Have you noticed the rise in prices ?
Sure covid , supply chain disruptions ....
My basket on TI's store became 4 % more in 2 months , not to mention a tripling of "out of stock" items.
Checking Mouser , higher prices too .
Of course not all items have a price rise , but not many have a lower price.
Inflation is here !
Sure covid , supply chain disruptions ....
My basket on TI's store became 4 % more in 2 months , not to mention a tripling of "out of stock" items.
Checking Mouser , higher prices too .
Of course not all items have a price rise , but not many have a lower price.
Inflation is here !
Price increases and long lead times just end up costing more for the end user and us hobbiests, economics in action.
We import some raw materials from Europe and China. Not only are the charges up dramatically, but the ports are clogged and shippers are getting charged "demurrage" when you can't unload for days or weeks. From "American Shipper":
On Wednesday, the Freightos Baltic Daily Index adjusted its methodology for tracking ocean shipping rates to include for the first time premium surcharges required for bookings, substantially raising transparency into the real cost paid by cargo owners.
The index shows Asia-U.S. West Coast rates at $18,345, six times higher than a year ago, and the price for shipping to the U.S. East Coast quadrupled to $19,620 per forty-foot equivalent unit. Rates from Asia to Northern Europe climbed 4% since last week, and are more than eight times higher than a year ago and 2.5 times more than at the start of the year.
On Wednesday, the Freightos Baltic Daily Index adjusted its methodology for tracking ocean shipping rates to include for the first time premium surcharges required for bookings, substantially raising transparency into the real cost paid by cargo owners.
The index shows Asia-U.S. West Coast rates at $18,345, six times higher than a year ago, and the price for shipping to the U.S. East Coast quadrupled to $19,620 per forty-foot equivalent unit. Rates from Asia to Northern Europe climbed 4% since last week, and are more than eight times higher than a year ago and 2.5 times more than at the start of the year.
The USA has run out of home mined "precious metals " which are needed in nearly all aspects of this electronic modern society , most comes from China but at a great human cost .
There is now a large lake of heavy metals seeping into the water used by locals -deformed sheep and high incidence of various cancers locally ,at last China has taken notice and is starting to cut back exporting it ,now eyes are turned towards Africa .
While the EU has it in their ground I doubt anybody would be brave enough to suggest mining it in the EU.
The metals are used in EV batteries / wind turbines / military/ and just about all types of modern communication products which doesn't tie up with the "eco image " .
Plus ,of course -
The Chip Shortage Is Driving Up Tech Prices—Starting With TVs | WIRED
There is now a large lake of heavy metals seeping into the water used by locals -deformed sheep and high incidence of various cancers locally ,at last China has taken notice and is starting to cut back exporting it ,now eyes are turned towards Africa .
While the EU has it in their ground I doubt anybody would be brave enough to suggest mining it in the EU.
The metals are used in EV batteries / wind turbines / military/ and just about all types of modern communication products which doesn't tie up with the "eco image " .
Plus ,of course -
The Chip Shortage Is Driving Up Tech Prices—Starting With TVs | WIRED
Precious metals are generally thought to include gold, silver and platinum. It's the "rare earth minerals" which have the issue -- mostly owing to pricing which makes new US mines uneconomic.
The auto companies are all trying to go EV, local townships are trying to ban natural gas used for cooking and heating.
No new copper mines, however. Only one has been permitted. The marketplace doesn't believe it.
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Of course its "rare earth minerals " that's why I said used in EV batteries /wind turbine motors etc.
Its the means of producing those minerals that has a major effect on the environment and human life.
The latest news in the UK is the take up rate for EV vehicles is very low so banning the combustion engine in a short while is wishful thinking.
One major problem is the initial cost of those vehicles compared to a petrol ( gas ) engine in the UK it could be £10000 ( approx $17000 ) more for the equivalent basic model.
Its the means of producing those minerals that has a major effect on the environment and human life.
The latest news in the UK is the take up rate for EV vehicles is very low so banning the combustion engine in a short while is wishful thinking.
One major problem is the initial cost of those vehicles compared to a petrol ( gas ) engine in the UK it could be £10000 ( approx $17000 ) more for the equivalent basic model.
There was a recession before Covid, and now the shortage of workers has caused all sorts of problems.
Empty containers are not being returned fast enough so the rent and shipment costs have gone up.
The ports are congested, there is a truck shortage, there is a raw material shortage...
Now the mentality has become no credit - cash and carry.
Also, this is my price, if you will not buy, someone else will.
Not only in parts, but in other staples too. Cooking oil has doubled on price too.
So grin and bear it, we cannot change the world.
Empty containers are not being returned fast enough so the rent and shipment costs have gone up.
The ports are congested, there is a truck shortage, there is a raw material shortage...
Now the mentality has become no credit - cash and carry.
Also, this is my price, if you will not buy, someone else will.
Not only in parts, but in other staples too. Cooking oil has doubled on price too.
So grin and bear it, we cannot change the world.
There are several manufacturers offering models with either gas or electric propulsion for the same price. It is moving.
