A Long Time In Finance

The Art of the Squeal

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:50:55 GMT

When a debt crisis unfolds behind closed doors, who really has the upper hand? Taking in a range of characters – from Donald Trump to Philip Green, the Barclay brothers and the private equity firms – this is a potted history of how some of finance's biggest names have turned reneging into an art form. In this live recording of A Long Time in Finance, hosts Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins, joined by insolvency expert Edward Starling, lift the lid on some of the murkiest manoeuvres in modern finance.

The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Advanced Valuation in Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Edward Starling.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Turning Point: Kodak's Digital Asteroid

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:06:05 GMT

Kodak, the photography company George Eastman created in the late 19th century, was built on restless R&D and bold innovation. So why did it flunk the shift from chemical to digital photography - having invented the first digital camera. We talk to the inventor, Steve Sasson about how his brainwave almost killed a company.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Steven Sasson.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Turning Point: The Story of ASML

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 06:39:14 GMT

Welcome to a new series where we look at big businesses and what led to their big break or failure..

ASML is the biggest European company you’ve never heard of and the Continent’s only true tech giant. But how did this seemingly anonymous Dutch business come to be the world’s biggest producer of key machinery used in printing semiconductors? It involves Americans, all conquering Japanese exporters, and rednecks beating the crap out of Toyotas with sledgehammers. Listen to the Turning Point and we’ll explain.

For tickets to our upcoming event visit the Weekend of Mistakes and use the offer code ALTIF_offer at checkout.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Brian Potter.

In partnership with the Library of Mistakes.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Derailment of Railtrack

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 07:00:00 GMT

It was supposed to bring in the cash to revive Britain's creaking railway network. But then it all went wrong for the listed network owner. A series of tragic accidents undermined public confidence, beginning the slow unravelling of rail privatisation as a whole. Neil and Jonathan talk to Gerald Corbett, one time boss of Railtrack, about the privatisation project, the accidents, and what went right and wrong.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Gerald Corbett.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

New Year Special: The Guinness Scandal

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:00:00 GMT

It's often seen as the point where the City dumped its old gentlemanly mores ("My word is my bond") for a new "win at all costs" culture - one that the UK's new regulatory regime singularly failed to quell. But what was the Guinness Scandal of the 1980s all about, why was it important, and what were its consequences? Forty years on, we talk to author Nick Kochan about "Deadly Ernest" Saunders, boss of Guinness, the share-trading scandal, and the massive legal (and medical) swamp that followed. (Spoiler alert: it involves an actual medical miracle).

The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nick Kochan.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

How Britain Lost Its Shipbuilding Industry

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 09:28:48 GMT

Everyone knows that Britain once built almost all the world's ships, and now builds almost none. But what were the steps by which this mighty activity disintegrated? And no less importantly, how did it climb so high in the first place, when the US was the world's biggest ship building nation in the early 19th century? What are the economics of shipbuilding and do we need to build them? We explore the rise and fall of a great industry and all these questions with Brian Potter of the Institute for Progress.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Brian Potter.

In partnership with the Library of Mistakes.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Britain's Energy Disaster

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:08:10 GMT

In the 19th century, Britain transformed itself into the workshop of the world by harnessing the power of coal and steam. Now a new energy revolution - that of renewable power - looks set to turn the UK into something closer to a workhouse inhabited by the destitute. But how did it all happen and why did politicians buy into it? We look at how Britain fashioned a disastrous energy trap for itself, and ask if there's any way out.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Barbarians at the Gate: A Short History of Private Equity

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:00:16 GMT

From a few tiny funds in the 1970s, private equity has transformed the financial world and is now a $7 trillion industry, accounting for 30% of the US private sector economy. But how did it all happen, why have pension funds poured so much into these funds, and how do the practitioners get away with paying themselves such eye watering fees? We talk to buyout expert Peter Morris about this strange modern act of financial alchemy.

The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Peter Morris.

In partnership with the Library of Mistakes.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Britain's Melmotte? The Cautionary Tale of Robert Maxwell

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 06:00:00 GMT

The publishing mogul Robert Maxwell lived a life shrouded in mystery that was ultimately capped by great disgrace. But was he an out and out villain, like Anthony Trollope's fictional swindler in The Way We Live Now, or a more nuanced and tragic figure? We discuss the life, legacy and deals of the great pension purloiner with his biographer, John Preston.

Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With John Preston.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Presented in partnership with the Library of Mistakes.

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

The Green Shield Stamp Story

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 07:01:37 GMT

With Britain's economy mired in 1970s misery, we thought we'd brighten things up a bit. So this week we present the most 1970s story ever: the history of GREEN SHIELD STAMPS! Oldies will know, but for younger listeners, you collected them in books, kids, and exchanged them for glass tumblers and soda syphons. Groovy huh? Neil and Jonathan talk to Prof Leigh Sparks about how they worked and changed British retail for ever.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Art of the Shred

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 09:30:25 GMT

Fred Goodwin led Royal Bank of Scotland to ruin and Britain to the brink of financial disaster. But who was the man they called Fred the Shred and how did he build RBS into (briefly) the world's largest bank? And how was he allowed to make such a complete horlicks of it? In our first live show at the Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh, Neil and Jonathan discuss these issues with Ian Fraser, author of Shredded, the seminal history of the fall of RBS.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ian Fraser.

In partnership with the Library of Mistakes.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Great QE Rip-off

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:11:58 GMT

QE or QT? The impact of these hangover expressions from another era is only now becoming apparent. Christopher Mahon of Columbia Threadneedle talks to Jonathan and Neil about how the Bank of England bought government stocks and sold them back at a loss. One example:paying £101 (QE) and later selling it for £28 (QT). The cost of this insane behaviour to the taxpayer? Probably over £115 billion (that's billion).

Secure your tickets to our live event in Edinburgh – on the life and times of Fred 'the Shred' Goodwin – by clicking here.

Presented by Neil Collins and Jonathan Ford.

With Christopher Mahon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Spiders That Ate Ebbsfleet

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 06:04:31 GMT

The government wants to build new towns on disused railway land to tackle the UK's housing crisis. A cracking idea, but will it be able to? Not just the planners but Natural England lie in wait. Neil and Jonathan are joined by Michael Dnes to investigate the murky tale of a new town on disused railway land in Kent that was eaten by a colony of jumping spiders.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Michael Dnes.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Talking War-onomics

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 05:00:00 GMT

Neil and Jonathan talk to Duncan Weldon about his new book Blood and Treasure about the interplay between war, society and economics from the violent larceny of the Vikings to the GDP-chomping total wars of the 20th century.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Duncan Weldon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Making Plans for British Steel

Fri, 02 May 2025 06:00:00 GMT

Britain's steel industry has all but vanished, and the government has intervened to save the last blast furnaces. But how did the country that invented the steel industry reach this pass and does it even matter? We talk to historian Ewan Gibbs about steel, the state, and the importance of ownership and production in an uncertain world.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ewan Gibbs.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Rearmament Pod: Lessons From Hard Times in the 1930s

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 06:00:00 GMT

Generals and politicians calling for rearmament often talk about the UK facing a "1937 moment" of rising threats and a deteriorating international situation. But what actually happened in the late 1930s, and how was an indebted and cash-strapped Britain able to mobilise its industry and spend so much more on armaments? Are there similarities to today and what can we learn? We talk to historian Dan Todman about the economic and military parallels.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Daniel Todman.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Iraq, Minerals and the Art of the Deal

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

In the wake of Donald Trump's demand for a juicy minerals deal in Ukraine, Neil and Jonathan join author James Barr to look at the history of possibly the greatest minerals carve-up of all time - in the post First World War Middle East - and ask the key question: "How did that all work out?"

