The David McWilliams Podcast

The Return of Malthus?

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Droughts in Europe, resource-wars and global warming got us thinking about Thomas Malthus and his observations about population. Can we square the wor...

Taiwan and the Global Economy (With Angelica Oung)

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taiwan was all over the news this week. We explore why this small island will be the most sensitive geo-strategic location for the coming showdown bet...

Is Putin winning?

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The War in Ukraine is entering its 6th month, many predicted it wouldn't last 6 days.  As time drags on and Russia's energy strategy begins to pa...

Why Manufacturing Matters

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ireland is a manufacturing powerhouse, producing half as much as the UK per year, despite having a population that is 13 times smaller. With 1% of EU'...

Why the Italian government crumbled

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Draghi is out and the Italian government is heading for yet another election - what is happening with this country that seems to be in constant politi...

How & why recessions happen

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Starting with a Chinese example before moving to Ireland, we breakdown how exactly recessions happen, how one person’s behaviour spreads through soc...

The Coming Currency Crises. Are you safe?

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bit of a macroeconomic-fest this one. We examine currency crises and why currency collapses could become contagious. We are heading into strange econo...

What China’s shock recession means for you!

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

China is hurtling towards recession. This is a dramatic shift in the global economy which will have huge unforeseen consequence for the economy. Plus,...

The new financial era is here for a coming world where there will be more Nigerians than Europeans

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For financial markets, the last three decades of easy money is officially over. Sony Kapoor joins us to tease out the world economy at this inflection...

The end of Boris Johnson and the British Inconsistent Triplet

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s finally happening! The "chaos monkey" is gone, but the chaos remains. We look at the trilemma facing the next British leader or as I prefer to ...

In conversation with Gary Shteyngard

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s pod is going to be slightly eccentric, we’re going to look at the world’s big events of the last year through the eyes of one of the wor...

People have the Power

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Patti Smith sang, People have the Power. The economic pendulum is swinging from capital to labor, from profits to wages, and these shifts never hap...

The future of the internet with Tim O’Reilly

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Metaverse, web 3.0 and NFTs have been appearing everywhere online in the last year - but what exactly are they? And perhaps more importantly, what do ...

The transformation of Ireland and what comes next

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode looks at the long & the short of Ireland’s transformation. Through a series of choices we have carved a unique place within Eu...

We don’t know ourselves - A conversation with Fintan O’Toole

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have things really changed? Is Ireland really that different than it was? What are the personalities that have marked our history? Through a wide rang...

The future of the internet economy with Stripe co-founder: John Collison

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re bringing you a unique conversation that I had with John Collison over the weekend where I got to ask him a wide variety of questions cov...

The 2nd Atomic Age

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With markets gyrating all over the shop, it's easy to forget the big picture. The price of energy is the foundational price in any economy. Right now ...

Inflation returns (kinda), what would James Joyce think?

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation is back. Don't panic....unless you bought Bitcoin in the past year. Inflation will abate as the policy and the economy adjust, but it may ta...

Platinum Jubilee, Sordid Slavery

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the UK celebrates the Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee, we forget that monarchies have historically sat on top of an economic system with slaves, colonies...

What hairdressers and Lobster Thermidor tell us about the economy, employment and inflation

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The economy is changing rapidly, we are seeing challenges everywhere, almost all have to do with an excess of demand and deficient supply. This i...

Putin and the long game against the West

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week president Zelensky addressed Davos asking the WEF to help Ukraine rebuild, we talk being at Davos, and why in many ways Davos Man has been i...

Brexiternity - the only way the Tories to stay in power

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We focus on our closet neighbour the UK today as it turns its back on the metric system. Yes, true, you believe it? We explore why the Tories have to ...

There's great dryin' in that wind!

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Economics is energy and energy is economics. Imagine a country blessed with renewable energy, able to power itself and export electricity, faced with ...

A Global Perfect Storm

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Markets are suffering from global contagion. Stock markets are down 22% this year. Bonds are tanking too. There are at least four if not five proximat...

Living with inflation, the story of Turkey

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is going to be exploring the intersection between Turkey and inflation, a country that has been living for many years with what trad...

Coins and Crypto Carnage

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Digital assets are crashing across the board, something that we’ve warned about across various episodes. Today’s chat is about what is happening &...

