By Jeff Desjardins, Visual Capitalist CAN UPSTART ROBO-ADVISORS COMPETE AGAINST SCALE? It was going to happen sooner or later. When they launched roughly five years ago, tech-driven companies such as Betterment or Wealthfront had the audacious and laudable goal of taking on the incumbents of the gargantuan wealth management industry. Many traditional wealth managers were skeptical of … Continue reading
By Jeffrey P. Snider, Alhambra Investment Partners When commenting on any weakness in the US economy, it has become common even shorthand for any outlet or author to affix the conventional explanation. Suspiciously low growth rates and far too many outright contractions, especially in manufacturing and industry, are blamed on overseas weakness and the dollar as … Continue reading
By Iain MacGillivray Turkey’s former Central Bank Governor Erdem Başçi has bowed out from his position after five years in the job, leaving behind an interesting financial legacy amid growing political pressure from the ruling government. While Başçi managed to keep the Palace at bay and interference minimal, the appointment of his successor Murat Çetinkaya, a … Continue reading
By David Haggith, The Great Recession Blog The question begs for conspiracy theories to satisfy it, but one might more aptly say that central banks beg for conspiracy theories to explain them, since they operate in the shadows while being given charge of all the financial systems of all the world’s greatest economies. Central bankers have the unchaperoned power … Continue reading
Members of the Saudi royal family appear to be preparing to go into exile as they are selling as much oil as possible in order to move their petrodollars out of the country. The declining oil price doesn’t matter. Clear signals are coming from the U.S. that the days of the incumbent clans are numbered. In … Continue reading
By Luis E. Juvinao Navarro Argentina recently issued USD $16.5 billion in bonds as part of its re-entry to international markets, the largest issuance registered by an emerging economy. The country’s historical proclivity to economic turmoil, however, suggests that Macri’s political changes might not deliver on financial stability. It has been 15 years of Argentine absence from … Continue reading
By Charles Mautz, Chinus Asset Management During a recent visit to Jakarta, it was evident that Indonesians are optimistic. Investment managers, business leaders and taxi drivers all voiced their opinion that things are getting better and that the future is bright. Up to now, Indonesia has generally punched below its weight. It is often lumped together with … Continue reading
By Egon Von Greyerz, GoldSwitzerland Investors around the world are blissfully ignorant of what will hit them in coming months and years. Virtually no one understands the risks in the world and less than ½% of investors have protected themselves against the destruction of their financial assets. It is of course wonderful to live in Shangri-La … Continue reading
By Phoenix Capital Research Are Central Bankers delusional? Over the weekend, BenoĂ®t CĹ“urĂ©, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, penned a piece defending the ECB’s policies from the criticism that NIRP hurts savers. The first paragraph reveals, quite clearly, just how lost the ECB is regarding the efficacy of its policies. Is the … Continue reading
By Phoenix Capital Research For seven years, the world has operated under a complete delusion that Central Banks somehow fixed the 2008 Crisis. All of the arguments claiming this defied common sense. A 5th grader would tell you that you cannot solve a debt problem by issuing more debt. If the below chart was a problem … Continue reading