The Other Hand

Market shocks, AI anxiety, cyber risks, and a shaky European backdrop This episode covers a fast-moving mix of markets, macroeconomics, and geopolitics. Chris and Jim move from oil and AI-driven equity volatility to cybersecurity scares, European weakness, UK consumer strain, and the growing pressure on France and the European car industry. The conversation is wide-ranging but tied together by one...

In this episode, Jim outlines the backdrop to the UK autumn budget: inflation rising to 3.5%, transport inflation at 6.6%, higher borrowing, and the likelihood of another Bank of England rate increase. The pair discuss the argument that the UK’s strength lies in high value professional services, including consulting, legal work, computer programming, and AI related business investment. They note t...

Markets, France, AI, Billionaires, and the UK Welfare Crisis This episode ranges from market history and Irish trade data to France’s fiscal bind, the geopolitics of AI infrastructure, billionaire wealth, and the UK’s welfare system. Chris and Jim move quickly between economics, politics, and technology, with a recurring theme: systems that look stable on the surface are under far more strain than...

Will 2027 see a General Election in the UK? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode covers a wide-ranging macro and geopolitics conversation, starting with Irish residential property prices and the affordability squeeze, then moving into China’s pressure on the European car industry, IMF growth and fiscal warnings, and finally the security risks created by everything being connected to the internet. The discussion closes with the Nobel Prize in Economics and why Robe...

In this episode: Chris argues the Irish government is spending too much of temporary corporation tax revenue on permanent commitments, citing IFAC’s warning that the state is spending six out of every seven euros from corporation tax. Jim pushes back on the budget politics saying ministers faced strong departmental pressure and that the six percent spending target, even if imperfect, may be a reas...

In this episode, Minister Jack Chambers says Budget 27 was built around balance - protecting long-term capital investment while responding to cost of living pressures. Chambers says next year’s capital investment will exceed 20 billion euro, and that day-to-day spending growth has been brought down from an average of 9% to about 6%. Jim Power argues the budget is positive overall, especially on pe...

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In this episode, Jim breaks down the Irish Department of Finance white paper and says the public finances still look strong, with a forecast general government surplus of 6.9 billion euro this year and 13.5 billion euro in 2027. The conversation focuses on corporation tax, which is forecast at 34.1 billion euro this year and 39 billion euro next year, but below an earlier projection of 35.3 billio...

This week, Chris and Jim unpack a volatile run of economic data and what it means for markets, growth and household finances. US jobs and wages: A weaker-than-expected employment report shifts expectations for interest rates, while falling real wages raise questions about living standards. Growth, inflation and rates: Why resilient growth alongside renewed inflation is making the outlook harder fo...

This episode ranges from the latest AI headlines and the existential risk debate to the way AI investment is showing up in inflation, bond yields, and central bank thinking. It also turns to Ireland’s budget season, EU budget tensions, and why both speakers think fiscal policy has become too much of a political circus. Chris and Jim argue that the big story is not just productivity from AI, but al...

This conversation breaks down the latest economic data and what it means for markets, inflation, and central bank policy. Jim and Chris focus on the surprise strength in US, European, and German indicators, then dig into whether the AI investment boom is no longer just a productivity story but a broader inflation and wage impulse. They also cover soaring bond yields, the OECD’s mixed forecasts, re...

This episode ranges from a personal Camino de Santiago walk to a hard-edged discussion about housing markets, public finances, and political risk in the UK and Europe. Chris and Jim connect the dots between weak growth, planning bottlenecks, budget theatre, and the social strain that builds when economies stop expanding. We discuss Ireland’s housing market cooling, the UK’s fiscal outlook ahead of...

UK's moron premium proves very sticky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In conversation with Professor Shane O'Mara Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special edition of The Other Hand, host Chris is joined by journalist Sarah Carey and AI entrepreneur Sean Blanchfield (CEO and co-founder of Jentic) for a wide-ranging conversation about artificial intelligence. Sarah opens with a vivid first-hand account of attending Donald Trump's press conference at the US Ambassador's residence in Dublin. The discussion then dives deep into the AI thr...

Wildfires have been diminishing in size. Who knew? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will the universe miss us? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peak stuff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't mess with Canada Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In conversation with Joan Mulvihill Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Occasionally sounding rather unsound.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new war between Canada & The US Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the latest data Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is responsible? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.