It is understandable that some people are on the lookout for villains to blame in this time of national crisis – and who better than City ‘fat cats’ who are ‘profiting from the misery of others’? But it usually only takes a moment of serious thought to realise that these attacks are well wide of … Continue reading Why bans on ‘short selling’ are a bad idea
Category: Capitalism
‘Disaster capitalism’ revisited – the case of Somerset Capital
"I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that an emerging markets fund co-founded by Jacob Rees-Mogg is taking advantage of lower equity prices to buy shares in, er, Brazilian healthcare companies and South African chemist chains. This SICKENING behaviour, er, (cont. p94)..." (with apologies to the Private Eye’s Dave Spart) I’ve written before about the lazy narrative of ‘disaster … Continue reading ‘Disaster capitalism’ revisited – the case of Somerset Capital
Coronavirus crisis doesn’t mean Corbyn was right
Given how trendy it is to blame ‘capitalism’ for all the world’s other ills, from wars to climate change, it’s no surprise that some have been quick to pin the current crisis on the failures of free markets too. Many have also used the need for unprecedented government intervention as evidence that the state should … Continue reading Coronavirus crisis doesn’t mean Corbyn was right
Can ‘profiteering’ ever be justified?
Given that even ‘profit’ now seems to be dirty word, it is no surprise that being accused of ‘profiteering’ during a crisis is about as bad as it can get. But there are some circumstances when an increase in prices in response to exceptional demand can actually be a good thing. By definition, ‘profiteering’ is … Continue reading Can ‘profiteering’ ever be justified?
Plain-speaking Economics 