AUTHOR
Simon Wilson
Simon Wilson’s first career was in book publishing, as an economics editor at Routledge, and as a publisher of non-fiction at Random House, specialising in popular business and management books. While there, he published Customers.com, a bestselling classic of the early days of e-commerce, and The Money or Your Life: Reuniting Work and Joy, an inspirational book that helped inspire its publisher towards a post-corporate, portfolio life.
Since 2001, he has been a writer for MoneyWeek, a financial copywriter, and a long-time contributing editor at The Week. Simon also works as an actor and corporate trainer; current and past clients include investment banks, the Bank of England, the UK government, several Magic Circle law firms and all of the Big Four accountancy firms. He has a degree in languages (German and Spanish) and social and political sciences from the University of Cambridge.
LDI: the “doom loop” in the bond market
Government bonds
LDI: the “doom loop” in the bond market
LDI – an investment strategy used by defined-benefit pension funds – was at the centre of last week’s panic in gilts. What exactly happened, and how w…
7 Oct 2022
Mini-Budget: will Kwasi Kwarteng’s gamble on growth work?
Budget
Mini-Budget: will Kwasi Kwarteng’s gamble on growth work?
The government has launched the biggest dash for growth in 50 years, relaunching an approach known as supply-side economics. What is the plan – and wi…
30 Sep 2022
How much is King Charles III worth?
UK Economy
How much is King Charles III worth?
What will King Charles III inherit from the late Queen? Will he have to pay inheritance tax? And how large is his personal fortune and estate?
23 Sep 2022
Energy Price Guarantee: Liz Truss’s gigantic state handout
UK Economy
Energy Price Guarantee: Liz Truss’s gigantic state handout
The PM railed against government-funded largesse on the campaign trail. Now she is introducing energy price guarantees that will cost more than furlou…
20 Sep 2022
India’s economy has come a long way in 75 years, but where next?
Emerging markets
India’s economy has come a long way in 75 years, but where next?
India has come a long way since independence to become the world's fifth-largest economy. But early mistakes and now a divisive leader are holding bac…
12 Sep 2022
One year later: how is Afghanistan faring under Taliban rule?
Miscellaneous
One year later: how is Afghanistan faring under Taliban rule?
It’s been a year since the Taliban took back control in the country following the withdrawal of US troops. The outlook remains grim. Simon Wilson repo…
7 Sep 2022
Neom megacity: Saudi Arabia’s vision of the future
Global Economy
Neom megacity: Saudi Arabia’s vision of the future
The kingdom is building a futuristic city in the desert, a key component of its plan to wean the economy off oil and woo tourists and global businesse…
26 Aug 2022
How to solve Britain’s water crisis
UK Economy
How to solve Britain’s water crisis
A drought has been officially declared across much of Britain, despite the fact that climate change is bringing more rain than ever. What’s going wron…
18 Aug 2022
A new legal headache for Haleon
Stocks and shares
A new legal headache for Haleon
Haleon, GSK’s former consumer-products arm, spun off last month, has made a dismal debut on the stockmarket.
17 Aug 2022
10 years on: how has the London Olympics “legacy” panned out?
UK Economy
10 years on: how has the London Olympics “legacy” panned out?
The 2012 Games would benefit not just athletes and spectators, but the whole economy over the longer term, we were told at the time. Ten years on, how…
12 Aug 2022
What’s gone wrong in the aviation sector?
Economy
What’s gone wrong in the aviation sector?
Airlines and airports seem woefully unprepared for the rebound in demand for flights after the pandemic. Why? And when will the outlook improve?
22 Jul 2022
Boris Johnson's exit leaves Britain with a towering in-tray
UK Economy
Boris Johnson's exit leaves Britain with a towering in-tray
Britain’s economic problems are rapidly piling up after the last few years of drift and chaos. What should we do first?
14 Jul 2022
Just how powerful is artificial intelligence becoming?
Tech stocks
Just how powerful is artificial intelligence becoming?
An uncannily human response from an artificial intelligence program sparked a minor panic last month. But just how powerful are machines getting – and…
2 Jul 2022
Rail strikes and the summer of discontent – who's to blame?
UK Economy
Rail strikes and the summer of discontent – who's to blame?
The rail workers are all out and look likely to continue through the summer. Comrades in other unions are joining the strikers. Who is to blame?
25 Jun 2022
The Brussels effect – how the EU is raising standards around the world
Global Economy
The Brussels effect – how the EU is raising standards around the world
EU standards and consumer protection regulations have a habit of being enforced globally. Why is that? And is it such a bad thing?