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With James Barr.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

1976: The Year Britain Went Bust

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 07:05:19 GMT

In 1976, the Labour government went "cap in hand" to the IMF for a loan to tide it through deteriorating economic conditions. The price was large cuts in public spending. Neil and Jonathan talk to economist and author Duncan Weldon about the "bailout", what caused it, the changes it brought, and whether there are any parallels to the predicament faced by Rachel Reeves.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Duncan Weldon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Why Germans Don't Do it Better

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Until recently, Germany seemed to be going through a second wirtschaftswunder, as the country's mighty industry pumped out capital exports to China, powered by cheap Russian gas. Then everything blew up in the 2020s. Neil and Jonathan talk to Wolfgang Munchau about the wishful thinking, political misjudgments, and structural failings that led Europe's largest economy into the mire.

Produced by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Wolfgang Munchau.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Bretton Woods System

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 06:00:50 GMT

In the summer of 1944, as Allied armies fought through Normandy, 44 nations gathered at a run-down hotel in New Hampshire to discuss the economic future of the world. What followed was the only ever formal attempt to reorder the international monetary system; one that seemed for a time successful until it collapsed unmourned in 1971. Together with the author Ed Conway, we look at the summit itself, the giant figures who dominated it (John Maynard Keynes and Harry Dexter White), what it concluded and why, ultimately, it failed.

Produced by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ed Conway.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The John Stonehouse Affair

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 08:00:27 GMT

On 21 November 1974, an obscure backbench MP, John Stonehouse, went for a swim off Miami Beach and disappeared. So began an extraordinary tale of banking fraud, money laundering, spying and identity theft, which unravelled over the following month, ending in Stonehouse's exposure and arrest and making him one of the most famous MPs in the world. Together with the author Philip Augar, we look at Stonehouse's political life and the extraordinary financial dealings that led to his disappearance.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Philip Augar.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Mystery of Dame Linda Dobbs

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 07:22:05 GMT

Employees of a High Street bank rip off its customers for years. The bank refuses to admit that anything illegal happened. Yet when the fraud is finally exposed, it not only gets to decide what compensation to pay; it gets to investigate its own wrongdoing. Sound strange? We talk to the Ian Fraser about Lloyds Bank and the HBOS Reading Affair, its parallels with the Post Office scandal and the world's longest in-house investigation, under retired Judge Dame Linda Dobbs.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ian Fraser.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Living in a Material World

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 06:00:38 GMT

Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil and lithium. These materials built the world we live in, and they will transform our future. Neil and Jonathan talk to writer and broadcaster Ed Conway about raw materials that drive our economies, who controls them, and how that affects Britain's place in the world

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ed Conway.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional production by Ewan Cameron.

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

Ashes to Ashes: The Decline And Fall of Coal-Fired Electricity

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 06:40:08 GMT

Coal once powered the Industrial Revolution and made Britain the richest country on earth. Now with the closure of the country's last coal-fired power station, it will cease to play any meaningful part in the economic life of the nation. Aside from welcoming a cleaner, greener future, what are we to make of this momentous departure? Together with Ewan Gibbs from Glasgow University, Neil and Jonathan look at the epic decline and fall of King Coal.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Ewan Gibbs.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Overpaid and Unaccountable

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 05:17:12 GMT

That's how the public increasingly sees today's managerial elite. Bosses enjoy vast rewards without seeming to be accountable for their decisions - at least the ones that go wrong. The economist (and old friend of Altif) Dan Davies has an answer: they've created what he calls an "unaccountability sink" which is delivering terrible business outcomes. Neil and Jonathan investigate.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan Davies.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

An Audience With The Bond Market's Wyatt Earp

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 06:00:21 GMT

One of Britain's best known bond fund managers, and also founder of the "Bond Vigilante" blog, Jim Leaviss is leaving the City after 32 years to train as an art historian. Neil and Jonathan caught up with him to look back on his City career, the huge bull market in bonds of recent decades, and the threats that lie in store from international instability, political turmoil and deteriorating public finances across the Western world.

Presented by Neil Collins and Jonathan Ford.

With Jim Leaviss.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Libor and the Law

Sat, 06 Jul 2024 05:00:00 GMT

When banks were found to have manipulated the Libor rate during the financial crisis, they paid a whopping $8bn in fines but only a few junior traders went to prison. In a joint episode with Law & Disorder podcast, we look at the recently appealed cases of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palumbo, and ask whether justice has been served.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nicholas Mostyn and Helena Kennedy.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Great Online Money Laundry

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 06:06:00 GMT

One of the more striking crime statistics is that burglary is down 90% in England and Wales since the 1990s. That doesn't reflect more upright behaviour. Nope, it's just that villains are increasingly moving their operations online. We talk to author Geoff White about how Silicon Valley is helping the bad guys go digital by making it easier for them not only to con people and rob, but also to launder their digital winnings online

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Geoff White.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

From The Corset to Help To Buy: A British Housing Story (Part 2)

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 06:00:49 GMT

How did housing in Britain go from somewhere to live to being everyone's favourite financial asset? In the second of our two part series, we look at housing policy since 1970; and ask whether there has ever been a coherent approach. Also is there a natural level of home ownership and should we be encouraging everyone to buy? With Cambridge University housing expert Peter Williams.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Peter Williams.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

From The Corset to Help To Buy: A British Housing Story (Part 1)

Fri, 31 May 2024 05:14:40 GMT

How did housing in Britain go from somewhere to live to everyone's favourite financial asset? In the first of a two part series, we look at the mortgage market since 1970; and ask whether the high prices and low supply we endure today are a financial phenomenon. With former building societies supremo Mark Boleat.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Mark Boleat.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Amazon Octopus

Fri, 17 May 2024 06:00:15 GMT

When Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, it was an online bookshop. Now its tentacles are everywhere: it's a marketplace for third party goods from around the world, a huge cloud computing business and America's largest parcel delivery group. But is this a good thing or a bad one? We talk to Dana Mattioli of the Wall Street Journal about whether Amazon is the consumer''s friend or a monopolist to rank with Rockefeller's Standard Oil.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dana Mattioli.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podcast.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Michael Jensen: High Priest of Greed

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 06:12:26 GMT

The economist Michael Jensen, who died this month, did as much as any single thinker to shape modern financial capitalism. To his detractors, he was the High Priest of Greed who justified stratospheric CEO pay and predatory private equity. His admirers believe he revived Anglo Saxon capitalism. We discuss his ideas and legacy with the independent researcher and private equity expert Peter Morris.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Peter Morris.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podcast.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Fallen Angels: Thames Water Circles the Plughole

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 06:13:21 GMT

A natural monopoly delivering an essential service, Thames Water was privatised in 1989 with no debt. Now it's on its knees, crushed by more than £15bn of borrowings. Neil and Jonathan talk to Feargal Sharkey about what this says about Mrs Thatcher's most controversial privatisation, whether incentive regulation works, and whether we should just scrap the whole private structure and start again.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Feargal Sharkey.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Fallen Angels: GEC/Marconi - From Bellwether to Basket Case

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 07:02:09 GMT

GEC was a British manufacturing titan; a cash-rich producer of everything from washing machines to railway trains. Then in a few years, it rebranded and restructured, shedding most of the old industrial bits to focus on telecoms. The result? By 2005, shiny new Marconi was no more. In the second of our Fallen Angel series, we talk to industrial historian Nick Comfort about one of the most abrupt collapses in UK corporate history and its heavy industrial cost

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nicholas Comfort.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Fallen Angels: The Fall of the House of ICI

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:13:21 GMT

For decades ICI was Britain's largest manufacturing company - a giant fixed point around which the rest of industry orbited. Then, in little more than a decade, it split itself up, sold many of its traditional businesses, and ran up big debts buying fancy but not very profitable fragrance companies. In 2006, the end came when it sold itself to a Dutch company and disappeared. We talk to writer and industrial commentator Nick Comfort about the fall of ICI and what it says about the way the UK economy has been run.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nicholas Comfort.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Internet, AI, And the Madness of Crowds

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 07:02:27 GMT

Remember Pets.com? Or Ask Jeeves? The dot com bubble of 25 years ago might have been a seismic event in markets. But was it just a collective moment of madness, or a deeper transformational moment? Or both? As AI stocks shoot towards the stratosphere, we talk to internet historian Brian McCullough, host of the Techmeme Ride Home podcast, about what we can learn from the last great tech bubble.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Brian McCullough.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Economic Consequences of Roger Bootle

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:13:43 GMT

One of Britain's better-known economic forecasters, Roger Bootle, set up his consultancy Capital Economics 25 years ago. He made his name predicting the "death of inflation" on which he wrote an influential book in the 1990s. We discuss the importance of economic history, favourite writers, monetarism, bright spots in the world economy, and Britain's many problems with growth.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Philip Augar.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

BP, Black Monday and Nigel Lawson's Big Bet

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 07:16:11 GMT

In the second of our series on Privatisation and Popular Capitalism, we look at the biggest and riskiest privatisation of all - the 1987 sale of the UK's 31% stake in BP. How the Chancellor Nigel Lawson gambled that the markets were good for a quick £7bn. Prepare for the world's shortest pricing meeting, diplomatic rows with Kuwaitis and lots of long faced underwriters. And our guest Philip Augar delivers the verdict: was it a disaster narrowly averted or a triumph for the new City of London?

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Philip Augar.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Tell Sid: Popular Capitalism and the Thatcher Revolution

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 10:31:32 GMT

Along with the sale of council houses, privatisation was a signature theme of Mrs Thatcher's government. Its aim was not just more efficient businesses, but a "share owning democracy" that would purge Britain of the "corrosive effect of socialism". With its "Tell Sid" campaign, British Gas was the high water mark of privatisation. Neil and Jonathan talk to author Philip Augar about "stagging", Cedric the Pig and how privatisation changed the City.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Philip Augar.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with BRIEFCASE.NEWS

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

The Price Is Wrong: Why Free Markets And Climate Don't Mix

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 07:07:21 GMT

What if our understanding of capitalism and climate is back to front? What if the problem is not that transitioning to green energy is too expensive, but that saving the planet is not sufficiently profitable. This is the conundrum at the heart of economist Brett Christophers' provocative new book. Neil and Jonathan joined him to discuss why lower wind and solar costs may not equal a green bonanza.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Brett Christophers.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Zen And The Art of Motor Car Maintenance

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 07:11:32 GMT

Unipart, once an unloved division of British Leyland, has grown steadily since its buyout 37 years ago, eschewing the stock market and building a "Mittelstand" like relationship with employees, customers and suppliers. Neil and Jonathan talk to John Neill, its long standing boss, about car parts, purpose versus City short-termism and why more companies don't embrace the "Unipart Way".

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With John Neill.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Weird World of The Barclay Twins

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 07:20:51 GMT

To some it might seem like the plot of a Jeffrey Archer novel: identical twins born to hardship who graft their way up together and ultimately get to own the Ritz Hotel, the Daily Telegraph and a socking great castle in the Channel Islands. But the story of Frederick and David Barclay is much stranger than that. With the Barclays back in the news as they attempt to recover control of the Telegraph, Neil and Jonathan talk to journalist Jane Martinson about the invisible rise of the twins, their complex finances and their ultimate falling out.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Jane Martinson.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Ups and Downs of Bill Gross, Bond King

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 07:04:53 GMT

Bill Gross was the "Master of the Universe" who got the world's attention when he declared in 2010 that UK government debt was sitting "on a bed of nitroglycerine". The man who built the modern bond markets, Gross seemed to have it all. But then he blew up his career just a few short years later with some very strange behaviour. We talk to Mary Childs, journalist and author of a book on Gross, about the strange life and times of a bond market Icarus and his dead cat Bob.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins

With Mary Childs.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

How to Get Big Things Done

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 07:10:54 GMT

What links the iconic Sydney Opera House, Monsters Inc and the mess that is HS2? Well, they involve all giant projects and most conform to the "iron law" that schemes costing $1bn or more always end up over time and budget. According to the data, a piddling 0.5% get delivered on time, for the right price, and produce the forecast benefits. So with the world facing a mountain of infrastructure projects to deal with everything from the climate crisis to clapped out transport systems, we talk to infrastructure expert Bent Flyvbjerg of Oxford University about some of the disasters and also the rare successes such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao to find out what separates the winners from the duds.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins

With Bent Flyvbjerg.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

An Atomic Awakening? Or Another Big Zzzzz?

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 07:11:35 GMT

At the recent COP conference, the UK, along with 21 other countries, promised to triple nuclear capacity by 2050. But what does that mean, and how can these plants be built without the delays and cost overruns that marked nuclear projects in the 1970s and 1980s - the last time Britain had a nuclear programme? Neil and Jonathan talk to Tim Stone, head of the UK's Nuclear Industry Association and a former adviser to five energy secretaries, about how to get nuclear done.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Tim Stone.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Strange Non Death of Crypto

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 07:09:36 GMT

Crypto's demise seems to have been exaggerated, a bit like Mark Twain's. After the collapse of FTX, multiple coin failures and the arrest of various coinigarchs at airports, Neil and Jonathan talk to bitcoin expert Matthew Pines about the digital, bankless currencies strange ability to shrug off these disasters and what the future may hodl.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Matthew Pines.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Legal Bullying and the War on Truth

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 07:01:59 GMT

It's got a long history going back to Robert Maxwell and Sir James Goldsmith's long-running battle to bankrupt Private Eye, but in recent years so-called "lawfare" has become a veritable industry. We talk to David Hooper, solicitor and author of Buying Silence about the ways in which companies have used libel and privacy laws to squash their critics, the numerous abuses, and how these might be curbed.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With David Hooper.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Problem of The Twelve

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 07:07:29 GMT

No, it's not a novel by GK Chesterton; it's the takeover of the world's investment markets by a sinister posse of giant passive fund managers and private equity firms. These now possess the sort of political and economic power that would have made John Rockefeller green with envy. We talk to John Coates, professor at Harvard Law School and author of a new book on "The Twelve", about Blackstone, BlackRock and the rest; where the threat lies and how we should manage it.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With John Coates.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Carbon Offsets: Dude, Where's My Trees?

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 07:00:27 GMT

Carbon offsets seemed a neat idea: pay poor people in the Global South not to cut down trees, and then use that "avoided" carbon to sell credits to polluters in developed countries. Bish bosh, your Delta Airlines flight or VW SUV is carbon neutral. What could possibly go wrong?

