Oligarchy versus Democracy

Oligarchy’s Ancient Origins
https://www.project-syndicate.org/onpoint/ancient-greece-oligarchy-bitter-struggle-with-democracy-by-matt-simonton-2026-07
The struggle between democracy and oligarchy in classical Greece was bitter, with oligarchies relying on skillfully designed political institutions to shore up unpopular regimes. As concerns grow over the “rule of the few” in the United States, Americans should consider how their own institutions are doing oligarchs’ work for them. 

US Equity Market - Trouble Ahead?

The Hottest Stock Markets Lead to the Biggest Losses
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/03/business/stocks-investing-markets.html
Investor enthusiasm culminated in some of the worst cases of wealth destruction in the last 100 years, a long-running study shows.
 
Surging Wall Street profit forecasts fuel fears of ‘earnings bubble’
https://www.ft.com/content/1d3da122-c043-4e51-bb95-ac68d41ab838
 
Chip tremors threaten to set off the inevitable AI bust
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/03/the-ai-bubble-is-bursting-but-behind-it-hides-an-even-great/
Semiconductor giants have made huge sums from artificial intelligence. But the clean-out may already be starting. 

How Safe Are Today’s Blockbuster Tech Stocks?
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/japan-ntt-ipo-sobering-analogy-for-tech-stocks-today-by-barry-eichengreen-2026-07
Today’s wave of mega-IPOs has unleashed a wave of analogies to past booms. While no analogy is perfect, an especially apposite—and sobering—case may be what followed Nippon Telegraph and Telephone’s IPO in February 1987. 

Concerns Over Private Credit

What Private Credit Is, and Why Investors Are So Worried About It
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/02/business/private-credit-investor-worries.html
Some say the industry expanded too quickly and extended loans to companies that won’t be able to pay them back.  

Potential Consequences of an AI Bust

AI Bust Risks Ripple Effects from Growth to Credit, BIS Says
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/ai-bust-risks-ripple-effects-090000030.html
 
BIS Sees Peril for Economy, Financial System in AI Investment Boom
https://www.wsj.com/economy/bis-sees-peril-for-economy-financial-system-in-ai-investment-boom-326960fb
 
Trillion-Dollar Borrowing Binge Lifts the Stock Market to Risky Heights
https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/the-trillion-dollar-borrowing-binge-lifting-the-stock-market-to-risky-heights-8d0377f9
Leveraged funds and margin debt have grown to unprecedented levels this year. 

MY TAKE:

The AI bubble could be worse than the dot-com bust by Vivekanand Jayakumar, The Hill - 06/16/26
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/5925202-tech-bubble-ai-driven-growth/

Economic Impact of Shifting Weather Patterns

Hot weather could reshape the global economy
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/24/how-hot-weather-could-reshape-the-global-economy/ 

AI and Tech Jobs

Silicon Valley’s AI jobs purge is a warning for the world
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/29/silicon-valleys-ai-jobs-purge-is-a-warning-for-the-world/
Tech giants are cutting staff to spend more on agents, with no signs of slowing down the automation drive.
 
The AI factory: the rewiring of India's tech industry | FT Film
https://youtu.be/UfyxN46tCz8 

UK versus South Korea

Low immigration and a dose of Thatcherism: How South Korea overtook the UK
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/06/28/low-immigration-thatcherism-how-south-korea-overtook-the-uk/
The hard-working East Asian nation maintains a momentum that European economies lack.