, EVs, and batteries. We need to anticipate a future where China is equal to America on a per capita basis, but f…

The most shocking thing for Americans when TikTok was shutdown for half a day was when they switched to the Chinese version of the app and they saw the truth -- that the middle class in China is living a higher quality of life than they are.

I didn’t see that at all, but I also don’t consider flashy technology to define quality of life.

Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#624

Post by refurb »

yodsanklai wrote: post #495
rayiner wrote: post #42

Americans need to get over their view of “Asia” as being about making shoes. When I was working in engineering in the early aughts, we mocked the Chinese as being able only to copy American technology. Today, China is competitive with or ahead of America in key technology areas, including nuclear power, AI, EVs, and batteries. We need to anticipate a future where China is equal to America on a per capita basis, but f…

> We need to anticipate a future where China is equal to America on a per capita basis, but four times bigger. Is it even possible in terms of resources? there are limits to growth and it may not be feasible for 1.5 billions people to consume and pollute as much as an average American. Also are the US willing to lose their supremacy peacefully?

That future is far, far off.

China’s per capita GDP is 1/7th that of the US.

To match the US GDP per capita would require China growing at 10%/yr for 35 years (while the US grows at 3-4% per year).

Thats 35 years of phenomenal growth, with no recessions, no “slow” years of only 5% growth (like the past 3 years). Assume an average of 7% growth (and US 3%) and now it takes 50 years to match the US per capita GDP.

This is why GDP growth of 5% is regarded as “bad” in China. They need double that.

And China needs to do this all the while having massive debt overhang, a world moving away from free trade (which their economy is highly dependent on) and a shrinking and rapidly aging population (by 2050 it will be 1 worker per retiree).

I don’t have a crystal ball, so who knows, but suffice to say if things stay relatively the same it’s going to be 2060-2070 before China is as rich as the US on a per capita basis.

Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#625

Post by horns4lyfe »

sien wrote: post #585
xivzgrev wrote: post #557

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Competitive edge is new innovation and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. The rules and culture favor it in the US, more so than anywhere else on earth. China didn’t invent the iPhone or chat gpt. But they excel at optimizing.

DJI is the premier drone company in the world. Also in places where Chinese electric cars are not being blocked they are really taking off. In 20 years for billions of people the most common car will be a Chinese one. China is able to build nuclear reactors while the US is floundering. The Chinese may well be the first to produce electricity from fusion. People come back from Shenzhen now to the US and say that the U…

Those things are all optimizing…

Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#627

Post by vitorgrs »

programjames wrote: post #558
immibis wrote: post #538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US appears to be trying to end the reserve dollars. Something that surprisingly few people have mentioned recently is that having the biggest trade deficit is the same thing as being the global reserve currency . Because they're the same thing, ending one of them also ends the other. There does seem to be some sort of cycle in play: first a slave-driver-type economy creates a whole lot of wealth, then people get…

> Something that surprisingly few people have mentioned recently is that having the biggest trade deficit is the same thing as being the global reserve currency. Can you explain this a little more? Why does having a trade deficit make your currency more valuable? My naive assumption is it would put more dollars in other countries, so they don't need them as much, making dollars less valuable.

Your currency being valuable increase imports!

Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#628

Post by AstralStorm »

immibis wrote: post #538
rayiner wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The free traders also need to accept the reality that the UK’s decline started long before Brexit and disputes about fishing. In terms of per capita GDP, the UK lost its edge over the rest of Europe in the 1970s, and then simply never recovered from the 2008 global financial collapse. Without the empire, the UK’s “competitive advantage” in financial and legal services wasn’t worth shit. I strongly suspect the US cann…

The US appears to be trying to end the reserve dollars. Something that surprisingly few people have mentioned recently is that having the biggest trade deficit is the same thing as being the global reserve currency . Because they're the same thing, ending one of them also ends the other. There does seem to be some sort of cycle in play: first a slave-driver-type economy creates a whole lot of wealth, then people get…

Ultimately you get out of this trap by making work sustainable and trying to level the playing field.

Almost nobody is spending resources in the US. And that's half of the problem. It's spent elsewhere, therefore labor stagnates or falls, only leaving low tier jobs to work. No factories locks out advancement reducing morale and draining the best that could have their kids advance.

In the US, you had skyrocketing prices on basics like healthcare and housing too, way more than elsewhere. UK has a lot of this problem too.

That together ultimately causes a reduction in teaching and educational standard, which further shrinks the high end advantage.

Short version: economy and people hollowed out in the middle is unsustainable.

Re: How much do you think it costs to make a pair of Nike shoes in Asia?

#630

Post by dharmab »

gmueckl wrote: post #389
AndrewStephens wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Games Workshop brings in > 0.5 billion in revenue (!!) I had no idea that Warhammer was such a huge industry - they must sell almost 600 sets a quarter.

This is either a joke that flies over my head or there are a few zeroes missing. Which is it?

A single Warhammer plastic miniature around the size of a child's toy car, unassembled and unpainted, can cost around $30.
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