One of the lessor known bubbles in history concerned railway investments in the 1840s. The UK's growing middle class poured all of their savings into the shares of railway companies. Overspeculation and very questionable business operations led to the popping of the bubble and the Panic of 1847. We'll explore this bubble and then compare it to more…

A possible Trump presidency will bring about incredible changes and will impact the entire world. Today's episode analyzes a set of foreign policy agenda topics and how Trump may react to them. Like him or hate him, we could see a fall in conflicts under his watch. Track: Different at //www.fiftysounds.com…

Inflation continues to dominate headlines so today we'll take a look at the longest inflation period in history. During the 16th and 17th centuries, inflation ran rampant for a number of reasons which include excess demand, currency debasement and a supply shock. After going over these three factors we take a look at its impact on the period. Track…

Since 1995 EU productivity has significantly lagged that of the US and this has had big economic implications and will certainly affect its future. In today's episode we explore four broad categories of reasons why EU productivity is weak. We also explain its implications for monetary policy and the EURO. Track: Different at //www.fiftysounds.com…

As the Francis Scott Bridge tragically collapsed last week, this episode analyzes its economic and supply chain impacts. While the port of Baltimore is not the largest, it serves an essential role for US trade in certain industries, namely automobiles and coal, just to name a few. Track: Different at //www.fiftysounds.com…

Welcome to a new mini-series on the Railway Mania channel, where we are giving guests the challenge of putting forward their candidate for KING OF THE STEAM AGE. First up is friend of the show, Graham Muspratt, making the case for Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid. Thanks to Graham for coming on the podcast again!…

Ghana's G4O (Gold 4 Oil) program grabbed headlines last year, so today we will explore Ghana's mining industry, as well as this new government policy, with its associated pros and cons. We will also touch upon recent moves in its currency (the cedi) as well as Ghana's upcoming presidential election in December of 2024. Track: Different at //www.fif…

Why is Japan much better at building chip fabrication plants than the USA? Today we analyze Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, also called TSMC, and look into their recent experiences within the two countries, highlighting the biggest divergences. Track: Different at //www.fiftysounds.comBy Sean

Western African news rarely makes headlines, but the truth is that so much has been happening here recently. For this reason, today's episode dissects four recent developments of the past few weeks and these include Ghana's new parliament bill against the LGBTQ community, the situation within ECOWAS, Chad's political and military developments, and …

Today's episode covers three diverse topics from around the world. Firstly we go over Indian farmers' protests and how Modi is confronting them. We then proceed with the astounding popularity of the Dominican Republic's President, Luis Abinader, and the reasons for his success. At the end we cover recent new from the Philippines and contextualise i…

The Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles, and the Strait of Hormuz are three of the world's most important chokepoints that have helped shape the world's history. They also play essential economic roles, allowing safe passage for the biggest vessels that sail the high seas. This episode provides in-depth overviews of these three straits, going over…

The importance of global chokepoints for the global economy and geopolitics has come back into focus as global supply chains are upended due to a drought in the Panama Canal and Houthi attacks on ships through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. This episode is the first of a two-part series and highlights a few of the most important chokepoints in the world…

Europe's leading economy, Germany, has been losing its shine in recent years as political turmoil, bad strategic decisions and a tough economic environment affect its outlook. A global manufacturing recession is severely affecting Germany's economy and the challenges have been compounded by a flawed economic model and a shrinking labor force. The c…

The Roman Empire's free market economy shares many similarities with America's current economic state. Today's episode touches on monetary economics, Rome's currency and the reforms of Diocletian to provide a complete overview of what went wrong economically that led to the downfall of the Roman Empire. In fact, inflation spiralled out of control d…

Not much is going Thailand's way. Political instability is the biggest culprit but other structural macroeconomic weaknesses are also dragging the country back. Debt, demographics, education and agriculture also share some of the blame. In this episode we put everything together to provide an overview of Thailand's future outlook and the truth is i…

How are western governments really dealing with immigration? They are completely misdirecting their voters and are putting on a great show for the public. They talk tough on immigrants but the reality is completely different. Find out the hypocrisy of western politicians as we go over recent examples in Europe and North America. Track: Different at…

A new oil refinery in Nigeria, built by Nigerian Oligarch Aliko Dangote, could completely change the country's future for the better. However, many controversies surrounding the project and its founder have surfaced in recent months. While Nigeria's economic prospects fall and its oil industry weakens, the next few weeks will demonstrate how the co…

