Wealth
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Geopolitical Instability in the Middle East Boosts Big Oil Profits as Conflict Escalates Risks to the Global Economy
Transnational oil giants have become one of the few beneficiaries of the Israeli-Kazakhstan conflict. On October 16, 2023, Shell Oil’s stock price hit a record high in the London stock market, rising as much as 1.5%. Shares of Exxon Mobil and Chevron also rose in New York on the same day. Other oil companies, including BP, Total, and Eni, were also “pleased” to see their stock prices rise on this day. The stock prices of these oil majors are soaring, naturally because of rising oil prices. Since Hamas’s sudden attack on Israel on October 7, Brent crude oil has risen by more than 7%, once rising to more than $91…
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Analyzing Discrepancies Within the Strong Yet Complex US Economic Recovery
Since the beginning of this year, the U.S. economy has not experienced the recession expected by the market, but has maintained rapid growth. However, this is contrary to the deterioration of some data indicators. Some people believe that the US data is suspected of “falsification”. In order to understand reality objectively and accurately, we must first avoid preconceived conclusions. In fact, the current U.S. economy shows certain characteristics of recession, that is, different industries have alternately weakened under the pressure of the Federal Reserve’s continued interest rate hikes, but the overall economy has remained at a relatively stable level. This exactly explains the contrast between weaker US data and stronger…
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Brazil’s Quest for Regional Leadership: The Concentric Circle Strategy
Since the end of the Cold War, Brazil has been seeking to play a leading role in regional affairs. Based on its special relationship with Argentina, it has formed the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the Union of South American Nations, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). ) as the main content of the “concentric circle” regional diplomatic structure. However, due to its lack of political and economic strength, it is difficult for Brazil to continue to play a stable and leading role in regional affairs. Lula will serve as President of Brazil again in 2023 and strives to revitalize regional cooperation, but the prospects are not…
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5 Insights Chinese Family Offices Can Gain from Studying the Yale Endowment Model to Effectively Manage Long-Term Wealth
In 36 years, the assets increased 40 times. The Yale University Endowment Fund Model (referred to as the “Yale Model”) has always outperformed other investment institutions with its excellent performance. As a “revolutionary paradigm” in the investment community, the Yale model has also been imitated by other investment institutions. Many Chinese family offices regard the Yale model as a model. However, we found in recent research that the Yale model is actually difficult to simply “copy” to Chinese family offices. The Yale model is hard to copy Zhang Lei, founder of Hillhouse Capital, once said in the book “Value”, “I began to think about how to build an investment institution…
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Is the US Economy More Resilient to Interest Rate Hikes Than We Think?
The market is cheering on the prospect of a “soft landing” for the U.S. economy. Stock and bond markets have risen strongly recently. Better-than-expected consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) are the catalysts behind the market rise. These data Investors have raised hopes that U.S. inflation can be contained without the economy slipping into recession. For many, the surprise was not the fall in inflation but the resilience of the U.S. economy, whose arrival had long been predicted. Falling prices for oil, food and other commodities have already pointed to a slowdown in overall inflation in 2023, after last year’s price surge related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.…
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CEOs Weigh In on Economic Outlook: Soft Landing or Recession?
Elon Musk isn’t the only one who wishes he had a crystal ball to see what the future holds. Many prominent executives admitted on second-quarter earnings calls that the direction of the U.S. economy is difficult to judge, although many executives are optimistic that the United States will avoid a severe recession this year, or even next year. Musk said on Tesla’s (TSLA) earnings call: “Sometimes it feels like the world economy is going to collapse, but then the next day, everything seems to be fine again, and frankly, I don’t I don’t know what’s going on right now.” Many investors can relate to what Musk said, and so do…
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Monster Beverage Stock: Ready to Resume Winning Streak?
While past returns are no guarantee of future returns, the possible exception is energy drink company Monster Beverage (MNST), which is about to resume its 25-year winning streak after a recent pause in gains. Over the past twenty-five years, Corona, Calif.-based Monster Beverage has outperformed not only beverage companies like Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP) and Boston Beer (SAM), but also tech giants Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft ( MSFT), with an annual return of 58%, the highest annual return among U.S. companies in the past 25 years. Monster Beverage’s second-quarter financial results announced on August 4, 2023 were mediocre, and its stock price fell by nearly 5%. However, the company’s growth…
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How Disruptive Pricing Strategies Help Brands Increase Consumer Surplus and Drive Growth
During an exchange, I encountered two brands with completely opposite market behaviors. One is a cutting-edge seasoning brand. In order to create high-quality products, the brand founder invested heavily in product research and development and raw materials, and finally developed a product that has almost no rivals on the market. However, when preparing to go on sale, we found that since the cost of this product was much higher than that of its peers, it would definitely suffer a loss if it was sold according to the current price range in the industry. But in the end, the founder chose to compromise and sell at the most expensive price generally…
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How to Address the Quandaries of the Financial System
How do we address the quandaries of the financial system? Numerous experts assert their knowledge about rendering the financial system advantageous to us—no crises, robust returns on investments, and formidable economic growth. Hopefully, their pronouncements shall materialize. While we may desire to have our cake and partake of it, there always exists a trade-off between safety and risk. All simplistic solutions highlight the most conspicuous exogenous risks, yet they disregard the sinister forces that underlie tail risks and crises. Before it is too tardy, we possess intelligent methodologies to attain the desired outcomes. These matters shall be expounded upon in meticulous detail, distilled into a handful of principles that propel…