The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

Vaccine Rollout Is Vital to Greece And Other European Economies

We are the middle of spring and the summer appears to be around the corner…or more so, that is the feeling for those individuals anxious to see if international travel will return for the summer as well as the feeling for the many economies dependent on international tourism for its growth.

Greek Plea for Tourism

Greece’s announcement to scrap quarantine requirements for tourists from 32 countries who are vaccinated or test negative…

The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

Above $60 Oil Provides Balance Sheet Relief for the Middle East

Oil recently touched above $70 and continues to hover above $60 today. The uptick is a welcome breathe of fresh air into the Middle East (financial) ecosystem. The price surge is generating more cash than expected for regional governments that heavily borrowed with a long view on recovery and economic revival.

If oil prices can hold in the $60 range for the year (or at least most…

The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

A Volatile Mix of Opportunity and Risk…

First, the world was crashing. Then it was the world recovering with stimulus cash galore.

The unimagined market dislocation during the initial months of covid-19 in 2020 was a boon to the distressed asset class. Companies and governments both borrowed at unprecedented levels to combat demand slumps and fight off complete collapse. Everyone was writing the comparison stories to 2008/2009.

Then boom…credit spreads decreased, and equity markets rocketed back. By the…

The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

A new social contract and constitution should still be Chilean…

A modern conversation on socialism in the United States usually dies with the verbal sword: “Do we want to become Cuba, Venezuela, or the Soviet Union?” In Latin America, socialism finds life support with a few simple words: “Look at the Nordic countries.” The comparison unfortunately is laden with misconceptions about policies in the countries and falsehoods on democratic socialism.

Far from being socialist, the Nordic countries are…

The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

Whether loans or grants, the bill will be hefty and still may not prevent economic catastrophe….

When the fireworks went off (social distance permitting) in many countries to celebrate the New Year, the sentiment in many countries was that 2021 would be different. The feelings made sense. Vaccines had been approved with distribution around the corner. Equity markets were rising, and businesses were planning office re-openings. And politicians were talking the next phase and post-covid life.

The New…

The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

Dispersing with the political and economic remnants of civil war….

This is not Lebanon. This is Lebanon. Maybe both statements are true.

The hope, the destruction, and the hope again…or is it the destruction, the hope, and the destruction again?

Lebanon has long swept its challenges under the rug and celebrated its successes. But the explosion back on August 4th in the port area of Beirut — the capital of Lebanon — , in a figurative and physical…

The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

The distribution of vaccines is changing the economic outlook in 2021 with most politicians and investors forecasting a continued recovery. Yet the political and economic risks that preceded the covid-19 pandemic remain alongside the lockdown measures necessary to combat the virus.

The year will be turbulent for some countries as public confidence and investor sentiment vacillates with optimism and skepticism on vaccine acceptance rates and economic output numbers. …

Putting Uzbekistan, Turkey, and Ukraine under the microscope

The article was originally published in “The Musings Of A Politics Junkie & Closet Economist.” To read more, please visit the website.

The month of November was positive. Markets trended upward with justification in some situations and bet on pure hope in other situations.

December may provide a reversion to the mean. That said, below are three markets to watch:

Uzbekistan

Betting long on the banking sector…not sure yet

Uzbekistan is changing…it has been a long four years since the death of former Uzbek President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov and his iron-fist style of…