PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS
EXPANDING THE CORPORATE OPPORTUNITY DOCTRINE
Important disclaimer: the contents are for general informativepurposes and do not constitute legal or other professional advice.Readers should seek legal or other professional advicein relation to any particular matters they may have Corporate opportunity doctrine is a legal principle rooted in case law which mandates that directors, officers and controlling shareholders......
EXPLORING THE RATIONALE BEHIND GLASS-STEAGAL
Readers, who have basic knowledge of the U.S. financial system history, have certainly heard about the famous “Glass-Steagall” Act, which was one of the measures enacted in response to the financial collapse experienced during great Depression. Due to conflict of interest concerns and due to incompatibility of high risk inherent......
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE FIDUCIARY DUTIES: DECEPTIVE SIMPLICITY OF THE CONCEPT
Important disclaimer: the contents are for general informative purposes and do not constitute legal or other professional advice. Readers should seek legal or other professional advice in relation to any particular matters they may have. More than four centuries have passed since the first corporations ever were established and respectively......
CORPORATE CHRONICLE FROM DELAWARE
It is of no secret that Delaware is the go-to jurisdiction when it comes to registering business entities in the US. To understand the magnitude of Delaware’s popularity in this area consider two of the following facts: 1) the number of businesses registered in this state exceeds its overall population.......
APPLYING COACHING TOOLS TO PUBLIC POLICY OBJECTIVES
Industrial revolutions coupled with progression of capitalism and the competitive nature of human beings has led to a society that is more than ever obsessed with goal-setting, achievement and efficiency. No wonder a new profession known as coaching has emerged in the second half of the last century and has......
CSDR MANDATORY BUY-IN REGULATIONS: WHAT THE FALLINGS-OUT ARE ABOUT
Mandatory buy-ins are one of the most controversial rules in the EU Securities Market that are set to enter into force in the near future. Ever since their adoption, the regulators and the industry participants have been in strong disagreements about their effectiveness for ensuring the safety of securities settlement......
JUDGES, DISCRETION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
Policymakers across the world have reached wide if not absolute consensus that courts are a key component to economic development. The OECD has long recognized the crucial role judicial systems play in determining economic performance by guaranteeing the security of property rights and the enforcement of contracts [1]. It occasionally......
COVID-19: Key measures taken by governments and central banks
Response to the coronavirus pandemic How Global Central Banks are Responding to COVID-19 When times get tough, central banks typically act as the first line of defense. However, modern economies are incredibly complex—and mishaps like the 2008 financial crisis have already pushed traditional policy tools to their limits. In response,......
Helicopter yes, or Helicopter no
Synopsis This is an unconventional monetary policy tool. It involves printing money and distributing it to the public. Imagine waking one morning to find extra cash in your account, a gift from your country’s central bank. But the concept of so-called helicopter money has been seriously debated by economists for......
Bank of England Risks Job Market in Bid to Tame Inflation – Bloomberg
The Bank of England believes it has got on top of Britain’s inflation problem. Now it runs the risk of a jobs crisis.The central bank’s latest forecasts show almost 110,000 more people becoming unemployed than it projected in November, as the current “restrictive” policy stance bears down on the economy....
Bank of Canada Gov. Macklem Warns of Misdiagnosing Economic Weakness – WSJ
Further interest-rate cuts won’t necessarily help an economy that’s being pulled down by U.S. trade friction, advances in artificial intelligence and lower population growth, Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem said Thursday. The Canadian economy is undergoing a profound structural shift, Macklem said. The central bank can help support the......
The AI that spooked the stock market just got a big update – CNN
Anthropic’s Cowork AI assistant sent shockwaves through Wall Street this week. Now Anthropic is taking another leap forward, improving its model.Anthropic’s new Claude Opus 4.6 model, announced Thursday, is designed to make Cowork AI better for office and coding work, potentially raising even more concerns that the AI tool could......
