The announcement by various countries that they'll bulk up defense spending in the wake of the Ukraine war has investment implications as well as geopolitical ones. Confluence Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins today to discuss the ramifications.

Chief Market Strategist Bill O’Grady delves into the first update of Confluence Investment Management’s “2022 Outlook: The Year of Fat Tails.” The focus of the discussion is on the hawkish adjustment to monetary policy and four scenarios for the path of policy.

Today, we discuss commodity prices. How does the recent price surge rate in historical terms, and is this time ominously different for consumers because of the Ukraine war? Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady gives some perspective by comparing the recent surge in prices to what we've experienced in the past.

How has the Ukraine war changed the investment environment and are these changes likely to be long-lasting or short-lived? Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady tackles these questions.

The attention we pay to inflation these days may lead us to overlook other important economic information that builds the framework for successful investment decisions. Confluence Market Strategist Patrick Fearon Hernandez joins this week's episode to discuss what we're missing by devoting so much attention to inflation.

Confluence's published geopolitical report this week looks at what appears to be an unusual economic experiment going on in Turkey: President Erdogan is refusing to allow the central bank to raise interest rates to contain rapidly rising inflation, meanwhile the Turkish currency, the lira, has been plummeting in value. Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady gives his analysis of Turkey's unorthodox response to inflation.

The shape of the U.S. economy is dominated these days by what appear to be pandemic-related distortions. Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady discusses how we got to where we are, what can be done about it, and where we might find the most bang right now for our investment dollars.

The latest geopolitical report from Confluence addressed some of the key questions regarding Ukraine, including the possible impact on investments. Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady and Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez join today's episode to explore possible long-term ramifications stemming from the crisis (understanding that current events are fast-moving and headlines may have changed since the recording of this episode).

Recent volatility in financial markets and persistent geopolitical risks create an opportunity for a fresh look at gold prices. Confluence Chief Market Strategist Bill O'Grady discusses gold prices and whether our short-term outlook has changed.

While the West has been focused on the Russian threat to invade Ukraine and expand its sphere of influence there, recent developments in another former Soviet republic, Kazakhstan, have also appeared to increase Russian influence and have important implications for world energy prices. Confluence Market Strategist Patrick Fearon-Hernandez joins today with some analysis on the situation.