Macro Hive Conversations With Bilal Hafeez

In this episode, I talk markets with Juliette Declercq. She's a leading macro strategist and runs JDI research. She has close to twenty years market experience, including stints at J.P Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Stone Milliner. On the podcast, we discuss: 1. Why using past recessions is not a guide to the COVID crisis 2. Why P/E ratios are a poor guide to equity valuation 3. Not putting too much weight on weak employment data 4. Why Euro-area break-up trades are not attractive 5. Her view on the dollar and euro 6. The prospects of inflation.

In this episode, I talk politics and markets with Bobby Vedral. He's a top macro and political analyst who runs Macro Eagle. He is also the UK representative of the German Economic Council, which focuses on the German-British relationship post-Brexit. Before that Bobby was at Goldman Sachs, where he was a partner and Global Head of Market Strats. On the podcast, we discuss: 1. The structural consequences of the COVID crisis 2. What the stress points are for the Euro-area and which countries are at the center of tensions 3. How the latest German constitutional court ruling could constrain the ECB 4. What's going to happen with Brexit 5. The widening China/rest of the world political rift 6. Why Biden would likely beat Trump in elections and the importance of Biden's VP pick 7. The problem with big tech's monopoly 8. The future of climate change policy and ESG 9. The dramatic increase in risks of global political brinkmanship Bobby gives a very thoughtful and often different from consensus view on key political issues of the day, so make sure to listen to the whole episode. You can reach him at info@macroeagle.com.

In this episode, I have a wide-ranging conversation with the FT's Chief Economics Commentator, Martin Wolf. He brings a depth to any topic that is often lacking anywhere else. On the podcast, we discuss: 1. The parallels of the COVID crisis with past crises such as the ones seen in the 1970s 2. The uniqueness of this crisis 3. How well policymakers have done so far 4. The role of international organisations and US hegemony 5. The challenge for EM countries 6. How China will be viewed after this crisis 7. What tensions will emerge in the EU 8. How the world will look differently after COVID

In this episode, I have a conversation with the super-smart and provocative thinker and investor, Alex Gurevich. In our wide-ranging chat, we discuss recent lessons learned, views on markets and risks to look out for. Specifically: 1. How not to become attached to one asset class or investment style. 2. How every crisis delivers something you've never seen before 3. Why crisis moments are when you should take most risk. 4. Why bonds can still be attractive even when yields are low 5. How keeping exposure to equities is still wise even if more declines are expected 6. Why Europe is a buy 7. How China has survived a major stress test 8. How to trade EM markets. 9. How supply chain failures are the biggest risk for the global economy.

In this episode, I have a conversation with one of the top macro investors that I've come across, Jim Leitner. He has an impressive track-record, but more importantly, is very thoughtful and can go from talking about the nuts and bolts of options trading to how political regimes change. In the podcast, we talk about: How not to become attached to one asset class or investment style Whether options are over-priced The path of the dollar Which companies and sectors will succeed in the COVID world Which EM markets are most attractive How to play China most effectively Whether we should worry about central banks printing money Why macro hedge funds have underperformed in recent years

In this episode, I have a conversation with one of my favourite global economists, Phil Suttle. He's got the credentials having worked at J.P. Morgan, the Fed, World Bank, Barclays and Tudor, but it's his analysis that stands out. In the podcast, we talk about: (1) How to forecast growth when economies lock-down. (2) Whether the policy responses so far will make a difference and how Asia is behaving differently. (3) The chances of a second-half recovery. (4) How the world will look after COVID. (5) How inflation could finally arise. (6) How the euro-area could finally meet its biggest challenge. We talk about this and much more. Make sure to subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify or wherever you go for your podcasts.

In this episode, I have a conversation with one of the leading experts on gold, John Butler. He has spent 25 years in the financial industry, worked at some of the top banks and has even written a book on gold (The Golden Revolution). In the podcast, we talk about: Valuation frameworks for gold The relationship between oil and real interest rates with gold The insurance properties of gold How gold behaves around regime changes in political and monetary systems Comparisons between gold and bitcoin Projections for gold in the next few years. It's a great discussion, so please enjoy.

In this episode, we're lucky to have a conversation with one of the most original macro thinkers, the Macro Dilettante. He prefers not to disclose his name, but I've known him for years and is a super experienced market pro having worked at asset managers, in alternative investments and at pension funds. Back in January, he warned me about the global consequences of COVID and I mistakenly didn't heed his advice until much later. During our conversation, we talk about the importance of understanding time as well prices in markets, the significance of pension funds in this crisis, the possibility of bonds selling-off and what policymakers should do to fix the crisis.

With the country in lockdown, we've decided to launch a podcast show to better reach our audience. In our inaugural episode, I speak to George Goncalves about the recent volatility in markets, what's going in dollar cash markets, what the Fed can do and whether we could enter a depression. I also review some of the pieces we've put out on Macro Hive over the past week including ones on tracking the COVID virus, the odds of a US recession, the importance of real yields and the possibility of stagflation. Please subscribe to the show and spread the word! Bilal