20 Jun 2022
Fortress Russia’s economy is crumbling
Global Economy
Fortress Russia’s economy is crumbling
Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in the belief that the Russian economy could withstand whatever the West threw at it. That belief is being severely tes…
12 Jun 2022
How the UK has changed in the last 70 years since the Queen took the throne
UK Economy
How the UK has changed in the last 70 years since the Queen took the throne
The last 70 years have been eventful and often difficult, but the UK is far wealthier than it was when the Queen took the throne in 1952. Simon Wilson…
1 Jun 2022
Britain’s broken energy markets
UK Economy
Britain’s broken energy markets
Governments have no control over global energy prices. But the dysfunction that has led to rising price caps and windfall taxes is all of the UK’s own…
27 May 2022
What's behind Sri Lanka’s crippling debt crisis?
Emerging markets
What's behind Sri Lanka’s crippling debt crisis?
Sri Lanka has been hit by a triple whammy of economic shocks and has gone to the IMF for a bailout. It may just be the first domino to fall in a globa…
20 May 2022
Hong Kong’s brain drain
Chinese economy
Hong Kong’s brain drain
A change in the political atmosphere and a harsh zero-Covid regime has seen thousands flee the global financial hub. Does it have a future – or will S…
14 May 2022
Britain’s post-Brexit trade chaos
UK Economy
Britain’s post-Brexit trade chaos
The government has yet again postponed introducing post-Brexit checks on EU imports. Why has it done this, and does it matter?
7 May 2022
The emerging-markets debt crisis
Emerging markets
The emerging-markets debt crisis
Slowing global growth, surging inflation and rising interest rates are squeezing emerging economies harder than most. Are we on the brink of a major c…
30 Apr 2022
Why we need to chop off the “dead hand” of the Treasury
UK Economy
Why we need to chop off the “dead hand” of the Treasury
HM Treasury, the department in charge of long-term growth, fiscal policy, and departmental budgets, is a single bloated behemoth. It would be better t…
23 Apr 2022
Is China set to dominate the world?
Asian economy
Is China set to dominate the world?
Having secured a presidency for life within the country’s borders, Xi Jinping is now going for world domination – not out of megalomania, but a concer…
14 Apr 2022
How a retreat from globalisation will affect the world economy
Global Economy
How a retreat from globalisation will affect the world economy
Global trade has been in decline for some time, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marks a big turning point, say some commentators. What will that mean…
1 Apr 2022
Should we levy a windfall tax on Big Oil's big profits?
Energy
Should we levy a windfall tax on Big Oil's big profits?
Soaring oil prices mean huge profits for energy firms. Politicians are keen to impose windfall taxes, but that could discourage vital investment in ne…
26 Mar 2022
Russia, Ukraine and the coming global food crisis
Global Economy
Russia, Ukraine and the coming global food crisis
The war in Ukraine has disrupted food and fertiliser exports, pushing up prices and threatening a global calamity.
19 Mar 2022
Russian aggression is a big blow for the world’s “net zero” ambitions
Energy
Russian aggression is a big blow for the world’s “net zero” ambitions
Switching the world economy over from fossil fuels to green alternatives was always going to be a challenge. It just got a lot harder. Simon Wilson re…
12 Mar 2022
Will the sanctions aimed at Putin have any effect?
Economy
Will the sanctions aimed at Putin have any effect?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed the West’s strategic calculus and tougher than expected sanctions have followed. Will they be enough to chang…
7 Mar 2022
Credit Suisse data leak reveals Swiss banks are home to scores of criminals’ loot
Economy
Credit Suisse data leak reveals Swiss banks are home to scores of criminals’ loot
Swiss banks have looked after the loot of a variety of unsavoury characters, according to new leaks from Credit Suisse. Did new laws in the wake of th…
26 Feb 2022
A major breakthrough in the search for nuclear fusion
Energy
A major breakthrough in the search for nuclear fusion
For 60 years, the hope of producing vast amounts of clean energy from nuclear fusion has remained tantalisingly beyond our grasp. Now scientists claim…
19 Feb 2022
The long arm of Xi Jinping as China projects "soft power"
Global Economy
The long arm of Xi Jinping as China projects "soft power"
Like most countries, China is dedicated to projecting soft power and building links with institutions abroad. Unlike most other countries, that is rat…
12 Feb 2022
Is Jack Monroe right about inflation hurting the poor the most?
UK Economy
Is Jack Monroe right about inflation hurting the poor the most?
Poverty campaigner Jack Monroe has claimed that official inflation statistics understate the impact of price rises on the poor. Is she right?
9 Feb 2022
Russia and Ukraine: what does Putin want?
Global Economy
Russia and Ukraine: what does Putin want?
Russia's president Vladimir Putin has many reasons for his military build-up on the border with Ukraine, but the costs of an invasion would be extreme…
29 Jan 2022
Just how green is nuclear power?
Energy
Just how green is nuclear power?
Nuclear power is certainly very clean in terms of carbon emissions, but what about the radioactive waste produced as a byproduct? It’s not as much of …
22 Jan 2022
What's driving the cost of living crisis?
UK Economy
What's driving the cost of living crisis?
Soaring bills, inflation and tax rises are about to squeeze household incomes. And it doesn’t seem that there is much the government can do about it.
15 Jan 2022