Tighter belts in Asia – Sound Economies with Mel & Peter, 21 May 2026

Choices have been made – Sound Economies with Mel & Peter, 11 June 2026

The European Central Bank raised interest rates today – a move we do not agree with, as this will kill any remaining chance of a growth rebound for the region. This episode, we also look at faster US inflation; how the mega-IPOs of SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI will affect global stocks; and Brazil’s plan to ramp up oil production. Timestamp: (00:00) - Episode rundown (00:21) - Intro (00:48) - Quick updates (02:21) - Brazil's prospects to expand oil production (06:36) - AI companies mount mega IPOs in Wall Street (15:04) - US inflation picks up (18:09) - A suggestion for the ECB (22:15) - Our global outlook

Playing checkers with China stocks – Sound Economies with Mel & Peter, 4 June 2026

Chinese equities are becoming more attractive among global investors and family offices. At home, however, the state is cracking down on outbound equity investments. This episode, we also raise concern about Japan’s new debt for continued oil price subsidies and the rising popularity of convertible bonds in the US. Timestamp: (00:00) - Episode rundown (00:20) - Intro (00:48) - Quick updates (02:18) - New supplementary budget in Japan builds on growing debt (07:12) - More international investors rebalancing towards China stocks (12:16) - Chinese government cracks down on US equity investments (16:40) - Warning signs for US convertible bonds (22:15) - Our global outlook

Envisioning the world after war – Sound Economies with Mel & Peter, 28 May 2026

How will the global economy look like when the Russia-Ukraine and US-Iran conflicts are resolved? Let's find out. This episode also looks at Chinese property developers investing into semiconductor firms to rescue valuations, Italy’s slow progress on reforms, and major central banks signaling openness to rate hikes amid high inflation. Timestamp: (00:00) - Episode rundown (00:23) - Intro (00:50) - Quick updates (02:16) - China's property firms find workaround to save valuations (07:25) - Italy's reform attempts fall short (13:18) - Central banks on rate hikes amid persisting inflation (22:33) - What's in for the global economy beyond the US-Iran conflict (30:03) - Our global outlook

Tighter belts in Asia – Sound Economies with Mel & Peter, 21 May 2026

Developing Asia is feeling more squeezed as oil prices stay high. We look at further demand reduction measures in the Philippines to avert stagflation, Thailand’s new debt for additional consumer subsidies, and India winding down fuel support. We also turn down Indonesia’s planned export controls on coal and palm oil, and revisit our expectations for global stocks in 2026. Timestamp: (00:00) - Episode rundown (00:18) - Intro (00:46) - Quick updates (02:35) - Danantara's new export controls on coal, palm oil (08:00) - Managing oil prices and domestic demand in the Philippines and Thailand (13:03) - India PM slows down fuel subsidies (18:55) - Our conviction vs market forecast on global stocks (25:41) - Our global outlook

First oil, now food – Sound Economies with Mel & Peter, 14 May 2026

Oil prices may have already peaked in reaction to the US-Iran conflict, but food prices are slowly catching up. This episode also looks at the removal of 18 Indonesian stocks from MSCI indices, the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, and surging UK gilt rates amid renewed political uncertainty. Timestamp: (00:00) - Webinar: ‘Where Can Indexes & Factors Fall Short?’ [https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z0zHtwYkRkOi3IWluFrzvQ] (00:34) - Episode rundown (00:49) - Intro (01:16) - Quick updates (02:27) - Removal of 18 Indonesian stocks from the MSCI global indices (07:18) - Trump meets Xi in Beijing (14:17) - US-Iran conflict and the rise of global food prices (21:01) - UK gilt rates reach new peaks (25:16) - Our global outlook