When I was a student in college, I wanted to be a development economist. My initial inspiration came from learning about BRAC’s rural development programs in Bangladesh in the 1970s/80s and I went on to write my senior thesis investigating mission drift in microfinance institutions. Unfortunately, I wasn’t smart enough to do a PhD in […]

Apologies for the radio silence, it has been a rather hectic month with the start of preschool for my son, some overseas travel and then the whole family coming down with Covid. Things are now thankfully on the mend. On a separate note, I can’t believe we are almost halfway through the year already. Time […]

Readings/content links include Upstream Online on the growing risk of secondary sanctions for Kazakhstan, a Q&A with the portfolio managers of FSSA’s China Growth strategy, Peter Tasker assesses Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda’s 10-year tenure, insights from Platinum’s recent visit to Vietnam and Bloomberg on Zimbabwe’s reported plan to introduce a gold-backed digital currency. Upstream […]

Readings/content links include an interview with Peter Spiller (manager of the Capital Gearing Trust), Peter Tasker’s book review of Edward Chancellor’s “The Price of Time,” potential regulatory challenges for nuclear power in the US, Doug Saunders on the Vietnamese climate trap and Merryn Somerset Webb’s conversation with Duncan MacInnes. Macro Hive: Peter Spiller on value […]

Readings/content links include Jonathan Ruffer’s Q1 investment review, Russell Napier on financial repression and funding a green revolution, Nikkei Asia on Warren Buffett’s intention to add to his investments in Japan, Ben Nelson on the future of higher education and CGTN Europe’s conversation with Tim Clissold. Jonathan Ruffer: Q1 2023 investment review. Citywire: Financial repression […]

Readings/content links include an American journalist’s TSMC visit, John Hempton on AT1 bonds, a conversation with Hugh Dyus from the Navis Jockey Fund, Greg Miller on how the push to decarbonize shipping slowed tanker building to a trickle and IC’s interview with Joel Greenblatt. Wired: I saw the face of god in a semiconductor factory. […]

Readings/content links include Jokowi’s call to abandon foreign payment networks like MasterCard and Visa, Hosking Partners’ capital cycle analysis of the copper industry, Platinum Asset Management on energy transition opportunities, CNA’s interview with James Morton and Partners Capital & SMU on the Asia opportunity set. Asia News Network: Jokowi wants local governments to ditch Visa, […]

Readings/content links include the 2023 Ruffer Review, Weijian Shan on his book Money Machine, G&R’s latest natural resource market commentary, Sarah Garner on her journey from fashion buyer to founding Retykle and a conversation with Pico Iyer on his latest book The Half Known Life. Ruffer LLP: The Ruffer Review 2023. FCC Hong Kong: A […]

Readings/content links include Chris Wright’s new book on how Macquarie became a global giant, RIT Capital Partners’ 2002 annual report, Lee Robinson on Venezuelan sovereign debt, Kerr Neilson’s thoughts on Platinum Asset Management and Merryn Somerset Webb on the top takeaways from 300 years of financial advice. Euromoney: How Macquarie took on the world. Chris […]

One of the best books I read last year was Jonathan Kaufman’s The Last Kings of Shanghai, which tells the fascinating story of the rival Sassoon and Kadoorie families and how they helped shape twentieth-century Shanghai. Joseph Sassoon, a professor at Georgetown University, has written an even more recent book looking at how his distant […]