Prince Michael of Liechtenstein

  The yield on France’s 10-year government bonds has risen to 4.9 percent. Rising government bond yields reflect diminishing trust in public finances, with France emerging as the greatest concern. Investors are demanding greater compensation for the risk of lending to the French government. This risk premium makes debt servicing more expensive, while issuing new […]

  In a recent address at the influential Valdai Discussion Club – a forum comparable to the Council on Foreign Relations in the United States – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons if NATO tried to cut off the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The Kaliningrad exclave sits on the Baltic […]

  The steam engine, followed by electricity, the combustion engine (leading to automobiles) and computers all brought tremendous improvements and productivity gains, leading to widespread prosperity in many countries. They also caused great anxieties and fear of unemployment. Yet, the increased prosperity created new demand, and the jobs lost, for instance in agriculture, were replaced […]

  The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once said: “The highest form of recognition in Germany is envy.” I have always tended to disagree with this. Over the past 80 years, Germany has been an extraordinarily successful country, rebuilding itself from the ashes of World War II and developing one of the world’s most efficient economies. […]

  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared at the BRICS summit in India that Tehran would agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States stopped blocking Iranian trade and supplies and lifted its sanctions. He also demanded the release of frozen assets, the resumption of investment, an end to Israel’s operations in Lebanon […]