Still Setting

For those wondering how Japan's doing, here's a pretty decent summary.

Understanding Russia

George Friedman at Stratfor has a good read today about Putin and whether the cracks are starting to show in his reign. As we discussed some time ago in the context of Syria, much of what drives his aggressive foreign policy is a patchwork to distract from a weak economy and to mask insecurities by projecting a sense of power abroad. And so with the way events have played out in Ukraine recently, Putin’s main tool has not necessarily delivered the desired results – he does not look as “heroic” as he did during the Syria episode, and his economy continues to get worse. I think this excerpt puts it best:

“Ultimately, politicians who miscalculate and mismanage tend not to survive. Putin miscalculated in Ukraine, failing to anticipate the fall of an ally, failing to respond effectively and then stumbling badly in trying to recoup. His management of the economy has not been exemplary of late either, to say the least. He has colleagues who believe they could do a better job, and now there are important people in Europe who would be glad to see him go. He must reverse this tide rapidly, or he may be replaced.”

Another interesting point comes out of an earlier article at Stratfor (referenced within the body of the Friedman piece) – namely, that Russia’s geography likely makes the evolution of a Western-style system unlikely:

“Over the long term, the centralized system is highly inefficient, as it does not take the basic economic drivers of supply and demand into account -- to say nothing of how it crushes the common worker. But for a country as geographically massive as Russia, it was (and remains) questionable whether Western finance-driven development is even feasible, due to the lack of cheap transit options and the massive distances involved. Development driven by the crushing of the labor pool was probably the best Russia could hope for, and the same holds true today.”

Anyway, all interesting stuff.

Rigged

The book Flash Boys by Michael Lewis sits on my ever-growing pile of future reads.  In the mean time, I thought this article was an interesting exposition of how the HFT/dark pool crowd screws over investors, both big and small.

Reimagining Midtown

I thought this article was a pretty cool look at the future skyline of midtown Manhattan.

Marking Time

With the U.S. knocked out yesterday, it felt like the right time to post something. After all, this blog started four years ago while I was watching the World Cup in South Africa. And quite a four years it has been.

My family has grown and for that I am grateful. I took on a new job that came up lacking, and eventually figured out that “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now”. The Knicks are still the Knicks. I have endured several stress injuries in my leg, but still intend to have a date with the NYC Half. I saw gold go up, and then go down, and maybe start to go up again. The can has been kicked many times over. I read a few books and hopefully got a little smarter. I figured out what I am passionate about. I am still incredibly stubborn, and really watch out if you don’t feed me. The day to day worries pass, and I know with greater experience that the things I regret mostly come from that which I didn’t do.

Hopefully what comes before operates as the building blocks for what comes later.