LAC Seminar 2013 live tweeting complete list
A few people have mentioned that they found my “live blogging” or tweeting of the 2013 LAC Seminar in Cape Town and Joburg useful. I used the hastag #LACseminar2013. I’m repeating all of them here in...
View ArticleSewing seeds of manufacturing growth
The NY Times has a fascinating article on the increasing demand for American made goods, particularly textiles, and the limited supply of labour with the relevant skills. There is plenty more to the...
View ArticleWhen is revenue lost?
In respect for Nelson Mandela’s death and funeral, many retailers closed yesterday for the day. This Business Day article claims a R300m loss for the retail industry as a result. Except, no. Some...
View ArticleParis bans half all of all cars
Ok, only temporarily and the (almost) half that are banned change from day to day. A temporary increase in pollution levels has sparked the emergency measure. I’m fortunate enough to live close to...
View ArticleProgress on tax free savings vehicles, but scathing words for life insurers
Read the latest (14 March 2014) document from National Treasury on tax free savings vehicles for South Africa. I think it’s a fantastic idea – both from a policy perspective with carefully designed...
View ArticleSanral with blinkers on and no imagination
I read Nazir Alli’s opinion piece on BDLive this morning. Unsurprisingly, he talks up tolling as the best way to fund roads. Now, I don’t have as strong a view as some that etolls are Universally Bad....
View ArticleEuropean deflation risks not deflating
The UK Telegraph (and other sources) are highlighting the rising panic about Euro area deflation. For those Austrian / hard money / gold standard / bitcoin / generally poorly informed amongst you, it’s...
View ArticleNorway’s new bank notes
Pretty far from a normal topic for this blog, but at least it relates to money. Norway’s new banknotes Norway has new banknotes or at least they will be 2017. Standard on one side and abstract,...
View ArticleFoo Fighters and Munich
Brief personal note. I’m off to the Milliman Life Consultants Forum in the US this week. Looks like an amazing programme covering ORSAs, Solvency II vs EV reporting and many of their software tools....
View ArticleTwin Peaks update Dec 2014
Treasury has released a new draft of the “Twin Peaks” or “Financial Sector Regulation Bill“. Plenty to work through here, as with the Retail Distribution Review draft and more, but here is the link if...
View ArticleSanral with blinkers on and no imagination
I read Nazir Alli’s opinion piece on BDLive this morning. Unsurprisingly, he talks up tolling as the best way to fund roads. Now, I don’t have as strong a view as some that etolls are Universally Bad....
View ArticleEuropean deflation risks not deflating
The UK Telegraph (and other sources) are highlighting the rising panic about Euro area deflation. For those Austrian / hard money / gold standard / bitcoin / generally poorly informed amongst you, it’s...
View ArticleNorway’s new bank notes
Pretty far from a normal topic for this blog, but at least it relates to money. Norway’s new banknotes Norway has new banknotes or at least they will be 2017. Standard on one side and abstract,...
View ArticleFoo Fighters and Munich
Brief personal note. I’m off to the Milliman Life Consultants Forum in the US this week. Looks like an amazing programme covering ORSAs, Solvency II vs EV reporting and many of their software tools....
View ArticleTwin Peaks update Dec 2014
Treasury has released a new draft of the “Twin Peaks” or “Financial Sector Regulation Bill“. Plenty to work through here, as with the Retail Distribution Review draft and more, but here is the link if...
View Article31, 151 and what comes next
This is my first new post in over two years. There are many reasons for that, and I may get into that in a future post. As to why I’m restarting – a conversation with an old friend last night combined...
View ArticleLife in our time of cholera?
I love to read, so I’m not proud to admit right upfront that everything I know about “Love in the time of cholera” I learnt in 3 minutes from wikipedia starting about 3 minutes ago. Seems like a book I...
View Articlereserve discount and inflation part 3 is still coming
I need a little more time (read: a weekend) to finish the third part of my series on inflation and discounting for non-life claims reserves. Keep an eye out for it next week, along with some posts on...
View ArticleCollective nouns for cats
In my ASSA convention presentation on systemic risk last week, I took pains to highlight the difference between real systemic risk and mere catastrophic claim risk or even concentration risk. In this...
View ArticleMove over cholera, here’s the Black Death
The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, wiped out 30 to 50 percent of Europe’s population between 1347 and 1351 Now, South Africa has been placed on high alert for a potential plague...
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