CULTURE & SOCIETY | TECHNOLOGY | ECONOMICS OF CONNECTEDNESS
Shifts of Seasons: Seeds of Hope and Creativity (II)
The times we are going through feel intensely uncertain. Environmental uncertainties, economic turmoil, and geopolitical fragmentation are all signs of powerful forces pushing on these barren branches, carried by trees that look dead. But just like in the middle of...
Shifts of Seasons (I)
“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.” ~~~ Yoko Ono I thought I should start today’s post with this poem....
Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria: How you can help
As international aid begins to flow, NGOs are also working to help the victims of the violent earthquakes that have struck Türkiye and Syria. If you live outside of Türkiye and Syria, you are probably wondering how you can best help. International aid is already...
Let’s Create Peace Together
It’s been a long time since I realized we had not heard from each other. My last post was on July 31, 2022. I was focusing back then on digital transformation and the impact it was likely to have on inflation. Almost six months later, I realized that the highlight on...
The Deus Ex Machina of Digital Transformation: Leading to More Inflation
So, it looks like we are deliberately making the choice to use technology and the almighty digital power of big data to somehow connect everything that can be connected. And the story goes that this alone will allow us to save electricity and water, make us more...
The Deus Ex Machina of Digital Transformation, Is It Really Going to Save Us ?
With the current digital transformation initiatives across the globe, we are currently dreaming of a world where artificial intelligence will eventually create a world self organized around the goals of efficiency and greater productivity. And we are engaged on this...
The Euro at $1; The Tipping Point of Things to Come ( III )
So in my last post, I left you with these increased risks of foreign exchange controls, imposition of restrictions on the flow of capital or on investment, possibly higher taxes on savings. And I was telling you that these risks cannot be ignored. It’s not so...
The Euro at $1; The Tipping Point to the Times to Come ( II )
Week after week, it feels like the Eurozone is inching closer to the brink. Of course, there is still a lot of denial. We are made to believe that all is well in the best of all possible worlds. But the danger of fragmentation and dislocation within the Euroarea is...
The Euro below $1: The Tipping Point to the Times to Come (I)
The last time the Euro was at perfect parity with the US$ was a little less than 20 years ago, in November 2002. And here we are again. All it took is just a few weeks to get back to that parity. At the same time, the last few weeks also reflect nothing more than the...
The Fragmented Dislocation of the Global Rubik’s Cube
In recent weeks we have had the G7, the NATO summit, the BRICS summit, and the G20. All these meetings have had the merit of revealing more clearly a world in even greater fragmentation than just a few weeks ago. These are all the various facets of an increasingly...
The Fragmentation of the World
The fragmentation continues. Political fragmentation in France, societal fragmentation in the United States, monetary and financial fragmentation in the euro zone with this ongoing bond crisis. In the United States, the Supreme Court's decision to give states the...
France: Fragmentation at the National Assembly
I was telling you about fragmentation yesterday, in the global economy and in financial markets. Tonight in France, we are witnessing a manifestation of that fragmentation in the political sphere. We already knew that the newly reelected French President Emmanuel...
Fragmentation, From One Crisis to Another
“Fragmentation”, that’s the new word we keep hearing more and more. From the IMF which is warning us about the fragmentation of the financial markets, of the global trading systems, of the supply chains. We heard it again this week from the European Central Bank which...
France: Further Thoughts on the Rubik’s Cube of French Politics
We are still few days away from the second round and the key highlight of the first round was abstention at a record 52.5%. At the presidential election, we saw the emergence of 3 blocks, while at the current parliamentary election, we see 2 blocs (Listen further...
France: After the First Round of General Elections
The left wing during this first round of the general elections in 2022 is not all similar to 2017. Back in 2017, the left wing was disorganized and had no coordination. That’s not what happened this time in 2022, (listen further here). La France insoumise (LFI), the...
France: Countdown to General Election, June 12
Here we are a few days away from the first round of the general elections in France. As you know, we had presidential elections at the end of April which reelected President Macron for a second 5 year term (listen further here). Now we have to go through general...
“Cinema, a Weapon of Massive Emotions to Awaken our Consciousness”(III)
One of the images that struck me the most in the movie HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand is when witnessing the declining levels of rivers and water tables. Only to learn that the water feeds oranges or other fruits. In order to increase the level of hard currency...
