Category: Focus

Aramco’s IPO: another game-changer Saudi Aramco is a wonderful illustration of the problem that we see beginning to be solved in 2020 with the establishment of a new monetary and financial system – the old one being no longer in line with the global economy of the 21st century. Since 2018, we have regularly heard […]

We have been anticipating the arrival of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for a year.[1] And it was Christine Lagarde’s speeches at the IMF last November, in particular, that encouraged us to do so. Inevitably, Christine Lagarde’s appointment as head of the ECB indicates that this type of agenda is likely to be accelerated in […]

Monetary Policy – beware of the direction change The shift towards the green colour of the economic indicators linked to the reduction in trade tensions at the end of the year, combined with the rebellion against accommodative monetary policies expressed by major central bankers, suggest a proportional reversal of the trend, particularly in key interest […]

The chemical industry in Europe is facing many challenges resulting from changes in its competitive position, global and local environment issues, as well as regulatory and technological innovation. A priori, Europe is not well positioned right now; but this could be turned into an advantage, if there is an entrepreneurial will – and the preparedness […]

Since July 8, the ‘Tsipras parenthesis’ that did so much to enrage the European Union, the United States and so many other interests, was closed. The wind of hope and renewal that blew over the country in 2015, when a man who didn’t come from one of the great dynasties (Samaras, Mitsotákis, Papandreou, Karamanlis) succeeded […]

Finance – First openings in the Chinese market Our investment recommendations on the Chinese financial market are not easy to follow due to lack of accessibility. However, gradually the Chinese financial market is opening up to the outside world and the first trading platforms are on the horizon. During our research in Hong Kong, we […]

Between a USD-pegged currency (the HKD) and the reaffirmation of its Chinese nature after its handover in 1997, Hong Kong lies right at the heart of the famous trade war between the United States and China. This context largely explains the island’s economic difficulties, creating the conditions for the well-known troubles. A longer-term perspective also […]

It’s not only Hong Kong that finds itself in the middle of the crossfire of the US-China trade war. The IMF may also be on the list of collateral victims of the great tectonic plate movement currently at work. In recent years, Beijing has increased its voting weight and added the Yuan to the basket […]

Air transportation: Turbulence zone We have already warned against the risk of crisis in this sector (aircraft manufacturers, airline companies and infrastructure). In fact, the crisis is already well under way, as shown by the difficulties Boeing has encountered, the challenges to the Airbus-Boeing duopoly following the emergence of Asian competition, the crisis of low-cost […]

Crypto-currencies: Gold 2.0? With the greatest caution, playing the diversification and flexibility game to reduce possible risks, we advise you to start investing in the cryptos that now have safe-haven characteristics. Nevertheless, beware when you see things go up or down too quickly and keep a close eye on announcements by the major governments and […]

We are now well into the fifth – and probably last – wave of the oil era. All the conditions needed for us to leave behind our oil dependency are now in place: an anticipation of the exhaustibility of the resource, an awareness of environmental issues, the presence of new economic players sufficiently independent of […]

– Air transport in Europe: Don’t bet your shirt on this – Yuan: Quick!!  – Dollar: Discount on US staff! – Gold: Back to the standard _____________________________ Air transport in Europe: Don’t bet your shirt on this Low-cost airlines are being forced to cut more and more services that large companies are able to provide […]

Silver has always stood the test of time, coming back as a winner, whether as an essential commodity or as a valuable investment. Since ancient times it has been the money of the people, used for trade, salaries and savings. While gold signified wealth and power, silver was the coinage of daily life and commerce. […]

– Smart cities: Fundopolis? – Human-friendliness: Back to basics – Oil: the fly in the ointment – Cryptocurrencies – Cake sharing – Uber – Cheese with holes – Fee-based Internet – Whose turf? – Autonomous vehicles – AI? Yes! But… – Coffee – A Brazilian hostile takeover Smart cities: Fundopolis? The modernisation of cities consists in […]

Here we present the latest addition to our Bricks of the future section: The Who’s Who? Or People of the future. Just as organisations have a vocation to stabilise at the risk of obstructing the future, human beings have a vocation to activate at the risk of destroying the future. It is therefore time for […]

There has been much talk in recent years concerning the perceived move towards a cashless society – an increasing tendency to remove physical cash from general circulation and replace it with more modern, electronic forms of payment. This trend is now being increasingly shown through the difficulty in accessing cash together with a push from […]

A reminder that our recommendations are not for speculative purposes, therefore short-term, that they don’t aim to win more, but rather to lose less (even nothing) because in the case of a global systemic crisis like the one we are currently seeing, it’s the only rational objective. – Hong Kong: The harbour is under water […]

For the last hundred years the US dollar has fulfilled the role of an international reserve currency, smoothing international trade and providing liquidity to the financial markets in times of crisis. With many commentators now questioning the long-term security of dollar debt, are we seeing the beginnings of a shift to a new reserve currency […]