Monitoring Local and Global Geoeconomic Catalysts
Last week, I wrote about some of the key questions surrounding the U.S. withdrawal or rather violation of the JCPOA which focused on the responses of Iran (production, discounting, regional policy), Europe (blocking measures), and Asian buyers of Iranian goods. Since then the focus has been on the European counter response to the U.S. decision,… Continue reading Iran Deal Response: More Unanswered Questions
The U.S. has exited the Iran deal/become non-compliant and announced a timeline to reimpose the sanctions that had been suspended in 2015, as many people feared. Some key questions have been answered including the phase-in period, start of discussions with suppliers, but many key ones remain unanswered. In this post, I’ll take a look at… Continue reading Iran Sanctions: Unanswered Questions
Early last week I wrote about my concern that the risks Iran deal were not on the radar of many global investors and policy makers, one of the surprises from my last DC trip. I needn’t have worried – its now top of the agenda, or at least sharing it with China trade, Nafta and… Continue reading Iran’s economy: FX, Energy and Domestic Policy Choices
The mood at last week’s Spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank was quite upbeat, as anticipated (see my preview here) though there were considerable concerns that near-term strength, exacerbated by U.S. fiscal stimulus and still supportive global monetary stimulus might be masking medium-term vulnerabilities. Many major economies are growing above potential, and are… Continue reading Spring Meetings Takeaways: Robust Outlook Clouded by Trade and Sanctions Worries
With Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington at the start of his long U.S. tour, there have been no shortage of good analyses written about what’s at stake and the motivations for the trip and Saudi social and economic reform – my favorites include those by Karen Young and Alastair Newton, as… Continue reading MBS World Tour: Saudi Arabia’s Looming Tradeoffs
The recent market selloff with its multiple linked triggers (inflation, fiscal expansion, past FX adjustment) and amplifiers (program trading, volatility funds and instruments, pricey valuations and desire to take profits in tax-mitigating way), seems a good time to take stock of the drivers of the macro and market environment going forward, to update you all… Continue reading What I’m Watching: Signposts and Theme Update
Global markets (especially) US bond markets, gyrated today following reports on two policy areas (Chinese capital and NAFTA/trade policy) that are set to be sources of volatility in 2018. In both cases, the storms in a teacup seemed disproportionate with (the lack of) new information. Press reports reminded investors about risks that may have been… Continue reading Edgy Markets (Over) react to Trade and China Risks?
Happy New Year! In honor of the season and my new blog, I’ve selected a few (non-fiction books) books among the 80+ I read/listened to in 2017 that stayed with me through the year and in some way made me think. Many of you may have heard me wax on about a few of these.… Continue reading Thought-provoking Reads 2017
With OPEC members and friends (and the ever growing energy journalist cohort) meeting in Vienna, it seems apt to look at the economic adjustment of some of the participating oil producers. While most would gain from rising prices. Russia, and Iran, smaller GCC countries (Kuwait, UAE and even Qatar) as well as some U.S. producers… Continue reading Vienna Agreement: Buying Time, Persistent Macro Divergence
With my transition away from Roubini Global Economics, it seems like a good time to test out a new platform to share insights on macro, markets and political risks - especially those that don't lend themselves to tweet storms. While I never had my own blog for long, writing for the Roubini Economonitor was one… Continue reading Re(Entering) the Blogosphere
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