Adventures In Finance: A Real Vision Podcast

Volatility remains the dominant theme for financial markets, as prices for energy and food commodities continue to rise along with hostilities in Eastern Europe. Russia’s war on Ukraine has made central bankers’ fight against inflation that much more complex. And its broader ramifications multiply seemingly by the hour. Peter Zeihan, a geopolitical strategist and the author of the forthcoming book “The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Civilization,” joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to discuss what is rapidly devolving into the biggest global crisis since World War II. As Zeihan notes, “Russia is often derided as a gas station masquerading as a country.” But this is an oversimplification. In fact, Russia – and its neighbors, including Ukraine – plays a critical role in global agricultural markets. Zeihan discusses fractured trade relationships, energy, agriculture, and what is an increasingly fraught future for the entire world. Want to submit questions?

U.S. equity markets were mixed with just over two hours remaining in the trading day, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 Index holding small gains and the Nasdaq Composite and the Russell 2000 Index down nearly 1%. Yields on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note and the 30-year bond backed up again, as investors continue to seek safety amid the unfolding crisis in Eastern Europe. Crude oil prices slipped some, with West Texas Intermediate down 0.55% to $109.99 and Brent off 0.57% to $112.29. But grains continue to reflect rising pressures on current and future supply, with wheat up more than 7% and corn up nearly 5%. And it doesn’t appear as though Russian President Vladimir Putin is any closer to succumbing to the global sanctions regime that’s targeted the country’s oligarchs and hamstrung the lives of ordinary Russians. Indeed, missile attacks against Ukraine’s major cities are intensifying. Meanwhile, the fed funds futures market is still pricing in five interest rate hikes by the Federal Rese

The war in Eastern Europe has led to a meaningful shift in the market’s perception of what the Federal Open Market Committee will do when it meets in two weeks. Fed fund futures are still pricing in a greater than 80% chance of a rate hike. But the odds of a 50-basis-point boost to the central bank’s benchmark interest rate are now near zero after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, said he was inclined to propose and support a 25-basis-point move. Meanwhile, the civilian death toll in Ukraine surpassed 2,000, and Russian forces continue to threaten major cities, including Kyiv. Financial markets remain volatile, with U.S. equity indexes surging more than 2%, even as crude oil prices continue to climb. Darius Dale, founder and CEO of 42 Macro, joins Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to discuss recent price action in the context of his short- and medium-term strategy. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/36WMVUq

A Russian military convoy continues to bear down on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital and its most populous city. Its progress has been slow, much like the broader invasion. But news from Eastern Europe continues to roil markets, with the three major U.S. equity indexes all down at least 1.5% two hours ahead of the close of regular trading. Longer-term U.S. Treasury yields are sliding, and the CBOE Volatility Index is spiking. Commodity prices are surging, with West Texas Intermediate crude oil up nearly 9% on the day, Brent crude up nearly 8%, and corn and wheat both up more than 5%. Meanwhile, with the global community’s sanction regime still taking shape, the Russian ruble is now worth less than one cent versus the U.S. dollar, and Russia’s stock market remained closed for another full day. “At this point,” notes Marko Papic, chief strategist at Clocktower Group, “we cannot say how the conflict will end in the short term.” Papic joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake on today’s Daily Briefing to discuss the geopolitical si

Bond yields retreated and U.S. equity indexes swung from red to green and back again, as the global community continues to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. UK-based BP dumped its 19% stake in Russian oil and gas producer Rosneft, while Switzerland stepped forward from centuries of neutrality to freeze Russian assets held by its banks. And Singapore has imposed its own sanctions on Russia, a rare move by the southeast Asian country. Officials elsewhere have taken steps to cut off Russia’s access to its estimated $630 billion of foreign reserves. The Russian ruble has collapsed, while Russia’s central bank more than doubled its benchmark interest rate to 20% and closed the country’s stock market on Monday. Russian bonds tumbled, and investors braced for the possibility that Western sanctions could push Russia to default for the first time since 1998. Jacob Shapiro, Director of Geopolitical Analysis at Cognitive Investments, joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake to assess the geopolitical situation. And Harry

The crisis that had erupted in Ukraine over the past week, as Russian forces had launched their invasion to worldwide condemnation and multilateral sovereign opposition, had reminded all market participants that geopolitical headline risk is inescapable. Be it long-term investors, speculative traders, financial exchanges, corporates, central banks or policy makers - nobody is exempt from exposure to major geopolitical risk, regardless of asset class or region. Weston Nakamura has proactively traded, analyzed and advised on a wide array of market moving geopolitical events, and provides his general guidelines and principles on trading geopolitical headline risk. And while no two events in history are ever the same, these lessons and concepts can be consistently applicable for effective risk management and alpha generation in a perpetually uncertain investment landscape. This video is part one of a series on trading geopolitical risk. Part two will cover Weston’s trading activity during this period of market vo

