With the world's economy facing huge challenges, Gerry Foley talks to 3 fellow TCD graduates who've spent their careers observing and investing in long term economic and business trends. Gabriel Fagan is a former chief economist at the Central Bank of Ireland after many years with the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. Here he talks openly about what he sees as the sluggishness of the ECB in dealing with the current crisis. Both Rory Gillen in Dublin and Harry Hartford in LA run investment firms , the latter focussing on bigger institutional investors. Rory explains what advice he gives his clients on how to deal with the current market volatility while Harry reminds us of the importance of taking a 5 to 10 year perspective. From the glamour of his office on Santa Monica Boulevard in LA, Harry talks about the growing issue of homelessness in the city, sparking a conversation about the dysfunctional nature of the housing market in so many countries.
There's also memories of Trinity days, Slane castle concerts and how the Germans are really much more punctual than the Irish !!