“Cinema, a Weapon of Massive Emotions to Awaken our Consciousness”… (II)
We talked about four movies in my previous post. And now you might be wondering where the fifth one is. The fifth one is ARRIVAL which came on the screens in 2016. It shook my perception of the world as well and probably will leave a long lasting mark for quite a...
“Cinema, a Weapon of Massive Emotions to Awaken our Consciousness”… (I)
For the next few days, I am inviting you to a movie exploration. The kind of exploration that you probably have not heard about anywhere else. The five movies I am about to elaborate around have made a major impact on my understanding of the world that we live in. Of...
From Reserve Currencies to the The Cannes Festival
I have been telling you a lot about the technical aspects of the economy and money in the last few weeks. I have also been sharing a lot of thoughts about supply chains and how they are on the verge of reshaping the world. These are indeed all aspects of a world in...
The US$ Reserve Status; Likely to Last a Lot Longer …
What I'm about to share with you right now is kind of contrary to most of the views that you keep hearing regarding the status of the dollar. More and more, you keep hearing that the dollar is going to lose its status. When it comes to this point, I have to admit that...
Supply Chains in Motion, The Disruptions that are Changing the World ( III)
In a previous post, I was highlighting the three major trends to watch right now: 1) The fragmentation of the world and the deglobalization happening now 2) The new global value chains likely to emerge 3) The flow and direction of foreign direct investments Few weeks...
The SDR New Weights Confirm Leading Role of US$
In my series related to inflation and reserve currencies, I was thinking about providing you with some updates, and “voilà”, it just so happens that the IMF just updated these weights over the weekend. The criteria to determine such weights are very simple. The SDR...
European Union: Macron’s Oath of Strasbourg (II)
What is happening this week at the European level is crucial. I already told you about Macron’s speech this Monday in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament. Macron made proposals that are heading towards a multi-speed Europe, with the introduction of a novel...
European Union: Macron’s “Oath of Strasbourg” (I)
Something major happened this Monday in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament. As President of the European Union Council and as a newly re elected French President, Emmanuel Macron delivered a major speech, the kind of speech that everybody will remember....
France: Countdown to the 3rd Round, National Assembly Elections
Today is May 8, 2022. It’s an important date because it’s a commemoration of the end of second world war. We are also two weeks after the second round of the French presidential elections, and the picture is getting a lot clearer. The three major pillars that emerged...
Inflation: The 7 Sisters ( V ) or The Countdown to July 31, 2022
The currency tensions taking place right now are forcing us to make a review of the undercurrents at work right now. Just like the great streams that are covering our planet in the atmosphere and stratosphere, we need to take a look and understand these forces. One of...
Labor Day and May 1
Today is May 1, 2022. And across Europe, it’s a special day which is actually the Labor Day of Europe. In 1889, the Marxist International Socialist Congress established it as a day for the working-class. Back then, it’s was meant to be a day of demonstration to demand...
The Shifting Sands of Growth and Inflation
Economic numbers are starting to come out now for the first quarter of 2022. We are starting to get a picture of what impact the current geopolitical turmoil is causing to the world and it does not look good at all. (Listen HERE) First, let’s talk about Inflation. For...
Supply Chains in Motion, The Disruptions that are Changing the World (II)
Few days ago, I had a chance to talk to you about the shifting shapes of global supply chains given the current conditions. Many signals are noticeable and I highlighted just a few of them. The phosphate and fertilizers current tensions which are likely to have a...
Supply Chains in Motion, The Disruptions that are Changing the World (I)
We can all see that supply chains across all industries and value chains are in the process of complete transformation. They are shaken as we speak. It would take hours of presentation that only an in-depth course would be able to perform. So at this point, I am only...
France: Macron 2 and the Rubik’s Cube of French Politics
Today is April 25, 2022. That’s it. The vote is done. Yesterday was the big date and Macron won with a large cushion. Like every presidential election, the election played itself out the whole evening with political analysis and projections. As soon as the result was...
France: Minus 2 Days, The Rubik’s Cube of French Politics in the Weeks to Come
Today is April 22, 2022. And we are 2 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. Ahead of Sunday’s second round, the latest polls seem to indicate that Macron is strengthening his lead. As I said in a previous post, the next battle will be...
France: Minus 3 Days, The Rubik’s Cube of French Politics in the Weeks to Come
We are 3 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. The big debate is now over. It’s not my role here to make a review of the weaknesses and strengths of that exercise. There are plenty of articles and reviews that will closely analyze what...
