Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Briefings Magazine: Inflation That May Actually Inflate

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Inflation. It looms in the closet of many national economies, waiting to burst out like some dreaded ghost. It has brought even economies as great as the United States to their knees; back in 1971, President Richard Nixon was forced to freeze all salaries and prices because of it. Since then, it hasn’t said boo for decades, rising at only about 2 percent annually in the US since the 1980s. COVID only kept it away even more—crushing the rate to nearly zero. Read more here.

Sunday, April 4, 2021

WSJ: Japanese Stocks Are Back on U.S. Investors’ Radar

By SIMON CONSTABLE

After years of being shunned, Japanese stocks are getting attention from U.S. investors.

The reasons for avoiding the Tokyo stock market, which date to the late 1980s, are no longer applicable, say financial professionals, pointing to an increased focus on profits by Japanese companies and the fact that Japan is well-positioned to benefit from a global economic recovery. Read more here.

Photo by Steven Diaz on Unsplash

WSJ: What Investors Need to Know About ‘Geopolitical Risk’

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investment professionals often talk about geopolitical risk. For those new to investing, the term can be unclear. 

For U.S. investors, geopolitical risk typically refers to the added problems and opportunities that come with investing in foreign markets. Red more here.

Photo by Brett Zeck on Unsplash


Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Upcoming Event: Speaker At St Andrews Foreign Affairs Society Conference

19:00 GMT Tuesday April 20, 2021.

More details to follow.


Photo by Charlie Seaman on Unsplash

Forbes: Expect Subdued Gold Market In 2021, CPM Says

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Don’t bet that the 2020 gold market boom will repeat this year. It likely won’t, new research shows.

Expect something less than the phenomenal rally seen during the height of the pandemic. Read more here.

Photo by Dmitry Demidko on Unsplash

Forbes: Does Tesla’s Tumble Mean The Electric Car Party Is Over?

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Ouch!

Tesla Inc’s (TSLA) stock has taken a tumble over the last few week, falling almost 30% since January 26.

That’s hundreds of billions of dollars wiped off the value of one company in a matter of weeks.

What it doesn’t mean is the electric vehicle (EV) party is over, according to recent research from Swiss bank UBS. Read more here.


Photo by Beat Jau on Unsplash

Forbes: Bitcoin Still A Long Way From Being Money

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Cryptocurrencies hit the big time in January, but doesn’t mean they are money. Not yet anyway. Read more here.

CryptoWallet.com ImagesCC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons