RESEARCH

Insights

Independent market and macro analysis. 129 Insights published and counting.

Episode 129: Central Banks Are Tightening Together Again
FEDERAL RESERVELATEST · 18 Sep 2026

Central Banks Are Tightening Together Again

On September 19, 2026, the Bank of Japan raised its short-term policy rate by 25 basis points, taking it from 1.00% to 1.25%. That is the highest Japanese policy…

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Episode 128: Why Middle-Aged Americans Are Going Bankrupt
US ECONOMY

Why Middle-Aged Americans Are Going Bankrupt

Americans aged 40 to 59 now account for 49.9% of all new consumer bankruptcies, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Consumer Credit Panel, which is…

16 SEP · 9 MIN
Episode 127: The CLARITY Act and What Tuesday's Vote Means
CRYPTO & DIGITAL ASSETS

The CLARITY Act and What Tuesday's Vote Means

Senate Republicans released their final version of the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act today and described it as their last, best and final offer. The Senate votes…

14 SEP · 11 MIN
Episode 126: Bab el-Mandeb and the Second Oil Chokepoint
OIL & COMMODITIES

Bab el-Mandeb and the Second Oil Chokepoint

Houthi forces took the Red Sea port of Mocha on Thursday, September 10. The Houthis captured the port early in the day after government forces pulled out. Four…

11 SEP · 11 MIN
Episode 125: Why the Fed Might Hike Into an Oil Shock
OIL & COMMODITIES

Why the Fed Might Hike Into an Oil Shock

On 28 August, at his first Jackson Hole symposium as Federal Reserve Chairman, Kevin Warsh told an audience of central bankers that "inflation was running too high…

9 SEP · 9 MIN
Episode 124: Inside Washington's 100-Year Venezuela Oil Deal
OIL & COMMODITIES

Inside Washington's 100-Year Venezuela Oil Deal

On 31 August the White House published a fact sheet setting out the mechanics of what President Trump had announced three days earlier as a historic oil agreement…

4 SEP · 10 MIN
Episode 123: Japan's 3% Bond and the End of Cheap Money
BONDS & CURRENCIES

Japan's 3% Bond and the End of Cheap Money

On Tuesday afternoon in Tokyo, a number appeared on screens that has not been seen since Bill Clinton's first term. Japan's benchmark 10-year government bond yield…

2 SEP · 11 MIN
Episode 122: Warsh, Bessent and Who Sets Interest Rates Now
BONDS & CURRENCIES

Warsh, Bessent and Who Sets Interest Rates Now

Kevin Warsh is about to deliver his first Jackson Hole keynote as Federal Reserve chair on this Friday morning, three months into the job and into the most awkward…

28 AUG · 9 MIN
Episode 121: Canada Matches Trump's Tariffs Dollar for Dollar
GEOPOLITICS

Canada Matches Trump's Tariffs Dollar for Dollar

Trade negotiators from the United States and Canada spent three days at the offices of the US Trade Representative in Washington in the third week of August. On the…

26 AUG · 10 MIN
Episode 120: The Plumbing Behind America's Economic D-Day
GEOPOLITICS

The Plumbing Behind America's Economic D-Day

On Sunday evening, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent published an opinion piece in the Financial Times declaring that "at dawn begins an economic D-Day," which he…

24 AUG · 10 MIN
Episode 119: Why AI Debt Is Showing Up in Mortgage Rates
BONDS & CURRENCIES

Why AI Debt Is Showing Up in Mortgage Rates

What Duration Supply Actually Means A bond represents a loan with predetermined repayment terms. The borrower pays interest over a set period and returns principal…

21 AUG · 7 MIN
Episode 118: What Treasury Buybacks Actually Do
BONDS & CURRENCIES

What Treasury Buybacks Actually Do

On 19 August the US Treasury issued a short press release that quietly cancelled a schedule it had published exactly two weeks earlier. The department said it was…

20 AUG · 9 MIN
Episode 117: Government Shutdown and What It Means for Markets
US ECONOMY

Government Shutdown and What It Means for Markets

Last night, the U.S. government entered a shutdown. Congress failed to pass funding before the deadline, triggering a lapse in appropriations that forces many…

1 OCT · 3 MIN
Episode 116: Are We on the Brink of World War 3
GEOPOLITICS

Are We on the Brink of World War 3

Throughout history, global conflicts have emerged not as singular events but as the result of rising tensions, alliances, and accidents that spiraled out of…

27 SEP · 7 MIN
Episode 115: Natural Gas and the AI Energy Revolution
OIL & COMMODITIES

Natural Gas and the AI Energy Revolution

Artificial intelligence is progressing toward transforming economies and societies at an extraordinary pace. However, this advancement depends on a crucial but…

24 SEP · 4 MIN
Episode 114: A New Alliance Reshapes the Middle East and Beyond
GEOPOLITICS

A New Alliance Reshapes the Middle East and Beyond

Saudi Arabia has just signed a mutual defense pact with Pakistan. The agreement is simple but monumental: "any attack on one country will be treated as an attack on…

20 SEP · 7 MIN
Episode 113: The Fed Rate Cut Everyone Expects
FEDERAL RESERVE

The Fed Rate Cut Everyone Expects

The Federal Reserve finds itself at a critical juncture. Markets have been pricing in a 25 basis point cut for September, and expectations are running so high that…

17 SEP · 6 MIN
Episode 112: A Short History of Financial Exuberance
US ECONOMY

A Short History of Financial Exuberance

Financial markets reflect human psychology. Fear and greed drive market cycles throughout history, despite evolving technology and regulation. "The details differ…

13 SEP · 2 MIN