
Ben Judge
Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.
Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin.
As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.
Latest articles by Ben Judge
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11 March 1702 – the world’s first daily newspaper published
Features On this day in 1702 Elizabeth Mallet of Fleet Street published the first edition of the Daily Courant, the world’s first daily newspaper.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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9 March 1776: Adam Smith publishes 'The Wealth of Nations'
Features On this day in 1776, Adam Smith, the “father of modern economics”, published his hugely influential book The Wealth of Nations.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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7 March 1969: Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Victoria Line
Features On this day in 1969, Queen Elizabeth II took only her second trip on the tube to officially open the underground’s newest line – the Victoria Line.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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5 March 1984: the miners’ strike begins
Features On this day in March 1984, the miners' strike, one of Britain’s most acrimonious industrial disputes, began when workers at Yorkshire's Cortonwood Colliery downed tools.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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3 March 1938: Saudi Arabia strikes oil
Features On this day in 1938, the “Dammam no. 7” well in Saudi Arabia struck oil, kicking off the exploitation of the world’s biggest oil reserves.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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25 February 1986: 'People Power' topples Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos
Features Mass opposition to Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos ended his 21-year reign on this day in 1986, and brought Corazon Aquino to power.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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17 February 2003: London introduces the Congestion Charge
Features In a bid to reduce the amount of traffic entering central London, the city unveiled its Congestion Charge on this day in 2003.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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15 February 1971: Decimal Day – Britain adopts decimal currency
Features On this day in 1971, Britain adopted the new decimal currency, replacing the old system of pounds shilllings and pence that had been used for centuries.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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9 February 1979: Britain’s first £1m footballer
Features British football's first £1m transfer took place on this day in 1979 when Trevor Francis moved from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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Larry Fink: climate change will "reshape finance"
Opinion Larry Fink, chief executive, BlackRock, believes that changes in the global climate will redefine the way modern markets work.
By Ben Judge Published
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21 January 1971: Emley Moor Mast, Britain’s tallest “building”, opens
Features On this day in 1971, the 350-metre high concrete transmitting tower known as the Emley Moor Mast was opened, becoming Britain's tallest “freestanding structure”.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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Will this year bring any cheer for China's markets?
News China's double-digit growth rates of previous decades are long gone. Will the weakness continue?
By Ben Judge Published
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Plaid: Visa’s pricey bet on the future of finance
News Visa has paid $5.3bn for fintech start-up Plaid, following on from last year’s purchase of cross-border payments company Earthport.
By Ben Judge Published
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Whatever happened to blockchain?
Features Not long ago investors were getting hyped up about blockchain. Then they dropped it. But they should take another look, says Ben Judge.
By Ben Judge Published
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Easyjet profits fall as it bids to become the world’s first “zero carbon” airline
Features EasyJet reported a fall in profits today, after a “difficult” year, but is hoping to become the first “zero carbon” airline by offsetting its carbon emissions at a cost of £25m a year.
By Ben Judge Published
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Sellers pull out of the property market ahead of the Christmas election
Features The number of people putting their house on the market has seen its biggest fall for over ten years, as the housing market continues to cool.
By Ben Judge Published
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15 September 2008: Lehman Brothers goes bust
Features The financial crisis claimed its most high-profile casualty today in 2008 when Lehman Brothers, America’s fourth-biggest investment bank, filed for bankruptcy.
By Ben Judge Last updated
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How investors can profit from the dawning of a new reality
Cover Story Widespread use of virtual-reality technology has been “just around the corner” since the 1980s, says Ben Judge. But with the growing popularity of augmented reality, we might finally be about to turn that corner.
By Ben Judge Published
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Thomas Cook’s holiday nightmare
Features High debt, fierce competition and one-off factors have pushed tour operator Thomas Cook to the brink of bankruptcy.
By Ben Judge Published
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Deutsche Bank beats a retreat
Features Deutsche Bank, Germany’s biggest bank, has presented its latest plan to get out of trouble. But is it all too little too late? Ben Judge reports.
By Ben Judge Published
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Facial recognition: Big Brother is watching you
Analysis Facial recognition technology is no longer dystopian fiction. It’s a rapidly growing technology subsector covering a wide range of applications. Ben Judge explains what they are and highlights the key players.
By Ben Judge Published
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Cash in on cannabis as a new industry emerges
Cover Story The prohibitionist era is over: countries are rapidly legalising marijuana for medical and recreational use. Ben Judge reviews the latest developments and explains how to profit from pot.
By Ben Judge Published
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IF Isas: look beyond stocks and bonds
Features You can now put a wide range of alternative investments in the tax-free wrapper, with the Innovative Finance Isa, (IF Isa). But tread carefully.
By Ben Judge Published
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Cybercrime: profit from the fight against criminals in your computer
Cover Story Cybercrime has the potential to paralyse countries and commerce, but companies and individuals are only just waking up to the threat. That spells opportunity for long-term investors, says Ben Judge.
By Ben Judge Published
Cover Story