Neil and Jonathan pick through the rubble of the South Pole scandal with environmental consultant Andrew Garraway to find exactly what did.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Andrew Garraway.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Great Private Equity Tax Swindle

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 06:32:56 GMT

In 1987, the emerging private equity industry successfully lobbied the government to slip them a tax break. It allows private equiteers to take huge bonuses from the appreciation of client funds they invest in buyouts (a wedge called "carried interest"), and pay a preferentially low rate of tax on these earnings. Now HMRC may be thinking again. We talk to tax expert Dan Neidle about the origin of this boondoggle and why - as a matter of actual law, let alone fairness - it's never been justified, and why the government should now clarify the position.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan Neidle.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

As Good As Gold?

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 06:00:28 GMT

It's more than a decade since an American investor described the UK's gilts market as resting "on a bed of nitroglycerine". But with government bonds facing a plethora of troubles right now, from surging issuance driven both by current deficits and monetary policy, to persistent inflation, it's time to turn again to UK investor and self styled "bond vigilante, Jim Leaviss of M&G to ask if there has ever been a worse time to hold a gilt.

Presented by Neil Collins, with the somewhat tardy participation of Jonathan Ford.

With Jim Leaviss.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Shortspiracy: The Apes v Wall Street

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 05:46:13 GMT

The recently released film, Dumb Money, recounts the tumultuous events of 2021 when a group of internet-enabled sans culottes took on Wall Street's finest in a battle over the future of Gamestop, an obscure electronic games retailer. But was it a financial revolution or an amusing (if tech enabled) throwback to the great stock market corners of the past? Neil and Jonathan talk to financial guru Izabella Kaminska about the Gamestop affair, its cultural and historic roots, and whether "flashmob" investing is here to stay.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Izabella Kaminska.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Trussquake - One Year Later

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 06:00:19 GMT

Liz Truss is the Lady Jane Grey of British politics, lasting just 49 days as PM before swirling economic chaos swept her from office. But a year on, has Britain dusted itself off and rebuilt - or are we still picking through the ruins? Neil and Jonathan talk to economic historian Duncan Weldon about Truss's economic and political legacy, Sunak's problems and the still unanswered question of how to get more economic growth.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Duncan Weldon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Nutrient Neutrality

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 06:00:53 GMT

The government is embroiled in a row about environmental protection. Should it apply pollution rules inherited from the EU in the way its own environmental advisers interpret them, or should it change the rules to help housebuilders construct more homes? Neil and Jonathan discuss the trade-offs with Robert Colvile, a self confessed housing nut who is director of the Centre for Policy Studies.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Robert Colville.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Nine Lives of Credit Suisse: Part Two

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 06:00:14 GMT

In the concluding episode of our two part series, Jonathan and Neil look back on the dramatic events of March in the company of Josef Ackermann, who ran the Swiss bank in the 1990s, financial historian Philip Augar and banking analyst Frances Coppola. They consider the macro background to the bank's collapse, and ask whether things could have turned out differently or whether excessive risk taking was just baked into Credit Suisse's DNA.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Nine Lives of Credit Suisse: Part One

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 06:00:59 GMT

In March 2023 the unthinkable happened: Credit Suisse, that giant of Swiss banking, collapsed. Like the proverbial cat, it had run through its nine lives. From the Chiasso saga to unprecedented corporate fines, via troubled times on Wall Street, Credit Suisse had always lived dangerously. And finally, in 2023, the financial winds caught up with them. In this first part of a two-part special of A Long Time in Finance, Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins are joined by experts Josef Ackermann, former President of Credit Suisse's executive board, financial historian Philip Augar, and banking analyst Frances Coppola, to look at the history of a bank that lived fast and died young.

Part two of the story of Credit Suisse will be in your feeds next Friday – so please subscribe now.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Renewables: Bad for Your Wealth?

Fri, 25 Aug 2023 07:52:22 GMT

With net zero targets in mind, countries like the UK have ambitious targets for renewable energy. But do these make any sense? None at all, according to Doomberg, the US energy analyst. In conversation with Neil and Jonathan, he explains why he's deeply bearish about wind power, why renewables make no sense at all in Western Europe, and how there's a direct link between rising wind and solar usage and declining standards of living.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Doomberg.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Car Trouble

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 06:11:41 GMT

The car in front? These days it's likely to be a Tesla - or Chinese. Britain's car industry built just 775,000 motors last year, the lowest figure since 1956. Dwindling investment means we increasingly lack the wherewithal to take part in the unfolding electric revolution. Amid a picture of unremitting gloom, Neil and Jonathan talk to Peter Wells, Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University about the scale of the problem and what can be done.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Peter Wells.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Practicalities of Net Zero

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 06:50:10 GMT

Since 2019, Britain has put itself under a legal obligation to decarbonise its economy by 2050. But do people have any idea what that means, how practical it is and how much it might cost? To get an idea, Neil and Jonathan talked to Richard Halsey, innovation director at the Energy Supply Catapult about how the country is faring on its great decarbonisation crusade.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Richard Halsey.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Rolling the Dice on British Pensions

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 06:07:44 GMT

Jeremy Hunt says that by taking more risk, UK pension funds can make their members £1,000 a year better off. Sounds interesting, but is it really plausible? And should the government even try to interfere in pension markets? Neil and Jonathan talk to pensions expert John Ralfe about what he really said and didn't say, whether the proposals will make much difference, and what reforms might actually make sense..

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With John Ralfe.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Not Waving But Drowning (in Debt)

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 06:02:32 GMT

"You could be an H20 Owner." That was the slogan when the water companies were sold off in 1989. But while we glugged the share sale down, the public didn't stay owners for long, and most of the companies were later flushed into the hands of international private equity firms. All we own now is the financial and ecological mess they left behind - one that's looming ever larger in the case of Thames Water. Neil and Jonathan talk to Jonathan Portes, economist and (in his youth) a Treasury civil servant who worked on the water sale about what went wrong with privatisation and how to fix it.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Jonathan Portes.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Power to the People!

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 06:12:27 GMT

Energy policy has been one of Britain's great political failures over the past two decades. World leaders in climate pledges, we've failed to create the means to deliver them. And we barely build any green kit. This week's guest, energy expert Nick Butler has an idea for a fresh start. Create a state owned company to drive and fund investments in energy technologies with the aim of promoting green manufacturing in the UK. It sounds bold, but will it work? Jonathan and Neil investigate..

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nick Butler.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Oh, Who Will Buy My Lovely Houses?

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 06:01:00 GMT

With mortgage rates rising ever higher, it's becoming clear the UK is facing a serious housing correction. But how bad will it be, and on whom will the blow fall hardest? Neil and Jonathan talk to Neal Hudson, housing expert at BuiltSpace, about past crises in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, how this one might compare, and what we might do to soften the blow.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Neal Hudson.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Is Going Vertical the Future of Farming?

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 06:13:00 GMT

Vertical farming has been hailed as the future of agriculture. More sustainable, needing fewer resources such as land and labour, and the capacity to grow crops all year round. So how far can it go and why have so many recently built vertical farms got into financial difficulty? Neil and Jonathan talk to Marcus Whately, chief executive of Grow Up Farms, about the challenges and whether vertical growing can really put a salad in every bowl.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Marcus Whately.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

China and the West: A Case of Conscious Uncoupling?

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 06:20:25 GMT

The hawks call it decoupling; the more dovish derisking. But it all means the same thing: imposing trade barriers between China and the West. Neil and Jonathan talk to China expert George Magnus about China's 2001 WTO accession, why the West's gamble on trade and democratisation failed, and also whether you can unscramble the trade relationship.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With George Magnus.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Is the Sun Rising on Japan?

