Featured

May 2020

How WTI Oil Became A Game Of Hot Potato

2020-09-11T05:27:00+00:00

Guest post by The Duomo Initiative.  If there’s one thing we’ve learned recently, it’s that some things which start off small and local can become a global problem very quickly. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise you when I say that a small town in Oklahoma with a population of fewer than 8,000 was [...]

How WTI Oil Became A Game Of Hot Potato 2020-09-11T05:27:00+00:00

Betting On Britain – Is The FTSE A Good Representation?

2020-09-11T05:27:11+00:00

Guest post by The Duomo Initiative.  Having declined over 30% from its peak during the onset of COVID-19, the FTSE 100, like most major stock indexes, has been garnering a lot of attention. It's hardly surprising, considering a drop of 20% or more is considered to be a bear market. The FTSE 100 is the the UK's [...]

Betting On Britain – Is The FTSE A Good Representation? 2020-09-11T05:27:11+00:00

April 2020

Just How Bad Is Unemployment In The US?

2020-09-11T05:27:38+00:00

Guest post by The Duomo Initiative.  Back in January, Wilbur Ross, the US Commerce Secretary, believed that COVID-19 would accelerate the return of jobs to the US. Unfortunately, as the economy comes to a standstill, businesses close their doors and people are asked to stay at home, it seems the very opposite is taking place. [...]

Just How Bad Is Unemployment In The US? 2020-09-11T05:27:38+00:00

April 2018

Petro-Yuan: The Death of US Dominance?

2020-04-11T17:34:56+00:00

To understand the recent situation regarding China and the oil industry, it is important to note some key points that put things into context: Oil is the most traded commodity in the world. China is the world's largest consumer of oil. They only became the largest importer of oil in 2016, before that it was [...]

Petro-Yuan: The Death of US Dominance? 2020-04-11T17:34:56+00:00

Understanding the US Interest Rate Hikes

2020-04-11T18:01:07+00:00

On Wednesday 21 March, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) announced they would raise the interest rates by 0.25 % to a new target range between 1.5 % and 1.75 %. The FOMC argues that compared to its last meeting in January 2018, the economic activity and labor market [...]

Understanding the US Interest Rate Hikes 2020-04-11T18:01:07+00:00

US & China Trade Tariffs: An Escalating Situation

2020-04-11T18:01:16+00:00

On Tuesday 3rd April, the U.S. released its initial list of 1,333 Chinese products that would be subject to a 25% tariff of roughly $50 billion. This includes products such as raw materials, construction machinery, agricultural equipment, electronics, medical devices and consumer goods. There will be a 60-day comment period, during which time businesses and [...]

US & China Trade Tariffs: An Escalating Situation 2020-04-11T18:01:16+00:00

March 2018

Are Quant Hedge Funds Suffering?

2020-04-11T18:05:06+00:00

In recent years, large segments of hedge funds had been struggling with poor performance, thanks to the low volatility environment we had been seeing in the markets. This was even beginning to lead to a lot of client fund redemptions. However, in February we finally saw volatility make a dramatic shift and move heavily upwards. [...]

Are Quant Hedge Funds Suffering? 2020-04-11T18:05:06+00:00

February 2018

Last Look

2019-11-05T12:49:44+00:00

The British Investment Association issued guidelines that will address concerns about the transparency of forex trading, particularly with the use of ‘Last Look’. This is something that asset managers had been complaining about, since it potentially means banks can misuse trade information to gain an unfair advantage. This also means asset managers cannot serve their [...]

Last Look 2019-11-05T12:49:44+00:00

The ‘short vol’ Trade

2018-02-11T20:17:22+00:00

In this article, we analyse the disastrous ‘short vol’ trade that wiped out a lot of traders last week and draw some lessons learned from it.   The VIX is the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index. It shows the expected 30-day volatility of the S&P 500 by calculating the implied volatilities on options relating [...]

The ‘short vol’ Trade 2018-02-11T20:17:22+00:00

Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Without the Hype – and What They Mean for the Private Wealth Industry

2018-02-11T20:26:24+00:00

Guest post by Vladimir Dimitroff with Dr Alexander Cassar. . . . It is impossible today to open any news source without a headline (or several) about Bitcoin and related matters jumping out at the reader and loudly demanding attention. It is no longer the domain of techno geeks or shady characters trading in illicit [...]

Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Without the Hype – and What They Mean for the Private Wealth Industry 2018-02-11T20:26:24+00:00