Go Against Emerging-Market Rally at Your Peril, Money Manager Warns – Bloomberg
Traders should think twice before selling emerging-market debt as funds are prepared to keep pouring money into the asset class, according to Paris-based money manager Carmignac Gestion SA. Emerging economies are growing faster than developed ones, some of their leaders are acting more responsibly, monetary policies are “prudent” and they......
No, but seriously: What’s going on with bitcoin? – CNN
The world’s most famous cryptocurrency has now lost half its value from its October peak, falling below $63,000 Thursday for the first time in 16 months.That decline is actually not unusual at all. Crypto is notoriously volatile, and it’s gone through numerous crashes that are bigger than this one....
Eurozone Inflation Sinks Below ECB Target Ahead of Rate Decision – WSJ
Eurozone inflation fell below the European Central Bank’s target in January and is expected to remain under that 2% mark over the next two years.However, a weaker dollar and increased imports of lower-priced Chinese goods could push inflation even lower than policymakers expect, and persuade them to restart a series......
Where is AI showing up in the productivity data? – The Financial Times
Visions of an AI-infused world can be a little scary. Perhaps our brains will dull as we outsource intellectual struggle to our digital assistants. Perhaps — brace yourself — your jaunty economic analysis will come from a confident large language model, rather than a harried human. I prefer to daydream......
ECB Survey Records ‘Unexpected’ Tightening in Bank Lending – WSJ
Eurozone banks tightened their conditions for loans to businesses in the final three months of 2025, an unexpected development lenders expect will continue in the early months of this year, the European Central Bank said Tuesday. Publishing the results of a quarterly survey, the ECB said much of the tightening......
Google set to double AI spending to $185bn after strong earnings – The Financial Times
Google said it plans to double its capital expenditure this year to as much as $185bn as strong growth in its advertising and cloud businesses added to the search giant’s financial firepower for its huge bet on AI. The Mountain View, California-based group increased its forecast for capex in 2026 to......
With Jobs Data Delayed, Analysts Flock to Unofficial Data – WSJ
Economy watchers are once again turning to a patchwork of unofficial data after another federal spending impasse pushed back the release of official government figures. A partial government shutdown that ended Tuesday forced the Bureau of Labor Statistics to delay its January jobs report, originally scheduled for Friday, until Wednesday......
Elon Musk’s bold new plan to put AI in orbit isn’t as crazy as it sounds – CNN
Elon Musk believes the best way to solve the difficulties of building AI data centers on earth is to move them into outer space. His merger this week of his rocket company SpaceX with his artificial intelligence company xAI could help get them there.And he isn’t the only one thinking......
U.S. Manufacturing Is in Retreat and Trump’s Tariffs Aren’t Helping – WSJ
The manufacturing boom President Trump promised would usher in a golden age for America is going in reverse. After years of economic interventions by the Trump and Biden administrations, fewer Americans work in manufacturing than any point since the pandemic ended. Manufacturers shed workers in each of the eight months......
US stocks drop on fears AI will hit software and analytics groups – The Financial Times
US tech stocks fell sharply on Tuesday as fresh concerns about the impact of AI on software businesses swept across Wall Street.The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 1.4 per cent, while the broader S&P 500 was down 0.8 per cent. Markets were dragged lower by large declines for a host of......
Zuckerberg, Musk Vie for AI Primacy With $155 Billion Spree – Bloomberg
Meta Platforms Inc. will double capital spending to as much as $135 billion this year, an all-in bet on artificial intelligence as the US tech giants battle it out for supremacy in the next wave of technological advancements. Tesla Inc. will spend $20 billion this year on pursuits including AI,......
A social network for AI agents is full of introspection—and threats – The Economist
At first glance, Moltbook looks like a regular online chat room. Users post about topics from engineering to philosophy, reply with comments and upvote the best for social kudos. Frequenters of Reddit, another such site, would feel at home. The unusual thing about Moltbook is its users. To join, you......
Mortgage Rates Virtually Unchanged to Wrap Up January – U.S.News
Thirty-year mortgage rates dropped to 6.325% this week, a negligible dip from 6.328% the previous week, according to U.S. News data, as borrowers awaited a rate decision by the Federal Reserve. Not surprisingly, the Fed opted to hold its benchmark interest rate steady during its first policy meeting of 2026....
