August 9, 2021—Last week’s jobs report was strong for the second month in a row and immediately prompted questions about how it may affect the Federal Reserve’s dovish posture. With 1.9 million combined jobs added in June and July, gross domestic product (GDP) surpassing the pre-pandemic peak in 2Q 2021, and inflation at the highest in decades, it’s natural to think the Fed would normalize policy soon.
July 30, 2021—In recent weeks sweeping regulations from Chinese policymakers in several industries have rattled investors and sent Chinese equities reeling. The MSCI China Index has fallen 31% since its February peak and 11% between July 26–27 alone (Figure 1). China’s hefty weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets Equity Index—over 34%—makes it impossible for an investor to ignore (Figure 1).
July 22, 2021—For decades, the European Union (EU) has led the world in pursuing sustainable finance policies, particularly in carbon reduction. Within Europe, sustainability objectives enjoy broad support across the left, right, and center. Last year, the European Commission ratcheted up these efforts by incorporating its “European Green Deal” into its massive multi-year budget program, alongside efforts to boost European competitiveness in the digital space.
