Like some of you, I also went to see the American biographical drama film Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan. The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American “Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. It stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who led the Manhattan Proj ...
What Can a Belgian Ski Ramp Tell Us About the Emerging Heat Pump Market?
The traditional image of Belgium, characterized by its moderate climate, has been undergoing a transformation due to the effects of climate change. While recent weeks may not have reflected this trend, the overall increase in temperatures is undeniable. This rise in temperature is precipitating an interesting and potentially lucrative market shift - the growing demand for cooli ...
Charging While Driving: The Future?
As electric vehicles rise to tackle the challenge of decarbonizing the transportation sector, range anxiety continues to be one of the key bottlenecks of the technology. Various technologies are emerging that may offer solutions. One of them is dynamic inductive charging, a technology that could allow our batteries to charge while driving… Transport Emissions in Belgium In Belg ...
Resource Nationalism on the Rise
For decades economists have tried to work out what it is about natural resources that sows havoc. In their work Escaping the Resource Curse, Humphreys, Sachs and Stiglitz (three renowned economists) paradoxically state that despite the prospects of wealth and opportunity that accompany the discovery and extraction of oil and other natural resources, these resources often end up ...
Times are Changing: the Quest for Growth is Upon us
The day is 28 July 2024! Yes 2024. Approximately one year ago, the financial community put an end to its peculiar game of speculating about the color of the tie worn by Jerome Powell, the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve. For over a year, a significant number of financial market participants had been fervently analyzing each and every detail they could find, attempting to acc ...
Is the Sun Shining for Solar Energy?
The world is constantly changing. Examples such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), e-commerce, and shifting demographics clearly demonstrate this fact. Innovation is a good thing as productivity growth is essential for economic expansion. Another area undergoing rapid change is our source of energy consumption. Since the 19th century, there have been three major energy revolution ...
Finance Frenzy: A Card Game That Teaches Youngsters The Essentials Of Financial Literacy
What is the role of a bank and when should you consider opening a savings or bank account? How can one earn money and make wise investments? Additionally, what exactly is the stock market? These fundamental financial concepts are often lacking in the education of young individuals, as highlighted by a study conducted by Febelfin, the Belgian Financial Sector Federation. The stu ...
Climate Communication: Show Your Stripes, Then Inspire
Last week, on June 21st, it was #ShowYourStripes day, an occasion where people all over the world shared the remarkable evolution of their country's average yearly temperature. The power of these visuals is undeniable, delivering a resounding message: our world is growing warmer. The graph and the #ShowYourStripes-initiative serve as powerful tools of communication, raising aw ...
Crypto: An Island Adrift
An Era of Speculative Capitalism Coming to an End? In "Cosmopolis", a concise yet thought-provoking novel published in 2009 by American author Don DeLillo, the protagonist, a hedge fund manager, develops an obsession with a phrase in a Zbigniew Hebert poem: "the rat becomes a unit of currency". He believes this phrase aptly reflects an era of speculative capitalism in which "m ...
Secular Growth Is Eating Cyclical Growth’s Lunch Any Day
P/E Ratios, Earnings Growth Volatility, and Structural Growth Potential Most investors are familiar with the Price-to-Earnings ratio, or P/E ratio, which is a financial metric used to assess the value of a company's stock. It is calculated by dividing the market value per share of a company by its earnings per share. Typically, a high P/E ratio suggests that investors have high ...