Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – The US Geopolitical and Economic Bloc as an Investment Region (August 5, 2024)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF More than a decade ago, we at Confluence began describing how United States voters have become more reluctant to shoulder the costs of global hegemony. We’ve shown how increased populist isolationism in the US and other Western nations helped embolden Chinese General Secretary Xi, Russian President Putin, and other… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – Meet Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines (July 22, 2024)
by Daniel Ortwerth, CFA | PDF Seven short weeks ago, we published a report on the brewing tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, focusing on their dispute over the Second Thomas Shoal. Despite the tight time interval since that report, the brisk pace of continuing developments in the area and… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – The EU Parliamentary Elections: New Strength for the Right (July 1, 2024)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF In early June, voters across Europe cast ballots for their representatives to the European Parliament, an institution likely unfamiliar to most Americans. Even among the few who may know of it, we suspect many don’t really understand it or other top European Union institutions. In this report, we offer… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – Mid-Year Geopolitical Outlook: Uncertainty Reigns (June 17, 2024)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA, Thomas Wash, Daniel Ortwerth, CFA, and Bill O-Grady | PDF As the first half draws to a close, we typically update our geopolitical outlook for the remainder of the year. This report is less a series of predictions as it is a list of potential geopolitical issues that we believe will… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Philippines, China & Escalation in the South China Sea (June 3, 2024)
by Daniel Ortwerth, CFA | PDF On the short list of seemingly constant topics in the news today is the rising tension between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Across the spectrum of issues, disagreement between these two great powers seems increasingly unavoidable. Geopolitical developments in every corner of the globe often… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Great COVID Labor Reform (May 20, 2024)
by Patrick Fearon-Hernandez, CFA | PDF The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 is now starting to fade from memory. Four years after the sudden outbreak of the disease sparked mass economic shutdowns, mask wearing, and millions of deaths, it’s tempting to think the crisis is becoming just another episode of history. However, the pandemic clearly led… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – Middle East: Land of Fault Lines (May 6, 2024)
by Daniel Ortwerth, CFA | PDF Conflict in the Middle East is one of the most persistent themes in current events. Not only is this true today, but Middle Eastern discord has dominated the news flow throughout most of our lives. At Confluence, we recognize that this enduring pattern of strife reveals the presence of… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – The Changing Face of War (April 22, 2024)
by Daniel Ortwerth, CFA | PDF If the United States were at war with another great power, would we know it? How would we know it? These questions might seem absurd but consider that the US has not fought a war against a major world power since 1945. Meanwhile, when the US has engaged in… Read More »
Bi-Weekly Geopolitical Report – Is Japan Back? (April 8, 2024)
by Thomas Wash | PDF In the early 1960s, futurologist Herman Kahn boldly predicted Japan’s economic dominance. He envisioned the nation surpassing the United States in per-capita economic output by 1990 and matching its total economic output a decade later. Kahn’s vision seemed imminent, fueled by Japan’s rise as a major exporter of autos and… Read More »