Why you can't escape the dollar
A primer on why the dollar dominates and why that matters beyond holiday spending money. Taylor explains dollar-invoiced trade (over half the global total, much of it never touching the US), foreign exchange reserves and dollar-denominated debt, then shows the sting: when the dollar strengthens, energy costs rise for importers like the UK and debt repayments balloon for developing countries, squeezing spending on schools and hospitals. The network-effect framing, everyone use
A different kind of egg hunt
Sparked by the theft of a £2mn Fabergé egg from a handbag in a Soho pub, this unpacks why a maker of Victorian Easter eggs now collaborates with a whiskey firm, Rolls Royce and James Bond. Taylor's point is that individual 'gilded excess' has fallen out of favour with the very rich, who now prefer quiet luxury, but a corporate commission can be reframed as investment in heritage and craftsmanship, and every collaboration keeps Fabergé looking relevant. Useful for brand value,
You probably don't actually own any Lycra
Hoover, Sellotape, Photoshop, Coke: brand names that became the product. Taylor uses Lycra (and its March bankruptcy filing) to explore first-mover advantage, why being first lets you set standards, lock in customers and cultivate a sense of superior quality. The Pepsi Challenge illustrates loyalty that survives even a nicer-tasting rival, and Google shows how becoming the default term can translate into market dominance, while Lycra shows it need not. Slightly more business