Scandinavian Models

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Swanneying around Gothenburg this week, the thought stuck me how do these people do it? Why do the Scandinavians do this so well economically, from in...

The coming interest rate crusade against inflation?

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine mortgage rates at 8%, inconceivable possibly but when you think about it not completely out of the question. Historically we've been here befo...

The Death of Distance - direct from Inis Meain

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This one’s a special one: we’re coming to you from Inis Meain, the middle island of the three Aran islands to discuss how Covid and connectivity h...

What can the Reformation tell us about Twitter, Martin Luther, Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin?

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is power? How is it acquired and who owns it? We look at the economics of power, the power of networks and the "strength of weak ties" and the co...

The Biggest Question in Economics - How exactly does and economy grow or contract?

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Economies weren’t always focused on growth, as weird as that might sound now, growth, is a relatively new concept. Today we’re joined by one of th...

The centre just held in France, but with houses prices out of control, will it here?

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode covers a wide range of economic headlines, from the Inis Meain 10k, the critical roll of credit unions, Macron's win, to Irish housi...

The third world debt crisis is going to affect you

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One continent has been missing from the headlines lately - Africa: they’re going through a severe debt crisis and with the current state of globaliz...

231 - Germany's dreadful choice & Elon Musk's “Chaos monkey” moment

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is split in two - we start by looking at what German cowardice & its refusal to sanction Russian gas means for both the war and ...

230 - How to save democracy

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Democracy is often accepted as a given - but it is anything but. Today we tackle the myths about democracy and immigrants to hopefully lay the bluepri...

229 - Pipes, Pumps and Putin. The Energy Crisis is here.

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Europe usually has a 14 day supply of diesel, which is currently down to 4 days. In the coming days Russia might cut off Europe or Europe might decide...

228 - The uncomfortable reality of our energy future

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re joined by Doomberg to talk about the way out of our energy crisis - because energy is quite literally life.The way out of this mess migh...

227 - Crunch Time for Energy

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week is all about energy - Putin’s betting Europe won't stand firm, if diesel begins to run out. The next few weeks will be crucial. We've...

226 - REITs and the possible end of Russia

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We start with a breakdown of what exactly is a REIT before the conversation turns to Russia - and more specifically the multi-faceted population of Ru...

225 - The economics of energy

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Economics has always been about energy. When the price of energy rises, everything follows. We go to the Gulf to understand the politics of energy and...

224 - The Resurgence of the Liberal order

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Putin has weaponized global capital and because of that action I believe that we will see investment flow towards liberal democracies, which is a mass...

223 - China at a tipping point

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

China looks to have made its choice for now, and it is with Russia. This might be the most consequential decision for the world economy since the fall...

222 - Odessa - the vibrant symbol of urban irreverence and why it irritates Putin so much.

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the war in Ukraine continues, we focus on an extraordinary city which could well be the next Russian target, Odessa. A product of commerce and an e...

221 - Why climate change is an investment, not a cost

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To reach the global climate goals in 2030, we need to half our emissions, so speed is the name of the game! Join us as Eric Lonergan & Corinne Saw...

220 - Russian sanctions explained with Sony Kapoor

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's look at the next stage of sanctions, how they're designed and how the whole world is reacting to their implementation. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

219 - Women in economics

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The celebrate international women’s day we ask why are women still so underrepresented in economics? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

218 - Russian sanctions & Wartime speculations

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The west is fighting a new type of war - an economic war instead of a ground war. Let’s investigate what is going on & wether or not its going t...

217 - The Economics of the War

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we frame the invasion of Ukraine as a war against the "idea" of the EU. For Putin, Ukraine is only the start. The big prize is destabilizing the...

216 - Russia/Ukraine and where we go next

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia has amputated a chunk of Ukraine. War is now looming in Europe. How did we end up here? Where did diplomacy go wrong? What is coming next?...

215 - Are interest rates the solution to inflation?

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The most talked about solution to fight off inflation is interest rates - but is that blunt instrument really going to fix such a complex problem? Joi...

214 - Are the central banks working for you? Or big money?

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode is a fascinating interview with Christoper Leonard who walks us through his latest book and brings to life how the FED and central b...

