Fergal O’Connor
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a-fergal.bsky.social
Fergal O’Connor
@a-fergal.bsky.social
Financial Economics UCC, Economics of Precious metals and Beer, Munster Rugby and Kerry Football
December 6, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The Financial News has this as a type of uncertainty barometer on its front page in the top left through the 1920s. Love that one of the market conditions was "Dull."
November 13, 2025 at 2:55 PM
From the Financial News in 1925, an announcement of a St. Patrick’s day special dinner in Restaurant Belgravia in London.
November 12, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Agree it's a diversification story, but the gold market is very liquid - www.gold.org/goldhub/data...
October 9, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Paper 7 on “Irish Industrial Policy and Irish Economic Development: 1952-72” presented by Dr. Alan de Bromhead @ucddublin.bsky.social, written with @seanekh.bsky.social
October 3, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Comments on the Bank Strike paper by Prof. Cormac Ó’Grádá @ucd.
October 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Paper 5 is presented by Jason Lennard @lseechist.bsky.social “Banks and the Economy: Evidence from the Irish Bank Strike of 1966” showing evidence on the impact of banks on an economy with @seanekh.bsky.social and Emma Horgan @ucc.ie @researchireland.ie
October 3, 2025 at 2:02 PM
@seanekh.bsky.social’s @ucc.ie paper presents a new improved Quarterly Irish GDP series from 1950, written with @rebstuart.bsky.social, as part of this @researchireland.ie pathways project on “External Shocks and Fiscal Sustainability”
October 3, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Paper two presented by Emma Horgan @ucc.ie Discusses the effect of uncertainty on a range of newly constructed historical data series from 1945, paper with @seanekh.bsky.social and @a-fergal.bsky.social
October 3, 2025 at 11:42 AM
@eoinaldo.bsky.social kicks of the Irish Macrohist workshop 2025 in @ucc.ie “Explaining the retreat of the Irish Language Fronteir”, paper with @cliochris.bsky.social and Alan Fernihough
October 3, 2025 at 11:20 AM
The tie up we didn’t want, but do deserve.
August 21, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Great fun presenting on whether non-alcoholic beer is a substitute for beer with Dr. Nadine Waehning at the Academy of Marketing conference in @ucc.ie today.
July 8, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Gold's perceived weakness has been that it generates no income, but in the long-run, gold grows with GDP as Jewellery and other physical buyers continue to buy for reasons other than purely financial, making up 75% of current global #gold holdings. www.gold.org/goldhub/rese... 3/n
June 17, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Christine Lagarde is talking about gold in central bank reserves in @financialtimes.com (www.ft.com/content/4d5d...) and @goldcouncil.bsky.social have the 2025 Central Bank Gold Reserves survey saying that 95% of central banks see reserves rising in 2025. So why do&should Central Banks hold gold?1/n
June 17, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate is another banger place name in York if less controversial at first glance. Wart Hill is also a lovely village nearby.
May 15, 2025 at 10:07 AM
March 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
The market was shut in 1939 with the outbreak of war, and UK citizens had to sell their gold at the official price, but non-UK holders were allowed to keep their gold in London. The market reopened in 1954 but bar one breakout in the early 60's prices were well controlled.
February 20, 2025 at 9:21 AM
1931-39 was the period when private investors became increasingly important for gold demand, referred to as Hoarders by both official sources and the letters of the Bullion Banks.
February 20, 2025 at 9:21 AM
1925-31 was a gold standard period but this doesn't mean that prices on the London, market were fully fixed. They generally had a ceiling where the Bank of England stopped the price from rising - but the market did go above this point due to French demand in the 30's.
February 20, 2025 at 9:21 AM
1919-25 was a free market dominated by central banks and arbitrageurs who kept the London Sterling price mostly in line with the Fixed US price. The daily data for the whole period is freely downloadable here: data.mendeley.com/datasets/ddc...
February 20, 2025 at 9:21 AM
And thruppenny bits, or a three pence coin, was a real thing.
February 10, 2025 at 8:57 PM
apnews.com/article/trum... The high cost of small
Change has been an issue for a long time, but it has been needed - is it now with digital payments? During WWII when metal was scarce @royalmintuk.bsky.social looked at using plastic for small value coins - but thought better of it. 1942 report.
February 10, 2025 at 8:54 PM