Archives
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 ...
Gold, Goldmoney and Menē
November 3rd, 2017
Gold, ornamentation and money: that was the sequence of events. Man discovered gold, found it malleable, durable and attractive. It was first used for ornamentation, then as social economics evolved into the division of labour, its value as ornamentation ...
Oil for gold – the real story
October 27th, 2017
Following an article in the Nikkei Asia Review, which reported China will shortly introduce an oil futures contract priced in yuan, there has been some confusion about what it means. The article pointed out that in combination with existing ...
CySec announced that a new firm authorised as Cyprus Investment Firm
October 27th, 2017
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySec), the financial regulatory authority of Cyprus, has issued today an announcement to inform that a new company has been approved by the Commission as a Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF). According the announcement, the ...
The productivity myth
October 20th, 2017
Every now and then, there’s a rash of commentary on national productivity. And for the British, productivity is all part of the Brexit angst, with the OECD, the Treasury, the Bank of England and Remainers all saying the ...
The upcoming increase in interest rates
October 6th, 2017
Last week, both Janet Yellen of the Fed and Mark Carney of the Bank of England prepared financial markets for interest rate increases. The working assumption should be that this was coordinated, and that both the ECB and ...
The forthcoming global crisis
September 22nd, 2017
The global economy is now in an expansionary phase, with bank credit being increasingly available for non-financial borrowers. This is always the prelude to the crisis phase of the credit cycle. Most national economies are directly boosted by China, ...
CySec announced that a Cyprus Investment Firm renounced its authorisation
September 20th, 2017
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySec) has issued today an announcement to inform that, on 29th August 2017, the CIF NEWCEPT FINANCIAL MARKETS (EU) LIMITED (‘the Company’), renounced its authorisation, pursuant to section 24(1)(b) of the Investment Services ...
See no evil, speak no evil…
September 1st, 2017
The Jackson Hole speeches of Janet Yellen and Mario Draghi last week were notable for the omission of any comment about the burning issues of the day: …where do the Fed and the ECB respectively think America and the ...