Monetary History of Byzantium   Andronicus II 1282-1328AD Andronicus II Palaeologus (b 1260; 1282-1328AD) was the son of Michael VIII Palaeologus and it was during his reign that the Byzantine Empire declined to the status of a minor state under siege by the Ottoman Turks in Anatolia and the Serbs in the Balkans. This is […]

Another negative day for Asian stocks as concerns over US/China trade wars and emerging market jitters continue. The timeline pasted for additional US sanctions which caused a small up-tic in prices ahead of the US numbers and the weekend. The Hang Seng managed an almost unchanged close, whilst Shanghai recovered much of the mornings levels […]

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I take it your concern over Trump from the market perspective is the sheer uncertainty that is evolving. How do you see this playing out for the world economy? Thank you. I agree. These people who hate Trump just hate him so passionately. MRU ANSWER: Markets do not like UNCERTAINTY. These people […]

Another weak day across the board, starting in Asia and spreading west. There are ongoing concerns about emerging markets and the additional leverage being used almost everywhere. Much of this is being extended through the tech sector and that is what hurt the Hang Seng today. Closing down 1% it has also had a negative […]

Monetary History of Byzantium   ALEXIUS I 1081-1118 Alexius I Comnenos (c. 1048; 1081 – 1118AD) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118 yet he inherited a collapsing empire. Byzantium faced constant warfare against Seljuq Turks in Asia Minor and the French in the western Balkans.  Alexius also faced the collapsed on the monetary system. […]

QUESTION:  Hello Martin … I follow emerging markets closely and one thing I note is that the size of the sovereign forex-denominated debt burdens are quite small relative to GDP except in the case of Argentina (48%). Everybody else, including Turkey and Indonesia) is 11% or less. How can you have a debt crisis if […]

The uncertainty continued from the US back into Asia this morning resulting in more Asian selling. Although core Chinese markets are light on volume, the concerns of sudden price discovery is the fear running through all emerging markets. We saw a flicker of this today when the Shanghai declined over 1.7%, but the Hang Seng […]

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; Our government here in Argentina has told us we should expect more poverty and there is no hope for the future. Socrates has been amazing on its forecasts on our currency. There are enough of us down here who would sincerely ask would you consider advising Argentina to straighten out our economy […]

For much of the day, Asia was trading flat to a touch weaker. However, the core recovered into the close with renewed confidence that US and China would soon settle Trade uncertainties. Of course, these were only domestic rumours, but the news proved optimistic enough for an afternoon rally. Both Shanghai and the Hang Seng […]

  Always a quiet day when a major market is closed and we saw that today. Asia traded weak all day as it responded to news that the US and Canada are yet to reach a trade agreement despite rumours they were close last week. Of course, markets hate uncertainty and this throws open the […]