Article body wasn't reachable. The HN discussion summary is below.
What HN community is saying
The thread centers on second and third-order effects in complex systems, with minimal focus on the article itself (which failed to load). Commenters discuss how container shipping disruptions cascade into unexpected outcomes: empty containers accumulate at import ports, forcing dramatic price declines, ports institute mandatory empty-container returns, and this creates opportunities for trucking services and commodity arbitrage (like filling empties with hay). One commenter noted that during Hanjin's 2016 bankruptcy, Los Angeles Port faced massive empty-container backlogs, eventually shipping most to Fontana, California, where 20-foot containers now cost under $1,000. The broader discussion shifts to externalities in economics, with some arguing they are underweighted by decision-makers despite being core to economic theory (Coase, externality scholarship). Others counter that Econ 101 and academic economics do study externalities seriously, but practical actors and politicians ignore them. A secondary thread touches Iran-related geopolitics and container shipping strategy.
What HN community is saying
The thread centers on second and third-order effects in complex systems, with minimal focus on the article itself (which failed to load). Commenters discuss how container shipping disruptions cascade into unexpected outcomes: empty containers accumulate at import ports, forcing dramatic price declines, ports institute mandatory empty-container returns, and this creates opportunities for trucking services and commodity arbitrage (like filling empties with hay). One commenter noted that during Hanjin's 2016 bankruptcy, Los Angeles Port faced massive empty-container backlogs, eventually shipping most to Fontana, California, where 20-foot containers now cost under $1,000. The broader discussion shifts to externalities in economics, with some arguing they are underweighted by decision-makers despite being core to economic theory (Coase, externality scholarship). Others counter that Econ 101 and academic economics do study externalities seriously, but practical actors and politicians ignore them. A secondary thread touches Iran-related geopolitics and container shipping strategy.