Emerging Markets: Bracing for More Bad News?

17 April 2020 We have all seen the evidence that investors have deserted Emerging Markets in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, the following Chart illustrates the liquidation of EM assets has been considerably larger than in past episodes, including the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). As a result, the following Chart illustrates that EM [...]

Covid-19: Don’t Suffer a Lack of Imagination

20 March 2020 Initial data from China indicate the economic impact of the Coronavirus and efforts to prevent its spread will be significant. I will make some preliminary global economic projections, although they come with a greater degree of uncertainty than normal. Perhaps more importantly, I will set out some guideposts about how to assess [...]

Covid-19: Temporary Maybe, But Painful Shock

13 March 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic appears to be moving into a new phase. While the response differs between countries, most governments are transitioning from the contaiment phase towards focusing efforts on delaying the spread of the disease. This strategy hopes to lower the peak number of infections. The plan seeks to buy time; thereby, [...]

Sino-US Trade: First Step on a Long Journey

20 January 2020 A comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and China was never a realistic possibility: these take years of skillful negotiations to conclude. To be sure, the recently-signed plan has many shortcomings. Predictably, the deal fails to address many of the most contentious issues, e.g. state subsidies and cyber-security. Likewise, the dispute [...]