Bank runs & complex systems – Reflections from Sarawak

"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen" Vladimir Lenin I was visiting relatives in Kuching, Sarawak when the multiple news reports of American bank failures hit the screens and home televisions the world over. The speed and ferocity of the downfall of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the subsequent … Continue reading Bank runs & complex systems – Reflections from Sarawak

Trade deal or no trade deal? It does not matter…

'We, the Chinese nation, after fifty years of sanguinary revolutions and five and a half years of sacrifice in the War of Resistance, have finally transformed the history of a hundred years of the Unequal Treaties of sorrow into a glorious record of the termination of the Unequal Treaties' ~ Chiang Kai-Shek, January 1943 Somewhere … Continue reading Trade deal or no trade deal? It does not matter…

If there’s one thing to know soon, it’s MMT

MMT stands for 'Modern Monetary Theory', and it may be the next must-know term to know and understand before it becomes mainstream. OK, but what exactly is Modern Monetary Theory? The Roosevelt Institute published an article about it eight years ago, and it simply describes a school of thought in macro-economic thinking that revolves around … Continue reading If there’s one thing to know soon, it’s MMT

Weekly Observations: Central Bankers as Gamemasters

An excerpt from a week's journal: 20 August 2018: Observations & Thoughts Today was generally a risk-on environment, with Chinese equity indexes leading the way in Asia Pacific (Japan and South Korea lagged). Indian equities continued to climb higher. The Yuan has also somewhat stabilised and has strengthened against the USD since last week. Chinese … Continue reading Weekly Observations: Central Bankers as Gamemasters

These are the things I wish I knew before I started investing

When I first started dabbling in the financial markets years ago, it wasn't a pleasant experience. I made money at first but eventually lost it all, and losing one's hard-earned savings was a heart-wrenching experience. It made me doubt if I could ever become a successful investor (I know it sounds naive). While I saw … Continue reading These are the things I wish I knew before I started investing