September 30, 2006

Sir, keep it simple please

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Sir, in “Undead Pensions”, September 30, you describe well the risks that a higher than expected longevity could have for any pension plan, ...
September 29, 2006

In immigration you cannot and should not have the cake and eat it too

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Sir, Marin Wolf’s suggestion that “Immigration can no longer be ignored” September 29, is a perfect example of how muddled this issue is sin...
September 28, 2006

Ooops, we expected 30 seconds, or 30 minutes at the most

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Sir, Timothy Geithner, Callum McCarthy and Annette Nazareth make a call for “A safer strategy for the credit products explosion” (September ...
September 27, 2006

Don’t suppress the fund’s board, allow it to function instead

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Sir, Charles Wyplosz asks “Why not suppress the International Monetary Fund’s board altogether?” (December 27) and he is wrong. What you nee...

I am looking for the 50 most influential bartenders, barbers and taxi drivers to discuss my blog

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Sir, I just sent a letter commenting on a Martin Wolf article but I guess it is going to be hard for it to reach the presses now that he has...
September 26, 2006

What they need is some good ghostbloggers

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In all modesty I have what I presume is the best blog THIS ONE, but if I dared check it, it probably receives very few clicks. In this respe...

Just no cell-phones or private consultants

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Sir, as a reply to your article “MBA Students cheat the most” September 21, Guy Wroble replies with a suggestion of creating a SEC-like body...
September 25, 2006

Stop egging them on!

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Sir, on September 25 you tell us that “European critics inflict defeat on Wolfowitz” but reading it over and over again I cannot really fath...
September 22, 2006

Is it time for a Victorian inflation measure?

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Do we need a basket of consumer assets? Sir Samuel Brittan in “It’s not he labour market, stupid” (September 22) talking about what his Vict...

Tax gasoline rather than anything

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Sir, since on the margin there is nothing that could help reduce the threath of global warming so much as to have the US reduce its gasoline...

How do you diversify for the investment advisor’s risk?

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Sir, in “For many rich people, wealth is a consequence of being succesful, Peter Scholla, himself an investment advisor, tells us that “the ...

We all need global communications to be a pure global commodity

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Sir, Stephen Littlechild tells us that “Brussels has got it wrong on roaming charges” (September 22) and that “regulation undermines market ...
September 20, 2006

Should we really give IMF management carte-blanche?

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There is no doubt that the International Monetary Fund needs to evolve but that “The fund’s ancien régime will have to give up its privilege...
September 19, 2006

Why don’t you just try moving in together

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Sir, I found Gideon Rachman’s “Clashing civilisations on the banks of the Bosphorus” (September 19), both interesting and confusing. Though ...
September 18, 2006

Help parents to pick among school-brands

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Sir, James Tooley in his “Low-cost schools in poor nations seek investors” (September 18), explores the immense possibilities that private s...
September 13, 2006

IMF is enyoying the calm in the eye of the hurricane.

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Sir, in his “Why bad news for the Fund is excellent news for its clients” September 13, Martin Wolf tells a story of countries that have fin...
September 12, 2006

The value of the inflation figure really depends on what you need guidance for

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Sir, Stephen Cecchetti though making a good point explaining why “ Core inflation is an unreliable guide ” September 12, ignores the fact th...
September 11, 2006

What institution is not maladapted?

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Sir, in the editorial of September 11 you mention the World Bank Group as maladapted for life in this century but, frankly, what institution...
September 09, 2006

About life in the buffet lane

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Sir, this week, September 9, Dear Economist had to answer the question how to get the most out of a buffet and without falling into the trap...

Ignorance is vital to keep the economy going

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Sir, in your editorial “Back to work for the world’s investors” (September 9) you wisely remind us that “new paradigms often turn out to be ...
September 08, 2006

What is really meant by international support?

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Sir, Krishna Guha reports from Washington (September 8) that “The World Bank is to seek international support for a new push to help poor co...

