Articles by Bilal

Some good articles on politics from Brexit guides to US religiosity to Left populism. On the macro side, I have articles on secular stagnation, nominal GDP targeting and of course Modern Monetary Theory. I have a slew of articles on investing and trading models including on momentum models, FX models and estimates of risk premia. Finally, a shocking stat on the current effective US corporate tax rate (scroll down!).

Good range of articles this week. On the self-improvement side: life-lessons for movie cats, how depression hits teenage boys and girls differently and the science of innovation. On the tech side: Volvo’s in-car camera to watch you, edge AI tech and US’s new exascale computer. On the fun side, 100 podcasts to listen to, most influential books of the past 20 years and silly and cruel beauty products from the past. Enjoy.

This week, I have some good articles on monetary policy with one arguing that high US rates before 2008 pushed people into shadow financing, while another argues that recent low interest rates are leading to monopolistic industries ( Seems like central bankers can never get it right). Larger companies are also apparently weakening the wage bargaining power of workers.  To make matters worse automation will make many jobs redundant, and there’s an excellent article with shiny graphics that runs through the sectors that will decline (or grow). On markets, there’s a few articles on trading models that stood out – […]

This edition leans towards tech and science: why big tech is not a monopoly in the conventional sense, what happened to all those Uber-style businesses and scientists want to dim the sun. On the culture side, Captain Marvel defies trolls, do you know who Billie Eilish is and indie movies to look out for. Health-wise, you learn about the nuances of the placebo effect, sleep issues and the trouble with excessive hygiene. There’s a bunch more fascinating articles, and great pics at the bottom of the email. Enjoy.

Some very good  pieces on investing including one: tips from the top investors, an equity trading model and the ins-and-outs of initial (crypto) coin offerings (ICOs). On the macro side, we have some good pieces on how to model financial crises, the inflation of smartphones and how debt doesn’t cause inflation. We have Mankiw writing about writing textbooks, policymakers worried about climate change and why everyone does not value university education. There’s also a bunch of articles on China including some on its currency regime and reserve management. Enjoy…

Great selection of free articles this week. On the work front, bring Maria Kondo to your work space, weaponising your email, and what personality traits do CEOs have that others don’t (not what you expect). Health-wise a sobering article on the efficacy of anti-depressants, some myths exploded on healthy skin and are you self-actualised ?(take the quiz). A bunch of tech stories especially on the challenges big tech is facing (taxes, privacy), the latest developments in transport (car subscription models, e-scooters) and China’s massive new power grid. On the lighter side, free site to colourise your photos, what happened to […]

Today’s wrap-up leans a bit more towards the evolving structure of economies. It seems households are investing lots in R&D (but it is not measured), there is a difference between the 1% and the 0.1% and how collective wage bargaining impacts Italy differently to Germany. Elsewhere there’s a good article on how the US trade deficit is more due to global forces than US ones, while another argues that US inflation is caused by the US factors and not global ones. For markets, we have a good piece on how CoCos  needs to be changed, the Fed argues the secular […]

This week, we have a flurry of pieces on increasing US debt (the good and the bad), raising taxes on the rich and some excellent century-spanning data on English wealth. On growth, almost all economists expect a US recession by 2021 at the latest, the Fed hints at following BoJ policy if things get bad, and the geo-politics of trade agreements. On the latter, we also have some articles on the 5G issue and China as well as challenges China is facing in its Belt and Road Initiative. The markets side, a trading strategy that combines momentum and signals from […]

Lots of self-help in today’s list from 40 push ups as test for your true health to signs of healthy relationships to “coping” with financial windfalls. Some surprising articles on how sellers sabotage their competitors on Amazon, China’s new most downloaded app (from the government!) and the increasing presence of Emoji’s in court proceedings. I also feature a bunch of city lists: best pastries in London, best “undiscovered” trails in Singapore, best cosmetic stores in Tokyo and best new restaurants in HK. Around 40 articles in total with short summaries on each. Enjoy… Chinese schoolgirl shamed for using robot to […]

For some reason there’s a slew of articles on factor investing and trading models – some are positive and some are scathing. Also, good articles on the impact of economic news in negative rate environments (not much), how banks trade post-Volcker (less equity risk) and a review of CDS markets. On policy, there’s a bunch of articles on how to ease policy when rates are low, the challenge of services-based economies on VAT receipts and whether GDP is the right target for policymakers. Elsewhere, there’s a great history on parties splitting in the UK, how EU populism could be peaking […]