France: Minus 4 Days, The Third Round Conundrum or the Third Man
Today is April 20, 2022. And we are 4 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. Today is the big debate. It’s a major ritual. Every presidential election has one and this year is expected to be closely watched given the current context....
France: Minus 5 Days, Ahead of the April 20 Debate
Today is April 19, 2022. And we are 5 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. Three key developments to watch; Part of the campaign where programs are compared Debate tomorrow Wednesday April 20; What will France’s position be on Monday...
France: Minus 6 Days, The Rassemblement National Chocolate Factory
Today is April 18, 2022. And we are 6 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. Today is also Easter Monday, and for most of us, we have been indulging in sweetness and chocolate. Children are happy and playing in gardens looking around...
France: Minus 7 Days, The Mélenchon Voters are at the Heart of this Election
Today is April 17, 2022. And we are 7 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. Yesterday, Emmanuel Macron made the following statement: He said that his next Prime Minister will be directly in charge of planning for ecology. That’s a major...
France: Minus 8 Days, Sovereignty of the European Union and Sovereignty of Nations
Now that we have set the stage of the political landscape after this first round, last week, let’s take a deeper dive into the candidates' programs regarding Europe. What kind of project do they have regarding Europe? You may have noticed that as a president of the...
France: Minus 9 Days; The 57% Euroskeptic Segment (II)
Today is April 15, 2022. And we are 9 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. Since Sunday’s first round, many polls have flourished. The question that has attracted the most interest since then has to do with the potential behavior of...
France: MINUS 10 Days; The 57% Euroskeptic Segment (I)
Today is April 14, 2022. And we are 10 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections (Listen here). You remember few days ago I had mentioned to you an article from Le Monde, few days only prior to the first round. It was highlighting how a...
France: MINUS 11 Days, A Look into How Mélenchon’s Voters Could Behave
Today is April 13, 2022. And we are 11 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections (Listen here). And today, I want to continue to talk about the voters who chose the Left Wing candidate Melenchon. Indeed, it’s crucial to explore the logic of...
France: MINUS 12 Days to the Second Round of the Presidential Election
Today is April 12, 2022. And we are 12 days away from the second round of the French Presidential elections. Given Left Wing Jean Luc Melenchon’s result of 22% on Sunday in a very close third spot, as expected, all the attention is on how his voters are going to...
France: MINUS 13 to the Second Round
So the first round of the French Presidential elections is now revealing a more distinct picture of what really happened yesterday (listen here). Once again, let me remind you the results; 28% for President Macron and 23.3% for Marine Le Pen. They both qualify for the...
France: Highly Uncertain Presidential Elections
The first round of the French Presidential elections delivered its verdict (Listen here); 28% for President Macron and 23.3% for Marine Le Pen. They both qualify for the second round on April 24. The world was already watching for that first round and will be even...
Inflation: The 7 Sisters (IV) or Tales about BRICS
Let’s take a look at the reserve currencies held by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). As we said earlier, the BRICS alone hold one third of all reserve currencies held in the world. So it’s a very concentrated picture of these holdings (Listen...
Inflation: The 7 Sisters (III) or Tales about Reserve Currencies
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, prices are rising. They have been doing so already from the end of 2021 as the world was finding its way out of the pandemic (listen to the podcast here). But just as if this was not enough, the war is bringing another layer of...
Inflation: The 7 Sisters (II)
It’s now becoming very clear that the current conflict in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions against Russia are starting to have a much more violent impact on prices, and that the effect will be a lot more prolonged and protracted than anticipated. (Listen to the...
Learning from Each Others’ Cultures
This war in Ukraine is reminding me how two countries, Russia and Ukraine, belong to rich and extraordinary cultures. They are part of the tapestry of wonderful cultures in humankind in all its diversity and wonderful richness (listen to podcast here). So, this...
Sanctions, Political Impact and Further Points to Consider
German Think Tanks have built a long tradition of credibility and in-depth wisdom in the last few decades. When one of these institutes releases a report with insights regarding our world, everyone pays attention (Listen further here). That’s the kind of attention we...
Accelerating Acceleration and Inflection Points of History
Up to a few days ago, prior to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, one of the most practical skills in this modern age of technology was to be able to predict the future (Listen to the podcast here). In a world that seems to be evolving at the speed of light, all of us...
Inflation: The 7 Sisters
As you know, we have been paying a lot of attention to inflation behavior. We have already been warning how the FAO index of food prices is now surpassing where it stood 10 years ago. In fact, in real terms, that index is now even at the peak witnessed in the mid...
