Economics

The Mad Men theory of drunk decision-making

28 September 2024 9:00 am

In electing this government, we seem to have picked the worst of both worlds: higher taxation combined with austerity in…

Is now the most exciting point in human history?

28 September 2024 9:00 am

Since today’s computers can process information beyond human capabilities, we are on a precipice never faced before, says Yuval Noah Harari, in another sweeping narrative

Why China’s nostalgia industry is booming

17 August 2024 9:00 am

Nostalgia is a thriving industry in China. I first noticed this while walking around Nanjing last summer. There were shops…

Does bitcoin fit the definition of good money?

10 August 2024 9:00 am

Three philosophers readily acknowledge the cryptocurrency’s shortcomings, but emphasise its one important function – as a means of challenging autocratic regimes

The costly legacy of Margaret Thatcher’s monetarism

15 June 2024 9:00 am

As Thatcher’s economic private secretary in the first years of her government, Tim Lankester is well qualified to analyse the controversial policy and its effects

Why is UK retail doing badly?

24 May 2024 7:45 pm

This morning’s retail sales figures are not what Rishi Sunak will have hoped for as he pitches his case for…

Be more tiger mum!

18 May 2024 9:00 am

‘What’s it to do with me if your boyfriend wants to break up with you? Or if you cried, or…

Milton Friedman – economic visionary or scourge of the world?

13 January 2024 9:00 am

Monetarism, with which his name is associated, has long defined economic policy. But what would Friedman have made of the banking collapse, so soon after his death in 2006?

What was banned this week?

6 January 2024 9:00 am

Has crypto finally had its day?

14 October 2023 9:00 am

It was a born of a specific macroclimate of low interest rates following the global financial crisis – but all that is melting away and, in the case of crypto, not before time

The lesson of Looney: every board should prepare for scandal

23 September 2023 9:00 am

Bernard Looney, the fallen BP chief, always had a certain swagger about him. I’ve no idea whether he was unsafe…

Barometer

19 August 2023 9:00 am

Will Brits feel richer if inflation halves?

9 August 2023 3:10 am

The government’s objective to ‘halve inflation’ by the end of the year seems to be back on track – for…

How to increase your home’s value – with a sandwich

29 July 2023 9:00 am

It is a tenet of neo-liberal economics that there is no such thing as a free lunch. This is obvious…

Russia’s complex relationship with the ruble

29 July 2023 9:00 am

The first banknotes were greeted with deep suspicion in 1769 – but it was nothing to the distrust that Soviet and post-Soviet issues aroused

Liz Truss: my part in her downfall

29 October 2022 9:00 am

Her former economic adviser on what went wrong

Can you feel sorry for Liz Truss?

17 October 2022 5:00 pm

It is not easy to feel sorry for Liz Truss. She has a deeply unattractive streak of vanity – when…

Truss says no to spending cuts. Here’s the caveat

12 October 2022 11:44 pm

The mini-Budget was a spending spree. The ‘medium-term fiscal plan’ was meant to explain the funding. But what exactly is…

What crisis? A tough week for Trussonomics

1 October 2022 9:00 am

A tough week for Trussonomics

Will Liz Truss take on the IMF?

28 September 2022 6:25 am

Tonight the International Monetary Fund has weighed in on the UK’s mini-Budget, offering a direct rebuke of Liz Truss and…

Why football needs a regulator

27 September 2022 3:30 pm

Plans by the government to introduce a regulator to the football industry – endorsed by all Westminster parties just a…

Can the Bank of England inspire confidence?

27 September 2022 2:54 am

It has dawned on the government that last week’s mini-Budget might have been a bit too one-sided: £70 billion worth…