GeoMacro
A blend of geopolitics and macro, synthesizing the new and old macro to generate alpha and identify the beta through probability-weighted market views.
The snap election which took place on Sunday resulted in a political deadlock in Spain. No single party has won enough seats to form a government. More importantly, both the left-wing bloc and the right-bloc fell short of the 176-seat majority needed in the 350-seat lower house. Negotiations are taking place as we publish, but neither side can see a clear and straightforward path to form a working government. Spain is heading into a political deadlock.
Cybersecurity costs continue to climb, which compels companies and governments alike to increase spending on cybersecurity to bolster digital protection. This will boost sales of companies in the cybersecurity ecosystem. While performance of the cybersecurity cohort may be volatile over a short investment horizon, it has significant long-term investment potential. Cybersecurity is a USES strategic investment theme.
Falling inflation enables central banks to pause rate hikes, which is good news. But time goes on. Restrictive monetary policy, Chinese debt-deflation, energy supply shocks, US and global policy uncertainty, and extreme geopolitical risks will undermine hopes of a soft landing and beautiful disinflation.
Positive economic surprises have delayed the onset of recession in the United States. But tighter monetary and fiscal policy, slowing global growth, and a looming rebound in policy uncertainty and geopolitical risk suggest that investors should buy insurance while it is cheap.
In response to the first-ever federal indictment of a former President, investors should focus on the state of the economy and not on Trump’s legal trouble. They should also use the current market rally to stock up on protection, as a recession is still likely, albeit delayed.