French Inflation Rate Unexpectedly Sinks to Five-Year Low – Bloomberg
French inflation unexpectedly eased to a five-year low, staying well short of the European Central Bank’s 2% target as energy prices fell.Consumer prices rose 0.4% from a year ago in January after a 0.7% advance the previous month, statistics agency Insee said. That’s below the 0.6% median estimate of 20......
ECB and BOE on Hold as Dollar Weakens and Imports From China Surge – WSJ
Europe’s leading central banks are set to leave their key interest rates unchanged Thursday, matching the Federal Reserve’s latest decision as they consider the impact of a weaker U.S. dollar and an influx of cheap Chinese imports on the outlook for inflation. The European Central Bank hasn’t changed borrowing costs......
What is behind the extraordinary rise in investment into silver and gold? – The Guardian
Last year’s extraordinary run in precious metals has only intensified in 2026, as Donald Trump has continued to rip up the rules of the global economy.Gold has been on a tear since last summer, repeatedly breaking records. It has risen by more than a quarter this month and hit a......
Eurozone Economy Posts Resilient 2025 Growth Despite Tariff Turbulence – WSJ
The eurozone economy last year expanded at its fastest pace since 2022 despite higher U.S. tariffs, and seems set for continued modest growth as increased government spending on defense and the repair of frayed infrastructure kicks in....
The Impact of Impact Investing
As a venture-capital pioneer and co-founder of Apax Partners, Sir Ronald Cohen experienced firsthand the emergence of an investment framework based on rigorously measured risk and return. How plausible is Cohen’s claim that a new revolution is underway, one which adds social, environmental, or development outcomes to the equation?...
How crypto criminals stole $700 million from people – often using age-old tricks
There’s something uniquely agonising about having your cryptocurrency stolen. All transactions are recorded on a digital ledger, known as a blockchain, so even if someone takes your money and puts it in their own crypto wallet, it is still visible online....
OpenAI invests in Sam Altman’s brain computer interface startup Merge Labs
Just when you thought the circular deals couldn’t get any more circular, OpenAI has invested in CEO Sam Altman’s brain computer interface (BCI) startup Merge Labs. Merge Labs, which defines itself as a “research lab” dedicated to “bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability,” came out of stealth......
Why AI Is Unlike Previous Tech Booms
The rise of AI follows a fundamentally different competitive logic than earlier technological revolutions. With massive capital requirements, high operating expenses, low switching costs, and intensifying regulatory scrutiny, success will depend less on scale and more on financial resilience and political influence....
PODCAST: Masters in Business: Perscient’s Ben Hunt
Barry speaks with Ben Hunt is president and co-founder of Perscient, an AI research firm and software company that pioneered the use of language models and unstructured data analysis for investment strategies. They discussed how emerging narratives move a market, and how AI has revolutionized Perscient’s computing power....
Trade Order
Placing a trade order seems intuitive – a “buy” button to initiate a trade and a “sell” button to close a trade. Although executing trades is possible in such a way, it is very inefficient as it requires constant monitoring of the stock. Using just the buy and sell buttons......
PODCAST: At The Money: Investing in Freedom
Do fundamentals or narratives drive market valuations? That is the question so many are wrestling with in today’s 24/7 algo-based platforms and AI-driven mediascape. Perth Tolle is the founder of the Life and Liberty indexes and the creator of the Freedom 100 EM Index (symbol FRDM). She was named......
Manias, Panics, and AI
By any metric, the US – and, by implication, the world – are now in the midst of an intense AI speculative boom. To assess whether all the investment pouring into the industry will build something useful, three questions must be addressed....
PODCAST: At The Money: Algorithmic Harm
On this fan favorite episode of “At The Money”, Barry speaks with Cass Sunstein, professor at Harvard Law School and co-author of the book, “Algorithmic Harm: Protecting People in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”. Previously he co-authored “Nudge” with Nobel Laureate Dick Thaler. They discuss whether all this algorithmic impact is helping or......
