Commentaries

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: June 29, 2016 |

An Illusion of Value: Zirflation and Nirflation in a Market that is Overfed but Still Malnourished

The Brexit vote (for which we reserve some doubts that it is ever completed) generated some panic selling, sending investors to the refuge of safe havens. Hence, government bonds experienced […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: June 23, 2016 |

Brexit, Delusions, Fiat Money, and Economic Prospects: Historical Reflections

“A greater Quantity [of money] employs more People than a lesser Quantity”, said John Law in 1705 in his pamphlet titled “Money and Trade Considered, with a Proposal for Supplying […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: June 14, 2016 |

Negative Rates and their Effects on the Equities and Bond Markets: Bifurcation Meets Bewilderment in Historical Perspective

Last week the European Central Bank (ECB) started buying corporate bonds. Over the course of the last four year the ECB has committed to “do whatever it takes” to save […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: June 1, 2016 |

The Fizzling Out of Productivity Growth Rate: Examining the Credit Velocity Link

Productivity growth in the US will decline for the first time in over thirty years, raising the obvious question: How about all those magnificent innovations that constantly change our lives […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: May 26, 2016 |

On the Dark Hidden Pools of Chinese Liabilities: Debt Binge and Capital Outflows

In September 2010 we warned of the Chinese Wall of Steroids, http://stage.blacksummitfg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/The-Great-Wall-of-Steroids-Vol-2-Issue-3.pdf . In that newsletter we also explained the dangers of WMPs (wealth management products) in China where investors […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: May 19, 2016 |

Risk Adjusted Returns, M&A, and Portfolio Structure: What Does Recent Market Activity Tell us?

Recent reports by major investment banks carry a flavor of pessimism, by suggesting underweighting equities and higher exposure to high yield. We are cautious over the course of the next […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: May 11, 2016 |

The Geopolitics of Market Volatility: Spillover Effects and Macro Fundamentals

The act of counterbalancing and possibly containing China has multiple faces. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan met with Vladimir Putin of Russia last weekend in an effort to […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: April 29, 2016 |

Currency Winds and Market Waves: Banks, Central Banks, & Policy Divergence?

Yesterday’s decision by the Japanese Central Bank not to extend its monetary easing, strengthened the Yen and significantly pressured the Nikkei Index. It has been obvious in the last several […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: April 21, 2016 |

The Symphony of Asset Management: Caravaggio Meets Atlas in the Chameleon Age

The scientific art of asset and wealth management is like conducting an orchestra. Each musician is dedicated in playing her/his own unique instrument. The enjoyment of music is the product […]

By: John E. Charalambakis | On: April 12, 2016 |

Credit Impulses and Market Volatility: The Missing Link

Over the course of the last couple of weeks we have read reports that credit facilities are rising, production is on the upswing, Chinese tremors are subsiding, and an overall […]