Among the owners and managers of the largest beneficiaries of 60/40 are individuals such as Kiril Domuschiev, the wife of Tseko Minev, a former deputy and former mayor of GERB. In recent days, the most recent data from the National Social Insurance Institute on beneficiaries of state aid under Decree 55 of the Council of Ministers has made headlines. Decree 55 was adopted on …
More »2020.04
Does the credit rating show anything useful at all?
A few days ago, the credit rating agency Fitch maintained the current assessment of Bulgaria's government debt, but adjusted the "outlook" downwards from "positive" to "stable". This means that Fitch does not believe that in the foreseeable future (most likely by the end of the year) there will be conditions for improving the categorization of the government debt.
More »"Patriotic" protectionism is untenable
One of the oldest dilemmas in economic policy is protectionism or free trade. In economic history, there are no countries that adhere entirely to one of the two principles. Although with too many conditions, free trade seems to prevail in modern practice. From the point of view of economic theory, this …
More »The "unrecognized" risk for banks from joining ERM-II
Last week, we thoroughly refuted Prime Minister Borisov's claims about the alleged "benefits" of joining the ERM-II currency mechanism in the current crisis. Now we turn our attention to the other side of the coin - the potential risk that we would take if we joined the currency mechanism. The biggest risk is related to the banking system and is ...
More »Keynes, war and economic recovery
Many of the policies that our and foreign leaders are proposing in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic can be described as Keynesian, named after the English economist John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946). He was born in Cambridge, UK, his basic education was in mathematics, he listened to lectures on economics from brilliant scholars such as …
More »The Bulgarians, the Ottoman Empire and Weapons: Part II
The carrying of weapons among the Bulgarian population has deep traditions even during the Ottoman rule. Contrary to popular belief, the Bulgarians were not at all defenseless. In fact, on the contrary, they were quite often found with weapons in their hands despite the suspicion and prohibitions of the authorities, and during the period of the Kardzhali unrest (the end of the 17th century …
More »Is Borisov lying about ERM-II or does he simply not know what he is talking about?
In the last few weeks, the positions of the government, especially in the quasi-single-man rule of Prime Minister Borisov, have been more volatile than the weather. After in February he wisely abandoned the rush to join the so-called "waiting room" of the eurozone - the ERM-II exchange rate mechanism - Borisov turned 180 degrees and a few days ago ...
More »29. Why do markets rise while the economy deteriorates?
In "The Intelligent Investor" we continue to comment on the most current economic developments in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic around the world. In the new episode we discuss: How effective are the quarantine measures implemented in Bulgaria? Are the markets completely irrational now? Why are the stock markets growing while the economy is deteriorating? What are the most current economic forecasts after …
More »Replacing medications – why, when and how?
In recent weeks, we have witnessed a heated debate between doctors and master pharmacists about the right and procedure for prescribing medicines for Bulgarian patients. Pharmacists are starting from the point of view that due to the state of emergency, there is a possibility that certain medicines or their analogues will become scarce goods. Here …
More »Ricardo and social distancing
The mass psychosis about social distancing threatens to transform from a temporary measure into a completely acceptable and permanent approach to life. The idea of limiting and state control over contacts is not new. It is completely opposite to the conclusions reached by the most prominent representatives of economic science. Therefore, it is worth …
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EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion