John Butler

Net zero: original sin for the 21st century

Net zero is a new, secular religion Putting on my rational investor’s hat Seeing through the net zero matrix Emotion is the enemy of the…

Butler’s Third Law of Wealth Building

“Money isn’t everything but it ranks right up there with oxygen.” Those are the words of the legendary sales trainer, Zig Ziglar. And I think…

The wealth secret of Leadenhall Market

Take a stroll through London’s historic Leadenhall Market in the City of London… And you’ll eventually stumble upon this pub, The New Moon: Whilst most…

Fortune & Freedom – “The Wealthmaker Rulebook”

You’ll notice something different about Fortune & Freedom today. In fact, it’s something that you’ll see for the next week or so… A new focus…

Sunak’s backtracks

Political backtracking is not at all unusual The prime minister has done much as of late Net zero and energy policies are in flux all…

Equal pay for equal incompetence?

Several local councils are facing effective bankruptcy Various reasons are given, but mismanagement is common to all If anything is to improve, there must be…

The dire state of euro-area bank and sovereign credit

How much debt are euro-area financial institutions carrying? Economic stagnation looms Bob Lyddon explains the challenges the euro area faces to survive Bob Lyddon is a…

Back to school (and deeper into debt)

UK university fees and financing costs are the highest on record Recent reports show many non-degree professions pay better than most university courses Young people…

Britain’s “wayward generation”?

The economic outlook for young working Britons is not good Some other countries offer lower taxes and other advantages Unless things change, many young Britons…

The UK’s “lost generation”

UK per-capita real income growth has been stagnating for years The UK has slipped down the global prosperity rankings These worrying trends are becoming generational…

Pushback against creeping neo-Marxism

The vast scale of the UK’s “de-banking” scandal is becoming apparent Meanwhile, there has been fresh escalation in the “war on cash” Many socio-economic trends…

Pushback against creeping neo-Marxism

The vast scale of the UK’s “de-banking” scandal is becoming apparent Meanwhile, there has been fresh escalation in the “war on cash” Many socio-economic trends…

Counterpoint: let the drilling resume

PM Sunak’s decision to re-open the North Sea is controversial Some claim this will not improve the UK’s energy “trilemma” I believe it is a…

How do I tax thee? Let me count the ways

We are taxed in a great many ways Some of these overlap into de-facto double taxation Inheritance tax is arguably a form of triple taxation…

D-Day for de-dollarisation?

Speculation is rife that the BRICS will soon introduce a gold-backed currency for trade settlement I’ve been writing on this topic for nearly two decades…

On (mis)representative government

Large organisations tend towards unaccountability Large firms are held largely by passive investors Smaller firms are more responsive to shareholder pressure Do you ever doubt…

The Wizard of Threadneedle Street

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” exclaims the Wizard when discovered by a curious Toto and an astonished Dorothy. Tugging and pushing…

Force majeure, or mineure?

Contract law has long relied on a legal concept known as force majeure, which is French for “superior force”, that is, beyond the ability of…

The gremlins of AI

On Monday, over in Southbank Insider, I wrote about the goblins of net zero, in particular the use of cobalt in batteries. Today, I’m going…

Win-win or win-lose?

When it comes to the topics of economics and finance, Bill Bonner is one of my favourite authors. He has a knack for taking apart…