Jan
I have noticed more items out of stock and its usually cheaper items out of stock meaning I have to pay more for next component up.
This can add £3-4 for a AC/DC power supply wall wart.
This can add £3-4 for a AC/DC power supply wall wart.
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we got spoiled, many DIY projects became fancier and more expensive than commercial products, we became top flight engineers with our self-designed professional looking PCBs etc. - it was not so much like that in the past, with home made boards etc. At least, not until the huge deflation in prices that came along more than a decade ago, fueled by China, and we could buy stuff sooo cheap that it was almost wasteful. So, now it is a chance to revive the original spirit of DIY, making do with what we can get, getting good sound despite it all.
It's a bit of a PITA for speaker building though, with prices of good quality plywood well up over previous years and no sign of improvements in the short term as demand is projected to outstrip supply for awhile yet.
It's a bit of a PITA for speaker building though, with prices of good quality plywood well up over previous years and no sign of improvements in the short term as demand is projected to outstrip supply for awhile yet.
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I just submitted an order to Mouser for various projects that I had compiled about six months ago. I'd say the price increases were around 20% total. Some skyrocketed---LM4562s went from $1.15 to $1.75 (~50%). Resistors went up a little, but premium caps (PP) also increased substantially.
I noticed the same thing with Mouser.
There have been a string of articles in the media about people relocating due to notices of increased rent, and I know people who’s wages are now being cut by about 18%. The price of food is unreal.
Remember the neodymium and lithium “shortages”? Meanwhile, Chinese outlet prices didn’t seem to reflect the big brand price hikes through those years. I always thought that was peculiar.
The prices of speaker drivers have become unreasonable. Some have more than doubled over the past 7 or 8 years. They can keep them at those prices.
There have been a string of articles in the media about people relocating due to notices of increased rent, and I know people who’s wages are now being cut by about 18%. The price of food is unreal.
Remember the neodymium and lithium “shortages”? Meanwhile, Chinese outlet prices didn’t seem to reflect the big brand price hikes through those years. I always thought that was peculiar.
The prices of speaker drivers have become unreasonable. Some have more than doubled over the past 7 or 8 years. They can keep them at those prices.
1.75 $ for LM4562 is for >25 , at least for the PDIP version.
I have them in my TI card and they went up from 1.202 to 1.323$ (May to now), still cheaper than mouser.(2.04$) https://www.mouser.com/Semiconductors/Audio-ICs/Audio-Amplifiers/_/N-4gxtf?Keyword=LM4562&FS=True
All my opamps went up : OPA828 , OPA196 , OPA197.
Logic fairly stable in price.
Voltage reg and switchers went up too.
No "rare earth minerals/metals" in here , or in minute quantity.
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Thread moved to the Lounge.
In the "Great Financial Crisis" (GFC 2007-2009) the Federal Reserve lent enormous quantities of money to commercial banks and insurance companies to provide liquidity. In turn, a lot went back into bank reserves, not into "walking around money". This contrasts with the current period when stimulus checks have gone to individuals, companies and municipalities have been provided cash to keep employees on, etc., etc.
It took 6 years for commercial lending to recover to the pre-GFC levels. To the contrary, commercial lending continued through RONA, but we have yet to sort out how much of this was lending just to keep people employed.
It took 6 years for commercial lending to recover to the pre-GFC levels. To the contrary, commercial lending continued through RONA, but we have yet to sort out how much of this was lending just to keep people employed.
There is also another point. China’s government has been subsidising export of Chinese goods. NATO and other economic studies have questioned how long the PRC can continue todo that (along with other Silk Road initiatives) as the country GDP does not support it.
The net effect is as the world takes up the cheaper goods, resulting in the reduction of native products now undercut by price. Then removing the subsidies increases the cost - making services and other products more expensive and thus making the native products remains that use products less viable.
Precious metals, the volume of export, is only part - the cost of precious metal export also rises. So in the short term it causes supply chain problems except for Chinese products/market.
With all the desire for EV those customers will naturally become the first serve, so I suspect there will soon be wars over mining rather than access to oil..
The net effect is as the world takes up the cheaper goods, resulting in the reduction of native products now undercut by price. Then removing the subsidies increases the cost - making services and other products more expensive and thus making the native products remains that use products less viable.
Precious metals, the volume of export, is only part - the cost of precious metal export also rises. So in the short term it causes supply chain problems except for Chinese products/market.
With all the desire for EV those customers will naturally become the first serve, so I suspect there will soon be wars over mining rather than access to oil..
Once they close down the competition by selling at a loss, the prices generally rise. Amazon followed the Chinese business model stated above. They used to be the cheapest and lost money, now they are just where people go and they make money.
Our grocery bill is noticeably higher; my wife gets tired of me ranting about how crazy it is to pay so much for some of the stuff. So now I try to stop myself before I blurt out "How much for chicken?!?!" or "for a loaf of bread??"
Eating out is also more expensive, it seems to be at least 20% higher. The walk up and order places are now as much as the basic sit down and order places used to be.
