Tag: interest rates

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 →

‘Less about fundamentals, more about risk management’ ~ podcast with Mark Dow

I follow a couple of macro investors out there and Mark Dow of 'Behavioral Macro' is worth following. Dow was an economist with various stints in Wall Street institutions and even the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He currently manages a family office based out in Southern California. Futures Radio Show interviewed Dow at the beginning … Continue reading ‘Less about fundamentals, more about risk management’ ~ podcast with Mark Dow →

3 areas to steer clear of & 1 chart to monitor

The investment landscape is changing for the first time in 8 years. According to the IMF's data, America's economy is operating at if not above capacity (output gap closing), with a relatively tight labour market and leveraging by both corporations and households. A pickup in investment began early last year, as growth accelerated and companies … Continue reading 3 areas to steer clear of & 1 chart to monitor →

Playing the ECB’s potential tapering?

To understand the game of the financial markets, we need to understand the game masters The game masters are the central banks, as they directly influence the costs of credit in the financial and real economy, influencing the business cycles The ECB will gradually move to wind down its stimulus programme, but has to maintain … Continue reading Playing the ECB’s potential tapering? →

Review of 1st Quarter 2017 & Portfolio Update

While it was a decent 3 months for both broad equity and bond markets, all my trades did not work out as expected and I cut all my initial positions that were initiated in January. Additionally, a couple of my positions that were USD-denominated also saw valuations affected by the slight weakening of the Dollar against … Continue reading Review of 1st Quarter 2017 & Portfolio Update →

Portfolio strategy for 4Q 2016: Watch the USD for cues

As the legendary Soros declares above: investing is never about making predictions, it is about making probability-adjusted bets. Hence global macro investors tend to map out scenarios and devise action plans to deal with uncertainty in the financial markets. The US Dollar is a mega trend that has to be observed closely by virtue of the … Continue reading Portfolio strategy for 4Q 2016: Watch the USD for cues →

Insights From “Street Smarts – Adventures on the Road & in the Markets”

Legendary investor Jim Rogers is back with his sixth book: “Street Smarts – Adventures on the Road and in the Markets”! Published in the spring of 2013, this book is a recollection and a self-styled memoir of Rogers’ own life, investment experiences and his observations from his many travels around the globe. While there were … Continue reading Insights From “Street Smarts – Adventures on the Road & in the Markets” →

US Utilities: time to be cautious?

From the perspective of a long term investor, utilities' stocks are generally viewed as low-risk and conservative investments (not hot or sexy or trendy). Why? Utility companies are capital-intensive, tend to operate under government regulations and licensing (which allows them to enjoy oligopolistic/monopolistic features) and provide services that are indispensable to the well-being of a … Continue reading US Utilities: time to be cautious? →