The David McWilliams Podcast

Markets are suffering from global contagion. Stock markets are down 22% this year. Bonds are tanking too. There are at least four if not five proximate reasons as the global economy heads towards coordinated recession. China (17% of the global economy) is at a stand still due to zero covid, the US is fighting inflation. Europe's real incomes have been squeezed by "Putinflation" and emerging markets are running out of dollars. We tease out the big picture and what it means for all of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is going to be exploring the intersection between Turkey and inflation, a country that has been living for many years with what traditional metrics would call “out of control” inflation for the last few years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Digital assets are crashing across the board, something that we’ve warned about across various episodes. Today’s chat is about what is happening & why its happening - is this going to be like the .com crash or like the sub-prime crisis (much worse). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swanneying around Gothenburg this week, the thought stuck me how do these people do it? Why do the Scandinavians do this so well economically, from income, to health, to women feeling safe walking alone at night, Scandinavian countries lead the way, why? Starting from a car wash analogy, we interrogate wage equality, why higher wages at the lower-end are critical to innovation and creating a more fair society - something the Scandinavian countries seem to have figured out ahead of everyone else! This week, let's take some Swedish lessons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine mortgage rates at 8%, inconceivable possibly but when you think about it not completely out of the question. Historically we've been here before. We examine the last time the interest/inflation cycle turned, what happened, who paid most and what were the long-term consequences? Buckle up for the ride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one’s a special one: we’re coming to you from Inis Meain, the middle island of the three Aran islands to discuss how Covid and connectivity has enhanced our ability to thrive in remote locations, how going upmarket is the way forward and how this small Irish-speaking community is preserving its (and our) roots while at the same time, adjusting to this new modern reality. Ultimately we are witnessing the death of distance, and, in the future, the more distant you are, the more you will benefit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is power? How is it acquired and who owns it? We look at the economics of power, the power of networks and the "strength of weak ties" and the constant historic tension between vertical power, the type deployed by Putin, and horizontal power the type sought by Musk. Plus we explore what they can both learn from the master "influencer" of the early 16th century, Martin Luther. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economies weren’t always focused on growth, as weird as that might sound now, growth, is a relatively new concept. Today we’re joined by one of the greats: Mark Blyth, who talks to us about past & future growth rates… and how the planet plays into it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode covers a wide range of economic headlines, from the Inis Meain 10k, the critical roll of credit unions, Macron's win, to Irish housing and what the dysfunctional markets for cars in Cuba can tell us about the equally dysfunctional Irish housing market. Hope you enjoy it...if that's the word! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One continent has been missing from the headlines lately - Africa: they’re going through a severe debt crisis and with the current state of globalization, what happens there is going to ripple here. Join us as we break it down with David McNair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is split in two - we start by looking at what German cowardice & its refusal to sanction Russian gas means for both the war and the western alliance. Then we talk Twitter with Mark Little who helps us breakdown the issues thrown up by Musk's bid to take over Twitter and what it tells us about the economics of the internet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democracy is often accepted as a given - but it is anything but. Today we tackle the myths about democracy and immigrants to hopefully lay the blueprints for a more resilient society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe usually has a 14 day supply of diesel, which is currently down to 4 days. In the coming days Russia might cut off Europe or Europe might decide to stop buying from Russia - what happens then? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we’re joined by Doomberg to talk about the way out of our energy crisis - because energy is quite literally life.The way out of this mess might necessitate us coming to grips with the fact that we’re going to have some imperfect allies to survive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week is all about energy - Putin’s betting Europe won't stand firm, if diesel begins to run out. The next few weeks will be crucial. We've have not seen an energy crisis like this since 1973. With inflation set to rise further and output slumping due to our ill-conceived dependence on Russian energy, it's crunch time for Europe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with a breakdown of what exactly is a REIT before the conversation turns to Russia - and more specifically the multi-faceted population of Russia. Are we nearing the point where the population reminds Moscow that it doesn’t speak for the whole country? