The Real Numbers

Honest writing about purchasing power, inflation, and what your money actually buys — wherever you are in the world.

May 28, 2026

SVB 2023: What the Balance Sheet Showed

On the morning of March 10, 2023, California banking regulators seized Silicon Valley Bank and handed control to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It was the second-largest bank failure in Am

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May 21, 2026

Sri Lanka 2022: When Reserves Run Out

In April 2022, Sri Lanka made history in the worst possible way. The island nation of 22 million people announced it was suspending payments on its external debt — the first sovereign default in the c

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May 14, 2026

2008 GFC: The Banking Data Nobody Read

On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection — the largest bankruptcy filing in American history, covering $639 billion in assets. What followed was not a correcti

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