A brand isn’t a thing or a service, it’s an emotion. Feelings are what drive commerce. Marketing and brand visionary Jonathan Cropper has lived on the edge of innovation throughout his career working with luxury brands like Aston Martin and alongside music industry titans Quincy Jones and Sean Combs. Cropper believes seduction and storytelling are at the basic core of the best sales strategies, and that innovations in the tech world and DeFi will be the fire that fuels the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. equity indexes soared on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average posting a near 800-point gain and the S&P 500 Index and the Nasdaq Composite rising 1.86% and 0.92% two hours ahead of the close of regular trading. Equity futures indicated a positive open after Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled a willingness to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. Still, fighting rages in and around Kyiv, though it appears Putin’s forces are not advancing as rapidly as their leader had hoped or planned. Joining Real Vision’s Maggie Lake to discuss the geopolitical situation is Dee Smith, founder and CEO of Strategic Insight Group. And with us today to talk about how the nascent war might impact the Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening cycle is the “Fed Guy,” Joseph Wang, a former trader on the central bank’s open markets desk. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3M2l05h. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked global financial markets, highlighted by a 31% spike in the spot price for European natural gas. Brent crude oil crossed the psychologically significant $100-per-barrel mark, and the May 2022 Euronext wheat contract surged by nearly 8%. U.S. equity markets were mixed two hours ahead of the close of regular trading, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 Index down 1.63% and 0.69%, respectively, but the Nasdaq up 0.61%. Bond yields are falling, as investors seek safe havens. Meanwhile, Russian tanks are rolling across Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin’s troops now control the Chernobyl nuclear site, and Western allies expect Kyiv to fall within hours. Jacob Shapiro, founder and chief strategist of Perch Perspectives, and Thomas Thornton, founder of Hedge Fund Telemetry, join Real Vision’s Maggie Lake to discuss the geopolitical situation and markets’ reaction to the specter of the most significant conflict since World War II. Want to submit questions? Dro

Investors face a dilemma of seemingly mythological proportions, stuck between the Scylla of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Charybdis of the Federal Reserve’s tightening cycle. And one monster theoretically feeds the other, as rising geopolitical tensions continue to drive crude oil and natural gas prices higher and add to inflation pressures in the United States. President Joe Biden’s sanctions regime appears to be targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, as he navigates a complex set of international and domestic problems. Ukrainian banks and government websites are under cyber attack and Russian troops have crossed its borders, as this 21st century struggle continues to unfold. How will literal war in Eastern Europe play into the Fed’s figurative war on inflation, with market rates already creeping up? Darius Dale, founder and CEO of 42 Macro, joins Real Vision’s Alfonso Peccatiello to assess financial markets in context of the present geo-macro situation. Want to submit questions? Dr

