Tag Archive: Featured

Week Ahead: War, Tariffs, and Three G10 Central Bank Meetings

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

The escalation of the Middle East war sent oil prices sharply higher and pulled interest rates up, too. September WTI rose by more than 10% for a three-week increase of more than 25%. Neither side seems prepared to back down. However, judging by the largest spread this year (~$11) between the September WTI and the …

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Stocks, Manure, Gold, and Socialism: Markets and Bad Ideas

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

Mark Thornton updates the Stocks versus Manure contest, then explains why gold’s correction may be temporary, and why democratic socialism attracts young voters with failed answers to real problems.

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Universal Principles of Liberalism and the Politics of Race

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

In attempts to rectify what are seen as historical wrongs against certain groups of people, western governments have embarked on programs to engage in wrongs against other groups of people. The universal principles of liberalism are supplanted by policies sure to make matters worse.

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How Not to Run a Country: Putin’s Russia

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

When Vladimir Putin took power in Russia, the nation had a potentially bright future. Today, bogged down in war and its economy approaching Third World status, the future doesn’t look very good.

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JURA CEO: ‘coffee consumption has become a global phenomenon’

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

As CEO of the JURA coffee machine maker, Emanuel Probst has transformed the company from a Swiss business into a global one. He says that shift will continue. Over the past three decades, JURA has evolved from a debt-ridden, multi-product company into one of the world’s leading brands of premium “bean-to-cup” fully automatic coffee machines, …

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The Legacy of the Declaration

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

We remember the Declaration's first paragraph and forget its last—the one where thirteen separate states declare themselves free and independent. Larsen Plyler on a legacy that got lost.

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Why “Luck” Doesn’t Explain Wealth and Success in the Marketplace

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

Egalitarians mock Adam Smith's invisible hand as free-market superstition, then explain every billionaire with an invisible hand of their own. Joshua Mawhorter on the luck argument for redistribution.

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The Rothbardian Revolution Against Neoliberalism

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

Thatcher, Clinton, Obama, Trump—everyone gets called a neoliberal, which is why most free-market economists say the word means nothing. Tho Bishop argues it names something precise.

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You Can’t Have Free Markets and an Empire

2026-07-25

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2026-07-25

"Free markets at home, empire abroad" isn't just incoherent—it's arithmetically impossible. Connor O'Keeffe on why you can't fund the warfare state without the income tax and the Fed.

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Harry Jaffa and the War Between the States

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

What were Abraham Lincoln’s views on racial matters of the day? In today’s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon takes a critical look at Harry Jaffa’s interpretations of Lincoln’s statements and finds them wanting.

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Interventionism and Inequality

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

The US has 20 to 30 million government regulations. Big corporations have legal departments. Startups have you. Mark Thornton on who the "regulatory thicket" is really built to protect.

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The Anti-Slavery Advocates of Disunion

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

The anti-slavery disunionists and the abolitionists were some of the most critical of slavery and the most serious about ending it. For them, decentralization and secession were potential solutions not problems in ending slavery.

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The Economics of AI

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

Strip away the mystique and ChatGPT is a next-word predictor with some randomness—the same trick as the spell-checker asking if you meant "dog." Peter Klein on the economics of AI, minus the hype.

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Private Property as the Cornerstone of Liberty

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

Dr. Wanjiru Njoya argues that private property is the indispensable cornerstone of liberty and civilization, and that anti-discrimination laws—however well-intentioned—are a form of aggression against property.

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Business Cycles and Skyscrapers

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

The Singer Building and the panic of 1907. The Empire State and the Depression. The Burj Khalifa and 2008. Lucas Engelhardt on why the world's tallest buildings keep opening at exactly the wrong moment.

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Lindt faces US lawsuit regarding child labour

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli will have to answer to the US courts over a child labour complaint. The activist law firm International Rights Advocates has criticised the Zurich-based chocolate manufacturer for misleadingly presenting its efforts to combat child labour in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, two countries from which the company sources its …

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Oil Pulls Back, Takes Some Pressure off Interest Rates, Leaves the Greenback Slightly Softer

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

The price of crude oil is consolidating today after yesterday’s surge and this has taken some pressure off bond markets after several countries, including the US, saw 10-year yields rise to new highs for the year. The pullback in yields is also occurring despite unexpectedly strong preliminary July PMIs. Nevertheless, there are reports that suggest …

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Calida parts ways with US lingerie brand Cosabella

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

Lucerne-based lingerie and night wear manufacturer Calida announced the sale of its US lingerie brand, Cosabella to the New York-based investment firm Crown Brands Group. However, Calida’s statement does not specify the value of the transaction. Cosabella was acquired in 2022 for $80 million, with the aim of paving the way for the Swiss group’s …

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The Anti-Slavery Advocates of Disunion

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

The anti-slavery disunionists and the abolitionists were some of the most critical of slavery and the most serious about ending it. For them, decentralization and secession were potential solutions not problems in ending slavery.

Read More »

AI Capex Depreciation Risk Is The Catch To Record Earnings

2026-07-24

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2026-07-24

The second-quarter earnings season is in full swing. So far, the results are landing in line or better than the upwardly revised Wall Street estimates. That's the opposite of how this usually works. Analysts normally trim their forecasts as a year wears on. In 2026, they've done the opposite. The S&P 500 is on track …

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