Is the Covid-19 Awakening Undercurrent Threats and Underwriting a Paradigm Shift? Markets, Statecraft, and the Dollar: Part II, the Oil Dimension
OPEC+ was born in the midst of the last oil crisis about five years ago. It expanded the traditional cartel of 14 nations and included Russia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and few other oil-producing nations, all of which now control about 55% of global production and about...
Weekly Market Update
Market Action Global equities were lower on the week and US Treasuries continued their fall. The US 10-year Treasury note fell 0.18% to 0.58%. The oil sector had a bit of a rally causing the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil to rise $5.50 to $27....
More Than a Virus: A Look at the Economy’s Fundamentals
The major U.S. stock indices just closed their worst first quarter in history. And yet it’s not hard to find plenty of optimism thanks to the rally seen last week where some equity indexes rose by over 20% of their lowest point. Morgan Stanley, earlier this week,...
Crossroads: At the Intersection of Geopolitics and Geoeconomics
North America The United States (US) Congress passed the largest economic relief package in US history in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The deal includes $300 billion allocated for cash payments to individuals, over $350 billion in loans for small businesses,...
Is the Covid-19 Awakening Undercurrent Threats and Underwriting a Paradigm Shift? Markets, Statecraft, and the Dollar, Part I
The authoritarians Spartans invaded the democratic Athens in the spring of 431 BCE. The Athenians evacuated their estates – as Themistocles had taught them half a century earlier – crowding into the walled city and watching smoke rise on their horizons as the Spartans...
Weekly Market Update
Market Action Global equities rallied a bit this week as we had a few days of gains in the markets. However, markets continued to decline on Friday and many experts believe we are still in for major decreases as the COVID-19 crisis rages on. The yield on the 10-year...
Managing Rising Risks in Times of Uncertainty
This commentary (unusually longer than normal due to the circumstances) has three distinct parts: An update with our economic and market assessment, a brief presentation of graphs that portray economic trends, and a brief discussion about issues related to economic...
Weekly Market Update
Global equities continued their decline this week amid the continuation of the COVID-19 global health crisis. Volatility remained extremely high, reaching 85 on Wednesday before dropping back down to 63 on Friday. The yield on the US-Treasury note rose 0.16% to 1.08%...
Crisis Mode, Portfolios, and Responses: A Buffer or an Amplifier?
In this week’s commentary we employ lots of graphs, which in our humble opinion, tell us an unfolding story that might be full of challenges but also portfolio opportunities. So, first a quick refresher of market crashes. Source: CNBC Then, a helicopter view of the...
Weekly Market Update
Market Action Global equities were dramatically lower on the week, officially entering bear territory for the first time in 11 years. On Thursday, the S&P 500 suffered its largest one-day percentage drop since 1987 while Europe suffered is largest one-day drop on...
