The NFT Market: Rise and Fall

The outgoing 2022 was an extremely busy year for the non-fungible token market. From the unprecedented hype in the media and record deals on the stock exchanges to disappointment and incomprehension of what to do next.

Regulation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Challenges and Solutions

The ongoing evolution of the crypto-ecosystem provides new opportunities, but also presents new challenges and pitfalls. Unsecured crypto assets are the oldest and most popular type of crypto assets. Their value does not depend on any reserve asset, but on supply and demand.

Turkey is in anticipation of growth after the recovery

After a robust recovery in 2021, economic activity in Turkey is declining. Leading indicators such as consumer confidence and the PMI index signal a gradual slowdown of the economic growth.

What impact will the termination of Russian gas supplies have on the European economy?

We recognize an accomplished fact - the supply of Russian gas to Europe has already been significantly reduced. The possibility of a complete termination is not even considered as a minimally probable scenario, but quite real.

Why are supply chains torn and what consequences does it lead to?

The international supply chain which has been formed in recent decades seemed well-established and reliable. But the COVID-19 pandemic that swept almost the entire world in 2020 revealed serious vulnerabilities in the current situation.

How does the climate change affect the economies of the Middle East and Central Asia

Direct material damage from climate change in the Middle East and Central Asia has amounted to $2 billion per year since 2000. A 1 degree Celsius rise in temperature in the five hottest countries (Bahrain, Djibouti, Qatar, Mauritania and the United Arab Emirates) immediately reduces per capita economic growth by about 2 percentage points.

Health is the main thing. How can you earn money on it?

The past years, which have passed under the sign of a pandemic, have shown not only how important health issues are for a person, but also that you can make good money on it.

Diversification of the investment portfolio

The advice not to put all your eggs in one basket is known even to people who are far from investing. And if, in general, the rule does not cause controversy, then with regard to more detailed instructions on how to lay out, how to properly diversify your investment portfolio, there is no single correct solution.

Prospects for the development of the world economy. IMF report April 2022

The global economic outlook has deteriorated significantly since the latest forecast of the International Monetary Fund "World Economic Outlook" in January.

Commercial real estate: forecast for 2022

The long months of the pandemic left serious consequences in all areas of the economy. Is there any reason for investors to be optimistic with the end of quarantine measures? How long and dramatic be will the impact of the pandemic in the near future? And won't spreading geopolitical instability hit the economy even more than the virus? Let's consider these questions in relation to one of the most popular investment areas — commercial real estate.

Key elements of spring investment climate

The coming March will become a turning point for the world economy. The investment climate in the near future will be determined primarily by three key events: geopolitics, easing the pressure of COVID-19 in most countries of the world, and monetary policy measures.

Worse than expected. Results of 2021, forecasts for 2022

The main forecasts for 2021 as a whole were not very optimistic, but the year turned out to be even more difficult than it was supposed at the beginning. Increasing incidence, disruption of the economic recovery process, rising inflation.

What to expect from gold and silver in 2022

It is generally accepted that precious metals and gold in particular are a traditional defensive asset, so their price rises during crises. The outgoing year as a whole was not the easiest for the economy, and it was thought to give an incentive for the gold markets, but in general, the year was more disappointing.

The Fragile Recovery of the Middle East and Central Asia

Since the beginning of this year, the Middle East and Central Asia region has made good progress, and the recovery continues despite new outbreaks of coronavirus infection. However, recovery is uneven and incomplete. In addition, the general environment remains uncertain and new challenges are emerging.

The economy is recovering, and uncertainty is growing

Despite a new wave of the pandemic, the global economy continues to recover. At the same time, the country’s development disparities resulting from the spread of COVID-19 will have a long-term impact on medium-term economic performance.

Commercial real estate market. What to observe and how to analyze

Investment in real estate is one of the most obvious decisions, even for those who are starting to think about investing for the first time. However, despite its popularity and long history, everything is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. In this article, we will look at just some of the aspects that we should pay attention to when making investment decisions.

Investment in wine. Profitable business or expensive hobby?

As wine ages, it improves in quality, and becomes rarer as it is consumed. Both cases increase the price. Not only collectors and gourmets, but also investors are well aware of this now. No matter how frivolous it may sound at first glance, wine has been one of the most effective assets in recent years. Of course, not every purchased bottle from a supermarket becomes an investment instrument.

Outlook for the global economy. June 2021. IMF report

Access to vaccination on a distribution scale has become a major gap, along which the global recovery is divided into two clusters: countries that allow economic activity to normalize towards the end of the year (almost all advanced economies), and countries that continue to cover with increased bursts infections and high death rates from COVID-19.

