The Fed vs. Santa

In the run-up to last year’s festive period, many stock investors were eagerly anticipating their annual gift from Father Christmas – the Santa Claus rally.  This refers to a seasonal upwards trend in the US stock market during the last five trading days in December and the first two in January.  According to the Stock Trader’s Almanac, the S&P 500 historically tends to rise by an … Continue reading The Fed vs. Santa

China-US Trade Wars: What are the strategic reasons behind China’s stance?

The largest cause of shocks to worldwide stock markets in recent years – other than COVID 19 – has been the threat of the introduction and escalation of the trade war between the US and China. During this conflict, hundreds of billions of dollars have been wiped off the global economy, with the brunt of economic losses being felt by the US and China. In … Continue reading China-US Trade Wars: What are the strategic reasons behind China’s stance?

The Dark Side of the Belt and Road Initiative

The last 40 years have seen China’s GDP grow by a record 9.1% per annum, attracting a plethora of investors and businesses worldwide. With its newfound capital, it has gained international influence through trade and become the world’s largest trading partner in 2012. China seeks to optimize this trade network through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a scheme unveiled in 2013 by Chinese President … Continue reading The Dark Side of the Belt and Road Initiative

The Psychology of Investing

It is only recently that the concept of human nature has been applied to economics, yet its impact can be seen everywhere. Contradicting traditional economic theory, it is believed now that human nature is intrinsic in every action we take from the small scale to the large. The recent GameStop trend was fuelled by individual investors taking an opportunity to turn a profit and retaliate … Continue reading The Psychology of Investing

Private Tutoring – South Korea

South Korea is renowned for its rapid economic growth and successes in the manufacturing industries, such as Samsung, and education is considered to be one of the key drivers. Better quality education is related to higher GDP, increased productivity and rising wages due to the positive externalities that arise from its consumption. Furthermore, private tutoring (PT) is a crucial element of education in South Korea … Continue reading Private Tutoring – South Korea

Russia, 1998. What Went Wrong?

On the 13th of August, 1998, the stock, bond, and currency markets of a recently liberalised Russia collapsed. Confidence in the strength of the ruble and the Russian government plummeted. The stock market even closed for 35 minutes with stocks having lost 75% of their value since January of that year. 4 days later, Russia defaulted on their own state bonds and commercial banks declared … Continue reading Russia, 1998. What Went Wrong?

Can economic growth and environmental sustainability coexist?

Economic growth and environmental sustainability are two of the most widely discussed topics today. While both of these issues are extremely important and cannot be easily prioritised over one another, it is widely believed that trying to solve one issue can only negatively impact the other. The crucial nature of maximising economic growth and achieving environmental sustainability where GDP remains “3.1% below pre-pandemic levels”, and … Continue reading Can economic growth and environmental sustainability coexist?