213 - How do we solve the inflation problem?

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

All around the world people are feeling their purchasing power shrink: as inflation rises the cost of living - and indeed your real wealth - goes down...

212 - The full shilling? The case for crypto as a speculative asset - but a currency, eh no!

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Crypto has captured the imagination of many as way to get rich quick - but few are able to agree or even explain what it actually is. In today’s con...

211 - Understanding inflation through the man behind the FED in America

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Behind every decision is human beings, who they are, how they act & where they’re from is critical to understanding the context in which any giv...

210 - Russian tensions explained & pub economics

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia has been dominating headlines as of late and clickbait titles want you to believe that World War 3 is on the horizon - What is really happening...

209 - If global warming is the question, free public transport is the answer

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the return to office happening all around the world, we’re seeing old problems come back; namely, traffic and congestion in cities. This is som...

208 - Breaking down the metaverse & why we we need to disconnect

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s massive amounts of money being thrown around by people who are trying to invest in the metaverse… so what exactly is it? And perhaps more ...

207 - What's happening in finance, why all the crashing? Plus, the key to unlocking the Irish economy

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We breakdown what is happening with the falling stocks in the tech sector by talking about bonds, inflation and returns on investment before looking a...

206 - Is it Last call for Boris Johnson?

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today is about the UK: as Boris Johnson fights for his political life we breakdown the timeline of events that brought us here, when & how this al...

205 - Can the centre hold?

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

WB Yeats in his poem "The Second Coming", described a world, 100 odd years ago, where the forces of economics and politics meant that "things fall apa...

204 - The Origin of Covid. Where precisely did it come from?

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Where exactly did Covid come from? Today’s episode tackles the origin of Covid, where did it come from, the food chain or a lab leak? A lab lea...

203 - Is this the year crypto crashes?

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I've no idea whether crypto and Bitcoin in particular will crash, double or stay where it is. No one does. In economic terms, cryptocurrency is defini...

202 - The Washington Putsch - One Year on

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's talk America one year to the day after storming of Capitol Hill. Some warn the US is moving towards civil war, certainly the place is divided, w...

201 - The World at a Tipping Point

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The New Year and a new credit cycle. In 2021 the world was awash with money, but will this continue in 2022? If not what will it mean for the economy,...

200 - The economics of Nighttime. Why we need more not less, socializing!

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Christmas! Hope you had a good one! Weird that this week we are talking about more boozing, more socializing, more venues, more events, more lat...

199 - the Central banks have spoken… what does it mean?

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Around the world the central banks have announced their vision for what 2022 will look like - How will these announcements affect your Daily budget an...

198 - The economics of Football

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's an extra episode this week!Thanks to the folks at NOW we're bringing you the economics of football to understand clubs really work, what are t...

197 - The changing political landscape in Ireland & the UK

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today is all about politics as Kevin Cunningham joins us to breakdown the latest numbers for Ireland and the UK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

196 - The Russian crisis that nobody saw coming

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The rising tensions between Russian and Ukraine has flared up faster than anyone could have predicted and we're now at the edge of what could be the b...

195: The economics that made America

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode we get all historical and look at economics of Alexander Hamilton, the man who forged America and got murdered for his troubles...

194 - What happens now?

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we go into another quasi-lockdown, what does it mean for the economy. What as Covid done to our understanding of the economy, why is this so differ...

193 - Comparing innovation between the US and Europe with Michael Fertik

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As we begin to take stock of the year we’re looking at how the pandemic has changed the working landscape through the lens of innovations and entrep...

192 - Movement: markets, people and viruses

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the span of a single week, a bright outlook for 2022 is now starting to look quite bleak as the new South African Covid variant enters our communit...

191 - China and America's latest Sputnik moment

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we talk about China: its growth, its dominance and perhaps most importantly; its future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

190 - The housing crisis solution is going to be imperfect

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s start is about the way out of the global housing crisis, how some well intentioned ideas have unfortunate unexpected consequence and why the...

189 - When money dies: Notes on hyperinflation, currency manipulation and Ponzi schemes, plus who is with who in the new Middle East

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We explain precisely how exchange rate, interest rate and monetary policy actually interact and work - all within the first 30 mins! While inflat...

