Pacing the Frontier: Global Capital, Bond Markets, and the AI Pivot

17 September - 41 mins
Podcast Series The David McWilliams Podcast

There has been a transition from a world of abundant capital to one of scarcity. With the rising interest rates across the US, UK, and France, we discuss the economic implications of Donald Trump’s "fairway diplomacy" in Ireland, the structural fragility of European bond markets, and the sudden shift in rhetoric from AI leaders calling for regulation. Is the move to "pace the frontier" is a moral awakening regarding existential risk or a strategic play for state protection in a tightening financial landscape?

NYC Tickets: https://irishartscenter.org/event/an-evening-with-david-mcwilliams-2026

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

41 mins

Series Episodes

The Death of the Night-Time Economy: Why Ireland is Closing Down After Midnight Playing

The Death of the Night-Time Economy: Why Ireland is Closing Down After Midnight

This week, we analyse the collapse of Ireland's night-time economy, noting that 2,205 pubs, one in four nationwide, have closed since 2005. With regional closure rates hitting 37% in Limerick and 33% in Cork, the discussion highlights how high excise duties and archaic licensing laws are strangling a $4 billion industry that supports 92,000 jobs. The episode explores why a country that markets itself on fun is systematically shutting down its social infrastructure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 mins

15 September Finished

Fairway Diplomacy: How Golf Became Ireland's Secret Weapon Against Trump Playing

Fairway Diplomacy: How Golf Became Ireland's Secret Weapon Against Trump

Donald Trump touches down in Doonbeg this weekend for the Irish Open at his own golf course, and we're asking whether Ireland should protest or play along. We unpack the extraordinary Irish-American relationship: 40 daily flights to the US, $1.3 trillion in American investment, 300,000 jobs, and a bond built more on kitchen tables than diplomacy. We're joined by Donal Casey, former CEO of Rory McIlroy Inc., to talk golf's economics, why LIV Golf failed despite Saudi billions, and how the fairway - not the barricades, might be Ireland's smartest move with America's most unpredictable president. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

40 mins

10 September Finished

Germany’s Seismic Shift: The Rise of the AfD Playing

Germany’s Seismic Shift: The Rise of the AfD

A deep dive into the AfD’s 44% victory in Saxony-Anhalt and its implications for the European Union. We analyse the collapse of Germany’s political center, the demographic divide among young voters, and the historical tensions between East and West that are reshaping the continent’s future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

42 mins

8 September Finished

The AI Culture Wars Playing

The AI Culture Wars

We explore the new ideological divide between Silicon Valley’s techno-optimists and institutional economists like Daron Acemoglu. Will AI drive shared prosperity or concentrate wealth among a new technocratic elite?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 mins

3 September Finished

Ireland's Immigration Numbers Don't Add Up And Housing Is Paying the Price Playing

Ireland's Immigration Numbers Don't Add Up And Housing Is Paying the Price

Our population's just hit 5.5 million, and 72% of that growth is migration, not births. Five years ago 57% of work permits went to doctors, nurses and scientists. Now it's just 30%. We crunch the CSO numbers and ask the question nobody wants to: how many migrants can Ireland's housing market actually take before something breaks? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

36 mins

1 September Finished

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