Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Geopolitics of the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Part II (June 21, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF In Part I, we provided an overview of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, followed by reflections on organized crime and why ransomware has become so attractive to criminals. We also described Darkside, the firm involved in the attack. This week, we will conclude with a discussion of why this attack… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Geopolitics of the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack: Part I (June 14, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF On Thursday, May 6, 2021, hackers attacked the Colonial Pipeline, capturing data by infiltrating the company’s business software. In response, the company closed its 5,500-mile pipeline to assess the damage and protect critical infrastructure. Eventually, the company paid the ransom and service was restored. Although a criminal event usually doesn’t… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Taiwan and the Risk of Deglobalizing the World’s Semiconductor Industry: Part II (June 7, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF This series is written as a corollary to our recent multi-part WGR series titled “The Geopolitics of Taiwan,” published last month.[1] In Part I of this report, we showed how Taiwan and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM, $111.85) represent a key vulnerability in the global computer chip industry. … Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Taiwan and the Risk of Deglobalizing the World’s Semiconductor Industry: Part I (May 24, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF (Note: Due to the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, the next report will be published on June 7.) In our recent WGR series titled “The Geopolitics of Taiwan” (see Parts I, II, and III), we examined Taiwan’s geopolitical position in relation to China and the United States. We described how… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Geopolitics of Taiwan: Part III (May 17, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF In Part I of this report, we covered the history of Taiwan along with current relations between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC), and discussed the end of strategic ambiguity. In Part II, we analyzed the geopolitical importance of Taiwan and China’s military options. … Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Geopolitics of Taiwan: Part II (May 10, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF In Part I, we covered the history of Taiwan, current relations between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC), and closed with the end of strategic ambiguity. This week, we will analyze the geopolitical importance of Taiwan and the PRC’s military options with regard to… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Geopolitics of Taiwan: Part I (May 3, 2021)
by Bill O’Grady | PDF Tensions over Taiwan have been steadily escalating in recent years. When President Trump was elected in 2016, one of the first official contacts he made was with President Tsai Ing-wen, the leader of Taiwan. Accepting this call infuriated Beijing, which views Taiwan as a province of the People’s Republic of… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – Irish Border Revisited (April 26, 2021)
by Thomas Wash | PDF It has been more than a year since the U.K. and European Union (EU) came to terms with the Withdrawal Agreement, yet questions remain on how it will impact Northern Ireland, which was granted an exception to remain in the EU. Having decisively voted 56% to 44% to remain a… Read More »
Weekly Geopolitical Report – What Population Aging Means for Global Inflation and Growth (April 19, 2021)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF One key worry for investors these days is whether fiscal stimulus, loose monetary policy, and accelerating economic growth will spark runaway inflation. That concern has been a major factor in driving down fixed income prices and boosting bond yields since the start of the year. However, we’ve been arguing… Read More »