“When Luka was four, I told his grandfather that soccer wasn’t ever going to be his thing,” said my buddy, an athlete. “He didn’t believe me. He couldn’t accept it. But I had. So I told him to go kick Luka a ball,” he explained, laughing. Grandad quickly concluded Luka should “stick to math.” Which is what he did, does. “As he grew, we spent our weekends exploring NY on the subway. Surfacing to look at monuments, sta

Hope all goes well… “How’d it go out there?” I asked Teddy, my third. He’d been playing lacrosse. And just dropped three passes in a row. But what he lacks in hand eye, he makes up for in attitude. Which is probably why his coaches keep him in. And while I can’t fathom that lacrosse is his thing, that’s really a question for him to answer. Something about himself to discover. “It was amazing Dad,” he exclaimed, eyes

“Central banks abroad are expected to pursue an expansionary monetary policy for a longer time,” announced Sweden’s Riksbank, justifying its 4th QE expansion and pushing out guidance for rate hikes, all in an effort to weaken the Kronor. Overnight Swedish rates are currently -0.35%, but were not always so. In 1992 the Riksbank raised overnight rates to a mind-bending 500% in a doomed effort to strengthen the Kronor.

“Wouldn’t you say the Japan experience resembles what’s happening all over the world?” asked the Scandinavian. Global interest rate and growth forecasts have been too high for seven years. “Are we consistently unlucky, or doing something systematically wrong?” continued the CIO. “And during this time, stimulus continually increased; we cut rates lower than forecast, printed money faster, and expanded global debts.” M

“When there’s a situation of high indebtedness, when inflation is very low, the burden of servicing the debt increases and that’s very detrimental to the economy,” warned Vitor Constancio, ECB vice-president, sitting beside Mario. “Policy accommodations must be re-examined in December,” followed Draghi, removing what little uncertainty remained that the Italian will lower interest rates below -0.20%, increase the pac

Hope all goes well… “August was a trap,” said Roadrunner, looking left and right. “Almost a mirage,” continued the market’s biggest equity volatility trader. “But something tells me it was like Bear Stearns in the summer of 2007.” Having sold vol heavily into the August panic, he’s just now reversing his book. “Buying some vol here, small though, we haven’t seen the capitulation.” VIX calls still trade at large premi

Hope all goes well… “So you must tell me, are all of them real?” asked the Dane. “Yoda, Roadrunner, Bulldog, all the others, every one of them, they’re real,” I answered, flattered he might think so many lively characters could swirl within one imagination. “Then I guess, the true question becomes what is real?” he said, playing. I smiled, “Indeed, that’s the most interesting question of all.” Overall: “In key areas

“I tell the bad boys to leave my little sister alone,” read the caption. The photograph, two young girls, orphaned street-dwellers, somewhere in Syria. I wandered through Fotografiska, a Stockholm gallery, embarking on my Nordic whirlwind. “Twenty-five thousand, and more come each day,” said the sympathetic statistician in Copenhagen, “In three years, just thirteen percent will find work; we pay for the rest of their

“In key areas of the country, the situation is still very fragile, and in some areas there is risk of deterioration,” said Obama, announcing his plan to extend our presence. The Taliban celebrated the one-year anniversary of Afghanistan’s presidential inauguration by taking Kunduz. Despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered, cave men retook the city they lost in 2001, released prisoners, slaughtered collaborators, then

Hope all goes well… “Healthcare tanks, some names fall 40%,” said the CIO, breathless. “Materials and energy rip higher,” he continued. “You’re short emerging markets, long developed markets, your whole book is upside down.” Everything that could go wrong is. “It has to wash its way through the market, which pushes others to cover.” People question themselves, their Fed view, China, commodities, the dollar. “Some gro