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The Tale of the Squawking Dove: US Federal Reserve Moves with Cautious Resolve
Markets may have disliked what Jay Powell had to say before; however, what he does now proves a bullseye hit – pardon the pun. The US Federal Reserve surprised no one when, at the end of a two-day policy meeting,
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From Bear to Bull: Warren Buffett Casts a Vote of Confidence in US Stock Market
A perennial favourite of investors, the snowclone ‘What Would Warren Do?’, has an answer. Warren buys oil and other blue chips that show exceptional generosity towards shareholders. Over the first quarter, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway ploughed some $41bn of its
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Unfriending Europe: President Putin Turns the Screw
This is perhaps not the time to tell the Germans ‘told you so’ as the nation deals with the fallout of the now disproved premises of its unfortunate energy policy. Not only has Germany’s dependency on Russian natural gas turned
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Illusory Visions of Strategic Autonomy: Emmanuel Macron Wins France, Loses Europe
This Sunday, most French voters held their nose as they granted President Emmanuel Macron a second term in office. Faced with an impossible conundrum – how to spark change without upsetting the apple cart – France reluctantly concluded that President
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A Bipolar World? Searching in Vain for a Dollar Alternative
The seizure of Russia’s dollar reserves, part of the first wave of sanctions decreed in response to Moscow’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, has a growing legion of pundits wondering if the time has come to look for a new
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A Perfect Storm Perfected: EU Battles String of Calamities
It’s about the only thing missing from a world in turmoil: France going haywire and off the rails. The solid showing of Marine Le Pen at last Sunday’s polls gives plenty of cause for concern. More moderate in her policy
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A Reacquaintance with Inflation: Safe Havens in Short Supply
An entire generation of workers, executives, and entrepreneurs has never experienced inflation and know the phenomenon only from history books. The Great Inflation of the 1970s is usually attributed to the sudden rise of oil prices after OPEC asserted its
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Sanctions Against Russia Resemble a Boxing Match
The economic sanctions against Russia announced last week by the US and Europe are having a profound impact on the Russian economy — and repercussions at home. As in a boxing match, the expectation is that blows to the opponent
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The Great Dictator Becomes More and More Isolated
Russian fat cats are, of course, no longer welcome in Europe. But now, their four-pawed relations have been declared ‘non grata’ as well. The executive board of the Luxemburg-based Fédération Internationale Féline (Charmingly abbreviated to FIFe) ruled that any cat
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This Season’s Collection is Second-Hand — and Purchased Online…
High street fashion giant H&M has posted higher-than-expected earnings, and is optimistic that the fashion industry — valued at $1.9tn in 2019 — could reach $3tn by 2030. The sector has been growing year-on-year for two decades, revolutionised by fast
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