The confusion is global

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Sir, yes globalization is indeed a difficult and confusing issue when even a Nobel Prize winner as Joseph Stiglitz can tell us that “We have...
September 07, 2006

We must stop the emergence of a global lumpenproletariat

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Sir, Desmond King and David Rueda do a very good job at scratching the surface of the immense problem with “Cheap labour is creating an outs...
September 06, 2006

When does the “loss” really occur, when the worker has become globally uncompetitive or when his job finally disappears?

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Sir, Martin Wolf, back with vigor, tells us that “We must act to share the gains with globalization’s losers” (September 6), which sounds ri...
September 05, 2006

Seems migration estimates were wrong all over

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Sir, it was interesting to read John Kay’s piece on “How the migration estimates turned out so wrong” (September 5) where he describes the s...

Bank ghostbusters?

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Published in FT September 12, 2006 Sir, David Skeel ("The ghost of a crisis in equity funds hides real benefit", September 5), tel...

Global stability depends on globalization

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Sir, Jan Kregel and William Milberg in their “Global stability rests on sharing the gains” (September 5) get it quite right in their title b...

Let us then wish for a good backlash

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Sir, Gideon Rachman in “Why the world may regret the end of the neo-con era” (September 5), warns us about a possible backlash that could “t...

IMF cannot be the independent central bankers' clubhouse

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Sir, In your editorial "What is the IMF for?" (September 1), you qualify the original formulas used to assign the quotas determin...
September 02, 2006

Who told Dear Economist that parents are more able negotiators than children?

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Mr. Gill Harnsley, September 2, in sheer desperation over his young children’s behavior that drives him crazy and sometimes makes him spank ...
September 01, 2006

It is still good old Swedish pragmatism!

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Sir, as you so correctly state in “Sweden’s decision”, September 1, many countries around the world do indeed follow with much interest what...
August 30, 2006

The death of the hydra of inflation is also a myth.

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Sir, Kenneth Rogoff’’s “ The myth of how central banks slew the hydra of inflation ”, August 30, correctly concludes after analyzing the eff...
August 26, 2006

Has Dear Economist gone raving mad?

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Dear Economist, August 26, when asked by Mr. Holden, a father preparing his will, whether he should favor more the daughter that being singl...
August 25, 2006

Great, now it is that you are concerned with Chávez? You’ve got to be kidding!

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Sir, Venezuela is a notoriously divided country and yet its current Congress has 167 members in favor of Chávez and zero against. Its gover...

What you really need to exorcise the curse!

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Sir, Wayne Murdy is clear about what he can do in “Mining companies can help lift the resources curse”, August 25, and we much appreciate hi...
August 24, 2006

We were many and then granny gave birth

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Sir, there’s a Spanish saying that goes “we were many and then granny gave birth” and it applies so well when a shrinking planet in need of ...

Letters to the editor

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Do you think that all our comments to a newspaper such as Financial Times sent to letters.editor@ft.com are read right away by the editor ...
August 21, 2006

A global monetary fund needs foremost to go global

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Sir, we agree with Peter Costello that “The global monetary fund needs to reform its quotas”, August 21, but we do not believe this is achie...
August 19, 2006

Long-term benefits of a hard landing

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Published in FT, August 23, 2006 Sir, While you correctly argue (“ Hard edge of a soft landing for housing ”, August 19,) that “even if gr...

Can the markets do more for the moviegoer?

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Mr. Arthur Spilling a socially conscientious moviegoer from Rochester, NY, commented that he felt a bit bad when watching a big-budget flick...
August 18, 2006

How does FT know this is not a teenage prank?

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“A powerful cocktail of data for predicting recession” by Simon Ward, August 17, tells you that by mixing “four key indicators of monetary i...
August 17, 2006

Has the fat lady really sung for the libertarians?

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Sir, as someone who has understood and accepted some of the fundamentals of the libertarian arguments but just as frequently opposed the too...
August 16, 2006

Forget the global warming fund and help instead the US to overcome its addiction.

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Sir, Jagdish Bhagwati proposes that “A global warming fund could succeed where Kyoto failed”, August 16, and argues that “it is hard to imag...

WTO, please take your time!

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Sir, Fred Bergsten’s “ Plan B for world trade: go regional ” August 16, reads a bit like a bewildered courtiers screaming out “The Kings is...
August 15, 2006

The through-the-eye-of-the-needle index

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Sir, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24), and so,...
August 14, 2006

Not much fizz but way too much oil consumption!

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Stephen Roach warning that there is “Not much fizz left in the global economy”, August 14, is on the dot reminding us that what has kept the...
August 12, 2006

Is it getting too close to home for comfort? Well do something real about it!

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Sir, Christopher Caldwell in his “Utopia with border control”, August 12, lets no doubt shine through how even writers in a globalized paper...

Are children responding more cleverly?

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Sir, your “Are children getting cleverer?, in the FT-Weekend of August 12, did not fully answer the question but instead left me with the fe...

Dear, it is just Tim Harford’s book!”

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Sir, Tim Harford, August 12, in trying to explain why his book is priced £17.99 and not rounded to £18.00, as this does seems insulting a bu...

Thinking is being outsourced

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Sir, you end up your editorial about future travel conditions on August 12 with a “computer junkies trapped in long-haul will have an unusua...
August 11, 2006

Let the Transparency Initiative come home

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Sir, Robin Harding’s “Why business must back congestion charging”, August 11, leaves us with the feeling that we are getting somewhere, thou...
August 07, 2006

Drive out the risk out from where there should be none!

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Sir, Andrew Hill in “A thirst for the most vital liquid asset”, August 7, serves a very good cause analyzing the finance of long term infras...
August 06, 2006

It is just an Indian Summer

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Sir, over the last couple of weeks we have read about the strong growth of the US tax revenues and that has somewhat shrunken their immense ...
August 04, 2006

Basel is a monstrous factory of systemic risks.

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Sir, Daniel Tarullo with his “A Simple escape route from the gridlock of Basel II”, August 4, reminds us of how the good intentions of build...
August 03, 2006

Just a new crop of banana republics!

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Sir, Desmond Lachman in “The disturbing deterioration of developed economies”, August 3, correctly informs that the distinction between emer...

You could also let out some hot air!

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Sir Jacob Weisberg in “Sanctions help to sustain rogue states”, August 3, has us picking between economic sanctions and constructive engagem...

All cannot be that bad with Mr Blair!

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Sir, there has to be something personal, otherwise for a foreigner - an outsider - it seems impossible to understand the viciousness of Rodr...
August 02, 2006

We need obnoxiousness indexes

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Sir Adam Lerrick’s “Good intentions at the expense of the poor”, August 2, is full of good intentions when suggesting to NGOs to shut up but...
July 31, 2006

Migrants is just what the doctor orders for an aging society

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Sir, yes of course “Migrants mean money”, July 31, but they also mean so much more and do not belittle it. By being able to attract that kin...

How can we make “possibilism” more possible?

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Sir, Richard Lapper, July 31, while reviewing Latin America’s Political Economy of the Possible by Javier Santiso, MIT Press , makes a very ...
July 28, 2006

Should they now sue their Central Banks?

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Warning, believing in your Central Bank is lethal for your pension plan! Sir, Samuel Brittan, in “ Central banks need not divine bubbles ”,...
July 27, 2006

Who is a threatening who?

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Sir, Jim Kolbe’s warning that “Baby-boomers threaten the war on global poverty” July 27, seems a bit off the mark since, as threats come, it...

Are we consuming hypocrisy in an unsustainable way?

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Sir, Jacob Weisberg’s “A path between puritanism and excess”, July 27, makes a great description about some of the legal and moral issues in...
July 24, 2006

Yes anything could indeed happen!

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Sir, Andy Webb-Vidal’s report “ Bush told to plan for Chávez oil shock ”, July 24, ignores the fact that oil prices are highly contagious an...
July 19, 2006

We need to find and fund our global National Parks

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In the first of his energy & environment trilogy Martin Wolf expressed some worship of King Coal, in his second he warned us against cry...
July 18, 2006

Are they really sure it is enforceable?

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Sir, in “Banning net gambling would serve no point”, July 18, you make some very good observations analyzing the pro and cons of this issue,...

Is there some state-of-the-art anti corruption tool we do not know about?

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Sir, Patti Waldmeir, Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Richard Water’s report “Google campaign tests power of cash versus votes in Washington”, Ju...