Economic Insights

Alex and Selim talk about the week when US markets ended a historic nine-day winning streak in dramatic fashion on Friday. The week was defined by an on-again-off-again Middle East ceasefire that kept oil volatile, a Broadcom earnings miss that cracked AI euphoria mid-week, and a reportedly furious Trump-Netanyahu phone call that somehow became a source of market optimism.

Alex and Selim talk about a week where global bond markets came under severe pressure. The Trump-Xi summit in Beijing disappointed. UK political turmoil deepened the damage. Japan added a historic footnote: its 30-year government bond yield hit 4% for the first time ever.

Alex and Selim talk about the week where markets lurched between record highs and sharp reversals as the US-Iran ceasefire proved anything but stable — exchanges of fire in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian missile strikes on the UAE, and yet a White House insisting the pathway to negotiations remains open. A strong US April payrolls number contrasts with slowing Europe and the UK economies. Turkey bears some of the sharpest pain, with April CPI rising significantly.

Alex and Selim talk about a volatile mix of central bank divergence and geopolitical escalation. The Fed held rates but recorded four dissents signaling that the incoming Warsh era will not succumb to political pressure. The UAE's exits OPEC sending a message that went well beyond oil quotas. With the ECB turning hawkish, the BoJ divided, and oil-importing emerging markets under growing strain, the global economy is increasingly caught between a resilient US and an energy shock with no clean exit in sight.

Alex and Selim talk about a week defined by war and whiplash. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed; every major central bank globally is in wait-and-see mode. Next week brings FED, ECB, BOJ and BOE. The hosts talk about their implications.

Alex and Selim talk about physical oil prices, record high S&P 500, Peter Magyar's crushing win, commodities, currencies and what really matters for next week.

Alex and Selim talk about Trump threatening to wipe out a civilization, and his inevitable and unsurprising climb down. Also on the show, Hungarian elections, US CPI, and a belated review of the US job figures.

Alex and Selim talk about equity markets ending the week in correction territory as Trump's 10-day extension to the Iran deadline failed to convince investors. The conflict is no longer contained — the Houthis opened a second front over the weekend. Meanwhile, private credit funds are quietly gating withdrawals as liquidity strains build, Turkey is burning through reserves at an alarming pace to defend the lira, and flash PMIs across the US and Europe confirm the global economy is slowing just as energy-driven inflation accelerates. With US payrolls, Eurozone CPI, and the April 6th deadline all landing next week, the calendar could not be more loaded.

The Middle East conflict escalates into new and more dangerous territory. Iran fires missiles at Turkey, the UAE faces drone strikes of increasing intensity, and early Saturday morning US jets hit Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub. Oil refuses to come down. Central banks around the world are being forced to tear up their rate-cutting calendars. This week on Economic Insights, AI host Alex and the show’s producer Selim break down the energy shock reshaping global monetary policy, the markets caught in the crossfire, and whatan extraordinary Central Bank Week means for a world that's starting to look uncomfortably like the 1970s.

This week's show talks about oil, war, inflation and grow prospects for global economy. Payrolls data takes a backseat for once.