Equitile Conversations

In this episode of Equitile Conversations, host Gerald Ashley and George Cooper discuss central banking with macroeconomist Damien Pudner of the newly formed Great British Think Tank. The think tank aims to provide clear, independent, data-driven analysis of government spending and economic statistics drawn from official sources like the ONS and OBR, free from political spin. The conversation cent...

In this Equitile Conversations episode, Gerald Ashley and George Cooper explore inflation not as a short-term blip from the US-Iran war, but as a deeply embedded, policy-driven structural problem affecting the UK, US and global markets. Cooper points to immediate market signals: US 30-year bond yields have climbed above 5% and UK yields are approaching 6%. With debt-to-GDP ratios now exceeding 120...

In this Equitile Conversations episode, hosted by George Cooper he invites Gerald Ashley and special guest Richard Knight to share their observations from recent trips to Vietnam and Argentina, contrasting them with the UK's economic performance and mindset. Richard highlights Vietnam's striking dynamism upon arrival: modern airports far superior to those in the UK, and streets buzzing w...

In this March 29th, 2026 episode of Equitile Conversations, Gerald Ashley and George Cooper offer a downbeat assessment of the escalating US-Iran war in the Gulf and its profound impact on global supply chains and financial markets. They describe a major negative supply shock triggered by widespread destruction of energy infrastructure, with the US reportedly planning ground troops into Iran. Oil...

In this February 2026 edition of Equitile Conversations, host Gerald Ashley interviews Nic Rogers, head of research at Equitile, revisiting energy markets after their accurate 2025 call: volatile natural gas but subdued oil. Rogers highlights a rotation toward value and "heavy asset, low obsolescence" stocks, with energy sector outperformance early in 2026, leading the S&P 500—unusua...

In the first episode of 2026, George Cooper and Gerald Ashley examine the persistent “debasement trade”: fiat money weakening while physical assets surge. They revive the “Savoy Gold Dinner ratio,” a metric from the 1970s/80s created by gold mines fund manager Julian Baring. In August 1971—days after Nixon closed the gold window—a comparable Savoy Grill dinner cost £5.67 per head. With gold at $40...

In this episode George & Gerald chatted to macro economist Doug McWilliams about the perennial topic of economic growth. Growth doesn’t arrive by accident. They dig into a concrete plan to raise living standards in the UK by combining a simpler tax system, targeted deregulation, and policies that bring more people back into productive work, drawing on insights from a new book Prosperity Th...

Never mind beating the benchmark when the benchmark is quietly making the real decisions. Gerald Ashley and George Cooper pull back the curtain on how index choice shifts risk onto investors, fuels herding, and even distorts the wider economy. From the S&P 500’s ninefold climb to the FTSE’s more modest tripling, they unpack why “go passive” still demands a critical, high stakes decision about...

In this edition George Cooper and Gerald Ashley are joined by Helen Thomas of Blonde Money. Are many governments in the developed world facing a fiscal Mission Impossible? They looked at current financial risks, global fiscal challenges, and central bank independence, focusing on the political implications. The conversation highlighted how political systems and electoral dynamics are shaping econo...

In this Equitile Conversations episode, Gerald Ashley and George Cooper, joined by guest Michael Power, discuss the outdated term "emerging markets."  They argue it inaccurately describes dynamic economies like China, which lead in technology and growth, while traditional "developed" markets like the US exhibit characteristics once associated with emerging markets, such as fisc...

In this episode Gerald Ashley is joined by Nicholas Rogers, an equity analyst at Equitile . They take a look at the three major energy markets of oil, natural gas and coal, which together supply up to 90% of global energy. They discuss the current stability of oil prices despite Middle East tensions, with softening Western demand but strong Asian growth, and the importance particularly of China’s...

In this episode of Equitile Conversations, Gerald Ashley and George Cooper discuss the mechanics and challenges of pension systems, focusing on their reliance on current workers and demographic trends. They explain that state pensions, like the UK's, are "pay-as-you-go," funded by taxing current workers rather than a saved pot of money, dispelling the myth of a personal pension fund...

Are we experiencing peak dollar as a reserve currency? In this latest episode we examine this complex but crucial question for investors, policymakers, and businesses. With the federal deficit running at a staggering 8.8% of GDP—a level typically associated with major economic crises rather than normal times—we're witnessing what could be a pivotal moment in global finance. The dollar's...

Ever wonder why smart people make irrational investment decisions? The answer lies in our psychological wiring. Loss aversion makes parting with losing investments almost physically painful, while confirmation bias ensures we only see evidence supporting our existing views. These forces work together to create a perfect storm of poor financial choices that most investors never recognise. Gerald As...

Are we heading toward a future underpopulation crisis instead of overpopulation? In this episode, George Cooper and Gerald Ashley explore the far-reaching effects of a global demographic shift already in motion. Fertility rates worldwide are plummeting below the replacement level—South Korea, for instance, is at just 0.7 children per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to sustain a population. This la...