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 06:01:23 GMT

After several snoozeworthy decades in which its stock market and economy went nowhere, Japanese shares are testing highs they haven't seen since 1990, just as the country's great asset bubble was declining. There have been plenty of false dawns in the past, but this time, as Japan expert and value investor Alex Kinmont told Neil and Jonathan, it really might be different.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Alex Kinmont.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Investment Made Simple (But Not Easy)

Fri, 19 May 2023 06:12:00 GMT

With the outlook for shares cloudier than at any time since the 1970s, it is hard to know whether to be greedy or fearful. In search of enlightenment on this point, Neil and Jonathan talk to veteran investor and author Richard Oldfield about all things investment. These include active fund managers, how to judge them and whether they are worth the money, as well as high fees, ESG and whether the UK is the new Japan.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Richard Oldfield.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

"Hosepipes No; Dividends Yes!"

Fri, 12 May 2023 06:20:00 GMT

England's water utilities have been under fire for leaks and discharging sewage into the rivers, something we are told they don't have the cash for. So why are they paying out huge dividends, which almost tripled last year to £1.4bn? Neil and Jonathan are joined by David Hall, visiting professor at Greenwich university, to peer into the murky world of utility financial flows.

Trigger warning: John Stuart Mill, private monopolies and nationalisation are all discussed.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With David Hall.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Man United and the Football South Sea Bubble

Fri, 05 May 2023 06:20:39 GMT

The famous football club's owners, the Glazers, have put it up for sale for $7bn - or 10 times revenues. But instead of laughing out loud, several buyers are circling. With valuations at fever pitch. Neil (a Tranmere Rovers obsessive) and Jonathan talk to Kieran Maguire, football finance academic, about whether England's Premier League can sustain this sort of madness.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Kieran Maguire.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Succession: Does it all Add Up?

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 06:50:16 GMT

There is a bit of a general spoiler alert this week as Neil and Jonathan talk to Louis Ashworth, FT Alphaville's resident Succession expert about the TV melodrama. Does the financial side of the plotline make any sense? Should the family sell Waystar Royco to GoJo? How big are the children's stakes and what are they actually worth? Is Kendall a billionaire or a messy centimillionaire? There's also an unscheduled reference to Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Louis Ashworth.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Auf Wiedersehen, Nuclear Power

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 06:07:27 GMT

The country which first achieved nuclear fission has just become the third (behind Italy and Lithuania) to phase out its entire nuclear fleet. An odd time to do it, when Europe has just cut off Russian gas and the main alternative is to burn more coal. But that's the Green Party for you. Neil and Jonathan discuss the politics of Germany's contentious phaseout with Mark Nelson, energy consultant and nuclear advocate, and its economic consequences.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Mark Nelson.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Crisis? What Banking Crisis?

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 06:30:42 GMT

After four banks collapsed in March, including the Swiss giant Credit Suisse, is it time to start worrying about a new banking crisis, just 14 years after the last one? Neil and Jonathan talk to financial historian Edward Chancellor about the challenges posed to the financial system by interest rates shooting up after a long period of historic lows, the risks for central banks, and why bankers' addiction to "dangerous carry" may come back to bite investors in the rear.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Edward Chancellor.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Nigel Lawson: In Memoriam

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 06:08:46 GMT

In his youth, he commanded a motor torpedo boat called HMS Gay Charger, and in later life became a Mousquetaire d'Armagnac. In between, Nigel Lawson was Neil's second favourite Chancellor of the Exchequer since the Second World War. We discuss the life and achievements of Margaret Thatcher's most intellectually confident Number 11 neighbour, their turbulent relationship, and the decisions that still mark the way we live now.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

The Nobel Prize in Economics for Poets

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 06:18:17 GMT

Who knew that Samuel Taylor Coleridge, opium-nibbling author of Kubla Khan, also had views on the business cycle and foreshadowed Keynes' ideas by a century? Or that Walter Scott extolled the virtues of paper currency so powerfully that he saved the Scottish banknote, which bears his image in gratitude to this very day? Neil and Jonathan talk to John Ramsden author "The Poets Guide to Economics" about the economic insights of some of our greatest poets from Defoe to (Ezra) Pound, and how they helped to shape the world in which we live today.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With John Ramsden.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Who Killed the UK Stock Market?

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 08:07:01 GMT

In recent years, companies have been deserting the UK stock market as if it were a sinking ship. But what brought on this sudden aversion? According to some, Britain's pension funds are the culprits, and Exhibit A the traditional defined benefit schemes that used to dominate the savings scene. Neil and Jonathan talk to William Wright, supremo of think tank New Financial, about how this shocking crime came about, name the victims, and ponder what can be done about it.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With William Wright.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

SVB and The Shrinking of "The Bezzle"

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 07:30:15 GMT

"At any given time there exists an inventory of undiscovered embezzlement in—or more precisely not in—the country’s business and banks. It varies in size with the business cycle. In good times, people are relaxed, trusting, and money is plentiful.In depression, all this is reversed. Money is watched with a narrow, suspicious eye. The man who handles it is assumed to be dishonest until he proves himself otherwise. The bezzle shrinks." Neil, Jonathan and Izabella Kaminska of The Blind Spot apply JK Galbraith's concept of "the Bezzle" to Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. With interest rates rising, they conclude, the bezzle is shrinking.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Izabella Kaminska.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The New Absentee Landlords: How Fund Managers Gobbled Our Infrastructure

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 07:40:00 GMT

How did fund managers end up controlling so much of the essential services on which we rely, from water to electricity and property? Who gave them the money? And does it matter that they do? Neil and Jonathan talk to author Brett Christophers, whose new book Our Lives in Their Portfolios argues that the giant funds that dominate the landscape are driven by terrible incentives - and that's why they are running our infrastructure into the ground.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Brett Christophers.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Pride of Icarus: Neil Woodford's Epic Rise and Fall

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 07:34:30 GMT

Neil Woodford was the fund manager who seemed to have it all. Hailed as the genius who "made Middle England rich", he ran one of the UK's best performing investment funds for decades. And then in a few hubristic years, after sticking his own name above the door, he raised an insane amount of cash, made some risky bets and lost the lot. Neil and Jonathan talk to David Ricketts, author of a book on Woodford, about his fall, the reasons for it, and what we've learned.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With David Ricketts.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Barclays: The Bank That Really Wanted to be Big

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 07:30:34 GMT

"What is all this about being big?" asked the actor Anthony Hopkins in a famous (if toe-curling) ad from 2000 for Barclays Bank. "You know, seeing the big picture, having the big idea, clinching the big deal; no one wants to clinch the little deal." For decades the British bank followed this restless urge, always trying to get bigger, to keep up with the biggest banks in the world. Neil and Jonathan talk to author and former banker Philip Augar about where it came from, how it led a stuffy old British bank to tie themselves to the one man who seemed able to deliver bigness, Bob Diamond, and how those aspirations turned to dust

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Philip Auguar.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In partnership with Briefcase.News

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

Bernie Madoff, The Monster of Wall Street

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 07:30:29 GMT

Charles Ponzi was the first, FTX perhaps the latest, but few "rob Peter to pay Paul" schemes will ever match the sheer scale and staying power of Bernie Madoff's $64bn heist. As a new documentary airs about the "Monster of Wall St", Neil and Jonathan talk to author and fraud connoisseur Dan Davies about the world's most destructive Ponzi scheme.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan Davies.

