12 January 2020 | Jens Berger, editor of the popular progressive German Website “NachDenkSeiten”, has just published an eye-opening book on the power of the three asset management giants BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street (in German). I have obtained permission to publish the first chapter as an appetizer, which translates as “Breakfeast with BlackRock & […]
3 October 2019 | Germany has slipped from 3rd to 7th place of the most competitive countries in the world. This emerged from the Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2019. In theory, according to the forum, a good ranking means high long-term growth potential. In reality, it measures something quite different […]
Germany’s economic output contracted in the second quarter and most indications point to a worsening in the third quarter, which is just halfway through. The culprit is only superficially Donald Trump with his trade wars. The German economy has been on an unsustainable path in several respects. Now the government is called upon to act […]
7 July 2019 | The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations (UN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to intensify their cooperation. The UN seems embarrassed – for good reason. It is another step in its self-disempowerment of the UN and another milestone for the club of multinationals on the way to its […]
All too often the power of money seems insurmountable. This is a story that shows that courage, tenacity and solidarity can do a lot. In this case, a powerful, extremely well connected academic and his institute, lavishly financed by Germany’s largest employer, fell because they wanted to silence a critic who fought back.
The trend toward a digital world currency: The winner takes all is a basic rule of the digital economy. Whoever is ahead has a large advantage, just from being ahead, and has a good chance to end up as a quasi-monopolist. This has two main reasons, called network effects and economies of scale. Network effects […]
My book in German* with the translated title: “Brave New Money: PayPal, WeChat, Amazon Go – A Totalitarian World Currency in the Making” has just been published by Campus. I have tanslated the “Introduction and Overview” and part of Chapter 1. I will publish this translation in two parts over the next few days. This […]