The Library of Mistakes

Wander into any small town in the US and you'll find "a Subway, a Bank of America and some private-equity-owned retail chain". Denise Hearn, co-author (with Jonathan Tepper) of The Myth of Capitalism (the Financial Times Book of the Year in 2018), explains how corporate monopolies are not only killing competition, choice and diversity, but weakening the economy. This thought-provoking interview wi...

When FT investigative journalist Dan McCrum began challenging the financial model of so-called fintech pioneer Wirecard, he was threatened with criminal charges in Germany – and worse from the murky forces of the Russian underworld. Yet he persisted, demonstrating that Wirecard was a fraudulent operation that had hoodwinked auditors worldwide – and many others, including former German Chancellor A...

He was a Labour Cabinet Minister tipped to be a future Prime Minister – charming, handsome and apparently a passionate advocate for social justice. Yet John Stonehouse was also a spy who sold secrets to Czechoslovakia, a fraudster who propped up his supposedly altruistic bank with illegal transactions, and ultimately a criminal who successfully faked his own death – until he was mistaken for Lord...

How did Australian farmer Lex Greensill convince the likes of Credit Suisse and the Softbank Vision Fund that he was a highly investable fintech entrepreneur? Why was former UK Prime Minister David Cameron recruited as a lobbyist? And what caused Greensill's 'pioneering' chain finance model to collapse with the loss of billions of dollars? Join our host Russell Napier as investigative journalist D...

All economic and financial activities take place across time – and interest coordinates those activities. The story of capitalism is thus the story of interest: the price that individuals, companies and nations pay to borrow money. Edward Chancellor could barely have chosen a more topical moment to publish a book about the history of interest rates (The Price Of Time), and host Russell Napier open...

Disorder, a new book by the political economist Helen Thompson, has made waves with its depiction of the long history behind the world's current political challenges. Helen's view is that the disruption experienced in geopolitics, the world economy and western democracies has come together in one big surge of turbulence. It also suggests that, even as the world moves towards greener energy, the pr...

Andrew Smithers first dabbled in the stock market as a schoolboy in the 1950s, and grew into one of the most respected economics commentators of his generation. As well as running S G Warburg's asset management business (now part of Black Rock) for many years, he was a columnist for The Financial Times and has written several books. His latest – The Economics of the Stock Market – focuses on the d...

Lord Darling opens the new Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh, and explains to business journalist and author Ray Perman what it was like to be Chancellor of the Exchequer during the global financial crisis, as the UK banking system teetered on the edge of collapse. A highly entertaining listen for anyone interested in banking, politics and people. Produced by Fraser Allen. www.libraryofmistakes.com

This is a special episode, republished by kind permission of the Hidden Forces podcast series, in which Demetri Kofinas interviews our very own Professor Russell Napier about how investors should prepare for the greatest economic and financial revolution in 100 years. A great listen, particularly for investment experts and enthusiasts.

As the West seeks to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine through financial sanctions, Russell Napier meets an expert on how this kind of warfare tends to play out. In a timely and thought-provoking discussion, he puts the questions to James Fok, author of Financial Cold War – A View of Sino-US Relations from the Financial Markets. A great listen, particularly for finance experts and enthusia...

In this first episode of the Library of Mistakes podcast series, Russell Napier explores the 2008 financial collapse of Iceland with Jared Bibler, author of Iceland's Secret – The Untold Story Of The World's Biggest Con. After moving from the US financial world to Iceland in search of a quieter life, Jared found himself working for the nation's tiny, cash-strapped regulator, digging into multi-bil...