Executive produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Produced by Ewan Cameron.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Long Time Short: Bernie Cornfeld's Sincere Desire to be Rich

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 07:30:26 GMT

In this final episode of our six part series, Neil tells the story of the rise and fall of Bernie Cornfeld, mutual fund peddlar extraordinaire and founder of Investors Overseas Services, whose pitch to the aspiring affluent was "Do you sincerely want to be rich?" (Spoiler alert: they didn't end up getting rich.)

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In partnership with Briefcase.News

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

Long Time Short: The Cornering of Piggly Wiggly Stores

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 07:30:54 GMT

In the fifth of our historical series, Jonathan tells the story of Clarence Saunders - grocer extraordinaire, entrepreneur and valiant battler against the soulless money-makers of Wall Street - and how he attempted the last great corner on the New York Stock Exchange.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Long Time Short: London's Big Bang

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 07:30:57 GMT

In the fourth of our series of historical shorts, Neil explains how a competition case before the Restrictive Practices Court in the early 1980s led to the reforms that turned the London Stock Exchange from the Hogwartian Victorian club he remembers from his own time "on the floor" in the Swinging Sixties to the polyglot digital marketplace we know and love today.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Made in association with Briefcase.News

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

Long Time Short: The Dutch Bond That Kept On Giving

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 07:30:38 GMT

On May 15 1648, the same day Holland signed the Treaty of Munster ending its 80 year war with Spain, a Dutch canal board issued a bond of 1,000 Carolus guilders to a Mr Niclaes de Meijer of Utrecht promising to pay him 5 per interest in perpetuity. In the latest of our Long Time Shorts, Jonathan explains how that promise is still being kept 374 years later, what Mr de Meijer's bond might be worth today, and why the Dutch are so good (relatively speaking) at meeting their financial obligations. Lang leve Nederland!

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Long Time Short: Exchange Controls

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 07:30:00 GMT

In the second of our six-part series of historical shorts, Neil takes us back to the 1970s; a benighted time when you could only take £50 per head out of the country on your foreign holidays. We explain the regime that underpinned this miserable system, how it criminalised the otherwise law-abiding middle classes, and why its much feared (by HM Treasury) abolition in 1979 was the dog that didn't bark.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Made in partnership with Briefcase.News

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

Long Time Short: The Golden Inheritance of Max-Hervé George

Fri, 06 Jan 2023 07:30:17 GMT

Introducing a new six part series - "Long Time Shorts", in which we serve up quick hits of financial history every Friday, Monday and Wednesday for the next two weeks. In this first episode, Neil and Jonathan look at the story of French thirty-something Max-Hervé George, whose father bought him a magical insurance policy; how this gave him the gift of 20-20 hindsight, and the agony it caused the insurance company that sold it.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In partnership with Briefcase.News

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

A Nation Deep In Debt: Part Two

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 07:45:06 GMT

“For too long in this country, we have indulged in a fight over redistribution. Now, we need to focus on growth, not just how we tax and spend," said Kawsi Kwarteng on September 23. Unfortunately for the chancellor, the bond markets didn't agree with him; yields ballooned, and a few days later he was out, followed swiftly by his boss Liz Truss. So where does that leave the UK's stressed public finances? In the second of our two part series, Neil and Jonathan talk to Britain's top bond vigilante, Jim Leaviss, and investor and writer Felix Martin about austerity, inflation, debt sustainability and where we go next.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Jim Leaviss and Felix Martin.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional editing by Ewan Cameron.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

A Nation Deep In Debt: Part One

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 07:45:51 GMT

"Let us be, say I, a free Nation deep in Debt.. rather than a Nation of Slaves owing nothing.” So wrote a pamphleteer in 1720 about the remorseless rise of Britain's National Debt.

At a time of mounting concern about the public finances, we launch a two part series on the National Debt, starting with its ups and downs over two centuries with historian James Macdonald.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With James Macdonald.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Bulb Failure

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 08:26:06 GMT

It’s not often when a start-up fails that taxpayers end up getting a bill for £6.5bn - equivalent to a penny on income tax. But that’s what happened with Bulb, a venture that tried to bring the economics of Deliveroo and Uber to the staid business of selling power to domestic customers. Energy expert Nick Butler helps us unpick the Bulb shaped mess that ensued, how it happened and what should happen now.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nick Butler.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The City Contra Mundum

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 07:48:16 GMT

The US politician Dean Acheson once said of Britain that it had lost an empire but not found a role. Could the same be true of the City of London? Out of the EU, it needs to find a new mission to retain its slot as one of the world's top financial centres. Neil and Jonathan talk to economist (and top Frenchman) Nicolas Veron about EU competition, HK's future, global opportunities and risks.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nicolas Veron.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Last Days of Crypto

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 07:45:06 GMT

The sudden collapse of Sam Bankman Fried's $16bn crypto trading empire has caused even the most bored of apes to sit up and take notice. Investors in these digital currencies have exhibited an incredible stoicism, soaking up their punishment and "HODL-ing" through past crypto collapses, but could this be the end of Satoshi's children? Neil and Jonathan talk to crypto expert Izabella Kaminska about why crypto exchanges are like 19th century prairie banks, whether the newbies will keep coming and what currencies might survive the turmoil.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Izabella Kaminska.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Renewable Religion

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 07:50:21 GMT

As the world gathers at COP27 to demand further action on emissions, what role can wind and solar really play in helping us hit global temperature targets? A sceptical Michael Shellenberger, US author and environmental activist, talks to Neil and Jonathan about the renewable "religion", the need for more nuclear and gas, and how much renewable capacity you can really put on an electricity grid.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Michael Shellenberger.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

HS2: going nowhere fast?

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 07:50:02 GMT

With Britain facing "eye-watering" decisions about public spending, many have set their sights on HS2 as the sort of gilded "grand projet" the UK can no longer afford. But does scrapping it make sense, and what sort of infrastructure should Britain invest in instead? Neil and Jonathan talk to rail expert Tony Berkeley and Tom Forth, industrial strategy thinker, about the bizarre way infrastructure spending decisions are taken and how the country might do it better.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Tony Berkeley and Tom Forth.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional producing by Ewan Cameron.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Fall of Northern Rock: Part Two

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 06:50:28 GMT

In the second part of our series on Northern Rock, Neil and Jonathan pick over the lessons from the 2007 collapse of the world's most famous ex-building society with former chancellor of the exchequer Alistair Darling, Stanford finance professor Anat Admati, and bank expert Dan Davies. As interest rates rise, and tremors course through financial markets, how much more robust is our banking system, and could the same meltdown happen again?

