Archives
The fiscal benefits of free trade
August 18th, 2017
The fiscal benefits of free trade Western governments have an overriding problem, and that is they have reached or exceeded the bounds of taxation, at a time when legally mandated welfare costs are accelerating. Treasury departments in all ...
Why economists cannot forecast recessions
July 28th, 2017
The purpose of this article is to draw the widest attention to the chronic inability of the economic establishment to forecast recessions. Next time you hear an economist make a prediction on mainstream media, your default assumption should ...
How can the Fed possibly unwind QE?
July 21st, 2017
There are currently two important items on the Fed’s wish list. The first is to restore interest rates to more normal levels, and the second is to unwind the Fed’s balance sheet, which has expanded since the great financial ...
The logic of a modern gold standard
July 14th, 2017
The logic of a modern gold standard In last week’s Insight, I analysed the current geopolitical situation and concluded that it was now in the interest of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to break from the US dollar completely, ...
Brexit, Germany and Asia
June 16th, 2017
Britain’s general election went horribly wrong, with the Conservatives forced into a putative coalition with the Democratic Ulster Party. Theresa May’s failure to secure a clear majority has provoked indignation, bitterness, and widespread pessimism. The purpose of this article ...
How gold can rescue pensions
June 15th, 2017
The World Economic Forum, in conjunction with Mercers (the actuaries) recently estimated that the combined pension deficit currently stands at $66.9tr for eight countries, rising to $427.8tr in 2050. The eight countries are Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Netherlands, ...
Debts, Bastiat and modern economics
May 26th, 2017
Debts, Bastiat and modern economics There is a well-worn conundrum told about a stranger, who walks into the hotel in a remote, sleepy village in Mexico, and reserves a room for the night, paying 1,000 pesos in advance. The ...
CySec released information about compensation payment process to the covered clients of CommexFX Ltd
May 15th, 2017
The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySec) has released today an update in relation to the compensation payment process by the ICF to the covered clients of CommexFX Ltd. According the announcement: Pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 24 ...
Update on Brexit
May 14th, 2017
This article looks at the background to Brexit negotiations and concludes that Britain is negotiating from a position of strength, while the EU is increasingly in a position of financial difficulty. Not only will the European Commission be forced ...
Business cycles are credit cycles
May 7th, 2017
This article gets to the heart of why central banks’ monetary policy will never succeed. The fundamental error is to regard economic cycles as originating in the private sector, when they are the consequence of fluctuations in credit. It ...