Did the US Government just become insolvent?

No. One of the more eye-catching claims doing the rounds this week comes from a Fortune article arguing that the U.S. government is “insolvent”. The evidence? The Treasury’s own financial statements for 2025 show roughly $6 trillion in assets against nearly $48 trillion in liabilities. Add in long-term “unfunded” obligations for Social Security and Medicare … Read more

Immigration Is Falling. So Why Isn’t Anyone Happy?

The latest immigration data slipped out last week with surprisingly little noise. It should have been a big political moment. Net migration has fallen to 204,000 in the year to June—less than a third of the previous year’s level. That’s not a marginal shift. That’s a collapse. It’s now so sharp that it risks tipping … Read more

The Wealth Tax Mirage: Why Reeves Won’t Wave Labour’s New Magic Wand

Another Magic Wand The latest “big idea” in economics is wealth taxes. The claim: Britain’s collapsing public services and messy finances exist because the rich don’t pay enough, and governments are too timid to act. I’m always suspicious of these kinds of fads. The right had its laffer curves, trickle-down theory and efficient markets. The … Read more