When he returns to the White House early next year, President-elect Donald Trump plans to appoint Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head a new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. While not an official federal department, the Administration’s plans for DOGE are similar to the Grace Commission under Ronald Reagan and the “Reinventing Government,” or “REGO,” initiative under Bill Clinton. The president will task Musk and Ramaswamy’s team with researching,...
Read More »Yen Jumps on Rate Hike Speculation
Overview: The US dollar has a softer profile today. All the G10 currencies are higher, led by 1%+ surge in the yen amid heightened speculation of a rate hike next month, while the US 10-year yield is near 4.25% today, the lowest since the election. Although the Reserve Bank of New Zealand allows for another half-point cut after delivering the second one this year earlier today, the New Zealand dollar has popped up amid sell the rumor buy the fact type of activity....
Read More »Jamaica and the Failure of the Entrepreneurial State
The concept of the entrepreneurial state proposes that governments—like private enterprises—can take risks, innovate, and drive economic growth. Through direct intervention, governments can strategically invest in sectors that hold promise for the future, aiming to spark productivity and economic expansion. However, in countries like Jamaica, the limitations of the entrepreneurial state are evident, as interventions often face economic realities and public sentiment...
Read More »News from Nature Conservation Policy-Makers Event in Europe
As a mentee in the Mentorship Program of World Commission on Protected Areas in Europe region, I had the opportunity to take part in the Regional Conservation Forum in Bruges, Belgium from September 30th till October 3rd, which was organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. I am grateful for the chance to have participated in a congress that brought together conservationists, environmentalists, politicians, and protected area managers.However,...
Read More »Leverage And Speculation: Signs Of A Raging Bull Market
In a recent Commentary- MicroStrategy Is A Leveraged ETF In Disguise - we discussed the company's business model, which revolves almost entirely around highly speculative bitcoin and leverage. To wit: So, what is MicroStrategy? It’s a leveraged Bitcoin fund disguised as a non-profit technology company. Regarding leverage and speculation, we also recently discussed the surging use of options, particularly those with short time frames. Options employ significant...
Read More »I, Pencil: A Corollary
“He really wouldn’t think he has built that gun, would he?”—Chief Justice John RobertsIn his seminal article, I, Pencil, Leonard Read shows that, “not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make [a pencil].” Sure, the pencil maker knows how the near-finished parts are assembled, but the pencil maker does not possess complete knowledge of how those constituent parts—the paint, metal, eraser—were made. Nor does he know how the inputs to those parts were...
Read More »The Secret Economic Theory Behind the $100,000 Birkin Bag
What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order....
Read More »Peace as a Prerequisite for Civilization
What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order....
Read More »Exchange is Not a Zero-Sum Game
What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order....
Read More »Free Markets Don’t Need Government Regulation
What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order....
Read More »