Andrew West

Andrew West is a Contributing Economics Editor for Capitalism Magazine. In 1997 he received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the Association for Investment Management and Research.
A New Yorker Remembers the World Trade Center

A New Yorker Remembers the World Trade Center

As I quickly walked away, I did not want to look back at its towers, battered and bearing the scars of its evil attackers. I do not want to remember the WTC burning or falling, for that was not its essence.

Stock “Manipulation” and “Inflated” Prices

Stock “Manipulation” and “Inflated” Prices

Q: Under capitalism, can't a group of a few wealthy individuals acting as a fund "manipulate" a stock, causing unaware investors to buy the stocks at inflated prices, where then wealthy individuals would dump the stocks, causing prices to collapse? Would this count as...

Country Analysis: China Inches Toward Capitalism

The constitutional protection of property in China is a continuation of reforms I've observed following China's investment environment over the past ten years. Currently, the Chinese economy is a mixture of heavily regulated or government controlled industries, and...

In Favor of a War Against Saddam’s Iraq

I'm in favor of war on Iraq because I don't want to be killed by terrorists who get access to weapons it's trying to develop. The World Trade Center attack dramatically alerted Americans to the fact that there are some people in the world who want us dead. I was...

Modern Keynesian Macroeconomics — An Assault on the Human Mind

Nearly half a century ago the popular economist John Maynard Keynes wrote, "Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are...

Some Patriotic Economic Advice: Save

Over the last couple of weeks I've seen financiers and economists give a lot of misguided advice about what people need to do to help the nation and themselves overcome the terrorist attacks on America. I'm a very patriotic person myself, I don't just wave flags on...

A New Yorker Remembers the World Trade Center

"That particular sense of sacred rapture men say they experience in contemplating nature- I've never received it from nature, only from. Buildings, Skyscrapers. I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York's skyline. The shapes and the...

Devaluation is Not the Answer

In the past few months, I've noticed a disturbing shift in attitude towards currency devaluation. An increasing number of economists and journalists are making comments approving currency devaluation as a way to boost economies and "gain competitiveness." Some...

Richard Li: Hong Kong’s Destructive Prince of Political Pull

One of Hong Kong's largest, and most enduring business institutions has been laid low by a reckless brat from one of Hong Kong's most powerful families. About a year ago, Richard Li acquired Hong Kong Telecom, and proceeded to destroy over US$20 billion of Hong Kong...

Conference Report: NYU’s “ASIA: Restructuring in Action”

Last week I attended a full-day business conference "ASIA: Restructuring in Action," at NYU's Stern School of Business. There, professors and industry experts met to discuss how post-crisis Asia was progressing. We discussed macroeconomic trends, the restructuring of...

The Australian Dollar is Down Under

The Australian Dollar, while recently sinking to 19-year lows, doesn't seem to have gotten a lot of attention. In fact, the currency has never had the sort of impact on global currency markets as the Yen, the Euro, or the Pound, and even currencies like Brazil's Real...

A Reason for Hope in Argentina

On Sunday, March 4, Argentina's President De la Rua named Ricardo López Murphy as his new finance minister. This was a significant move, duly rewarded by an 8% surge in Argentina's stock market. Could he trigger a recovery after several lackluster years for the...

George Bush Misses the Point on Cutting Taxes

George Bush looks like he'll try to stick to his promise about cutting income tax rates, but his team's recent justifications, while politically expedient, are obscuring the real case for tax cuts. Given that the U.S. economy is showing signs of slowing, the Bush team...

Excellent Company or Excellent Stock?

"Buy the stock - it's a good company." This oft-repeated platitude is one that's very popular on Wall Street, but it's also one that I'm sick of hearing it because it's not necessarily a useful guide for investors. A major study by Michelle Clayman, entitled "In...

Is Microsoft a Hypocrite?

Is Microsoft a Hypocrite?

I was saddened to see the lead article in last Tuesday's (12/5/00) Wall St. Journal "Microsoft Tries to Lob Monkey Wrench Into AOL-Time Warner Deal." In the story, reporters alleged Microsoft might be cooperating with the Federal Trade Commission to provide evidence...

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