Overleveraged

In the first of our 2024 UK election series, BlondeMoney’s Helen Thomas makes big calls on what the Nigel Farage decision to stand for Reform will mean for the Tory party and the future of UK politics. Will Labour win a landslide? Could he lead a reverse takeover of the Conservatives? 

Work kills, but so does unemployment. David Buik comes into the office to discuss the pros and cons of working from home and the future of work. 

Tesla is being investigated for securities and wire fraud for self-driving claims. Is Tesla a giant fraud on the scale of Theranos? Witness for the prosecution Mark Spiegel from Stanphyl Capital joins Neil to make the case against Elon Musk. 

The UK economy has emerged from its shallow recession and the FTSE 100 has hit record highs – is it time to be a bit more upbeat about Britain? John Hughman provides the answers with Neil. 

Neil and Helen venture into the glittering world of the Eurovision Song Content for a wry look at the economic fortunes and prospects of various competing nations. 

England expects it could be a tricky night for Rishi Sunak – can he survive until the General Election? And will the Tory party survive in the long run? Helen Thomas, former advisor to George Osborne, is here to discuss. 

Neil is joined by John Hughman again for look into whether the machinations of geopolitics really matter to financial markets in the long term; and what impact do short-term shocks really have? 

Helen Thomas from BlondeMoney is back to talk with Neil about Bitcoin and whether it’s behaving more like gold – and whether gold is really behaving like gold anymore. Both have just hit record highs – why? 

Vox's John Hughman joins Neil for a look at the economic and demographic challenges facing China and whether it’s on course for a process of Japanification - a drawn out period of deflation, financial stress, economic decline and property market collapse. 

CityAM editor Andy Silvester joins Neil for a look at the history of the sometimes-symbiotic relationship between news media and financial markets; from the railway mania of the 1840s and Tulip bubble to today’s world of social media and AI. 

Join Neil and Helen for an Easter parade around the price of chocolate, cocoa futures and what it's telling us about climate change and the risks of geopolitical instability. 

Across Europe, right wing parties are on the rise. Is the Right about to sweep to power? Or does the centre hold? And what does fragmentation at the heart of the EU suggest for financial markets?

Central banks are gearing for a busy week ahead – but so what? What does it mean if they cut interest rates, does it matter? 

During Budget week, David Buik joins Neil for a talk about the consequences of government borrowing and tries to answer whether deficits really matter. 

With chatter of a British ISA in this year’s Budget, Neil and John look at the state of London’s ailing equity market – what's gone wrong and how we can fix it. 

How could the US presidential election shape the two-year-old conflict? What could Trump do on day one, and are markets prepared for November? 

What does a Labour victory mean for markets and how likely is it to secure a big win this year? Two key by-elections may help us understand more; markets may be assuming too much. Neil and Helen talk about the UK political scene and its macroeconomic implications. 

Productivity, wage growth and the labour force: what can be learn from history abou the impact of AI? 

Will democracy die in 2024? Presidential elections always create volatility and with 60% of global GDP voting this year, will democracy emerge victorious, or are the forces of polarisation and populism growing? Indeed is it fair to cast them as mutually exclusive?

What are central banks going to do next? They’ve hiked a lot and now everyone is waiting for the cuts to come. But will inflation remain too high to justify the kind of easing predicted by markets? Neil is joined once more by Helen Thomas of BlondeMoney to discuss. 

Neil is joined by BlondeMoney’s Helen Thomas for look at one of the big themes driving markets – globalisation, as the WEF takes place in Davos, Switzerland. Are we dealing with slowbalisation or deglobalisation, or outright mercantilism, protectionism and war?