CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Decoupling from the PRC real or hoped?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Tiananmen Square , Beijing

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: No petrol queues in chilly Scotland

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Leidos: Is the future of coal in super material graphene?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Coal is mostly known as a fuel to generate power, but scientists are actively exploring its lesser-known potential. Now the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Leidos have discovered a new way to transform coal into graphene, a super material so promising it earned scientists the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Read more here.

Coal

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CityWire: Investing in commercial real estate may improve your portfolio performance

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

“Real estate may serve as a hedge against market risks, such as inflation,” says David Vincent, CFA, CAIA, investment Specialist at New York-based real estate financial technology company Cadre. “It tends to be less volatile than equities and holds its value over the long term.” Read more here.

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CityWire: How macro data can help identify promising commercial real estate markets

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Data scientists are upending the way investors select and buy commercial real estate. Quantitative machine learning techniques, analyzing millions of data points from thousands of variables reflect a radical change in the real estate industry. Such predictive analysis builds upon the traditional method of buying and selling properties, which once relied solely on a deep personal knowledge of local markets by individuals. Read more here.

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WSJ: When Investors Mention ‘Decoupling,’ What Do They Mean?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

The Wall Street term had one definition for decades, while now it has another. Read more here.

China's Forbidden City

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Barron's: Brazil’s Stocks Fizzle as Political Problems, Inflation Persist

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

On the face of things, booming commodities markets should mean Brazil’s outlook would be promising. But the reality is that global investors have lost confidence in the county’s leadership, including President Jair Bolsonaro. The situation could get worse as global growth slows, experts say.

“Earlier this year, Brazil was a favorite investment play, but it fell out of favor,” says Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex. “Bolsonaro has lost credibility with investors.” Read more here.

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Forbes France: Un indicateur clé montre la faiblesse de l’économie chinoise

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

D’après les statistiques officielles, on pourrait croire que l’économie chinoise est en plein essor. Mais un indicateur clé montre que la deuxième économie mondiale pourrait connaître des difficultés. 

Read more here.

Steel rebar for construction

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Forbes France: Les perspectives du marché des métaux précieux restent positives

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Les investisseurs en métaux précieux ne doivent pas désespérer. Les perspectives à long terme restent positives. Selon un analyste chevronné, la récente chute des prix depuis août 2020 n’est que le calme qui précède une nouvelle hausse dans un marché haussier qui se poursuit. 

Read more here.

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Christmas, and Petrol Panic

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Everything is pricier from China to Scotland

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Pricey Gasoline

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Forbes: Debt Ceiling Crisis A Phantom Menace, Analyst Says

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

If you’re worried about the U.S. debt ceiling crisis, you’re wasting valuable brain cells.

Read more here.

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Forbes: How Biden’s Corporate Tax Hike Threatens Stocks

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Proposed increases in corporate tax rates could put the breaks on profits growth. That should concern investors in the SPDR S&P 500 exchange-traded fund, which tracks the S&P 500. Read more here.

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Financial Analysts Journal: ESG Rating Disagreement and Stock Returns (Summary)

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

This study examines the extent of the disagreement by different rating agencies over ESG (environmental, social, and governance) ratings. Companies with high disagreement in their ratings face higher risk premiums but better stock returns.

Read more here.

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Forbes: Cold Weather Could Warm Europe’s Attitude To Natural Gas Drilling

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Surging natural gas price highlight how vulnerable Europe is to the Kremlin turning off energy supplies. Read more here.

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Forbes: A Key Indicator Shows Weakness In China’s Economy

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

You’d think from the official statistics that China’s economy was on fire. But a key metric indicates there could be trouble ahead for the second largest economy.

Read more here.

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Forbes: Precious Metals Prices to Reach Record Levels Within 5 Years

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Precious metals investors shouldn’t despair. The long-term outlook remains positive. Read more here.

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Korn Ferry: Lessons from Angela Merkel (and Her Long Tenure)

Over the coming weeks, there will be hundreds of think pieces about the track record of Germany’s outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel. But for leaders in the private sector, probably the most impressive takeaway is pretty simple: the length of that track record.

Read more here.

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: The long Covid Testing Road Home from the South of France

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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CBS Eye in the World with John Batchelor: Winter is Coming for Scotland

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Simplii: What you never knew about the benefits of a variable rate mortgage

 By SIMON CONSTABLE   

You may be surprised at how much more you can save with a variable-rate mortgage. Read more here.

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: France Protests the Pandemic; Scotland Protests the UK

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

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Victoria Street, Edinburgh, Scotland

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Memories of 9/11 in Manhattan escaping on foot

By SIMON CONSTABLE

 

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WSJ: When Financial Experts Refer to a ‘Blowoff Top,’ Here’s What They Are Talking About

By SIMON CONSTABLE

They aren’t exactly an everyday occurrence in financial markets, but they can have a big impact on investors. Read more here.

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Afghanistan is the Saudi Arabia of Lithium

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Scotland goes Green with Candlelight

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

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Forbes: Why Hurricane Ida Means Higher Pump Prices For Gasoline

By SIMON CONSTABLE

You are likely going to pay more at the gas pump and for that you can thank Hurricane Ida’s landfall on the Gulf coast. Read more here.

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Forbes: Brace Yourselves For A Market Pullback. Another Market Metric Signals A Potential Top

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Mutual funds are currently holding a record low level of cash, according to a recent report from iconic Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs GS .