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Alistair Darling, Anat Admati and Dan Davies.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional editing by Ewan Cameron.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Fall of Northern Rock: Part One

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 06:50:24 GMT

For a few weeks in 2007, a small ex-building society in Newcastle became the world's most famous bank as TV news cameras showed customers queuing at branches for their cash. Initially seen as a Victorian throwback, it later became clear that the collapse was a warning of much wider problems to come. As worrying tremors again strike our financial system, Neil and Jonathan ponder the lessons of Northern Rock's failure in the first of a two part series with former chancellor Alistair Darling, ex regulator Howard Davies and banking expert Dan Davies.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan Davies, Alistair Darling and Howard Davies.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional editing by Ewan Cameron.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Great Pension Fund Panic of 2022

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 06:51:53 GMT

The market panic that followed Kwasi Kwarteng's mini budget last month has been blamed on pension funds doing something called LDI. But what is this strange practice, what is its purpose, and how has it led to a £65bn meltdown in the pensions market? Neil and Jonathan talk to pensions expert (and grand wizard of LDI) John Ralfe about the fallout and whether Neil, as a pensioner, should be worried.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With John Ralfe.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The Kami-Kwasi Budget

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 06:50:15 GMT

It is hard to find a worse reaction to a British Budget than the one accorded Kwasi Kwarteng's "special fiscal operation". Neil and Jonathan talk to Howard Davies, former financial regulator and Treasury Mandarin about why it got such a huge raspberry, what Kwarteng can do now, and how his effort rates in the roll-call of past fiscal fails, including George Osborne's "omnishambles" and Denis Healey's emergency budget of 1974.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Howard Davies.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Britain's Energy Mess

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 06:48:00 GMT

How on earth did the UK end up having to fling £150bn at the energy market just to keep the lights on? Is it just because of Vladimir Putin, or does it also involve poor decisions taken far nearer to home? Neil and Jonathan talk to energy expert Nick Butler about the history of what happened, what went wrong, and how we might put it right.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Nick Butler.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Remembering Black Wednesday: Part Three

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 07:03:05 GMT

In the final episode on Britain's 1992 currency crisis, Neil and Jonathan look at the consequences of Black Wednesday with Jonathan Portes, Sir Paul Tucker, both of whom had ringside seats in the Treasury and Bank of England respectively, and economic historian Duncan Weldon.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Duncan Weldon and Jonathan Portes.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional editing by Ewan Cameron.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Remembering Black Wednesday: Part Two

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 06:50:23 GMT

In the second of our three-part series on Black Wednesday, the sterling crisis that drove Britain out of Europe's Exchange Rate Mechanism in the autumn of 1992, Neil and Jonathan look back on the events of the day itself with Sir Paul Tucker, who watched the mounting chaos from the Bank of England.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Sir Paul Tucker.

Produced and edited by Nick for Podot.

Additional editing by Ewan Cameron.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Remembering Black Wednesday: Part One

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 06:51:42 GMT

On 16 September 1992, after an "extremely difficult and turbulent day", sterling was driven out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism, shattering the central economic policy of John Major's government and arguably setting Britain on a path to the fringes of, and ultimately the exit from, the European Union. In the first of a three-part series, Neil and Jonathan look back on the run up to the crisis with Jonathan Portes, Sir Paul Tucker, both of whom had ringside seats in the Treasury and Bank of England respectively, and economic historian Duncan Weldon.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Sir Paul Tucker, Jonathan Portes, and Duncan Weldon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Additional editing by Ewan Cameron.

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

Putting the Right Price On Time

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 06:55:00 GMT

It's arguably the most important number in world history, and one that drives almost all our main economic decisions. But how is the interest rate set, and (more importantly) have we been setting it wrong in recent years, to the detriment of our economies? We discuss interest rates from Babylon to QE with economic historian and author Edward Chancellor.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Edward Chancellor.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

All that Glisters..

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 06:51:53 GMT

The private equity industry has grown massively in recent years, but is it a bubble or a genuine money-making machine? We talk to Sachin Khajuria, a former partner of Apollo and author, who believes the buyout chiefs really can turn pension funds' base metal into gold.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins,

With Sachin Khajuria.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Boosters v Doomsters

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 06:48:13 GMT

It's the key divide in UK economic policy, according to economist Sam Bowman: You are either a growth-hungry Booster who thinks we can revive the economy, or a pessimistic Doomster who believes struggling Britain is condemned to persistent low growth. We talk to Sam about why the Doomsters dominate the discussion, and how Boosters can bounce back.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Sam Bowman.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

In association with Briefcase.News

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

Sunak v Truss

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 06:50:05 GMT

The Tory leadership contest has been badged as a "battle of economic ideas" between "prudent" Rishi Sunak and "go for growth" Liz Truss. But what exactly are these ideas, where do they come from, and how relevant are they to Britain's current situation? Neil and Jonathan talk to economic historian Duncan Weldon about the contenders' plans to put Britain back on track.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Duncan Weldon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Covid's Long Tail

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 06:50:00 GMT

Most people think it's all over. But with new variants raging, are we too sanguine about dismissing the risks from Covid. Neil and Jonathan talk to Deborah Birx, who ran the Coronavirus Taskforce in Donald Trump's White House, about dealing with "the Donald", where we are with the virus, and how we can avoid contracting a nasty case of economic long Covid.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Deborah Birx.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

England's Water Companies: Up Schitt's Creek Again

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 06:48:01 GMT

Things are going from bad to worse for the privatised water industry, argues Feargal Sharkey. The rivers are running with sewage, and now there are warnings the whole South East could run out of water. We discuss possible fixes with the ex-Undertone, fisherman and water campaigner, from nationalisation to using "grey" water to flush your bog.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Feargal Sharkey.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Wirecard and The Art of the Potemkin Corporation

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 06:50:36 GMT

Wirecard was the rare German startup that seemed primed to become a global player. But it was all too good to be true, as Dan McCrum, financial sleuth at the FT, ultimately discovered. We talk to him about how he unmasked the scam, overcoming spies, mobsters and even the German financial regulator to get at the truth. And also about favourite scams and why fraud is so damned difficult to stamp out.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan McCrum.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Quantitative Easing: The Shocking Truth

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 06:50:00 GMT

Don't know your standard monetary policy from the unconventional kind? Relax! We ask economist and former Bank of England adviser Tony Yates all those questions about QE (and its seldom-seen friend QT) that you always wanted the answer to but never dared put.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Tony Yates.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Lawfare latest: Banks v Cadwalladr

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 06:50:00 GMT

A victory for public interest journalism, or a travesty of the law? We pick through the surprise judgment handed down in Brexit "bad boy" Aaron Banks's libel case against investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr in the company of top media lawyer, Mark Stephens.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Mark Stephens.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Twilight of the Private Equity Gods

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 05:43:59 GMT

Private equity firms have amassed vast fortunes for their owners by snapping up companies in a rising stock market using ultra cheap debt. But what happens when values go down and interest rates rise? We talk to US investor and private equity sceptic Dan Rasmussen about the coming buyout Götterdämmerung.

(Dan has written recently on this and his note can be found here https://verdadcap.com/archive/private-equity-still-overrated-and-overvalued)

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan Rasmussen.

Produced by Ewan Cameron and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

What to do About The Energy Crisis

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 05:30:12 GMT

Prices are high; supply is insecure; basically it's a nightmare. But which levers do you pull to make things better, and which do you leave well alone? We talk to former Number 10 adviser and consultant Josh Buckland about how to fix the UK's energy woes.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Josh Buckland.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Stuart Kirk Affair

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 06:50:06 GMT

It's now the world's most watched PowerPoint presentation: the pitch by HSBC's head of responsible investing to a conference on green finance in which he suggested the climate crisis was overstated and we should get on building more sea walls instead. We talk to Roger Pielke Jr, the US academic and political scientist about what Kirk was trying to say (or should have said) and his own experience with climate controversies.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Roger Pielke Jr.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Barber Boom and Bust

Fri, 27 May 2022 06:50:20 GMT

Gripped by sluggish growth and low investment, the UK decides to solve its problems by embarking on a "dash for growth" - spending big and cutting taxes. We talk to economic historian Duncan Weldon about the Heath government's disastrous 1972 "Barber Boom" (named for the chancellor Tony Barber) and what lessons it holds for Boris Johnson's wayward administration.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Duncan Weldon.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Cryptocalypse Now!