Commercial real estate: risks during and after the pandemic

COVID-19 has hit the commercial real estate sector hard and has led to more uncertain prospects for some of its segments.

Risks of financial stability during and after the crisis caused by the epidemic are discussed in great details in the recently released IMF Global Financial Stability Report. Let's dwell on its main theses.

The labor market of the Persian Gulf states and migration processes

The Gulf economies have been growing rapidly in recent decades. In order to maintain economic growth and fill labor gaps in key economic sectors, the Gulf States are heavily dependent on migrant workers, most of whom come from Southeast and South Asia.

Acquisition of real estate property in resort areas. Advantages and disadvantages

When thinking about buying real estate property in resort areas, firstly, you need to clearly define the purpose of the acquisition. Housing for yourself, for the sake of obtaining a residence permit or citizenship, speculative profit on the difference in prices at different stages of construction, a rental source of regular passive income? For each of these goals, the selection criteria will be completely different, often even contradictory.

The uncertainty continues. Prospects for the development of the world economy. April 2021 IMF Report

Despite improving economic sentiment due to the expansion of vaccination, new virus mutations and growing humanitarian consequences are alarming. Economic recovery trajectories diverge dangerously across countries and sectors, reflecting differences in the disruptions caused by the pandemic and the scale of support measures. One year after the start of the pandemic, the global outlook is still highly uncertain.

High art as an investment

In two decades of the 21st century, the art market has changed dramatically. A large number of new millionaire buyers entered the market, and modern artists began to sell better than the old ones.

Major events that have influenced the global economy in 2020

Experts from 2019 predicted a slowdown in global GDP growth in 2020 due to trade wars and geopolitical conflicts. In fact, everything happened just like that, only a pandemic was added to this, the consequences of which surpassed all other factors in influence. The world economy has experienced a powerful shock, the fall has become one of the largest in history.

Europe’s Economy Vs COVID-19: drop, but not disaster?

The coronavirus pandemic will lead to the biggest economic downturn since World War II. Already now we can talk about it with confidence. But the fall must be followed by a recovery. Speaking about it, we have less confidence. Much will depend on the course of the pandemic, the behavior of people, companies and governments.

How COVID-19 has affected the real estate market

Savills' global sentiment survey, conducted in 31 countries around the world, examines the potential changes in the real estate market under the influence of the pandemic.

Prospects for the development of the world economy, October 2020. IMF report

The global economy is recovering from a sharp decline that occurred during “Great Self-isolation”. However, as the pandemic continues to spread, many countries have slowed down the process of easing restrictions, and some are reintroducing partial self-isolation measures to protect vulnerable people.

Should we expect an electric car boom?

The situation on the market of electric vehicles in recent years can not be described as boring. From a rapid rise by 65% from 2017 to 2018, then a slowdown last year, to a decline by 25% in the first quarter of 2020. Is the electric car boom expected by many people to be cancelled?

The state is against IT giants. The essence of claims and why it is important

The US Congress has been investigating Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook since last year. The Antimonopoly Committee is trying to figure out whether there is abuse in the work of technology giants due to their dominant position on the market.

Rejection of hydrocarbon fuels and the transition to new types and how it changes the economy

Economic feasibility is not always the main criterion for making decisions, including those affecting the economy. The energy industry is a prime example of this.

The pharmaceutical industry and the pandemic

Now, with the consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hurting the entire economy, pharmaceutical companies are seen as among the few who benefit. This is logical. Isn’t it?

Entertainment industry. Will the old days return?

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine measures in most parts of the world have severely impacted the entertainment industry. To prevent further spread of the virus, cinemas, theaters, festivals and sports activities have been closed. Film studios have stopped their production and announce rescheduling of high-profile film premieres. Let us try to figure out how it affects the entertainment industry. And the situation “as before” will return after the pandemic.

Government bonds as a tool to reduce the consequences of the economic crisis

Higher risk - higher profitability, and vice versa - the rule of the market. Therefore, in the situation of great uncertainty, interest in reliable assets, instruments that help to minimize the negative consequences of the crisis is natural. One of the least risky assets is government obligations or bonds. They help to save money and get moderate income with relatively low risks.

Investment Strategies in the Coronavirus Era

Now it's official. The world has entered an era where COVID-19 will be the most important factor.

The world economy in 2020: better than in 2019, but worse than it has been planned. IMF projections.

The IMF revised down its forecasts for global economic growth. In the World Economic Outlook (WEO) report released in January, projections for 2020 based on 2019 estimates are somewhat less optimistic than those contained in the previous edition of the report in October last year.

The trade war with China and its impact on the future of technology companies

The news of recent days is announcing a possible armistice in the US-China trade war. "Restrictive duties will not come into effect on December 15th as we have agreed on a deal. We will begin negotiations on the Second Phase of the Deal immediately, without waiting for the 2020 elections.

What was the outgoing 2019 year like and what to expect from 2020

Looking back at the events of the outgoing 2019, let’s recall several important points which either have a direct impact on further development or give interesting signals in which we can consider the prospects of the upcoming future. Taking them into consideration, we will try to make some forecasts for the new 2020 year.

Negative Rates in the Economy

Less than ten years ago, for the first time in economic reality, negative interest rates of central banks appeared. What is the meaning of them and how do they affect the economy?

Regional inequality

According to World Bank estimates, Russia is one of the leaders in regional inequality among the countries of Europe and Central Asia 1. And the matter is not only in the vastly unevenly populated territory, in India, China and Brazil, regional inequality is lower than in Russia. What is happening in the regions of Russia and how has the situation changed over the past five years?

Banking sector of Russia after clearing by the Central Bank

Russian banks have suffered large quantitative losses in recent years, but the state of the sector as a whole has improved significantly. The banks have concentrated a huge amount of liquidity, which they prefer to keep at the Central Bank and direct it to the consumer loan market; the real business gets almost nothing.

The Economy of the People’s Republic of China: The Old Growth Model Has Exhausted Its Potential

China, which was the engine of world growth for the past twenty years, is beginning to slow down more and more. Judging by the latest data, the Chinese economic miracle is close to completion, and, moreover, the country is on the verge of the need for a serious transformation of the economy.

US Economy under Trump

Currently, the United States economy feels great thanks to the Fed's long, super-soft monetary policy, falling domestic energy prices and tax incentives from Donald Trump. However, it is possible that the United States has already reached the peak of the current economic cycle, and soon its economy will begin to experience signs of slowing down.

Why Russia did not become a developed economy

After the default of 1998 and the beginning of the long-term upward trend in oil prices, favorable times for economic development began for Russia. Has Russia managed to use the given chance? How is our economy different from the developed countries and China, which was previously in conditions similar to Russia?

The Second World Trade War

Since 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump began to fulfill his election promises to reduce the foreign trade deficit. To date, tariffs have already been introduced for more than $70 billion of U.S. import goods, and Trump is not going to stop.

Ten Years of Response to the Crisis in the USA and PRC

The financial crisis of 2008 had greatly influenced the financial systems of many countries. Many imbalances, accumulated due to the measures to counter the crisis have not been eliminated until now, even a decade after its inception. These imbalances most clearly manifested in the two largest economies of the world — the US and China.

Problem assets in the Russian economy

On March 8-9 in London, Great Britain, the NPL Europe Spring conference was held, sponsored by Legacy Square Capital. Within the framework of the conference, Managing Partner of Legacy Square Capital Mark Feldman held a presentation on the economic state of Russia, the situation on investments in distressed assets, and presented a new fund - LCS Value Recovery II.

Japan - long-term stagnation or the limit of quantitative growth

For three decades the Japanese economy has been showing extremely low growth rates combined with deflation. All attempts to change the situation have not yet succeeded. But, perhaps, the traditional understanding of economic indicators does not reflect the real state of the Japanese economy.

The economy of Russia after three years of crisis

Three years ago, Russia faced an economic crisis caused by a large drop in oil prices and exacerbated by the sanctions of the USA and the EU. The economic situation remains complicated; the imbalances accumulated during the crisis can slow down the pace of recovery.

Oil market: current status and prospects

Over the past decade, the oil market has undergone major changes. The "Shale revolution” made the USA one of the leaders in the production of hydrocarbons. However, the current situation makes us treat about its future prospects with caution.

Disbalances and risks of the Ukrainian economy

The current disbalances in the Ukrainian economy give serious grounds for considering a sharp deterioration in the state economy condition and weakening.

Russian banking sector

Russian banks are steadily returning to the pre-crisis parameters, and growing volume of the ruble credits offers hope for soon restoration of economic growth.

US national debt

U.S. total national debt is reaching dangerous levels, situation is worsening by the payment balance transformations and composition of treasury bonds holders.

What is going on with the economy of Russia?

The economic situation in Russia more reminds long stagnation, than sharp recession and quick recovery of 2008-09, and also problems in economy began in 2013.

Disbalance of Budget System of the Russian Federation

The budgetary system of the Russian Federation system is experiencing a serious deficit, budgets of the regions and the Pension Fund being the main source of the problems.

The External Debt of the Russian Economy

The external debt of the Russian economy is not so large, as it seems at the first glance

Base rate - negative outlook

Russian banks stopped experiencing liquidity problems, which shall reduce the rates at the Russian market

Oil Ruble

Shall the ruble rate always depend on the oil price?