In the Blind Spot: Cartography journalism
The Blind Spot is relaunching with a streamlined structure and renewed focus on its core mission of providing contrarian, politically aware financial journalism through what it calls “journalistic cartography.” Moving away from overextension, it will now prioritize big-picture analysis and frameworks to help readers navigate the shifting world order. Central to its outlook is […]
In the Blind Spot: AI’s trillion-dollar Snow Crash problem
SNEAK PEEK — Why the limits to AGI may lie in our own psychology. — Bessent’s “Sovereign Wealth Fund” represents a reverse lend-lease arrangement focused on manufacturing. — The master builders are coming for the central banks. Hello everyone, Izzy here. Welcome to the great Blind Spot transition. Having spent much of the summer […]
Repost: The techbro movement that won’t let Britain decline
The below is a repost of a story featured in the Blind Spot’s paywalled newsletter in June for the purpose of generating a free to share link. CAMDEM, London — A low-frequency thrum pulses beneath the overlapping shouts of some two hundred mostly-male voices packed into a club in once-trendy Camden — a corner of London […]
In the Blind Spot: St. Peter’s ‘skeleton key’ to global finance
SNEAK PEEK — We take a closer look at the IBAN/Swift scandal threatening to take down the Vatican. — Why there’s more to the EU-U.S. trade deal than meets the eye. — Introducing the latest twist in the Marsalek Wirecard affair: The curious case of the Men from U.N.C.L.E Greetings everyone, We appreciate it’s […]
Europeans are belatedly cottoning on to the stablecoin dollarization threat
In a blog post this week, ECB official Jurgen Schaaf argued that widespread adoption of US dollar-denominated stablecoins in the euro area could erode the European Central Bank’s monetary policy control, drawing parallels to historical dollarization trends in economies like Ecuador and El Salvador, where foreign currency use reduced local central bank influence. “Such dynamics […]
Erratum, erratum! COWS ARE NOT DEFENDING THEIR FLATULENCE
What-a-mistake to makeh! Dario has brought to my attention that this week’s edition of the Blind Spot accidentally failed to delete the Blind Spot’s equivalent of Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam… which currently populates our main […]
In the Blind Spot: It’s not industrial policy, it’s rebalancing
SNEAK PEEK — Why the Big Beautiful Bill has more in common with Poland’s stabilization programs of the 1980s than Chinese industrial policy. — CBDCs are so yesterday! And even China is turning to stablecoins. — How Robinhood opened a can of worms regarding equity ownership. Happy Sunday! There’s a lot going on […]
In the Blind Spot: The great recalibration
SNEAK PEEK — ECB’s Christine Lagarde is not a fan of stablecoins, and thinks a light-touch capital control for the eurozone might be needed to prevent runs. — The importance of intraday liquidity in maintaining the health of the financial system finally gets its day in the sun, thanks to the BIS. — Worldline […]
In the Blind Spot: Shifty finance
SNEAK PEEK — We do a deep dive on the case against Bulgaria’s upcoming euro adoption and the Atlanticist forces backing it. — The newly passed GENIUS Act disrupts current creditor status by introducing a new super-senior tranche. — Our short, sharp review of Adam Curtis’ Shifty Greetings from heatwave Britain. Sorry for the late send out. It’s been […]
In the Blind Spot: The great re-pegging
SNEAK PEEK . — There’s a radical civil obidience movement shaping up in Britain and threatening to fix things without planning permits. — We take a closer look at what drives Kevin Warsh, one of the names being floated as next Fed governor. — Why for Frankfurt it’s euroization or bust. — Related: Why […]