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“Quit sneaking cigarettes, improve my Elvis impersonation, build more islands, suppress volatility,” said Xi Jinping to himself, completing his New Year’s resolutions. Hapless Beijing bureaucrats executed a flawless Chinese fire drill; introducing market controls, abolishing them, circling the car, ending where they started, driving stocks down 9.9%. “Learn to Twitter-tweet on the World Wide Web, remember my children

Week-in-Review: Mon: China industrial profits -1.4% (prev -4.6%), Japan retail sales -1.0% (IP +1.6%), Japan/Korea reach wartime “comfort women” accord, Iraqi forces recapture Ramadi, Saudi’s announce record deficit (unveil austerity program), S&P -0.2%; Tue: US warns EU over granting China market status, Erdogan accuses pro-Kurdish opposition leader of treason, Iran ships 11-tons of Uranium to Russia (fulfilling

Hope all goes well… Wishing you and your crew a fantastic 2016. Health, adventure, discovery, prosperity. Dusted off the only anecdote I never submitted to my Editor (see below). Back next Sunday with full wknd notes. Week-in-Review: Mon: China industrial profits -1.4% (prev -4.6%), Japan retail sales -1.0% (IP +1.6%), Japan/Korea reach wartime “comfort women” accord, Iraqi forces recapture Ramadi, Saudi’s announce r

Week-in-Review: Mon: Spain’s ruling conservatives lose parliamentary majority, German PPI -2.5%, Swiss M3 +2.7% (10mth high), EU consumer confidence weakens (Swedish jumps), Barbosa replaces Levy as Brazil Fin Min, Mexico retail sales +4.8%, Brent hits 11yr low ($36.05), SpaceX successfully lands 1st reusable rocket, Chicago activity index turns negative, S&P +0.8%; Tue: China unveils 2016 economic blueprint (emp

Hope all goes well… Dug up an old anecdote about magic (see below). Back Jan 10th with full weekend notes. Week-in-Review: Mon: Spain’s ruling conservatives lose parliamentary majority, German PPI -2.5%, Swiss M3 +2.7% (10mth high), EU consumer confidence weakens (Swedish jumps), Barbosa replaces Levy as Brazil Fin Min, Mexico retail sales +4.8%, Brent hits 11yr low ($36.05), SpaceX successfully lands 1st reusable ro

Hope all goes well… “Check the closets, under the beds, check every single hiding place,” ordered Teddy, tip toeing upstairs. “Here’s the thing Charlie, if we find presents, then there’s no Santa. And if we don’t, then we’ll know for sure he’s real,” continued my 10yr old, shaken by playground rumors, but still desperate to believe. Jackson overheard it all, and sprang to action, distracting Dumb and Dumber just long

Week-in-Review: Mon: China’s leader of the anti-gov’t “Rights Protection” movement goes on trial (gov’t intimidation), China retail sales +11.2% (IP +6.2%), Climate deal concluded (hold temperatures 2 degrees or lower below pre-industrial levels), 19 women win Saudi regional elections (but couldn’t drive themselves to polling stations), India wholesale prices -2.0% (CPI +5.41%), South Africa appoints 3rd Finance Mini

Hope all goes well… “You want to know the most interesting thing about next year?” asked Biggie Too, chief global strategist for one of Wall Street’s too big to fail affairs. I shook my head no. “They sent Biggie on a one-month global tour, put him on stage a hundred times; pensions, insurers, sovereigns, hedge funds, all the hustlers,” he boasted in baritone, flipping to third person. “And the most interesting thing

“To consider 2016, first review 2015,” said one of the industry’s top performing CIOs, years running. “Seven opportunities mattered; dollar vs low-yielding currencies, dollar vs high-yielding currencies, Greece this summer, German bunds in May/June, selling volatility in late-September, the run-up to the December ECB meeting, and Japan.” Of those seven, four required you to develop a macro view and three required you