The MOST Important Thing

In Episode 2 of The Long & Short, Ivan Yates and Dr. Alan O'Sullivan examine three of the major forces shaping economies, markets and long-term investment decisions: debt, demographics and sustainability. The discussion moves from the global sustainability challenge and the renewed debate around nuclear energy to rising government debt and the consequences of increasingly heavy debt burdens. Ivan and Alan also explore what could happen if confidence in sovereign debt is tested and why the...

In this special episode of The Most Important Thing, the roles are reversed as Alan O’Sullivan sits down with Ivan Yates following the release of his new book, The Game of Life: And How to Win It. Drawing on 50 years of experience across politics, business and broadcasting, Ivan reflects on the lessons that shaped his life – from leaving school early and becoming Ireland’s youngest TD at the time, to building a business, facing bankruptcy, reinventing himself in broadcasting and continuing to...

Mike Bell on History, Cycles, and Building Portfolios for Different Regimes Mike Bell walks through the framework he uses to understand markets: study financial history, identify the cycle you are in, and match assets to the regime rather than to a simple stock-bond split. He explains why politics, demographics, debt, and central bank policy matter as much as traditional market data. In this interview, Alan speaks with Mike Bell, a macro and investment strategist, about how he built hi...

Episode Description What does it actually take to gain an edge in financial markets? In Part 1 of our conversation with Mike Bell, CFA, Mike joins Alan to explain the investment framework he has developed over more than two decades in markets — beginning with a front-row seat to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Mike explains why investors need to both "zoom out" and "zoom in": zooming out across more than a century of financial history, politics, economic cycles and market cris...

Description The global order is changing — but what does that actually mean for investors? In Episode 1 of The Long & Short, Ivan Yates and Alan O’Sullivan examine the emergence of a more multipolar world, the decline of the post-war global order, and the growing influence of geopolitics on markets and investment decisions. From the rise of China and Russia to Trump, tariffs, deglobalisation and European security, Ivan and Alan explore the major forces reshaping the glob...