Introduction Inflation is running hot and central banks are having a time convincing stressed consumers that prices are under control. The war in Ukraine and Russian inflation premium are beginning to bite and the question is whether central banks are behind the curve. Inflation is high and will likely eat…

Introduction The war in Ukraine exposed how interconnected and interdependent global supply chains and energy value chains have become. The EU imports over 40% of its crude oil and natural gas from Russia and the European Commission’s decision to impose sanctions on Russian energy products has caused reverberations across the…

Why do you care? The price of goods and services is rising, and everyone is affected somehow. What can central banks do? This article looks at ways in which central banks are cooperating across the world. Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated that the world is increasingly connected and interdependent…

Introduction. I was recently asked by two clients in Europe and North America whether Kenya was losing access to markets. At first, I thought it was sensational as several media had been concerned about Kenya’s ability to cover its short-term debt liabilities. …

Introduction. The Russia -Ukraine war, which began in March 2022 roiled asset classes and financial markets. If one had to sum up the impact of the war, one should look at energy and commodity prices such as crude oil, wheat, sunflower, fertilizer, and crude oil distillates. In a previous article…

Introduction On February 24th, 2022, Russia illegally invaded Ukraine, causing unprecedented harm to its national sovereignty and unraveling a migration crisis with grave humanitarian costs. During this period, the European Union and the U.S. have imposed sanctions on Russian exports and imposed embargoes to stall the Kremlin’s development agenda and…

Introduction. The U.K. will likely rethink its transatlantic alliance with the war in Ukraine, uncertainty over Brexit, and a need to balance its geostrategic ambitions with a string domestic policy. In my view, this will include a reappraisal of its anti-China stance, its continued demand for equivalence in Chinese markets…

Introduction. The Russia-Ukraine war has prompted countries such as Sweden and Finland to rethink their policies of non-interference. This has served them in the past and presented them as countries that choose not to meddle in global skirmishes, but Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a stark reminder of how despotism…

Introduction On February 21st Putin announced that he was recognizing the independence of the enclaves Russia had created in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine in 2014. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine early on Thursday, initiating a war that will have sweeping consequences for Ukraine, Europe…