The crisis in Eastern Europe has escalated to new levels, as Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the deployment of troops to rebel-held areas of Ukraine. Prices for energy commodities, including crude oil and natural gas, spiked on the news. And wheat, a key export from the region, is also rising. Weston Nakamura joins Ash Bennington for a look at the geopolitical situation through the lens of global markets in today’s Real Vision Daily Briefing. Cross-asset analysis, as Weston notes, is the best way for investors to understand what is a complex situation, on the ground in Europe as well as for people making decisions about their portfolios. How will the Federal Reserve’s approach to its tightening cycle change, if at all? And what will China do? Join Weston and Ash for a discussion of what recent price action tells us about the world right now. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3v5I651 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the previous part 1 video of Weston Nakamura’s series on the Bank of Japan, Weston explains how BOJ Yield Curve Control works, and discusses the implications of being the only major central bank left who claims to still provide highly accommodative monetary policy in 2022. In this part two video, Weston shares his long-running theory on "BOJ Press Tests,” conducted behind the scenes by the central bank, carried out by major financial media outlets, and intended to get a read on market sentiment before a potentially permanent, irreversible policy error is made - as the Bank of Japan currently works to clean up its most recent attempt at using a “press test” as it headed into the January Monetary Policy Meeting. He also shows an example of when a theoretically impenetrable yield curve control fails a at the upper-bound of the YCC range. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Independent volatility trader, Darrin Johnson, believes trading volatility is the key to success in the market. In this invaluable episode, Johnson sits down with Jason Buck to reveal the key trading principles he follows and the importance of “standing out” professionally. Starting from the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, the largely self-taught trader stresses the importance of educating oneself and reveals the learning materials he’s used personally—including the book central to his education and success in this area. Johnson shares some of the key lessons for institutional and independent trading, how to hedge risk effectively, and where he sees the most opportunity in the market right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christian Alexander of Macro Link is one of the best-connected insiders in the hedge fund industry -- a "Jerry Maguire" figure with a broad and deep list of contacts. Three years ago, he spoke with Roger Hirst about the future of the industry, when "easy money" was the dominant regime. And, in November, he shared his thoughts on inflation with Maggie Lake, before wholesale and consumer prices spiked to multi-decade highs. Chris joins Maggie for today’s Real Vision Daily Briefing to update his thesis on hedge funds’ future as the Federal Reserve prepares to launch its first rate-hiking cycle since 2015-18. How will hedge funds adjust to the new reality? And what's Chris hearing from hedge-fund insiders about inflation, markets, specific assets, and the economy? Drop your questions for Chris on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3H0f611 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“GOLD.” That’s it; that’s the tweet Jared Dillian has published twice in the last couple days, as the yellow metal has surged more than 2%. A store of value (and a medium of exchange) for millennia, gold didn’t respond as inflation fears swelled during 2021. Now that the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index are hitting multi-decade highs, though, alongside still-rising tension in Eastern Europe, it’s back in favor. Dillian, editor of The Daily Dirtnap, says 30% of his portfolio is made up of gold, silver, and precious-metals miners. And two weeks ago he tweeted, “I have a hunch that what’s coming next will make it feel like it’s not enough.” Dillian joins Real Vision Daily Briefing host Ash Bennington to talk about gold and why it remains a sound investment. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3GREEgR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As detailed in the just-released minutes of the January meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, U.S. central bankers are going to tighten faster than they did during their last rate-hiking cycle. And they’ve accelerated plans to shrink the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. Still, Jerome Powell and company will be challenged to rein in inflation while keeping both investors and consumers happy. Meanwhile, Darius Dale sees in the January Producer Price Index data some light at the end of the tunnel, as the numbers suggest global supply-chain and inflation pressures may be abating. Dale, founder and CEO of 42 Macro, joins Real Vision’s Ash Bennington to talk about the big picture, including the question of whether the January stock selloff was merely prologue to a more serious crash later in 2022. Weston Nakamura joins to preview the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meeting, which kicks off tomorrow in Jakarta, Indonesia. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https

The Producer Price Index, a measure of wholesale prices and a key input for consumer prices, rose 1% in January, doubling the 0.5% consensus forecast. The PPI was up 9.7% year over year, easing from the 13-year-high readings of 9.8% for the previous two months. Increases were registered across the board, but goods prices continue to lead services prices. It’s more fodder for a Federal Reserve poised to start raising interest rates next month. Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has ordered some troops be pulled back from positions along the Ukrainian border and has committed to further diplomatic talks with the U.S. Equity indexes surged on apparent easing of tensions in Eastern Europe, while crude oil and natural gas prices slid on the news. Tony Greer, founder of TG Macro and editor of the Morning Navigator newsletter, joins Real Vision’s Alfonso Peccatiello to discuss today’s developments. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3gQ2miK Learn more about your ad choic

Equity indexes faded into the close today, as investors continue to weigh prospects for a diplomatic solution to the simmering problem in Eastern Europe. U.S. President Joe Biden issued an ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is shuttling between Kyiv and Moscow Monday and Tuesday. Meanwhile, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard reiterated his hawkish stance on inflation, noting that it may be necessary to “front-load” interest-rate hikes. But the Bank of Japan remains on the side of easy money and “yield curve control.” This divergence among central banks could have major ramifications for stock prices, particularly high-growth tech names, as Weston Nakamura explains to Real Vision’s Ash Bennington in today’s Daily Briefing. Be sure to watch Weston's YouTube video here: https://rvtv.io/3uJCXj4. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3oPv7Ax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a

Renowned author, professional trader and quantitative analyst Euan Sinclair describes the subtle difference between inefficiency and risk premium in options and markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inflation is rampant globally, and the world’s major central banks are all taking decisive measures to tighten policy in their respective ways, with the exception of one major developed market central bank: the Bank of Japan. Weston Nakamura is based in Tokyo, Japan and has been monitoring, analyzing and trading the BOJ throughout Governor Kuroda’s controversial tenure, and explains how the Bank of Japan’s Yield Curve Control policy has enabled the other major central banks and governments from making tough decisions and allowed for them to keep monetary and fiscal policy loose by “exporting low yields.” Weston also warns of a major potential inflection point ahead, as global central banks retreat from policy accommodation, leaving the BOJ the sole source of policy continuity in the QE-era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices