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Alexis Stenfors

Alexis Stenfors

Senior Lecturer in Economics and Finance, University of Portsmouth

I have been a Senior Lecturer at Portsmouth Business School since January 2014 and work within the Economics and Finance subject group. I have 15 years of experience from the foreign exchange and interest rate derivatives markets, having been a trader at HSBC, Citi, Crédit Agricole and Merrill Lynch. In 2009, I returned to academia to do research on the LIBOR and completed my doctoral thesis with the title ‘Determining the LIBOR: A Study of Power and Deception’ in 2013. I have also held teaching positions at SOAS (University of London) and Olin Business School (Washington University in St. Louis). My recent research on benchmark manipulation has been published in journals such as the Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money and the Review of Political Economy. I am also the author of ‘Barometer of Fear: An Insider’s Account of Rogue Trading and the Greatest Banking Scandal in History’ (London: Zed Books, May 2017).

Why Japanese yen is still one of the safest places to park your money in a market crash

Mar 16, 2020 06:42 am UTC| Investing

Fear is contagious not least in financial markets. When it turns to panic, it spreads fast in todays interconnected and technologically advanced trading world. Assets that are associated with some kind of risk fall in...

'The day the world changed' – a former trader on how the credit crunch kicked off

Aug 07, 2017 15:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

When I received a phone call from a trader colleague at Merrill Lynch on August 9 2007, I was in the middle of chopping wood in the Swedish countryside. As always, I had my mobile on me in case of an emergency. I...

The scandal might be over but LIBOR ethics remain fundamentally flawed

May 13, 2017 03:30 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

When I was a trader at HSBC, Citibank, Crédit Agricole and Merrill Lynch, being able to accurately predict the the London Interbank Offered Rate (or LIBOR) each day was a central part of my job. It was, and still...

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Economy

Budget 2024: experts react to the UK government’s last roll of the economic dice ahead of a general election

The spring budget of 2024 was widely seen as a chance for UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to inject some economic optimism into British politics ahead of a general election. Would he or wouldnt he cut income tax? (He wouldnt.)...

From micro to macro, Andrew Leigh’s accessible history covers the economic essentials – and an epic rap battle

Andrew Leighs The Shortest History of Economics is the latest in a series of such histories, mostly focused on particular countries. It begins with a striking mini-history of household lighting, focusing on the amount...

Taxes aren’t just about money – they shape how we think about each other

Taxes raising them, cutting them, creating them are useful political tools in an election year (as Chancellor Jeremy Hunts decision to cut national insurance shows). But they are always pertinent, even if some people...

Interest rates are expected to drop but trying to out-think the market won’t guarantee getting a good deal

With most economists expecting interest rates to start falling later this year, prospective home buyers might be weighing up whether to buy now for fear of strong competition for stock, or waiting until repayments are...

Wendy’s won’t be introducing surge pricing, but it’s nothing new to many industries

The recent controversy over Wendys pricing strategies is a perfect example of how online word-of-mouth can distort marketing communications and create confusion for consumers. Wendys new president and CEO Kirk Tanner...

Politics

3 things to watch for in Russia’s presidential election – other than Putin’s win, that is

Russians will vote in a presidential election from March 15-17, 2024, and are all but guaranteed to hand Vladimir Putin a comfortable victory, paving the way for him to remain in power until at least 2030. While the...

Ireland referendums: what went wrong for the government and why double defeat draws a line under a decade of constitutional reform

Ireland, more than any other EU country, has a long and colourful history of referendums. Another chapter in that history has played out in the form of resounding defeats for two government proposals aimed at modernising...

Artdocfest is a crucial outpost of free expression on Russia’s doorstep

On the day of the funeral of Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putins most prominent opponent, the biggest festival of documentary film in the former Soviet countries opened in Latvia with a minutes silence. Artdocfest Rigas...

A beginner’s guide to the taxes you’ll hear about this election season

National insurance, income tax, VAT, capital gains tax, inheritance tax… its easy to get confused about the many different ways we contribute to the cost of running the country. The budget announcement is the key...

Science

Our survey of the sky is uncovering the secrets of how planets are born

When we look out to the stars, it is typically not a yearning for the distant depths of outer space that drives us. When we are looking out there, we are truly looking back at ourselves. We try to understand our place in...

Archeoastronomy uses the rare times and places of previous total solar eclipses to help us measure history

Total solar eclipses have fascinated and terrified people for centuries. Today, we know that total solar eclipses like the upcoming eclipse on April 8 are caused by a cosmic coincidence when the moon comes between the...

Spacesuits need a major upgrade for the next phase of exploration

Humans have long dreamed of setting foot on the Moon and other planetary bodies such as Mars. Since the 1960s, space travellers have donned suits designed to protect them from the vacuum of space and stepped out into the...

The brightest object in the universe is a black hole that eats a star a day

Scientists have no reported evidence of the true conditions in Hell, perhaps because no one has ever returned to tell the tale. Hell has been imagined as a supremely uncomfortable place, hot and hostile to bodily forms of...

The brain is the most complicated object in the universe. This is the story of scientists’ quest to decode it – and read people’s minds

In the middle of 2023, a study conducted by the HuthLab at the University of Texas sent shockwaves through the realms of neuroscience and technology. For the first time, the thoughts and impressions of people unable to...

Technology

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE Leak Suggests $800 Price Tag, Targets Market Share

Samsung is reportedly set to expand its foldable phone lineup with a budget-friendly Galaxy Z Fold 6 FE, priced at just $800. This strategic move aims to boost sales and market share amidst fierce competition. Samsungs...

Ford Plans $25K Electric Pickup, SUV to Counter Chinese EV Influence

Ford shifts its focus to affordable electric vehicles, announcing plans for a new platform. CEO Jim Farley highlights the importance of competitiveness amidst Chinese rivals. Ford CEO Jim Farley Warns of Chinese...

Shiba Inu Faces 10% Price Dip Amid Market Turbulence, Holds $16.4B Cap

Shiba Inu (SHIB) anticipates a potential 10% price correction for a liquidity sweep, even as it demonstrates remarkable market resilience with a $16.42 billion capitalization amid fluctuating trading conditions. Shiba...

Grab's Game-Changer: Crypto Payments Launch in Asia's Premier Super App

In a landmark move, Grab, the leading super app in Asia, has announced its partnership with Triple-A to introduce cryptocurrency payments, marking a significant milestone in digital finance within the region. Grab...
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