Geopolitical Events
Are EV cars inevitable?
Since the recent crisis in Europe, you would have noticed a few things in the stock market which have directly or indirectly affected your normal day to day life, as a motorist one of the first things that you would have taken note of, is the price of fuel. Only a fortnight ago petrol prices for unleaded fuel was sold for $149.99 per litre (APCO se...
Is Bitcoin ready for a reversal?
Bitcoin has seen a resurgence in recent days on the back of the Ukraine/Russian conflict. The price has risen 15% as money has poured into the cryptocurrency. Western countries have placed economic sanctions as an attempt to reduce military conduct from Russia. This includes excluding several Russian banks from the SWIFT network. Consequently, the ...
What is SWIFT and the sanctions against Russia?
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, legally S.W.I.F.T. SC, is a Belgian cooperative society providing services related to the execution of financial transactions and payments between banks worldwide. Its principal function is to serve as the main messaging network through which international payments are initiated. ...
Russia takes a hit
Last week, Russia took a step that not many people thought it would take – they invaded Ukraine. Even though the tensions have been building in the region since the annexation of Crimea in February 2014, not many people thought Vladimir Putin would take the step to invade a sovereign nation. Five days on from the start of the invasion, we have...
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...
The Reopening Experiment and Geopolitical Risks
The Grand Reopening Given the unprecedented nature of the Great Lockdown, the gradual reopening of economies are now being viewed as an experiment. World leaders are faced with tough decisions trying to manage unparalleled health and economic crisis and the differences of opinions over how, when and which businesses should resume. The uncertaint...
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...
The Lockdown, the Fallout and the Roadmap to Recovery
Global Lockdown In an abrupt and unprecedented manner, the world witnessed a mass halt to global activities due to the pandemic. Governments and central banks rushed in to intervene and support the global economy with unconventional measures to cushion the impact of the coronavirus on their economies and ease market strains. As the virus spread...
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...
An Action-Packed January
January was an action-packed month with market-moving economic and geopolitical events. Investors barely had time for a breather as the new developments were crucial in setting the tone for the rest of the year. Climate Change There were many expectations that 2020 which marks the start of a new decade will be the confirmation of a new era for...
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...