That probably means that investors should brace themselves for a drop in the stock market. Read more here.

New York Stock Exchange

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Forbes: Why China Wants To Get In On Afghanistan’s Reconstruction

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

China is already eyeing up Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth, using the excuse of wanting to help rebuild the worn torn country now primarily ruled by the Taliban. Read more here.

Apache Helicopter in Afghanistan

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: The Delta surge has not yet peaked in France and Scotland

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Forbes: Coffee Lovers Should Pray for Rain in Brazil Later this Year

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Brace yourselves! If Brazil suffers another bout of dryness over the next few weeks, your morning cappuccino is likely to get even more expensive. 

And its already pretty pricey! Read more here.

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Forbes: An Esoteric Market Indicator Just Flashed A Warning

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Stock investors might need to look out below. 

An esoteric financial markets indicator just registered a warning signal that historically augured in double-digit falls in the S&P 500, the index tracked by the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) exchange-traded fund. 

The metric in question is the Marshallian K., which measures the liquidity in the economy. Recently, the liquidity started contracting. Read more here.

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Citywire: Commercial Real Estate Investing: Leveling the Playing Field

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Historically, investing directly in commercial real estate has been beyond the scope of all but an elite few. That is changing, as technological advances and entrepreneurial disruptors are opening this asset class up to a far wider range of investors. Read more here.

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Occitanie, France, both paradise and the epicenter of Delta 2 of 2

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Occitanie, France, both paradise and the epicenter of Delta 1of 2

By SIMON CONSTABLE

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: "Gamification" trading is here to stay

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: The silver trade in the pandemic

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

 

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Barron's: Lumber Prices Have Fallen Back to Earth. Don’t Expect House Prices to Get Cheaper.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

The lumber bubble is over. Prices likely will stay rangebound for the foreseeable future as supply increases and demand from home builders remains robust. Read more here.

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Forbes France: Le Danemark : Un paradis pour les affaires

Auteur: SIMON CONSTABLE

Selon le récent rapport Global Business Complexity Index 2021, le Danemark est le meilleur pays dans le monde pour faire des affaires. Gérer une entreprise en Europe c’est un peu comme le roman Le Conte de deux cités de Charles Dickens : parfois cela peut être merveilleux, d’autres fois cela ressemble davantage à un cauchemar. Tout va dépendre de l’endroit où vous installez votre entreprise. Évidemment, c’est également un aspect que les investisseurs doivent prendre en compte quand ils investissent dans des projets à l’étranger.

Read more here.

Copenhagen, Denmark 

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WSJ: What Is a ‘Drawdown’?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Sometimes stock-market research reports refer to something known as “drawdowns.” But it’s not always clear what the term means, because it’s often ill-defined and it’s used in at least a couple of different ways.

In its simplest form, it’s Wall Street-speak for “You lost money.” Read more here.

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WSJ: Active Stock Traders, Beware: Your Returns May Suffer in the Years Before a Divorce

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Actively trading securities in the run-up to a divorce can be detrimental to an individual investor’s wealth, a draft research report finds.

The paper adds to research showing how major life events can affect the investment performance of both individual and professional investors. Read more here.

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Darden: The Future of Investing (Looks Very Different)

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

While unemployment ballooned and the global economy collapsed in the months following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an odd thing happened: Wall Street surged. The stock market rose to record levels, relatively new asset classes such as cryptocurrencies headed to the moon, and individual investors had hedge fund managers reeling. Read more here.

Wall Street Subway Station

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Boris Johnson shuns Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh Part 2 of 2

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Edinburgh Castle

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Boris Johnson shuns Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh Part 1 of 2

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Edinburgh Castle

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Barron's: Silver Prices Are Set to Rally Again

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

Silver prices look set to stage a double-digit percentage rally in the fall. However, experts say investors should wait for a likely dip in prices over the next few weeks before snapping up a stash of the metal.

“Our view is that silver is vulnerable to a wave of selling in August and into September,” Jeff Christian, managing partner of New York–based commodities consulting firm CPM Group tells Barron’s. Read more here.

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Briefings Magazine: A Geopolitical Heat Map on Fire

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

On one late-spring afternoon, a commercial airliner approaching the Lithuanian border was diverted by Belarusian officials. They ultimately removed and arrested one of the plane’s passengers, an opponent of the authoritarian president of Belarus, in what some are calling a “state-sponsored terrorist act.” The airspace above Belarus immediately became heated political territory, disrupting travel throughout the area and, more importantly, threatening another regional conflict. Read more here.

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Forbes: Expect Inflation To Surge In Japan, But Fall In The UK

By SIMON CONSTABLE 

The current global surge in inflation may have started in the U.S. but it won’t end there, new research shows. It’s likely to show up in other places too.

“Recent currency movements imply that inflation will accelerate in Japan,” states a recent report from economics analytics company HCWE & Co. Read more here.

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Forbes: Gold Buying Keeps On Going Despite Waning COVID Woes

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

The waning COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped investors from piling into gold bullion so far this year. Read more here.

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CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: Scotland waits on First Minister's promised Freedom Day

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

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Edinburgh Castle

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Forbes: The Right Global Corporate Tax Rate Is Far Lower Than You Think

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The U.S. has done an amazing job of rallying 130 countries together to push for a global minimum tax on corporate profits. That’s great news in terms of organization.

The bad news is the rate they are planning to charge corporations. Read more here. 

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