Archives
Brexit – the battle for ideas
February 9th, 2018
The battle for ideas in the Brexit debate comes down to two basic economic approaches. The neo-Keynesian macroeconomists in the permanent establishment, who manage the state as economic planners and regulators are on one side. They are naturally ...
Unsound money is crucifying pensions
January 30th, 2018
Deficits are mounting in pension obligations. It is a global problem over which pension trustees are helpless. It is also a problem that’s brushed under the carpet, with prospective and current pensioners generally unaware of the threat to ...
How quickly will the dollar collapse?
January 8th, 2018
This might seem a frivolous question, while the dollar still retains its might, and is universally accepted in preference to other, less stable fiat currencies. However, it is becoming clear, at least to independent monetary observers, that in ...
Spotify Has Been Hit With a $1.6 Billion Copyright Lawsuit
January 4th, 2018
Music streaming company Spotify was sued by Wixen Music Publishing last week for allegedly using thousands of songs, including those of Tom Petty, Neil Young and the Doors, without a license and compensation to the music publisher. Wixen, an ...
Investment prospects for 2018
December 29th, 2017
Predicting the future is a mug’s game, and in financial markets we simply cannot know tomorrow’s prices. All we can do is make assessments of the factors that can be expected to influence them. Economists’ forecasts today, with ...
Europe, Brexit and the credit cycle
December 18th, 2017
Europe’s financial and systemic troubles have retreated from the headlines. This is partly due to the financial media’s attention switching to President Trump and the US budget negotiations, partly due to Brexit and the preoccupation with Britain’s problems, ...
Monetary update for the dollar
December 1st, 2017
A dispassionate look at the quantities and flows of fiat dollars tells us much about the current state of the US economy, and therefore prospects for the dollar itself. This is a starting point for understanding the dynamics likely ...
Cryptocurrency is hot commodity as Bitcoin reaches record-high value
November 20th, 2017
Cryptocurrency is a digital currency with no physical form or intrinsic value, but is an increasingly hot commodity as Bitcoin, its most well-known iteration, flirts with a record high. Bitcoin, the self-proclaimed original decentralized digital currency, is hovering around ...
Cryptos may destabilise fiat
November 17th, 2017
The assumption in some quarters is that crypto-currencies will replace gold as money, or at least challenge it. This is an error borne out of a misunderstanding of catallactics, or the theory of exchange. It also ignores the fact ...
What are the ‘Paradise Papers’ and why should you care?
November 7th, 2017
Little more than a year after the “Panama Papers” leak, the “Paradise Papers” are shedding light on who is investing huge amounts of money in offshore tax havens. What are the so-called Paradise Papers? The leak is a trove ...
