ALTIF transcripts: Sunak vs Truss
The Tory leadership contest has been badged as a “battle of economic ideas” between “prudent” Rishi Sunak and “go for growth” Liz Truss. But what exactly are these ideas, where do they come from, and how relevant are they to Britain’s current situation? Neil and Jonathan talk to economic historian Duncan Weldon about the contenders’ […]
In the Blind Spot (Mirroring, electric grids, disinfo studies)
This edition of the Blind Spot Wrap was compiled by Dario Garcia Giner (DGG) and Izabella Kaminska (IK). Economics, finance, markets etc: Volkswagen Group is reportedly seeking to sell its business in Russia. The car manufacturer is actively seeking buyers according to Russian media outlets. Amazon posts loss but guidance reassured investors. In stonk news, […]
In the Blind Spot (ETNs, Anacyclosis, Ukraine)
This edition of the Blind Spot Wrap was compiled by Dario Garcia Giner (DGG) and Izabella Kaminska (IK). Finance, economics and markets: Revolut hit by a torrent of resignations in their UK risk and compliance sectors, with five Revolut executives handing their resignations in recent weeks. The disputes apparently originate in delays by the Financial […]
Why you’re doing your due diligence wrong; and some steps on how to do it right
By Dario Garcia Giner We used to live in a world underpinned by cheap trust where the need to do due diligence was rare. Your cousin visited Nigeria, he drank some beers with the right locals, and the two joined in business to make some money. Business used to be almost exclusively about the right signet […]
ALTIF transcripts: Covid’s long tail
Covid’s long tail Most people think it’s all over. But with new variants raging, are we too sanguine about dismissing the risks from Covid. Neil and Jonathan talk to Deborah Birx, who ran the Coronavirus Taskforce in Donald Trump’s White House, about dealing with “the Donald”, where we are with the virus, and how we […]
The Kylie Jenner PJ indicator
They say if it floats, flies or [EXPLETIVE], don’t buy it: the expense of maintaining yachts and private jets can be far more expensive than buying the assets. Hence, ownership of such assets ends up a domain of not just the wealthy, but the ridiculously wealthy. And yet, the funny thing about yachts and private […]
Why digital independence is as important as energy independence
Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the smartphone Imagine waking up one day and, as you do, lazily extending your groggy hands to grab your trusty smartphone. However, there are no notifications, no icons with unread messages, and the little header on your screen has an exclamation mark indicating no internet. Curious. […]
In the Blind Spot (TikTok, Syria, Ukrainian biolabs)
This edition of the Blind Spot Wrap was compiled by Dario Garcia Giner. Money and market matters: Reuters reports that the European Union will amend sanctions on Moscow to stop bottlenecks in global supplies of foods and fertilisers. Nord Stream 1 pipeline is set to continue flows of gas into Europe on time after the […]
The Blind Spot podcast: Episode 3 with Frances Coppola
We would have had another episode of the podcast out sooner, but Junseth got taken out for a few weeks with Covid. But finally, we’re back! In the latest edition of the Blind Spot podcast we are joined by Frances Coppola, nocoiner extraordinaire and occasional director of epic films about the mafia. (Not really on […]
Rationist No. 4: An independent middle class is the sine qua non of democracy
This is the fourth in a series of essays by Tim Ferguson, founder of the Anacyclosis Institute, arguing in favour of Rationism, a middle-class-oriented political theory that advocates benchmarking the national economy against the national median household net worth. Izabella Kaminska has also described Rationism as Vitruvian Capitalism, based on its promotion of the values […]