Guinea's emergence as a large iron ore producer in the next few years could completely change the industry and its own internal dynamics. The Simandou project, led by mining giant Rio Tinto, is expected to start production next year in 2025. The iron ore industry could turn from a deficit to a surplus when the mine starts production, denting intern…

Japan shares a long history with South-East Asia. While it has not always been this rosy, Japan continues to strengthen ties with ASEAN countries. Japanese investments in infrastructure and economic cooperation have helped spur growth throughout South-East Asia. But China's rise has complicated some of it. Now Japan is focused on improving security…

Before Covid-19, it was widely regarded that an ageing society was deflationary. After the recent inflationary period we have experienced many have started arguing the opposite, that an ageing society is inflationary. This episode looked into Japan's demographic nightmare of the last thirty years and analyzed whether an older society is inflationar…

Part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 includes coffee. The country is increasingly adopting a coffee habit and authorities want to increase domestic production to match growing demand. One region in particular looks suitable to grow coffee and that is Jazan, on the border with Yemen. For these reasons the government is investing heavily in agriculture…

The Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is confronted with some big challenges. On one hand it has been facing declining hydrocarbon production for over a decade, on the other it must manage the increasing assertiveness of Venezuela towards Guyana. In fact, the latter is a member of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, together with Trinida…

Next year will we be an EXTREMELY busy year when it comes to elections. While the US and the UK will most likely grab all the headlines, India, Mexico, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa and other countless countries will be casting their votes. These elections will fundamentally shape our world for years to come. Can democracy make a comeback or will…

Mexico's state-owned oil company, Pemex, has propelled Mexico's growth for years but for the past few decades it has become riddled by high debt, mismanagement, security concerns and corruption. This episode looks into Mexico's oil industry since the early 20th century and analyzes Pemex within the broader Mexican economy. What are its challenges? …

The Titfield Thunderbolt is one of my favourite films and I’m so chuffed to have been able to work on the recent train pack we made at work in conjunction with StudioCanal and the 70th anniversary of the film. Ever since I first saw it, I’ve always wondered how I would go about remaking the film in the modern era.…

The recent Polish elections depicted the country in a very negative light. But the truth is that Poland's stars are aligning perfectly for its future. The current geopolitical landscape in Eastern Europe, along with the Russia-Ukraine War, and the country's strong industrial and economic momentum are key drivers for Poland's strength. Poland's voic…

Is renewable energy really the future of our energy system? Today we explore the challenges and concerns related to renewable energy. We briefly go over the history of energy transitions and then proceed to highlight what makes current renewable energy transition completely different. We then provide an in-depth overview of the biggest challenges o…

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Italian government, together with its energy firm Eni, has embarked on an ambitious energy plan for the future. This plan involves diversifying Italy's energy sources by involving African countries. Italy's prime minister Meloni, together with Eni's CEO, have been busy visiting African governments and signing…

Today's final episode of the African Coups series tries to put the recent string of coups in the last few years into a broader perspective. The continent is afflicted by larger political and economic crises. A lack of security and prosperity are the biggest hurdles for hundreds of millions in the continent, and they demand drastic changes. African …

Our guest is author David Grimshaw, talking about articulated locomotives, but not the sort that immediately come to mind. These machines were built in America long before Fairlie or Meyer's creations. Horatio Allen's articulated locomotives were built in the 1830s for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, at the time the longest railway …

What has happened in the Sahel since France intervened in 2012 to protect Mali? Violence has increased and many governments have fallen with new military regimes taking their place. This episode highlights everything that was going on, with all the changes and highlights the dramatic events that have characterized the region over the years. Track: …

Why is the Sahel so unstable? This episode looks at the structural challenges this region faces while also analyzing the historical events that have negatively affected it for the past few decades. The amount of conflicts, insurgencies and political instability in the region are uncomparable to anywhere else in the world. Track: Different at //www.…

How did France maintain its influence in its former African colonies? To what extent did it go to protect its interests? This second episode of the 5-part series on African coups provides an overview on France's post-independence Africa policy. France managed to exert significant influence on newly independent countries. But it also intervened exte…

As the situation in Africa deteriorates, I've decided to dedicate a 5-episode series explaining in great depth the current instability and its roots. In the first episode we take a look back at Colonialism, and in particular the differences between French and British colonies. What are the modern-day effects of how they administered their respectiv…

