The City

How to beat the city without having to join it

If inflation is back with a vengeance, cash is a dangerous place to keep your savings. But investing is hard, time consuming and expensive. Right?

What lies beneath?

Stock markets have been rising and financial markets may appear calm on the surface but there is trouble brewing underneath. Interest rates may soon begin to rise again, which could possibly trigger a debt and currency crisis.

Labour’s plans for the OBR are an attack on democracy itself

Centralising judgement over the impact of budget policies in one place will merely enshrine one vision of economics. And the whole point of democracy is to allow different visions to compete

The poisoned chalice

As the electioneering begins it’s worth considering why Sunak called a snap election in the first place. Has something spooked him into action? Indeed, there are several prominent possibilities…

The election is a shootout in a hall of mirrors

Nothing is more embarrassing to democracy than an election campaign. This time, it’s like all the circuses have come to town at once. But is there something important hidden amongst all the entertainment?

How to foil the eco zealots before the power cuts

The ability of the individual to foil the state using high or low tech solutions is one of the few bright spots that will always be there for you, no matter how dystopian things get.

Don’t take the grid for granted

Its entirely normal to take certain things for granted. Few of these come closer in our everyday experience than flicking on a light or other electrical switch. Successful investors know better. Nothing should be taken for granted, including our electrical grid.

Japan is more than a warning for the West

It’s difficult to make people care about Japan. But that can change rather quickly. Here’s how it’ll happen for you…

What would blackouts do to UK politics?

One year ago, Bloomberg published the strangest article. It reported delightful news: “South Africa is ahead of its target for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.” But how?

The immigration crisis is deliberate and was predictable

In January 2019, I made some startling predictions about immigration. They earned me more than the usual amount of ridicule. Today, I want to reveal what I wrote back then…

Is the energy transition leading to blackouts?

The energy transition is coming dangerously close to causing blackouts. But what happens if it does? That’s what I asked Nigel Farage…

The prize of Zaporizhzhia

Russia seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia during the first days of the Ukraine war. Energy infrastructure has played an important role throughout and, regardless of how the war plays out, energy, including nuclear, remains an absolute “must-invest” sector…

How far will the Overton Window go on net zero and renewables?

It has become downright fashionable to doubt net zero. But how far will this scepticism go? And what will this new reality mean for investors?

Hats off to renewable energy, it’s pulled our pants down

Renewable energy is providing 100% of our electricity needs in ever more places. Which begs the question, why do we need more? And will adding more help or hinder our energy transition?

Take your pick: Liz Truss, the Japanese yen or austerity?

It must be getting very awkward over at the Bank of England. Inflation is ticking back up again. But can the government afford a higher interest rate?

Born to run

Investing may not be a race per se but, if it were, it would most closely resemble a marathon rather than a sprint. As it happens, distance running was central to human evolution, including the development of our brains. Yet we retain certain primitive biases that can interfere with investing. Fortunately there are ways to compensate.

Another look behind the headlines

Inside this issue: The US economy appears strong on the surface Beneath, it appears weak The private sector may already be in recession Back in…

The bizarre blame game undermining our electricity grid

What would energy shortages do to cryptocurrency prices? The bitcoin supply shock is now just a week away Will the electricity grid undermine the energy…

Why the decentralisation of energy cannot occur with renewables

“Decentralised” has become enough of a buzzword to be rendered meaningless. Everyone has their own definition these days. And every tech company’s marketing department uses the word “decentralised” to describe their latest innovation.

Other people’s money

Open an introductory Economics textbook and one of the first things you’re likely to come across is a definition of what, exactly, Economics is. These tend to be short, for example, “The science of resource allocation” or “The study of production, exchange and consumption”.