Financial Brief: A Weekly Roundup on the Geopolitics of Money | May 19
EXECUTIVE TAKEAWAYS
Trump pauses Iran strike, markets bounce cautiously. Dollar steadied and Australian shares rose 1% after Trump delayed military action, though oil is still...
Is America Actually Losing Southeast Asia to China in 2026?Â
Wang Yi just completed his third multi-country tour of Southeast Asia in twelve months. Xi Jinping has visited the region twice since April 2025....
After the Iran War: Seven Dynamics That Will Define the New Middle East
Every major war in the Middle East has left the region permanently altered in ways that nobody fully anticipated at the time. The 1948...
Can Israel and Lebanon Actually Make Peace in 2026?
Israel and Lebanon have technically been in a state of war since 1948. No diplomatic relations. A shared border that has been a frontline,...
Trump and Xi Meet: The Key Issues Behind America’s Most Important Summit of 2026
Trump is heading to Beijing for the most consequential foreign policy meeting of his second term. He arrives as the first US president to...
Financial Brief: A Weekly Roundup on the Geopolitics of Money | May 12
EXECUTIVE TAKEAWAYS
Inflation resurging. U.S. CPI expected to rise 0.6% in April, hitting 3.7% annually, the biggest increase in over 2.5 years driven by oil...
Africa and Europe’s Most Important Meeting of 2026 Opens in Eswatini
For the first time in its history, the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly is holding its inaugural plenary session — not in Brussels, not in Strasbourg,...
Why the Trump-Xi Summit in 2026 Is Really About Iran
Trump arrives in Beijing on May 14. The summit was originally scheduled for March, then postponed because the US got embroiled in a war...
Project Freedom and the UAE Attack: What It Means for the Iran Ceasefire Now
The ceasefire between the US and Iran has been in place for nearly four weeks. The Strait of Hormuz has not been at peace...
Financial Brief: A Weekly Roundup on the Geopolitics of Money | May 05
EXECUTIVE TAKEAWAYS
The S&P 500 fell from record highs after a South Korean ship exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, while oil held above $100...