Dislocations and Emerging Paradigms
We are slowly realizing the emergence of new paradigms after few days of major shifts and since the start of the war in Ukraine, (Listen here). These new paradigms are multi-faceted; New energy paradigm; until now, gas was seen as a transition energy towards a...
Climate Change, Refugee Crisis and Food Prices
We are just about to move out of a major health crisis and war is erupting in Europe. Meanwhile, France, one of the leading countries in the world, and a member of the security council, is also preparing to elect its new head of state in less than 40 days (listen to...
Global Shifts on Many Levels
Few days ago, the world woke up with the kind of headaches that may take quite a while to dissipate, the kind of headaches that indicates a much deeper disease than a simple transitory pain that we all have from time to time and that goes away on its own (Listen to...
Our Spaceship Earth
I am inviting you to put your mind in a space that is different from the surrounding noise. The conversations in the last 2 days have been revolving around the same concerns regarding war. Let’s take a step back. In the last few days, I kept going back to the...
Calling Upon the Great Universal Minds
The current news is very disturbing, so it is not my goal here to comment further, once more about what is unfolding under our eyes. I do believe however that we need to elevate ourselves above what is happening, and find ways to reach out to new gateways of...
Happy New Year of the Tiger and Other Thoughts about Cars (III)
This a follow up to the post I did 10 days ago on February 12 and entitled “Happy New Year of the Tiger and Other Thoughts about Cars” ( II ). If you have not listened yet to the first episode of that very series called “Happy New Year of the Tiger and Other Thoughts...
From the Fear of Deflation to the Fear of Inflation: The Pendulum Has Swung
So as I said before, that decade between 1973 and 1982 really defined the oil era. It then led to war between Iran and Iraq while the Federal Reserve embarked on an unprecedented tightening of interest rates. To this day, his aggressive initiatives are praised as a...
Inflation: The Decade That Defined Oil.
Now that we set the stage in the previous posts, let me go back to that personal experience regarding inflation. (Listen the podcast post here) I told you how that there can be a gap between what the average statistics tell us officially and what people actually feel....
Inflation: “The whole of the object is not grasped in the palm.”
Just like when you are driving your car, you need to watch the needle to be aware of your speed, the rounds per minute to understand if your engine is overheating or not. (Listen to the podcast post here). The most widely used indicators on that Dashboard are usually...
Inflation; Why It Matters for our Self-expression
The current inflation tensions bring us back to the past. For those of you who are old enough to remember, you’d have to go back to the early 80s and even the 70s. That’s if you lived in a developed country like the US or Europe which was only a part of the world but...
Happy New Year of the Tiger and Other Thoughts About Cars (II)
This morning, I was taking a walk and looked at the street that was unfolding in front of me. And I tried to imagine what that street looked like 200 or 300 years ago. Suddenly I realized that all these houses and concrete were sitting in a landscape that was probably...
Happy New Year of the Tiger and Other Thoughts about Cars (I)
“Put a Tiger in your tank” said that advertising for a famous chain of gas stations, and Muddy Waters even wrote a song with the same title. It defined a whole era, a whole global culture of mobility for billions of people. So when I watched the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
The Rattling Sound of the Inflationary Snake
Two days ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations published its Food Price Index. Like every analyst and observer these days, I think it’s crucial to pay attention to these developments. And I have been telling you how central banks have been...
Moments of Crisis, Moments of Realizations
With the current COVID-19 pandemic, "crisis" and “resilience” remain some of those words that you can hear all around these days. From the sanitary crisis that we are all experiencing at a global level, to the brewing geopolitical tensions already under way, there is...
In the Shadow of the Curse; Inflation
The current rise of prices in food and energy continues to catch the attention of everyone here in Europe and in other parts of the world. It just so happens that for Europe and France in particular this is the time of a presidential election while for the US the...
The Story of a Mao Styled Jacket and “The End of History”
Today I’d like to talk about fashion. We just heard that Manfred Thierry Mugler died at the age of 73. As I was taking my breakfast this morning and heard this news, many thoughts went through my mind and brought me back to these 80s and 90s, which were decades of...
Cultural Preservation, The Bedrock of the Creative Sector
Today I would like to talk to you about a very dear subject which is Cultural and heritage preservation. I think it is crucial for humanity and our planet. But let me start with some key data here. Globally, the share of people living in an urban...