Economics is downstream of physics. This is a knowledge graph of how stress flows through the real economy — the drivers that push, the chokepoints where stress concentrates, the jurisdictions and geographies that control them, and the investable tickers where value accrues. Things are getting worse; the graph is built to find where that pain cascades — and what you can own on both the problem and the solution side.
393 nodes (34 drivers · 88 chokepoints · 10 geographies · 5 jurisdictions · 4 substitutes · 252 tickers) · 562 sourced mechanism edges · 17 feedback loops · every link in plain language, graded & cited.
On a phone, using a keyboard or a screen reader, or just prefer plain text? Open the accessible Cascade Index → — the same nodes and tickers as a structured, readable map, no JavaScript required. Unfamiliar term? See the glossary →
How to use this
1. Pick a theme from the dropdown to cut the clutter — the graph fades everything outside that mega-theme. 2. Click any node to open its evidence file (why it matters, sourced data, tickers, further reading, and what it drives / what drives it). 3. Focus mode isolates a node's direct causes and consequences. 4. A cascade is a one-way chain (driver → chokepoint → ticker); a feedback loop is a closed cycle that amplifies (reinforcing) or dampens (balancing) itself — toggle Loops to see only those.
two fingers to pan / zoom · one finger scrolls the page · tap a node for its evidence
What this is, and how to read it #
The Cascade Graph is a directed knowledge graph of the physical economy. Stress flows left-to-right: drivers push pressure into the system; jurisdictions and geographies gate it; it concentrates at chokepoints; substitutes cap the upside; and value finally accrues to investable terminals (tickers). Every arrow is a plain-language mechanism — "drives demand for", "is the bottleneck for", "controls production of" — not jargon.
Cascade ≠ Feedback loop
A cascade is a one-way chain: a problem flows downhill to the assets it hits. A feedback loop is a closed cycle that circles back to amplify (reinforcing, +) or dampen (balancing, −) its own cause. Loops are where the thesis compounds.
Problem vs. Solution plays
Each node is tagged a problem play (own the scarcity), a solution play (own what gets bought to fix it), or both. Switch the color mode to see the whole map through that lens.
Every edge is graded
Each link carries a basis: measured (institutional data), established (textbook/consensus mechanism), or reasoned (our own defensible inference). Inferred links are never dressed up as cited data.
No orphans
Every one of the 393 nodes is wired to the rest through a real physical or economic mechanism. The graph is a single connected system — because the real economy is.
Open data — one worked branch
People have asked to see the data behind the graph. Rather than export the whole thing, here is one branch worked end-to-end — the copper chokepoint with its drivers, geographies, substitutes, feedback loops, and the vetted ticker terminals (each with venue, liquidity tier, and median daily dollar-volume). It is enough to inspect the data model and judge the quality of a node, and it mirrors the Copper Chokepoint article. The companion schema documents every field.
Download copper sample (JSON) Download schema (JSON) One branch of a 393-node graph. The full populated dataset is not publicly exported. Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 (attribution, non-commercial). If there is genuine interest, we will release more branches.