It was great apart from all the death

19 December 2023Book ReviewsCovid-19, personal financeNick Dunbar

Felix Salmon recasts the Covid pandemic as an economic drama of risk preferences and micro-interactions.

The war and the pandemic

7 March 2022StocksCovid-19, equities, UkraineNick Dunbar

As war unfolds in Ukraine, equity markets are reflecting the abrupt change from pandemic to war.

Viruses: Agents of Evolutionary Invention

2 November 2021Book Reviewsbiology, Covid-19, evolution, medicineNick Dunbar

Dozens of books have already been published on the pandemic, and many are already out of date. To appreciate Covid, it’s best to step back and read this account of viruses published four years ago.

Facing up to JP Morgan’s leverage relief threats

18 March 2021BanksBank of America, Covid-19, Federal Reserve, JP Morgan, leverage ratios, regulationNick Dunbar

The banking giant warned that it might slash its vast balance sheet if the Fed doesn’t roll over temporary leverage ratio relief. Could it unleash a wave of turmoil in wholesale markets if it doesn’t get what it wants?

Making debt disappear

20 January 2021EconomicsCovid-19, modern monetary theory, quantitative easingNick Dunbar

Developed nations face ballooning post-pandemic debt burdens. In a QE world, does that actually matter?

How my ancestors helped me through the pandemic

5 January 2021Book ReviewsCovid-19, medicine, pandemicsNick Dunbar

The experience of a doctor who fought pandemics a century and a half ago provides some hope for today

How Covid forbearance gave banks a three trillion dollar boost

3 November 2020BanksBasel rules, CECL, Covid-19, Dodd-Frank Act, investment banking, tradingNick Dunbar

To keep banks operating smoothly during the pandemic, regulators eased capital requirements and boosted trading profits by underpinning financial markets. Did they go too far?

Visualising China’s emerging market lending splurge

16 April 2020EconomicsChina, Covid-19, government bondsNick Dunbar

Emerging market nations may struggle to repay debt in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. And for many the biggest lender is China, as a new visualisation shows.

The corporate bond market on 18 March 2020

20 March 2020CreditCovid-19Nick Dunbar

An interactive visualisation of $12 trillion of corporate bonds showing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Free to registered users.

How Covid-19 infected the corporate bond market

20 March 2020Creditairlines, central banks, coronavirus, Covid-19, high yield bondsNick Dunbar

The coronavirus outbreak has infected the corporate bond market as economies grind to a halt. Can trillions of emergency central bank measures keep borrowers alive?