Like kouiky pointed out, DIY parts are getting unreasonable. The speaker designs that list the costs at the time they were designed are now a lot more expensive. Even the ones from just a couple years ago. Ones I thought were a bargain a couple years ago now make me pause.
But even with all of this, demand doesn't seem to be slowing. Cars are in short supply with poor selection and prices are at least 20% higher than usual with most marked way above MSRP. Yet the car companies are setting records for numbers of units sold.
Demand should slow as prices rise. A combination of pent up demand and money being handed out like Halloween candy seems to be messing this up.
Paying way more for employees in order to lure them away from lucrative handouts is also increasing the cost of everything.
Our grocery bill is noticeably higher; my wife gets tired of me ranting about how crazy it is to pay so much for some of the stuff. So now I try to stop myself before I blurt out "How much for chicken?!?!" or "for a loaf of bread??"
Eating out is also more expensive, it seems to be at least 20% higher. The walk up and order places are now as much as the basic sit down and order places used to be.
Like kouiky pointed out, DIY parts are getting unreasonable. The speaker designs that list the costs at the time they were designed are now a lot more expensive. Even the ones from just a couple years ago. Ones I thought were a bargain a couple years ago now make me pause.
But even with all of this, demand doesn't seem to be slowing. Cars are in short supply with poor selection and prices are at least 20% higher than usual with most marked way above MSRP. Yet the car companies are setting records for numbers of units sold.
Demand should slow as prices rise. A combination of pent up demand and money being handed out like Halloween candy seems to be messing this up.
Paying way more for employees in order to lure them away from lucrative handouts is also increasing the cost of everything.
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Big business USA originally moved its industries out of the USA to China to make bigger profits --and they did because of Chinese cheap labor + yes Chinese subsidies but now the Chinese middle class has grown fast and China has lifted millions out of poverty it has changed its policy and as of now the subsidies have dropped down , this has effected prices .
As far as the "Financial Crisis " of 2008 that was brought on basically by greed and still no lessons have been learned --the same practices are employed .
Never mind --just print more $$$$$ =inflation and who is affected by it ?
As far as the "Financial Crisis " of 2008 that was brought on basically by greed and still no lessons have been learned --the same practices are employed .
Never mind --just print more $$$$$ =inflation and who is affected by it ?
Sure, a lot of US manufacturing went to China for greater profits but the Chinese companies dumped massive amounts of product below their cost on the US market. There is simply no way to compete with that. Especially with government subsidies offsetting the 'loss'. It was a battle for years trying to block them from selling below their cost here.
The prices had to eventually rise as there was no way for it to be sustainable forever. And once all the manufacturing equipment had been sold to them and there was no chance of competition there was no reason not to raise prices.
Other countries, with cheaper labor, are edging in on the manufacturing but most of them lack governments with the ability to subsidize them and artificially control the value of their currency so they can't take off the way Chinese manufacturing did.
I'm in no way saying it wasn't a genius move on their part. I found it funny during a recent 'trade war' our, so called, news people would say that it would hurt us in the short run and that the Chinese look at where they will be in 100 years rather than 1 or 5 years and plan based on that so they will endure it. Nobody stopped and said "hey, maybe we should look years out too".
US companies regularly shoot their future selves in the foot for short term gains. Sharing technology to be able to manufacture there is a classic example. We just can't tolerate short term pain for long term growth.
That was entirely greed. House prices shot up so fast that people saw buying a house as a get rich quick scheme. News story after news story at the time about some 'poor' guy that said he refinanced his house to buy his wife a new minivan and took out $200,000 in the process. But now couldn't afford to pay it back (and had spent it all). No minivan costs $200,000; they were doing it to live like the rich and famous because they thought next month their house would go up another $100,000.
No need to learn any lessons from it because everyone got bailed out in the end.
The prices had to eventually rise as there was no way for it to be sustainable forever. And once all the manufacturing equipment had been sold to them and there was no chance of competition there was no reason not to raise prices.
Other countries, with cheaper labor, are edging in on the manufacturing but most of them lack governments with the ability to subsidize them and artificially control the value of their currency so they can't take off the way Chinese manufacturing did.
I'm in no way saying it wasn't a genius move on their part. I found it funny during a recent 'trade war' our, so called, news people would say that it would hurt us in the short run and that the Chinese look at where they will be in 100 years rather than 1 or 5 years and plan based on that so they will endure it. Nobody stopped and said "hey, maybe we should look years out too".
US companies regularly shoot their future selves in the foot for short term gains. Sharing technology to be able to manufacture there is a classic example. We just can't tolerate short term pain for long term growth.
That was entirely greed. House prices shot up so fast that people saw buying a house as a get rich quick scheme. News story after news story at the time about some 'poor' guy that said he refinanced his house to buy his wife a new minivan and took out $200,000 in the process. But now couldn't afford to pay it back (and had spent it all). No minivan costs $200,000; they were doing it to live like the rich and famous because they thought next month their house would go up another $100,000.
No need to learn any lessons from it because everyone got bailed out in the end.
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