Most recent columns

Harry Geels: Higher interest rates are the new normal

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:11:08 +0200

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

By Harry Geels

After years of living in a world of free money, historically low interest rates appear to be a thing of the past. Many analysts see this as a threat to the financial markets. But higher interest rates can also be seen as a return to normality.

Harry Geels: Many conventional wisdoms about housing do not always hold true

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:32:26 +0200

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

By Harry Geels

‘Renting is unwise.’ ‘Owning your own home is the best investment.’ ‘House prices always rise.’ ‘As you get older, you downsize.’ Very little of the familiar clichés about housing is actually true. But why, then, do they persist so stubbornly?

Harry Geels: Views of financial economists are missing from the inequality debate

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:57:07 +0200

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

By Harry Geels

The public debate on inequality and taxation is heavily dominated by a macroeconomic way of thinking, whilst insights from financial economics are conspicuously absent. Among other things, the ‘risk premium’ is conspicuously absent from the debate.

Harry Geels: The paradox of the degrowth banker

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:32:57 +0200

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

Commercial banks rely heavily on lending for their profitability. Degrowth, on the other hand, calls into question the need for continuous economic growth. Can the world of degrowth really be reconciled with the banking system?

By Harry Geels

Harry Geels: Three advantages of owning your own home

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:07:43 +0200

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

By Harry Geels

In discussions about taxation, there is often talk of ‘windfalls’ from home ownership – in other words, price rises that come for free. This claim is incorrect, but homeowners do enjoy a number of significant tax and institutional advantages.