Chief Economist, Aletheia Capital

Dr. Jim Walker

Jim Walker is the chief economist at Aletheia Analyst Network Limited, an independent research platform for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Aletheia he was the founder and chief economist at Asianomics Group an economics and strategy research consultancy company formed in late 2007. 

Before establishing Asianomics he was the chief economist at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. He joined CLSA in late 1991. Over the years Dr Jim achieved numerous ‘best economist’ rankings in the Asiamoney, Institutional Investor and Greenwich surveys of fund managers. In 1995 he wrote about the prospect of Asia being forced off its de facto dollar peg “within the next two-three years”. The Asian Crisis, precipitated by the Thai baht devaluation, began in July 1997.

In recent years he is best known for forecasting the US 2007 downturn and financial sector meltdown in his series of ‘Apocalypse’ reports. He remains deeply sceptical of the prevailing wisdom in central banks’ approach to monetary policy.

Over the years he has also developed an approach to analysing Asian economies based on profit and credit cycles where the importance of investment spending as the driver of economic activity is explained.

Early in his career he worked in his native Scotland as a research fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute for Research on the Scottish Economy, and then at The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Edinburgh headquarters. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and a doctorate in economics from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Chief Economist

Game On: Scottish Court of Session's Decision on Prorogation

The Global Outlook: Was 2019 that Bad, Really?

The Backlash Spreads: Investors Need to Prepare for More Disruption

Independent and original Asian investment research

Aletheia Capital

Aletheia Capital (HK) Ltd. (previously known as Asianomics) combines the extensive knowledge of its experienced team with technology and regulatory changes to disrupt Global Markets business in Asia. The firm is completely independent with no conflicts of interest either on Investment Banking advisory or Capital Markets execution.

Macroeconomics

Over the next eighteen months the airwaves in the UK will be filled with a relentless bombardment of mindless jargon as the media report on the progress of the negotiations between the EU and the Government on the terms on which trade between them will be carried on after Brexit. (Right now, the UK has left the EU in name only). Words and phrases like ‘free trade’, ‘competitiveness’ and ‘regulatory alignment’ will be bandied about, without anyone who uses them saying what they mean. Quite often the speakers will not know. All of which will have the effect of obscuring from the view of the ordinary person what is actually going on.In this insight, David Simpson, our guest writer, explains what to expect from the forthcoming Brexit negotiations.<hr>David Simpson is an Economics graduate of University of Edinburgh (First Class Honours) and Trinity College, Dublin (PhD). He served as research assistant to Nobel Laureate Wassily Leontief at Harvard University in the 1960s. He was co-founder of the Fraser of Allander Institute for Research on the Scottish Economy and then, latterly, Chief Economist at Standard Life Plc in Edinburgh. He has published numerous books and articles on economic theory and input-output analysis. Since his retirement he has lived in his native East Lothian, near Edinburgh.

Over the next eighteen months the airwaves in the UK will be filled with a relentless bombardment of mindless jargon as the media report on the progress of the negotiations between the EU and the Government on the terms on which trade between them will be carried on after Brexit. (Right now, the UK has left the EU in name only). Words and phrases like ‘free trade’, ‘competitiveness’ and ‘regulatory alignment’ will be bandied about, without anyone who uses them saying what they mean. Quite often the speakers will not know. All of which will have the effect of obscuring from the view of the ordinary person what is actually going on.In this insight, David Simpson, our guest writer, explains what to expect from the forthcoming Brexit negotiations.David Simpson is an Economics graduate of University of Edinburgh (First Class Honours) and Trinity College, Dublin (PhD). He served as research assistant to Nobel Laureate Wassily Leontief at Harvard University in the 1960s. He was co-founder of the Fraser of Allander Institute for Research on the Scottish Economy and then, latterly, Chief Economist at Standard Life Plc in Edinburgh. He has published numerous books and articles on economic theory and input-output analysis. Since his retirement he has lived in his native East Lothian, near Edinburgh.

Crazy Golf: A Plain Person’s Guide to the Forthcoming Brexit Negotiations