188 - Lessons from Oslo: How to create green innovation

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following last week’s conversations on climate change we wanted to talk about the real, tangible ways that we can create this better, greener future...

187 - The return of inflation

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s no secret that we’ve been living in inflationary times, but inflation is always the harbinger of higher interest rates and if they were to go...

186 - The myths of dereliction - and how to fight back

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to dereliction there's many myths that people tell to accept the status quo - "that's just the way it is" "the council is doing its best...

185 - Inflation, leverage and the ecological warning from the vikings

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s episode explores two topics: we begin by looking at what the market thinks of potential interest rate increases - is there a bear market com...

184 - The Climate Change Opportunity

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We are running out of time, it's now or never. The world needs to stop burning fossil fuels. That's the challenge. It’s not all doom & gloo...

183 - What’s next for Germany and why it matters; plus the life of journalist Robert Fisk

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s podcast is split in two: we explore the changing of the guard in Germany and a massive undocumented shift in German policy, before exploring...

182 - Why now is the time to go for a wage rise!

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why now is the time to strike for a higher wage. Wages are going up, don't get left behind. Also, a quick follow-up on last week’s chats on inf...

181 - Is Cryptocurrency the silver bullet to inflation?

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re continuing our conversation on inflation, this time through the lens of cryptocurrency to understand if it actually is the safe haven to infla...

180 - Money and inflation - What to make of the current rising costs

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From the Greek Goddess Maia, to the Roman God Mercury, and the Lord Edward Pub in Dublin, this week's chat on inflation takes an eclectic turn. W...

179 - The crossroad between a Mad Max or a Star Trek Future

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week we connect with Alec Ross, the author of the Raging 2020s to talk about the fight for our future, how share-holders rose to power and the wa...

178 - Tinder for ideas and the new corporate tax rate implications

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We kick off the week with the launch of our new international trade and money course which aims to bring economics to everyone! We start the chat with...

177 - Is China the new Japan?

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We examine the similarities between China in 2022 and Japan in 1990. The trajectory of huge export-led growth, dragging Japan in the 1950s, 60s, 70s o...

176 - Britain's coming Winter of Discontent

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"A spectre is haunting Britain—the spectre of stagflation". It's not always the podcast paraphrases Karl Marx, but when it comes to ideolo...

175 - Conversation with the brilliant behavioural economist Dan Ariely

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From the experience economy, to the economics of meaning, the psychology of Covid deniers, what happens when you are too committed to on idea, the per...

174 - The Housing Price Theory of Everything

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We kick off with a jammy deal in Dublin and why it tells you everything you need to know about what's wrong with Ireland's housing market. Plus t...

173 - Evergrande implosion and the economics of Colonialism

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we start in China to talk about Evergrande, the real estate empire that is on the brink of collapse before talking about the history of colonial...

172 - The Economics of Casement, Carson, Congo and Colonialism

21 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As Michael D Higgins, Ireland’s President gets into a scrap, we have a hot take on rubber booms, Apocalypse Now, Roger Casement, King Leopold and Os...

171 - Inflation: why it's personal

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With headlines around the world talking about rising inflation its well worth the time to break down what it is, why yours might not be like anyone el...

170 - A few thoughts from Dubai and what Sally Rooney and the points race can tell us about the elite and elite overproduction?

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we're in Dubai, giving a quick run down of what the region looks like to the visitor, then we head back to Europe in order to look at the d...

169 - The great Chinese closedown

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

China has been making huge policy changes in the last few weeks - it’s laying out a clear vision for what it wants the country to look like for the ...

168 - Thoughts on the new Irish housing plan

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Irish governments has finally laid out a vision to tackle the ongoing housing crisis and while it’s far from perfect, it is a step in the right ...

167 - Education for the brave new world

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the 4th industrial revolution has converged with a global pandemic creating seismic shifts in various aspects of our lives, how will the future of ...

166 - Taliban Tremors

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the implication of the Taliban's takeover of Kabul? The author of "The Silk Roads", Peter Frankopan shares his wisdom with us, and explains wh...

165 - Afghanistan, from the perspective of people who are & have been there with Nelofer Pazira Fisk

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Afghanistan is unraveling in front of our eyes, and while many stories are making headlines, few talk about what it currently feels like for the regul...