Will Dollar Dominance Survive Digital Money?
Depending on how they are designed, the rails conveying digital money can underpin an open monetary system or entrench a bipolar system of competing blocs with incompatible standards. For the US, continued global monetary leadership will require upgrading domestic and cross-border payment infrastructure for interoperability....
What are interest rates?
If you are borrowing money, the interest rate (or lending rate) is the amount you are charged for doing so – shown as a percentage of the total amount of the loan. The higher the percentage, the more you must pay back. If you are a saver, the interest rate......
New Skills and AI Are Reshaping the Future of Work
Technological change has reshaped job markets for centuries. But the benefits have not always been widely shared. As AI and digital technologies transform today’s workplace even those at the forefront of innovation are not immune to disruption as recent job cuts at major technology companies show....
Are Central Banks Enabling Unsustainable Government Deficits?
Recent developments suggest that the US Federal Reserve’s bond purchases are no longer just a “monetary operation,” but an essential component of the US government’s fiscal financing. The sooner that the Fed and other similarly situated central banks recognize the trap they have created for themselves, the better....
PODCAST: Outlook 2026
Markets continue their sunny cruise, whistling along as the world is upended by nationalistic meddling in both corporations and other countries. Today on the show, Katie Martin and Rob Armstrong discuss the stunning resilience of the global economy. Also, they go short bank consolidation and short Grok nudifying people....
Overdraft Explained: Fees, Protection, and Types
An overdraft allows you to continue transactions when your account lacks funds. This bank-provided credit lets you settle payments but may incur fees and interest. Essentially, it’s an extension of credit from the financial institution that is granted when an account reaches zero....
🎧Price panic: the truth about affordability
Ahandpicked article read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. Voters are furious about prices, and politicians are racing to fix an affordability crisis. The problem risks being misdiagnosed....
Getting the AI Story Right
As AI moves from experimentation to real-world applications, the limits imposed by the physical world, capital markets, and political systems clearly matter more than its theoretical potential. Fortunately, such constraints are not hurdles to progress, but rather the scaffolding behind which it will take shape....
10 AI dangers and risks and how to manage them
Artificial intelligence (AI) has enormous value but capturing the full benefits of AI means facing and handling its potential pitfalls. The same sophisticated systems used to discover novel drugs, screen diseases, tackle climate change, conserve wildlife and protect biodiversity can also yield biased algorithms that cause harm and technologies that......
Understanding Transparency in Finance: Definition, Importance, and Examples
Transparency refers to how openly a company or financial institution shares information with investors and consumers. It involves clear access to financial data, such as pricing, market depth, and audited reports, as well as full disclosure of fees by investment firms and credit card companies....
The Global Economic Transformation Will Be Local
Whether it is generating good jobs, navigating the climate transition, stimulating innovation, or building economic resilience, structural transformation is now the name of the game worldwide. While the ends may differ, the means are the same: effective state action, led by subnational governments....
AT1: Investors’ Risky Bets that Keep the Banks Running (by Hayk Khekoyan)
When you hear the word CoCo you probably think of a leather bag with the famous Chanel logo on it, or the 2017 critically acclaimed and commercially successful animated movie of the same name. What you probably do not think about is a complex financial instrument, created with the purpose......
Is Artificial Intelligence Going to Replace Us All? (by Hayk Khekoyan)
Nowadays it seems borderline impossible to spend even a few hours without coming across the subject of “Artificial Intelligence”. There is just way too much talk, hype, arguments, doomsday prophecies or bold optimistic statements on how this or that technological advancement or tool, or AI in general is going to......
Did the 2022 World Cup Really Cost More than All the Previous Ones Combined? (by Hayk Khekoyan)
As the World Cup final is played in Lusail, a city that did not even exist a few years ago, Qatar 2022 will go down in the history books for many reasons, not all of them exactly football‑related. Nothing in the world exists as a separate entity in a vacuum:......
