World Energy Outlook
On October 24, 2023, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its annual report, World Energy Outlook (WEO), to an international audience. The agency states that the energy world “remains fragile but has effective ways to improve energy security and tackle emissions.” Agency analysts looked at how close the countries of the world are to meeting the objectives of the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) Scenario, which limits global warming to 1.5 °C, a goal signed by many countries and often referred to as the Paris Agreement. [As of March 2021, 194 states and the European Union have signed the […]
Carbon Pricing
What is the best way to address climate change? If too much carbon is released in the air, how can emissions be reduced? By regulating corporations or by imposing costs on consumers in the form of a carbon tax? Moreover, even if a solution is found, not all nations, and not all people within nations, will agree on how to tackle the problem. In the words of Professor Barry Rabe, author of Can We Price Carbon? “Compelling ideas from economics do not necessarily suspend the laws of politics.” On May 4, 2023, Jessica Green, professor of political science at University […]
Chemistry and the Economy
Risks are multiplying and becoming more complex. The chemical industry is intrinsically connected to the economy. Can chemistry help solve the biggest crises facing us today? On December 15, 2022, the American Chemical Society hosted a virtual webinar, “Chemistry and the Economy.” The moderator was Bill Carroll, principal of Carroll Applied Science, who spoke to Paul Hodges, chairman of the Swiss-based strategy consulting firm New Normal. In speaking about risks, Hodges does not beat around the bush. He began with what he called “the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” He stated, “First there was the pandemic and associated supply chain […]
E-Growth in Emerging Markets
What is happening in emerging markets? Are there areas where an informed investor can make a profit? What are the pitfalls to avoid? On November 22, 2022, the CFA Society of Toronto hosted a virtual webinar, “Rethinking Emerging Markets: The Case for Growth & How to Capture It.” The speaker was Kevin T. Carter, the founder and Chief Investment Officer of EMQQ Global. Carter began by providing his background. “I pray toward Omaha,” he quipped, because he considers himself an active “value” investor first and foremost, along the lines of “the oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett. Carter has collaborated with […]
COP 26: The End Game
“The first week is usually a disappointment,” said Catherine Brahic, environment editor at the Economist magazine, “but this [second] week, the attendees are pushing ahead the goals. Now we are in the end game.” On November 11, 2021, the Economist magazine sponsored a webinar featuring two panellists: an editor and a science writer. Before an audience of thousands, each gave a firsthand account of what they had been seeing while they attended the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, commonly referred to as COP 26, in Glasgow, Scotland. “The drafts of the papers have come out—they look simple for starters,” Brahic said, […]
Update on the Jab
It’s a truism: bad health of the population, bad economy. What then is happening globally in the Covid-19 pandemic? When will things return to normal? The pandemic continues to rage in various parts of the world, affecting both developed and emerging markets. On July 7, 2021, The Economist, a magazine that has been running stories on vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic each week, sponsored a webinar featuring an editor and correspondent on the pandemic beat. Natasha Lode, health policy editor at the Economist, highlighted some recent issues. She is also host of the Economist’s podcast The Jab, whose tagline reads, […]
Covid Vaccines
“Be careful what you wish for,” the adage goes, “it might come true.” After a year of an ever-broadening pandemic, vaccines have arrived, and thus begins a new round of planning and negotiating. As the first covid-19 vaccines are rolled out across the world, the magazine the Economist assembled a panel on January 14, 2021, to reflect on the challenges. An audience of thousands tuned in as three seasoned journalists discussed global issues related to vaccine development, the risks of misinformation, and the expected impact of an uneven distribution process of vaccines. The panel moderator was Helen Joyce, executive editor for […]
Transforming Healthcare
Great strides have been made in medical treatments, pharmaceuticals and drug therapies, and patient recordkeeping – many of them by for-profit companies. How has the recent advent of Covid-19 shaped these developments? Last week, Pfizer was the first to announce a Covid-19 vaccine candidate. What new financial opportunities await? Three panellists convened on November 17, 2020, to discuss the transformation of healthcare, in a webinar sponsored by the Canadian Association of Alternative Strategies & Assets (CAASA). CAASA is a trade association representing alternative investment managers, service providers, and investors. The panel was moderated by Dr. Ted Witek, Health Care Advisor […]
Impact of Covid-19: Economics
How is the world grappling with the Covid-19 Pandemic, especially in the realm of economics? The magazine the Economist presented a webinar on July 30, 2020, titled “The Inside Story: The Impact of Covid-19.” Helen Joyce, executive editor for events at the Economist, interviewed a science writer and an economics editor. This is part two of a two-part summary of that webinar. The second panellist was Henry Cur, an economics editor. He said the economic crisis precipitated by the pandemic is markedly different from “garden variety recessions.” “The scale of unemployment is greater than the 2008 downturn,” he said, “and […]
New World Order 2
From state-owned enterprises to the Covid-19 pandemic, issues in China affect the Canadian investment environment and capital flow decisions. Given China’s ascendance in the global economy, what is the best strategy to ride the wave upward, too? What are potential danger areas? The following is the second half of a report on the webinar “New World Order: How China’s Rising Affects Investment Strategy” held on June 15, 2020, and sponsored by the CFA Society Toronto. Three panellists were interviewed by Tanya Lai, Managing Director, Public Equities, of the Investment Management Company of Ontario (IMCO). Lai noted there was increased scrutiny […]