Fri, 20 May 2022 06:50:00 GMT

Cryptocurrencies are collapsing across the etherspace. Neil and Jonathan talk to Izabella Kaminska, founder of the Blind Spot and keen cryptowatcher, about Terra, Luna and Tether, the death spiral of the stablecoins, and whether anyone in the real world should care..

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Izabella Kaminska.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Bank of England Independence 25 Years On (Part 2)

Fri, 13 May 2022 06:50:04 GMT

In the second of our two-part series looking at Gordon Brown's 1997 decision to give the Bank of England control of setting interest rates, we talk to our guest Paul Tucker, a former deputy governor of the Bank, about the financial crisis, Quantitative Easing and the future of central bank independence.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Sir Paul Tucker.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Bank of England Independence 25 Years On (Part 1)

Fri, 06 May 2022 06:50:24 GMT

On 6 May 1997, Gordon Brown raised interest rates as chancellor for the last time and then handed the keys to monetary policy to the Bank of England. In the first of a two part series, we reflect on that decision with Paul Tucker, a former deputy governor of the Bank, discussing how it was taken, the institutional upheavals and the fruits of independence.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Sir Paul Tucker.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Non-doms: The Madness of King George III's tax system

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 06:48:47 GMT

Non-doms are back in the news following revelations about Rishi Sunak's wife, Akshata Murthy and health secretary Sajid Javid. We extract a definition of this archaic fiscal concept from top tax lawyer Dan Neidle, then discuss how it's lasted so long (around 220 years) and how to reform it. Lastly we all ponder how on earth Rochdale-born Javid came to be a non-dom in the first place.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Dan Neidle.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

China versus the West

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 06:50:19 GMT

China declared that its friendship with Russia had “no limits” just before Vladimir Putin plunged into Ukraine. Neil and Jonathan talk to China watcher and economist George Magnus about how the war has changed Beijing’s relations with the West, and what it all means for Taiwan, financial decoupling, and whether China is still an investable place to put your cash.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With George Magnus.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Neither doing well nor doing good

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 06:52:00 GMT

We talk to Merryn Somerset Webb of Money Week and FT columnist about why the Russian crisis is also a crisis for ESG investment, Carl Icahn’s war with McDonalds, and how your investment choices could actually make the world a better place (without putting your loot in an ESG fund).

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Merry Somerset Webb.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Oligarchs, Free Speech and the Law (Part 2)

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 06:50:38 GMT

In the second part of our series about kleptocrats suppressing free speech in English courts, top lawyers Mark Stephens (http://twitter.com/markslarks) and David Hooper (http://twitter.com/thesooperhooper) discuss how both the law and legal practice needs to change to stop this chilling activity.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Mark Stephens and David Hooper.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

Oligarchs, Free Speech, and the Law (Part 1)

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 06:50:52 GMT

In recent decades, oligarchs and kleptocrats have routinely used English courts to silence free speech and launder their murky pasts. In the first of a two part series Neil and Jonathan talk to distinguished lawyers Mark Stephens and David Hooper about the history of “lawfare” and their own experiences of it.

Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With David Hooper and Mark Stephens.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

Ukraine and the Great Decoupling

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 08:00:48 GMT

Sanctions on Russia over its Ukraine invasion are splintering the world’s financial system into mutually antagonistic blocs. Neil and Jonathan talk to financial historian Edward Chancellor about parallels with 1914 and the 1930s and the possible consequences of a full rupture.

Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Edward Chancellor.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

Britain's cost of living crisis

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 08:17:28 GMT

Poorer Britons are being squeezed by the impact of the terrible war in Ukraine, which is also threatening to squash the economy's post Covid bounce. Neil and Jonathan talk to economist and forecaster Gerard Lyons about what's coming next and what the government, businesses and investors should do.

Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Gerard Lyons.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

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

The London Laundromat

Fri, 11 Mar 2022 08:00:05 GMT

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted a wake-up call about Britain’s overly cosy relationship with dubious oligarchs. Neil and Jonathan talk to Tom Burgis, author of “Kleptopia” about the scale of the problem and whether current efforts to crack down will work.

Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins.

With Tom Burgis.

Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot.

This podcast is sponsored by Briefcase.News

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

The Cladding Scandal

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 08:00:05 GMT

After the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, flat owners not only discovered overnight they were living in potential deathtraps, but that it might cost them an arm and a leg to put things right. Neil and Jonathan talk to cladding victim and campaigner Liam Spender about the government’s latest plan to sort the mess out.

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

Our Friend The Atom?

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 08:00:30 GMT

The world will need new nuclear power to cut carbon emissions, but will the public accept it? Neil and Jonathan talk to nuclear experts Kirsty Gogan and Eric Ingersoll about whether attitudes to reactors are changing. Can phobias about costs and safety be overcome?

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

The Pound In Your Pocket

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 08:00:47 GMT

Inflation is back. Consumer prices in Britain rose by more than 5 per cent last year, for the first time in three decades. Neil and Jonathan look back at the various inflation spikes since the Second World War, and Neil shares his experience of fighting inflation in the 1970s and 1980s.

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The Alex Cartoon

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 08:00:37 GMT

The fictional City banker, Alex Masterley, has been scheming his way to the top of Megabank since the 1980s. Neil and Jonathan talk to Charles Peattie and Russell Taylor, creators of the iconic cartoon strip, about the changing Square Mile, some choice expenses fiddles, and the existential difficulty of making jokes about the bond market.

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

Duel Fuel Blues (Energy Crisis Special Part 2)

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Rocketing energy prices are hurting consumers, with 3m in Britain already in fuel poverty. Neil and Jonathan talk to Reuters energy analyst, John Kemp, about how to ease “duel fuel misery”, and whether sky high costs are set to be a permanent feature as the UK barrels on towards its Net Zero targets.

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Energy Crisis Special (Part 1)

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 08:00:13 GMT

Welcome to 2022. Energy shortages are jacking up power prices, bringing financial misery to millions and adding to inflationary pressures. A temporary blip or something more permanent, caused by the policies we’re pursuing? Neil and Jonathan discuss the wisdom of Saudi oil ministers and take a trip back in time to 1973.

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Fool's Gold

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 08:00:19 GMT

Cryptocurrency has been seeping into the financial mainstream. If you are a brave soul, you can buy shares in crypto exchanges or Exchange Traded Funds. But what's the point of crypto beyond blind speculation? Neil and Jonathan sat down with FT Alphaville's Izzy Kaminska to talk tokens and grapple with the blockchain.

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

Flushed Away

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 08:00:57 GMT

When the water industry was privatised in 1989, we were promised it would usher in a new era of investment, clean rivers and beaches. Neil and Jonathan talk to water campaigner Feargal Sharkey about what went wrong and how it could be fixed.

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

New Nuclear - Yes or No?

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 08:00:46 GMT

Britain is on a 'mission for fission' according to the government. It has given Rolls-Royce £210 million to build a prototype small reactor, the first British-led commercial nuclear programme since the AGR in the 1970s. But is this money well spent? And do we really need new nuclear power?

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It's Not Easy Bein' Green

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 08:00:08 GMT

In the first episode, Neil and Jonathan discuss whether Kermit the Frog's famous refrain was right. It’s not easy (or necessarily profitable) being green.

How do you even define a green investment? And should you expect green assets to do better than, or even as well as, less socially responsible ones? In short, can you really do well by doing good?

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Trailer - A Long Time In Finance

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 14:08:56 GMT

Neil Collins and Jonathan Ford introduce a new podcast that tries to make sense of today's bewildering world of money.

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