In the intricate web of economics, few concepts have stood the test of time quite like Okun’s Law. It’s a simple yet profound observation that offers a glimpse into the complex dance between a nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and its unemployment rate. The Core Tenet of Okun’s Law At its core, Okun’s Law is…
Author: Shawn Dexter
Liquidity: Term Structure & Volatility
In a recent podcast, we had the privilege of gaining valuable insights from Michael Howel, renowned expert in tracking global liquidity. Michael Howel has repeatedly emphasized how we are now living in a world that is more of a refinancing mechanism; and the collateral needed to facilitate the refinancing becomes increasingly important. Term Structure: The…
Alexander Hamilton – Monetary Policy, Debt & Inflation
During my sporadic research on Alexander Hamilton, I came across an interesting quote that I jotted down: A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing. – Alexander Hamilton The reason, I found this quote so noteworthy was because it so succinctly seems to capture Alexanders views on a…
Financial Repression, Inflation & Liquidation of Debt
In 2015, the IMF published a paper where they discuss the “Liquidation of Government Debt”. The paper specifically discusses financial repression as one of the ways to liquidate government debt. What is financial repression? Financial repression refers to government policies that aim to steer money towards government debt while keeping interest rates artificially low (below…
Bitcoin Gives You Wings
The dawn of the Information Age is ushering in a megapolitical shift that threatens to subvert the power of the nation-state. Major inflection points in megapolitics have usually been accompanied with technological advancements that increased or decreased the costs of inflicting violence. Whether it be the rise of the mounted knight, or the emergence of The Gunpowder…
The Agricultural Age And The Rise Of Government
In his classic book, The Sovereign Individual, William Rees-Mogg argued that the advent of major technology alters the “logic of violence” and transforms how human society organizes itself. In the digital-age today, we are seeing much of that play out. However, we can go even further back to the roots of human-civilization: The Agricultural Age,…