The Growing Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Business (by Hayk Khekoyan)
These days it is borderline impossible to spend a day in the business world without hearing the phrase “emotional intelligence”, its abbreviation “EI” or the closely related term “EQ” (emotional quotient, similar to intelligence quotient colloquially known as IQ). While the concept of emotional intelligence is becoming increasingly prevalent throughout......
The Streaming Wars: Part 2 (by Hayk Khekoyan)
Last year I wrote about the so-called “Streaming Wars”. This term is used to describe the process of the rising number of streaming video on demand (VOD) services from all sorts of corporations trying to position themselves in an ever-growing and yet such a tight market. The world is a......
Working Less or Working Smarter and Better? (by Hayk Khekoyan)
Work less, earn more. That is the plan for most people. Barring the rare cases of people actually loving their work, for most of us a job is simply a means to survive. If you haven’t won the genetic lottery to be born into outrageous wealth, just staying alive requires......
To the Moon or to the Ground? The Jury is Still Out on Bitcoin (by Hayk Khekoyan)
Bitcoin is back. Back to inexplicably losing more than half of its value in six months, back to being one of the biggest controversies in the world, but definitely not back to its all-time highs of more than $60,000 achieved twice during 2021. “When you find yourself in a hole,......
How to Increase Savings in Armenia (by Alexandra Ouzounian from The Pingry School, New Jersey)
Financial literacy is broadly defined as an individual’s financial knowledge and ability to use financial tools to execute his or her financial goals. The people of Armenia demonstrate a level of financial literacy (Figure 1) and gross savings rate (Figure 2) that is lower than the average financial literacy of......
Personal data protection: EU perspective (by Diana Javadyan)
Nowadays, more than ever, data protection issues are actual and crucial in terms of both data protection standard setting and data protection standard implementation. Recent Fintech developments, e-communities, artificial intelligence application and other technological advancements throughout the world bring up the need of robust data protection framework and protected data......
The Streaming Wars that will Shape the Future of Entertainment (by Hayk Khekoyan)
When the CEOs of Netflix and Blockbuster met in the distant year 2000 to discuss a merger between the two, Netflix was a 3-year-old company valuing itself at a measly $50 mln compared to Blockbuster’s market capitalization of around $5 bln (Sloan, 2020). Perhaps, having taken note of the phrase......
Why You Should Consider Learning Cybersecurity (by Hayk Khekoyan)
3.12 million. This is the estimated number of cybersecurity specialists needed globally as cyberattacks around the world keep growing in both frequency and magnitude (Duffy, 2021). The last few months alone have seen some of the biggest security breaches in history, more on which later. The most important development in the......
Will Energy Ever Be the Same Again? (by Hayk Khekoyan)
As recently as the year 2013, the largest publicly traded corporation in the world was an oil company. Exxon Mobil had a market capitalization well north of $400 bln at the time, which was quite the feat considering there were no trillion-dollar companies in the world yet. Fast forward......
A Possible Future of Money (by Hayk Khekoyan)
If you have not spent the last few years in a cave or on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the words cryptocurrency or digital currency should sound familiar. I will not pretend to know or try to explain all the details of the technology behind Bitcoin,......
The Simple, Yet Quite Complex Global Issue (by Hayk Khekoyan)
For almost a week in the end of March one of the most important marine routes of the world was blocked by a giant vessel, approximately matching in size with New York’s famous Empire State Building. It took almost another week after the vessel was removed for the traffic jam......
The Consequences of the Mass Investment Platforms (by Hayk Khekoyan)
By January 11 not as many people had heard about the American company Gamestop as they have today. As of January 11 Gamestop cost around 1.5 billion USD and was a network of computer games and electronics’ stores situated in several states of the USA as well as in a......
Why We Need Governments (by Hayk Khekoyan)
The man regarded as the father of economics devoted a great deal of time and a big chunk of his work talking about how free markets produce the best outcomes for everyone involved. Adam Smith, in his book “The Wealth of Nations”, told us about the invisible hand that guides......