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economics has always been about energy. When the price of energy rises, everything follows. We go to the Gulf to understand the politics of energy and Putin's calculation that an energy war will cause a Western recession, just like 1973, may well come off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Putin has weaponized global capital and because of that action I believe that we will see investment flow towards liberal democracies, which is a massive economic opportunity for the countries that will present themselves as a safe place to use business - but we have to get inflation under control! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China looks to have made its choice for now, and it is with Russia. This might be the most consequential decision for the world economy since the fall of the Berlin wall. Globalization is in the balance and a bipolar world of us and them, now looks likely. Why would China risk everything to bail out Putin? Thats the question. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the war in Ukraine continues, we focus on an extraordinary city which could well be the next Russian target, Odessa. A product of commerce and an effervescent example of urban economics, Odessa is cosmopolitan, tolerant, self-reinventing, brimming of various ethnicities, home to Russian intellectual greats Pushkin, Babel, Eisenstein and Jabotinsky. Today this great city is on the frontline. We explore its economy and history, and why destroying this city is akin to destroying an idea, which is why it will be impossible. We also highlight one of the darkest and least well known atrocities of the Holocaust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To reach the global climate goals in 2030, we need to half our emissions, so speed is the name of the game! Join us as Eric Lonergan & Corinne Sawers talk about the steps and mindset that we need to adopt to save the planet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's look at the next stage of sanctions, how they're designed and how the whole world is reacting to their implementation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The celebrate international women’s day we ask why are women still so underrepresented in economics? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The west is fighting a new type of war - an economic war instead of a ground war. Let’s investigate what is going on & wether or not its going to work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we frame the invasion of Ukraine as a war against the "idea" of the EU. For Putin, Ukraine is only the start. The big prize is destabilizing the EU. So far he has miscalculated, but it's early days. We examine the Ukrainian economy, who will stand up to Putin and we chat to the brilliant Norwegian economist, Martin Sandbu of the Financial Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia has amputated a chunk of Ukraine. War is now looming in Europe. How did we end up here? Where did diplomacy go wrong? What is coming next? Today’s episode aims to simply explain the whole situation and provide some thoughts about what might happen next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most talked about solution to fight off inflation is interest rates - but is that blunt instrument really going to fix such a complex problem? Join us as we bring in Dario Perkins to give us his point of view. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is a fascinating interview with Christoper Leonard who walks us through his latest book and brings to life how the FED and central banks around the world have rarely been on the side of the little guy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All around the world people are feeling their purchasing power shrink: as inflation rises the cost of living - and indeed your real wealth - goes down. What is causing this? Is this going to continue? How do we make it go away? All that & more in today’s episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crypto has captured the imagination of many as way to get rich quick - but few are able to agree or even explain what it actually is. In today’s conversation we are joined by Michael Saylor, one of the biggest bitcoin holder, to explain what it is and how you might be using it - spoiler alert: he doesn’t think it’s a currency either! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind every decision is human beings, who they are, how they act & where they’re from is critical to understanding the context in which any given decision is taken. In light of the announced interest rate hikes we attempt to pull back the curtain and understand who is Jerome Powell (besides the chair of the federal reserve of the United States) - because his actions in the coming year will ripple across the world Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia has been dominating headlines as of late and clickbait titles want you to believe that World War 3 is on the horizon - What is really happening in Russia? Join us as we hear from people living there what news they are hearing and how they see this large scale posturing play out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the return to office happening all around the world, we’re seeing old problems come back; namely, traffic and congestion in cities. This is something we can, and should, solve - join us as we look at how we make it work for everyone. Plus on the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses, what would Leopold Bloom have to say about traffic, land tax and urban economics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s massive amounts of money being thrown around by people who are trying to invest in the metaverse… so what exactly is it? And perhaps more importantly: is it a necessary or even a desirable future that these companies are setting up for us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We breakdown what is happening with the falling stocks in the tech sector by talking about bonds, inflation and returns on investment before looking at the state of the Irish economy as we emerge from lockdown. Spoiler alert: Housing is involved! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is about the UK: as Boris Johnson fights for his political life we breakdown the timeline of events that brought us here, when & how this all might end and finally: what is legacy might be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WB Yeats in his poem "The Second Coming", described a world, 100 odd years ago, where the forces of economics and politics meant that "things fall apart" and "the centre  cannot hold". In many ways he was right. In 1922, the centre didn't hold, not in Ireland, not anywhere. Things did fall apart. Today we look at the complexion of Irish society as it is, not as sloganeers might want it to be and ask the same question. Are we on the path of seismic change or something more gradual? The figures might surprise you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where exactly did Covid come from? Today’s episode tackles the origin of Covid, where did it come from, the food chain or a lab leak? A lab leak opens the door to all sorts of questions, geo-political, scientific and ethical. In fact, its one of the most important questions surrounding the pandemic and yet, it is the question few have asked? Conventional wisdom says it jumped from bats to animals in a Wuhan market, what it this is not true? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've no idea whether crypto and Bitcoin in particular will crash, double or stay where it is. No one does. In economic terms, cryptocurrency is definitely SOMETHING, but at this stage, it is patently not money. Join us as we explain how Bitcoin is clearly an asset, but its is definitely not money. Why a good way to look at money is to imagine it is like language and why money is a technology not a commodity. Could 2022 be the year to be cautious around the speculative asset that is crypto or time to double down despite recent declines? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's talk America one year to the day after storming of Capitol Hill. Some warn the US is moving towards civil war, certainly the place is divided, what of the early Biden optimism and just when you though it was safe to dream again, he's back, more orange than ever. All this a discussion on productivity, wages and growth in Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New Year and a new credit cycle. In 2021 the world was awash with money, but will this continue in 2022? If not what will it mean for the economy, for  you, and for confidence? All credit cycles follow similar paths, we trace these cycles. Also what about European and Irish tech in the next 12 months and how John is becoming a drummer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Christmas! Hope you had a good one! Weird that this week we are talking about more boozing, more socializing, more venues, more events, more late nights, more entertainment just when things are closing down, but the best gift we can give the social economy, is open up everything, no more Victorian licences, and embrace the night time economy. For a city to live, it has to be 24 hours, for those who want to go out, where they like, when they like. All this plus, a framework for making better predictions in 2022 with the help of strategist Viv Chambers. Hope you enjoy and wishing you a Happy New Year! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Around the world the central banks have announced their vision for what 2022 will look like - How will these announcements affect your Daily budget and your ability to make biggest purchases? Join us to find out! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's an extra episode this week!Thanks to the folks at NOW we're bringing you the economics of football to understand clubs really work, what are the incentives driving their behaviors and how in many ways they mirror our broader economy as a whole. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is all about politics as Kevin Cunningham joins us to breakdown the latest numbers for Ireland and the UK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rising tensions between Russian and Ukraine has flared up faster than anyone could have predicted and we're now at the edge of what could be the biggest story of the year - so let's break down exactly what is happening and more importantly, WHY its happening Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode we get all historical and look at economics of Alexander Hamilton, the man who forged America and got murdered for his troubles. Through his eyes we tackle hyper-inflation, financing revolution, central banking, government borrowing and trade and wonder why it all still feels so contemporary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we go into another quasi-lockdown, what does it mean for the economy. What as Covid done to our understanding of the economy, why is this so different and what is likely to happen to the economy and in financial markets which are already expensive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we begin to take stock of the year we’re looking at how the pandemic has changed the working landscape through the lens of innovations and entrepreneurship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the span of a single week, a bright outlook for 2022 is now starting to look quite bleak as the new South African Covid variant enters our communities & media cycles. Today’s episode is all about how movement works, across people, financial markets & of course… COVID Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.