February 5, 2020 — This Wilmington Wire blog post is the third in a continuing series of updates on the coronavirus outbreak and its market and economic implications. The first, Coronavirus Concerns: Monitoring the Risks Closely, but not Reacting to Portfolios Yet; and the second, Cononavirus update: Hold the line. We also held a conference call on Monday, February 5, where we discussed the market sell-off and potential economic implications of the epidemic. Call recording.
January 3, 2020— On January 2, a U.S. military drone strike eliminated General Qassem Suleimani, leader of the al-Quds battalion of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The drone strike, which occurred at Baghdad airport, followed a rapidly escalating U.S. conflict with an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia. The al-Quds forces advance Iran’s influence by supporting various governments and militias across Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Iran has threatened unspecified retaliation against U.
December 12, 2019—Chinese equities have been holding up reasonably well, despite the U.S. threat of expanded tariffs and technology sanctions, and the risk of blow-back from the Hong Kong situation. From its recent trough on August 5 to its subsequent grind upward through December 12, the MSCI China Index has gained 12.3%.
As we approach the end of 2019, it is worth “taking stock” of China, pun intended.
