Ideas and analysis on money, markets and the world around us.
Since China began to embrace economic progress in the 1990s and let the compelling forces of capitalism take hold to raise living standards in that country, its impact on world markets has been profound. Chinese capital…
Read the articleGreece has now defaulted, and other eurozone governments as well as agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Investment Bank have retrospectively inserted themselves as senior…
Read the articleAs far as precious metals are concerned, there's plenty of comment about the bullish case for these metals with reference to economics and politics, but precious (if you'll forgive the pun) little analysis from a more…
Read the articleAccording to a story in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, the US Federal Reserve is considering buying long-term Treasury and mortgage bonds in return for deposits held at the Fed. There has been no comment from the Fed…
Read the articleIn a recent article in Fortune, Warren Buffett reiterated his well-known view on money. Far less celebrated, however, is the discerning view of his father, Howard Buffett, expounded in a brilliant speech in 1948 while…
Read the articleSons often rebel against their fathers, but what accounts for the difference between Howard Buffett’s view of gold, and that of his son – the famed investor Warren Buffett? While the latter is famous for his disparaging…
Read the articleRecently there have been reports that if Greece defaults on the new bail-out package, creditors will be entitled to seize her gold. Whether or not this is true, it raises one big question: given the severe financial and…
Read the articleLast Monday night, before the US markets opened after President’s Day, bailout terms for Greece were announced. The detail is secondary to assessing whether or not it will work, or whether only a little time has been…
Read the articleIn the past, insurance companies and pension funds have been keen to advertise the benefit of compounding arithmetic for savings. Over the last 30 or 40 years the rate has been lifted by inflation, but to understand the…
Read the articleMainstream economists seem to have a problem understanding prices. They might draw supply and demand curves and talk about elasticity. They are sure to have been taught the quantity theory of money. These are merely…
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