Inside Story, Southeast Asia
How are different parts of the world reacting to the Covid-19 Pandemic, and how does that affect those who must analyze and report on global geopolitical risk? Much depends on having a strong and trusted network of contacts, was the consensus of the panel convened by the magazine The Economist, which presented a webinar on May 28, 2020, titled “Inside Story: Reporting on the Covid-19 Pandemic Around the World.” Helen Joyce, executive editor for events at The Economist, interviewed two outstanding foreign correspondents, from vastly different parts of the world. She also ran a Q & A session with an […]
“Disasters Everywhere”
What is the cost of a disaster? What is the cost of the business cycle? Economically speaking, how do business cycles compare with disasters? The cost of business cycles and the gain to be had from stabilization policy is a highly controversial topic in macroeconomics. Some believe the welfare gains from stabilizing the business cycle are extremely low and therefore not worth the effort. “Depression prevention and stabilization policies are central to the discipline of macroeconomics,” conclude the authors of recent research published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. “Extreme and costly events are not the only reason […]
Handling cloud data
A silver lining of any crisis is that experts get a data point… or many data points, depending on what that crisis is. The lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, as bitter and hard-won as they might be, will find a use. It is the event that will test in real life whether the infrastructure already put in place will respond well. “Covid 19 is a black swan event,” said Patrick McFadin, Apache Cassandra and Developer Relations at DataStax. He was the second speaker for the webinar, “Cloud Native Data: The Foundation of Modern Business,” presented through The Briefing Room on […]
Wanted: Rubber bands
It’s the time of pandemic. Given the order to “shelter in place” throughout most of the developed world, how can global networks cope when the majority of the workforce is working remotely? For many knowledge workers, working remotely is not a new concept. “I’ve been working from home for twenty of the past thirty years,” said Eric Kavanagh, CEO of the independent research firm Bloor Group. “How to handle surges in traffic has been a topic of discussion for more than twenty years.” Kavanagh was the first speaker for the webinar, “Cloud Native Data: The Foundation of Modern Business,” presented […]
The Uninhabitable Earth
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells was launched a year ago—on February 19, 2019. It is both a travelogue of the near future and a meditation on how that future will look to those living through it—the ways that climate change promises to transform global politics, the meaning of technology and nature in the modern world, the sustainability of capitalism, and the trajectory of human progress. Interest has spread rapidly in the year since its publication. It was named one of the best books of the year by a host of top publications: The New Yorker, The New York Times […]
The Value of Data
What is the value of data? Who benefits from data? Can you construct a decent predictive model to manage risk if you have lousy data? Some enterprising souls have tried to sell their data back to the tech giants that collect and use big datasets. There are even some small companies such as CitizenMe and Datum that pay a user for taking a quiz or sending location data. “Data are far from becoming a standardized commodity whose value can readily be established through trades,” writes Diane Coyle, professor at University of Cambridge, in a report she tabled February 26, 2020, […]
A Good I.M. is Hard to Find
How does an investor stay on good terms with its investment manager firm (I.M.)? In the first half of his talk, Sidney Hardee, Managing Partner of Hardee Brothers, LLC., spoke about hiring and firing. In this, the second half, he comments on the search, fees, taxes, and complexity. He was the sole presenter at the one-hour webinar “Hiring and Firing Investment Managers” sponsored by the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute on January 15, 2020. Search Hardee distilled the search for the correct I.M. down into four questions. How will I identify good investment managers? How much will it cost to gain exposure? […]
Grown-ups in strategic positions
How does an investor approach the problems of hiring and firing the investment manager firm (I.M.)? “In general, the first thing is to understand who you are as a business,” advises Sidney Hardee, Managing Partner of Hardee Brothers, LLC. “You must understand this thoroughly before engaging an investment manager.” He was the sole presenter of the one-hour webinar “Hiring and Firing Investment Managers” sponsored by the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute on January 15, 2020. Characteristics of the I.M. What are the characteristics of a good investment manager firm? Organizational stability is key, Hardee said. “What is the structure of this organization, […]
Top 5 Trends in Risk Management
The champagne has been drunk, and the New Year has been rung in. What trends are predicted in risk management as we welcome the new decade? “In 2020, we’ll likely see significant changes in risk models, processes and functions,” predicts Brenda Boultwood, Risk Advisory Partner at Deloitte. As a senior expert in risk culture and corporate governance, she published an article online January 10, 2020, for the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP). We present the highlights and a link to the full article below. The three lines of defense business model, as we know it, will end This is actually […]
From brown energy to green
How will climate change affect the financial sector and the broader economy? What policy responses will mitigate climate change risks? Recently, the US Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) sponsored the first conference dedicated to exploring the economic and financial risks associated with climate change. “Climate change will have sweeping effects on our economy and financial system,” says the report summarizing the main themes of the conference. The report, released on December 16, 2019, was co-authored by Galina B. Hale, Òscar Jordà, and Glenn D. Rudebusch. Hale is a research advisor and Jordà and Rudebusch are both senior policy advisors at the Federal […]