From its colonial past to its rising significance on the global stage, discover the diverse geopolitical reasons that make Papua New Guinea a strategically important country in the world. 2023 has been a busy year for PNG as it has had to host a large quantity of foreign diplomats, while also signing a defence cooperation agreement with the US. We …

When we think of the 2008/2009 economic and financial recession we often look at it think of it as banking/housing crisis. In reality, they were only one part of the story. Oil prices also played an incredibly important role in leading up to the recession. This episode analyzes the oil market's supply and demand before the crisis and its role in ca…

Canada's economy is very unique in that it is a highly developed economy with a strong prevalence of oligopolies. The few firms that dominate countless industries have lead to a lack of dynamism and innovation in the economy. The country's open immigration policy has certainly helped propel the economy and boost its ageing demographic profile but h…

Will Bernardo Arevalo follow in his father's footsteps and halt Guatemala's democratic decline? This episode looks into Guatemala's troubled 20th century history by also following Arevalo's family. In fact, Juan Jose Arevalo, Bernardo's father, was Guatemala's first democratically elected president in 1945 and brought widespread reform to a broken …

Today's episode will look into the history of Thorium-based Nuclear Reactors and in particular we'll focus on Nixon's biggest mistake when it comes to the nuclear industry. This can be considered one of the biggest mistakes it the 21st century. Enjoy the quick episode for this week. Just as a heads up, we'll skip next weeks episode but be sure to s…

Brazil's geopolitical potential is incredible! Its strategic geography and plethora natural resources are unmatched. But does it have enough to become a superpower? Today's episode focuses into certain troubling macroeconomic weaknesses that Brazil is experiencing. Demographics, low productivity, debt and deindustrialization are a few examples that…

What are the historical factors that led to Rome's decline? Are they also applicable to the US's current situation? As the episode's name suggests we will be drawing parallels between the two empires to try to understand if the US is experiencing the same challenges, almost two millennia after the Roman Empire started seeing its first troubling sig…

A small south-east Asian country, Cambodia, is already preparing for its next leader. While it will unsurprisingly be the son of its current leader today's episode will dive into the recent history of this country by going over its tumultuous 20th century. We will understand how the country got to its current situation today and how its leader, Hun…

Alternative manufacturing hubs are sprouting around the world as the risks of dealing and operating with China increase. Vietnam is a key beneficiary and is receiving an incredible influx of capital and investments as companies set up shop in the country. This episode looks to analyze what has led to Vietnam's attractiveness. But we also like to pu…

The Uranium Geopolitical landscape is heating up and Kazakhstan is a central part of it, being the biggest world supplier of uranium. Both Russia and China are vying for influence on Kazakhstan's precious uranium supplies. As Russia focuses on the Ukrainian invasion, China is looking to sway Central Asia with its economic might, but let's not forge…

Botswana is one of the few African success stories. Today's episode looks into the factors that have lead to its success such as good institutions and astute resource management. There have been many African success stories that have turned into failures, especially in recent years. Botswana is a remarkable success story and should represent an exa…

What is De-Dollarization? Is it actually happening? How fast? This episode looks to answer these questions by diving deep into the current status of the US dollar's global reserve status in the world, the commodity industry with a focus on Russia, and how Emerging Markets are tackling this topic. We also look to highlight common misconceptions and …

Today’s podcast guest is Lawrie Rose, creator and star of popular YouTube channel Lawrie’s Mechanical Marvels. We’re talking about what it’s like to realise every railway enthusiast’s dream: having your very own locomotive. Lawrie explains the the circumstances that led to the purchase, how he went about it, and shares his experience and advice for…

Weather-related risks are increasingly becoming a concern for the grain market. Extreme & abnormal weather throughout the world is impacting the supply of wheat & corn, potentially leading to increased food inflation in the near term for hundreds of millions. This episode also dives into El Niño and La Niña and their impact on wheat & corn as well …

Where did Italy go wrong? This episode focuses on analyzing Italy's structural weaknesses, ranging from inefficient public services to unflexible labour markets and a dismal demographic outlook. Italy needs to improve in many areas if it wants to get back into the game in the 21st century. Let's just hope the government also wants to improve the co…

To make the case that India is worth investing for the future, we explore the biggest macroeconomic themes driving India's path to future growth. Demographics, consumer spending, digitalization, and manufacturing are dissected to provide a clearer picture on India's future and trajectory. Track: Different at //www.fiftysounds.com…