The Other Hand

Inflation falls in the UK but *only* to 2.3%. Cue weeping and wailing and much hot air. The narcissism of small differences.

Does anybody know what really causes inflation? Does the ECB understand the connection (or lack of) between interest rates and inflation?

The human aspects of all this are often lost in dry discussions of monetary policy and inflation. But the human dimension is real, big and too often ignored by centr...

Opinion polls on both sides of the Atlantic tell fascinating stories. Sinn Fein has lost momentum. Have they peaked too soon? Rishi Sunak's Tories are now polling at lower levels that the nadir of Liz Truss' government. That really is some going. Trump breaks wind audibly in court, hears stories about his sexual peccadillos and goes up in the polls.

It is said that SF are suffering because 'they have let their electorate down be...

We might need 80,000 new houses a year - or we might not. It all depends on so many imponderables.

One of them being the level of immigration. We now see that everywhere as a problem to be solved. Is it solvable?

Biden is trying to keep cheap Chinese electronic vehicles out of the US. Europe is thinking about doing the same. That's all to protect domestic car manufacturers who don't know how to produce cheap EVs. The Chinese ...

In conversation with Professor of Experimental Brain Research, Shane O'Mara.

Robert Kennedy Junior says a worm has eaten part of his brain. Is this possible? Yes - but his 'brain fog' and other symptoms could have been caused by something else. Partly eaten or not, his possible brain injuries are not likely to have led to a predisposition to conspiracy theories. RFK is a prominent anti-vaxxer, for instance.

Why do so many of ...

The economic consequences of the war in Gaza have so far been very limited. The oil price has been well-behaved, all things considered.

But that war is shaping up to be a forever war. That's the logical conclusion that flows from observing two sides committed to the other's destruction.

If the war costs Biden the election then another logical conclusion is that the great Bidenomics experiment is over. There is a lot of doubt...

Unemployment edges up on both sides of the Atlantic - things are definitely showing early signs of slowing down.

Whatever the outlook there are very good reasons to quietly ditch the 2% inflation targets that apply to the FED, BoE and ECB - particularly in the US, too much harm will be caused by a drive to 2%. Quietly adopt 3% inflation targets and get on with interest rate cuts. That 2% number was plucked out of thin air in the...

A packed podcast:

It may be the ultimate social faux pas, but dare we say the latest Revenue annual report contains a wealth of fascinating data?

Back taxes owed by SMEs could be - maybe are - a real problem

Short-termism: anyone wondering why some companies and countries don't inest enough in themselves need look no further than META's (Facebook) results this week. The shares tanked because the tech giant announced a huge...

The Irish government has released its latest assessment of where the economy is heading. It looks like. a forlorn attempt to dampen expectations ahead of another giveaway budget in a few months time. The last before the general election.

The golden goose will someday stop laying its eggs. What will future generations think of us, what we did the largesses generously donated by the multinational tax boom? Will we be 'grateful Nor...

Latest opinion polls - and a bit of political crystal ball gazing - points to no one party getting more than 30% of the vote at the upcoming Irish general election.

Why is that and what might it mean? Will Ireland 'Go Dutch' (or Belgian...)? Are we in for weeks or even months of prolonged coalition negotiations?

The deteriorating geopolitical situation might give voters pause for thought about the sort of politicians they wan...

Professor Edgar Morgenroth has recently published a joint paper with professor John Fitzgerald that takes a deep dive into the potential costs of Irish reunification.

We talk to Edgar about his work. We look at lessons from german reunification and the asumptions behind his estimates that it could cost the Irish taxpayer a lot of money. And a lot of sweat and tears.

Planning will be essential. Bad outcomes after ill thought o...

Irish and Eurozone inflation falls again - what is the ECB waiting for?

In the US, the super soaraway economy is dashing hopes of quick rate cuts . Perhaps any rate cuts. We need to remind ourselves that this is a good thing.

Will the earthquake in Taiwan create another supply shock? We think not but it is worth watching. So are oil prices worth close monitoring.

Preparing for war on islands just off Taiwan.

Is the EV ...

One of the first thing that economists are taught is the Free Trade is a Good Thing. One thing that economists don't speak too much about is that free trade creates both winners and losers. Arguably, not nearly enough attention has been paid to the losers.

Whether or free trade is always a net positive depends on many factors. And the alternatives to free trade - the choices made by politicians about things like protectionism - ...