Mike Norman Economics

I wrote this in June. In the light of my blog on modern monetary theory today and the comment I made in it that the government must act as the borrower of last resort I think it appropriate to republish it. I do so knowing it contradicts modern monetary theory. Political judgement and the needs of financial markets suggests that doing so is appropriate for the reasons I note. Modern monetary theory is not, in other words, the answer in all cases: it can just inform the process in which a...

[embedded content] The propaganda battle for our hearts and minds has become increasingly sophisticated. Nowhere has this been demonstrated more clearly than over the war in Syria. Media that support regime change have peddled falsehoods as facts which have bounced politicians into taking aggressive military action. So how do we break a vicious cycle that allows the media to facilitate the wanton acts of the military industrial complex? Host Ross Ashcroft is joined by the former British...

An interesting interview with Anya Parampil. [embedded content]

The stock buy back con. Did economists ever believe that it would be profitable to shrink companies and under invest? Lots of people would like to start companies and see them grow, but why not just asset strip a company instead and make easy money? But the ruling elite dummy like it when Chinese companies zoom ahead because they invest in themselves. [embedded content] In the second half but Max Keiser and Ross Ashcroft make a convincing argument about why Britain should have stayed in...

Oh the hits they just keep on coming... its like these oil cartel SOBs worst nightmare...US innovation on the verge of doing to OPEC what it did to the USSRhttps://t.co/ekIxg6bK1s— Charlie Coleman (@chasecoleman3rd) November 9, 2018

Looks like OPEC Iran may be turning into another OPEC Venezuela... Mike Pompeo says Iran must listen to U.S. "if they want their people to eat" https://t.co/T3ARqujEkH pic.twitter.com/MRivXTQM0O — Newsweek (@Newsweek) November 9, 2018 ROW better figure out who they are dealing with now these days and quick... these are not oil people...

In China, healthcare has become one of the largest applications for artificial intelligence (AI). Companies from start-ups to tech giants are seizing the opportunity to apply AI solutions. A rapidly aging population is putting a lot of stress on China's healthcare system. The Chinese government has been looking to technology to solve the problem. One of the areas it sees real potential and room for growth is AI, with most of China's AI healthcare companies currently focused on medical...

[embedded content] Anya Parampil reports on new US sanctions targeting Iran as well as efforts from the international community, including Russia, China, and Europe, to sidestep the new rules. Anya talks to Mohammad Marandi, Professor at the University of Tehran, about how Trump’s policies could lead to the isolation of the United States, as countries work to de-dollarize.

Latest via Alexander Gabuev, who is one of the best Russian China watchers. The Unz ReviewChina/Russia UpdateAnatoly Karlin

Jeff Fairburn’s £75m bonus has sharpened focus on the vast windfalls generated by help to buy In Austerity Britain, this may be the single biggest giveaway to one small group of businesspeople – and it gets barely any attention. The scheme may have helped some first-time buyers on to the ladder, but by inflating prices, it has kept many others off. Add to it quantitative easing and the erosion of stamp duty, and the British state has looked after housebuilders like no other. What it...