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Geopolitical Events
Oil continues its sell-off as it drops after weaker Chinese and US economic figures
Oil has continued its tumble from its March 2022 high of $131 per barrel down to $82 a barrel. The drop has been in response to weak economic figures from China and the USA which has added to the recessionary anxiety gripping the market. Furthermore, as Iran edges closer to a nuclear deal, the removal of economic sanctions on the country may be ...
What is going on with Taiwan?
What is going on with Taiwan? Taiwan is back in the news after US speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi visited the country causing a fiery reaction from the mainland of China. Historical background In order to understand the causes of the China/Taiwan tension, some historical perspective is needed. The current te...
OPEC and allies reach a compromise
The oil industry has remained pressurized by a supply glut and the ongoing uncertainty on the demand outlook with respect to the structural changes in the energy market and the pandemic. The recent vaccine updates and hopes that the pandemic may soon be under control, is providing support to a fundamentally battered energy market. As the year com...
US Elections: COVID-19, Policies and Markets
The Political Event of the Year 2020 The most-waited political event of the year is fast approaching: the US elections will take place on the 3rd of November. The nominees of the two main political parties - Republican and Democratic party are yet to be announced at the Presidential Nominating Convention. However, the clear frontrunners are Pres...
Forex This Week: What to Expect
In the month of May, major currencies were stronger against the US dollar as risk sentiment improved and haven currencies like the US dollar, the Yen and Swiss franc have lost momentum. Commodity-linked currencies were among the best performers against the US dollar; lifted by higher commodity prices. Source: Bloomberg The US Dollar As ge...
EURUSD: EU Recovery Plan and EU’s Frugal Four
EU Recovery Fund After a standoff between the EU and Germany, following a critical ruling on ECB’s quantitative easing program by Germany’s constitutional court, the gradual reopening of economies of member states within the Eurozone has brought some optimism. The downside risks for the Eurozone and its shared currency have somewhat eased o...
A Summary of Major US Earnings Reports
A Summary of Major US Earnings Reports IBM, Netflix Inc, Snap AT&T, and Intel Corp were among the major large-cap corporations reporting earnings.Even though the pandemic is expected to portrait a dire outlook, earnings results are much awaited to gauge if large companies can muddle through the crisis and how they are preparing for an eventua...
First Quarter: Crisis, Volatility, and Opportunities
The first quarter of 2020 was marred by unpredicted events that rattled the financial markets: Tensions between US and Iran; The extreme weather conditions across the globe as a result of climate change; The novel coronavirus; and An oil price war between Saudi Arabia, the oil kingdom, and Russia. A Trio of Crises Faced by an unpreced...
The Perfect Storm Brewing in the Oil Market
The Perfect Storm Brewing in the Oil Market The oil and gas industry has been undergoing significant challenges due to the structural shift within the industry. A pandemic-induced economic downturn and an oil price war have now added another layer of uncertainty to the oil markets. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Russia have disrupted the stab...
2019 in a Nutshell and the Transition to a New Decade
If we could describe the year 2019 in one word, we believe uncertainty says it all. The world entered 2019 with a high level of ambiguity and is poised to finish the year with the same extent of uncertainties. The Global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index which is a GDP-weighted average of national EPU indices for 20 countries has remained in ele...
The Loonie – Best Performing G10 Currencies
The Loonie Best Performing G10 Currencies After a tight campaign marred by scandals, Justin Trudeau secured another term as Prime Minister. Unlike a clear win in 2015, the Prime Minister did not pass the threshold of 170 seats and will lead a minority government. The governing party will be forced to depend on other parties to pass legislation....
Critical Hours for Brexit
Critical Hours for Brexit As the clock ticks for Brexit, Brussels and London seem to be working harder than before on their differences for a last-minute Brexit deal. The headlines in the past 48 hours have renewed optimism that the UK and European Union may secure a deal. However, even though the negotiations appear to be moving in the right di...
One Country, Two Systems
One Country, Two Systems The Hong Kong protests have reached a point where it is threatening the “one country, two systems” that exists between the special international financial hub and the mainland. It started with demonstrations against the extradition bill which later turned into a movement against the Hong Kong’s government. Millions...
August – A Challenging Month for Markets
August – A Challenging Month for Markets A wave of volatility swamped the markets in August. Recession fears, yield curve inversion, and the big breach of the Yuan were the dominant headlines that alarmed investors throughout the month. Bearing the brunt of the tit-for-tat tariff hikes, the stock market saw multiple days of 1% swings with a cou...
The European Union Top Jobs
The European Union Top Jobs The European Central Bank (“ECB”) President The European leaders nominated Christine Lagarde, a French lawyer and a politician serving as Managing Director and Chairwoman of the International Monetary Fund ("IMF") as the ECB President. The ECB is responsible for the monetary policy of the nineteen EU member countr...