Most recent columns

Han Dieperink: An oil shock does not necessarily lead to inflation

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:23:32 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

There is a strong likelihood that the oil shock resulting from the war in Iran will ultimately have a deflationary effect. That may seem strange. Surely a sharp rise in oil prices leads to higher inflation?

Han Dieperink: The SFDR is dead, long live the SFDR!

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:01:57 +0200

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

The European Commission is working on a successor to the SFDR. In doing so, Brussels implicitly acknowledges that the current sustainability rules for investors are not working.

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

Han Dieperink: The illusion of inflation

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:23:18 +0100

^{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

Official inflation figures measure what is becoming more expensive, but fail to take into account what is improving. Anyone who takes an honest look at the long history of prosperity will see not net inflation, but net deflation: for the same amount of money, or even less, people are getting more and more. This insight is almost entirely absent from the public debate.

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

Han Dieperink: The law that investors keep forgetting

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:03:55 +0100

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

There is one rule in financial markets that never changes, even though investors repeatedly forget it: the credit cycle. Not because they don't know about it, but because the temptation to participate is simply too great.

Han Dieperink: Box 3, a missed opportunity of historic proportions

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:03:45 +0100

_{This column was originally written in Dutch. This is an English translation.}

By Han Dieperink, written in a personal capacity

The House of Representatives has spoken. With ninety votes in favour, the Actual Return Box 3 Act has been passed. From 2028 onwards, Dutch citizens will pay tax on their actual capital gains rather than on a notional percentage. Problem solved, one might think. Nothing could be further from the truth.